The sins that don’t make headlines, but should

An Obadiah Slope column

Writing from jail: an Anglican minister Mark Coleman, tells readers of the Church Times that he is in prison for his Christian beliefs. Was it for taking a stand on same-sex marriage? Walking through a demonstration ban zone around an abortion clinic? Or for street preaching?

No, it was opposing oil and gas investment. Coleman was arrested for blocking a road with other demonstrators.

Obadiah is aware that some readers might think that the socially conservative demonstrations that might lead to jail are worthwhile and Biblically basebased one basoft-quotedoft-quoted verses 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

And Obadiah agrees, but feels the whole passage challenges us.

Coleman, as part of the group Just Stop Oil believes that energy companies are driven by a form of legal greed, of maximising profit. He believes that the climate crisis should also guide them, and that poor people will pay the price for on-going carbon emissions. At heart, he is protesting greed.

One might agree or not with Coleman’s reasoning. But having a Christian arrested and imprisoned for opposition to greed is sadly unusual. Because that is one of the sins listed in 1 Cor 6;9-10. Do we take the sin of greed as seriously as we do the sex ones?

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I was warned: “Be prepared to be confronted (even shocked) as you visit areas of poverty which are a world away from the world you in Australia inhabit. God will change your heart as he is changing the hearts of many in Tanzania. You will return better informed about the challenges we as GAFCON Dioceses face in Tanzania. You will understand the impact CMS Has had in this area.“ This was part of Eddie Ozals’ invitation to the post-Gafcon tour that Obadiah dubbed Gafcon-tiki.

After a week back in Australia, Obadiah remains stunned by the poverty he encountered – especially driving in the Gafcon-tiki mini-bus through tiny towns in Tanzania around Lake Victoria. By coincidence Mrs Slope went to an Anglican Aid fundraiser last weekend, to raise money for children in the refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya that Aduk Dau, once a refugee, now a stalwart of Kellyville Anglican, was trapped in. Watch out for the Other Cheek Report. This blogger has returned an enthusiatic supporter of Anglican Aid which promotes both the gospel and generosity seemlessly. Obadiah is more aware of his responsility as a human being and a Christ follower than ever before.

As The Other Cheek reported “I went to report Gafcon, but learned Africa.”

Ediie Ozols has just started blogging the trip Obadiah was on. You can get his perspective on guiding “18 mad Australians” around Tanzania here.

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Three cheers for Missos: The can-do attitude of the missionaries really shines through on Gafcon-tiki. Who was bright and alert after a long day traversing Tanzania? Helen Hoskins and Dorothy Prentice both ladies of a certain age, that’s who. The rest of us wilted long before them. If there’s a problem they leap in. Dorothy got us into Serengeti really fast. Real tallent for negotiation, that one.

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A bit too much: After Tanzania, the coronation took on a different meaning for Obadiah. Gold Coaches, jewelled crowns, pomp and circumstance. Obadiah has no desire to belittle the Archbishoop of Canterbury, despite Gafcon, but fine words in his sermion of following Jesus who “came not to be served but to serve” fell flat for Obadiah. Too much wealth and privilege was on display for it to ring true. And too many soldiers – in a land which still working through its post colonial destiny. A procession of 4000 aid workers would have worked better for Obadiah. And what ever happened to the end of Mark 10:45 and Matthew 20:28 ? “and to give his life a ransom for many?” Now that would have been a challenge to that crowd!

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Crisis on the right: Tom Switzer, the conservative commentator interviewed historian Matthew Dallek: political historian and author of How the John Birch society radicalised the American right for the ABC’.’s betyween the Lines. (Yes a political conservative running an ABC program.)

Dallek traces the tendencty of some conservatives, Christians included, to accept conspiracy theories to the influence of the John Birch society which “believed President Dwight Eisenhower was an agent of the international communist conspiracy.” They also belived that a huge percentage of the US was already communist. They were enormously effective and popular among Christians.

Obadiah has long lost his copy of “None dare call it Conspiracy” which asserted that Richard Nixon was a pinko, and that a communist takeover could be expected by 1968. Many Christians attracted to a Trumpian right may not be aware of the birchers, founded by a baptist missionary tio china, Robert Welch. It is a sad history well worth checking out.

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Good call: Adelaide Archbishop Geoff Smith has called for Peter Hollingworth to resign from holy orders or to volunteerily defrock himself, or step dowm from being an Anglican minister. That’s despite the Meklbourne Diocese (region) Professional Standards Board saying he is still fit to be a minister. Hollingworth has been tone deaf on child protection and sexual abuse since he became Archbishop of Brisbane in 1989, made unfortunate appointments, and from late 2001 when he was appointed Governor-General, cases that he mishandled in Brisbane began to be raised publically. Smith told the ABC’s Australian Story (which first reported some blundering comments by Hollingworth blaming a 14 year old abuse victim) “I would say on the basis of all that I’m aware of, it would be a good thing to step back and resign his orders. I think that would be a reasonable thing. For the good of the people who’ve been impacted, for the good of the reputation of the church, even though that’s very much secondary.”