Indonesia, Freedom and Christians

In a discussion group I used to attend, one recurring theme was the place of the Christian Church in the public square.

How should the church publicly express its views? When does obeying God mean disobeying Kevin07? What sorts of social and political institutions and practices are most conducive to Christians living out and voicing their beliefs? These sorts of questions guided much of our talk, and with the Church having more and more to say -- or, at least, seeming to want to have more and more to say -- in public discussion in Australia, such questions still bear thinking about.

In this context, I was interested to read Indonesia-expert Sidney Jones' recent comments about religious freedom, minority rights (including, but not only, Christians') and security in Indonesia:

Playing religious favorites or tacitly endorsing one version of the truth is a dangerous game in a country as diverse as Indonesia. Unless Jakarta takes a tougher stance against vigilantes and in favor of religious freedom and minority rights, internal security problems are likely to increase ("Communal Tension a Prime Security Threat", The Jakarta Post, 3 Jan 2008).

Those interested in Jones' prognosis for Indonesia in 2008 can read the full article here. Her last three paragraphs are especially thought-provoking.

A Good Test

If you're (still) reading this blog, thanks for persevering through the drought. More to the point, if you're a Christian, can I ask you to ask God the Father for his help as I prepare a sermon for this Sunday.

The passage is Matt 4:1-11, Jesus' testing in the wilderness. As always, preparing the sermon is something of a test; but, like Jesus' testing, I hope this test will yield trust and loyalty to the Father -- in me and in those who hear the sermon. Please pray that this would be the case.

Better to receive than give?

It's a boost when a Big Name says something that resembles a thought or hunch you've harboured for some time. Of course, the way they express and work out that thought is usually clearer or sexier than the inchoate blob sitting in your brain -- nevertheless, it's still reassuring to know you're not alone.

The other day I came across the following:

John Steinbeck eulogizes his recently deceased friend, Ed Ricketts:

I have tried to isolate and inspect the great talent that was in Ed Ricketts, that made him so loved and needed and makes him so missed now that he is dead. Certainly he was an interesting and charming man, but there was some other quality that far exceeded these. I have thought that it might be his ability to receive, to receive anything from anyone, to receive gracefully and thankfully, and to make the gift seem very fine. Because of this everyone felt good in giving to Ed—a present, a thought, anything.

Perhaps the most overrated virtue in our list of shoddy virtues is that of giving. Giving builds up the ego of the giver, makes him superior and higher and larger than the receiver...It is so easy to give, so exquisitely rewarding. Receiving, on the other hand, if it is well-done, requires a fine balance of self-knowledge and kindness. It requires humility and tact and great understanding of relationships. In receiving, you cannot appear, even to yourself, better or stronger or wiser than the giver, although you must be wiser to do it well.

It requires self-esteem to receive—not self-love but just a pleasant acquaintance and liking for oneself.

I don't go all the way with the second and third paragraphs, but I'm all for Steinbeck's general thrust that receiving is underrated and that giving can mask mixed motives.

By the way, I got this quote from delanceyplace, a service that provides a daily email extract from a non-fiction book. So far their material has been good.