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LUTHERAN MISSION - IN POSTMODERN AUSTRALIA Bruce Wilmot Adams “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:l6) For this
octogenarian Australian Lutheran pastor-emeritus, originating from a
non-Lutheran background, with a lengthy heritage of forbears attached to the
Anglican and Presbyterian churches, I have become acutely aware of a grave
crisis infecting, threatening and encircling the entire Christian Church within
Western societies, including Australia.
This satanic assault upon the Church is taking magnetic shape through a
philosophy known as postmodernism.
While this philosophy has many faces, it becomes recognizable when once
awakened to its basic premise.
Ominously from this devil’s ploy confessional Lutherans are by no means
immune, even while engaged in their mission of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ
among fellow Australians. Presently our
contemporary Australians on mass appear to be captivated by its message of
“freedom from all restrictions”. So it is
not without a degree of grief that I observe young Australians, including
Christians, being sucked into the postmodern agenda through an influential
media supported by popular personalities from the Arts. Though postmodern thought-forms are being
glamorously presented to attract and entice; there are thankfully notable
exceptions, inclusive of Mel.Gibson – “The Passion Of The Christ”, as well as
the brilliant film now showing, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (Narnia
Chronicles by C.S.Lewis). Also, it has
been heartening that during this Christmas Season (2005), to have witnessed at
some levels an attempt to bring Christ back into Christmas. Well, how best then can postmodernism be
summarized? I can think of no better
apt description than that by Os Guinness: “Within it, (postmodern movement)
truth is dead. Truth in any objective
or absolute sense, truth that is independent of the mind of the knower no
longer exists. At best, truth is
relative” 1 If truth no
longer exists, consequently Christ and Christianity belong to yesterday! From such springs satan’s attempt to scuttle
the two affirmations of the Lord Jesus Christ: “I am the way, and the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me” (John: 14:7), and
“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the
world – to bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice” (John 18:37) With the
hastening of the secularization process throughout Australia, the time would
seem opportune for confessional Lutherans to grasp the challenge to unashamedly
proclaim God’s truth, always framed within the Gospel of the crucified and
risen Christ and the Sacraments of His grace.
As this study shall attempt to elaborate Lutheran Mission from an
historic perspective, within the arena of postmodern Australia, it would seem
expedient to probe the myth of postmodernism as commonly expounded in relation
to Australia’s long-forgotten Christian past. AUSTRALIA’S HERITAGE - CHRISTIAN ROOTS The
question inevitably arises as to how the postmodernists operate in regard to
history. So far as Australia is
concerned, its history is consistently represented as a cartoon of brutalities. Herein there is ground for concern. In most Australian schools a generation of
children is being deprived of discovering Australia’s rich Christian
inheritance. To offset this I pray that
the 30,000 students attending Lutheran schools are being introduced to
Australia’s Lutheran and Christian heritage, with the additional instruction in
Luther’s Small Catechism. All parents
should heed the note of warning from the pen the Lutheran apologist, Gene
Edward Veith: “Television reduces all history to a perpetual present, occurring
simultaneously on our T.V. screens, empty of context and meaning. History is not something we can learn from
or interpret our own times by. Rather history
becomes a ‘style’”2 When
history is reduced to style, then it should come as no surprises that for most
Aussies there persists the lingering misconception that the colonization of
Australia was restricted to convicts, prostitutes, and criminals transported
from Britain as a ‘relief-measure’ for the Mother country. When the first ships bearing their pitiful
human cargo anchored in Botany Bay on January 20, l788, Captain Arthur Phillip
decided to relocate the settlement to Sydney Cove in Port Jackson; now the site
of Sydney, Australia’s most populous city. Irrefutably there exists this dark
and callous side to Australia’s first white settlement. Yet in contrast to such a brutal and
harrowing narrative, history also unfolds two brighter aspects. First, many of the ‘convicts’ upon release,
bequeathed an invaluable inheritance to Australia’s gloomy beginnings. Second, to Australia’s fair yet harsh shores
there arrived thousands of free settlers who migrated from England, Scotland,
Wales, Cornwall and Ireland, comprising my own medical forbears who chose
Melbourne (so named in l835), to be their home in l840 and l843. Many of these colonists sought to establish
a Christian nation by founding their own churches with their denominational
schools and colleges, in a land blessed by an abundance of natural
resources. In his book,
“Discovering Australia’s Christian Heritage”, Col. Stringer refers to the fact
that “ Few Christians know anything of this nation’s rich Christian heritage
and the fact it was dedicated to the Lord, or that many of our early explorers,
pioneers and politicians were men and women of God. It is largely unknown and sadly, seldom taught, that Captain
James Cook, Captain Charles Sturt, Edward John Eyre, Flynn of the Inland and
many other famous names were men and women with a heart for the Lord…Fewer
still are aware that one of the men who co-authored our nation’s constitution
was Prime Minister Alfred Deakin, a man who prayed and was used of God in the
founding of the nation.” 3
Though not a traditional Christian, Alfred Deakin kept a Book of
Prayers, noted by the Australian historian, Manning Clark, in his “A History Of
Australia” (Vol 5, p.42). Lutherans in
the 21st century are consequently compelled to be more vocal in
disallowing postmodernists to spurn their Faith, and even worse, to disregard
it. Of import
for early Lutheran history stands the figure of George Fife Angas, who as a
wealthy businessman in South Australia, paved the way for those courageous
Lutheran emigrants to settle in South Australia, under the leadership of Pastor
August Kavel. These ‘pilgrims of the
Cross’ who migrated from Prussia to South Australia, harboured in Adelaide on
November l6, l838. Their hardships and
Lutheran convictions are well documented by David Schubert in his excellent
book: “Kavel’s People”.4 As
for Australia’s indigenous people, the Aborigines, Pastor Everard Leske
accurately deduces that, “From its very beginnings in l838, Lutheranism showed
concern for Australia’s original inhabitants who were being put aside by white
colonization It is doubtful whether any
other denomination in Australian Christendom had a more worthy record of effort
and quiet achievement in proportion to its membership and material resources.”5 The names of pastors such as Pastors
Friedrich Albrecht, Carl Strehlow, and Paul Albrecht who laboured in
Hermannsburg and the Inland for forty-one years , are enshrined in the annals
of the history of Lutheran mission and care for the aboriginal people. Another
living legend in his own right was the Presbyterian pioneer and Christian visionary,
John “Flynn of the Inland”, who journeyed by camel and horse to the remotest
parts of the Inland with the Gospel, founding the A.I.M. hospital in Hall’s
Creek and the Flying Doctor Service.
For bringing the redeeming and healing power of the Gospel to the
Aboriginal people Lutheran Christians must never be ashamed, but even more
assertive. It remains integral to this
day for confessional Australian Lutheran Christians to continue their support
for their on-going mission to Australia’s indigenous people. By comparison to simply elevate Ned Kelly
and Eureka would seem trite. During
these postmodern times, from the historicity of the Gospel and the Christian
Faith there dare be no retreat, as St. John testified: “That which was from the
beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we
looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life, the
life which was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and
proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made
manifest to us” (1 John 1:1-2). The Christian and the Apostolic Faith that we hold as Lutherans
is locked to history and continues to resound throughout this great Island set
in the southern seas. In his book, “The
Body”, Charles Colson warns: “Take away a sense of history, and you eviscerate
the Christian faith, which is a religion of historical fact.” 6 AUSTRALIA’S HOUR! – PROPITIOUS FOR LUTHERAN MISSION The
commitment of “The Lutheran Society For Missiology” (LCMS. of which I am a
member) to participate in God’s continuing mission in the world, as delineated
in editions of “Missio Apostolica”, confirms also for Australian Lutherans both
the importance of doctrine and outreach to those entrenched in unbelief. Though theological debate remains
essential, the mission of the Church to faithfully proclaim God’s Word in
accord with the Confessions to all peoples remains obligatory (Acts 1:8). We need to be reminded that Luther, whilst a
doctor and teacher of the Church, was no “cloistered monk” distanced from the
harsh realities of his own age. A
sermon preached on August 27, l525, endorses his commitment to Christ’s
command, to be cherished by Lutherans in the 21st century: “We have the gospel. Christ says, ‘Go and preach the gospel’ not
only to Jews as Moses did, but to ‘all nations,’ and to ‘all creatures’ (Mark
l6:l5) To me it is said, ‘He who
believes and is baptized will be saved’ (Mark l6:l6). Again, ‘Go and do to your
neighbour as has been done to you (Mt.7:l2)… However, because Christ says: not
to one people, nor in this or that place in the world but to ‘all creatures’,
therefore no one is exempt.” 7 For this to
eventuate both problems and positives confront Lutheran Christians throughout
Australia during this critical period of Australia’s history. Truly this is Australia’s hour of destiny! Missions
Obstacles: First, there is the sharp decline in the
number of Australians who class themselves as Christians. In “The Weekend Australian”, December 27-28,
2002, a researcher Ruth Powell concludes that 68 per cent of Australians
classed themselves as Christians in 200l, compared with 89 per cent (excluding
Aborigines who at that time were not included n the census) in l954. Accordingly, the number of people who consider
themselves pagans grew by l44 per cent.
In that same period witchcraft experienced a 373 per cent growth. Second, what is obvious is the glaring fact
that interest in Asian religions has swollen as Australians sense their strong
affinity with Asia through travel, trade, and immigration. Within the so-called ‘city of churches’,
Adelaide, once a heartland of Lutheranism, there has occurred a Buddhist
Retreat. According to an article in
“The Advertiser”, March 27, 2004, Gabe Edwards reports that “Buddhism is the
fastest growing religion in Australia with 357,800 followers nationally, with
l9,393 in South Australia, according to the 2001 census.” In addition is the sharp growth of Islam
numbering more than 300,000 adherents. Third,
while sport in itself is commendable, sport is frequently presented as the
national religion of Australians and sporting heroes as the national
idols. League football, not without
some substance has been entitled the ‘national religion’. Many Christians, sadly inclusive of
Lutherans, have been enticed to be a part of such a trite national apostasy,
despite St. Paul’s admonition, “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry” (l
Cor.10:14). As sporting events now
highlight Sunday activities, it is a source of grave concern that in a recent
National Church Life Survey, church attendance in the Lutheran Church of
Australia has declined by 18% in ten years (1991-2001). Such a decline is not due only to sporting
events, but also to a loss of what Gene Edward Veith refers to as “Lutheran
Spirituality”: “Lutheran spirituality is all about what God does. To rescue us from our miserable and depraved
human condition, He became a human being Himself.” 8 Too many Australians were reared on the
agenda that Christianity was just another expression of moral decency, or even
mysticism. The cause? The failure of the Christian churches to
preach and teach both Law and Gospel. Fourth, as
a Church which treasures its Germanic traditions there continues to be a urgent
need to ensure that those from an Anglo-Celtic and non-Germanic background to
be not only welcomed but also received into church fellowship. An apparent
hindrance to the growth of the Lutheran Church is its tendency to become a
cultural island. This may necessitate making some cultural concessions, if
‘converts’ are not to drift in and out of the Lutheran Church. The welcoming church has featured in recent
issues of “The Lutheran”. On too
frequent occasions for comfort Cleworth and I have been asked why we converted
to biblical and confessional Lutheranism, bearing as we do the names of ‘Adams’and nee.’Watt’. Our names are not ‘Lutheran’!. Hardly a welcoming gesture! Fifth, a
less blatant threat exists for Confessional Lutherans. Postmodernism has an ally in ‘political
correctness’. How long will there be
tolerated the biblical claim that Jesus Christ is the sole Saviour of the
world? That clear demand as enunciated
by St. Peter is forthright: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there
is no other name [that of Jesus] under heaven, given among men by which we must
be saved” (Acts 4:12). While such a confession of Faith is an anathema to
relativism; there can be no compromise for Lutherans holding to the ancient
Creeds as expounded in The Book of Concord.
Mission
Opportunities First, among the Aboriginal population the
Lutheran Church of Australia continues its mission on an exciting scale. Hermannsburg which boasts of a beautiful
church and set on the banks of Finke River, lying to the west of Alice Springs,
was the springboard for Lutheran Mission in Central Australia, dating back to
l877. There are now more than 40
Aboriginal pastors and evangelists, outreaching with the Gospel to their own
people. Among the Aboriginal tribes the
Scriptures are being translated into their own tribal languages by dedicated
Lutheran translators, such as Margaret Mickan.
Two years ago by courtesy of our daughter and her husband, my wife
(Cleworth) and I were privileged to visit the Inland, which included Alice
Springs and Hermannsburg. What a privilege it was to worship on the Sunday in
the Lutheran Church in Alice Springs with our Aboriginal brothers and sisters! To kneel with them at the Altar proved for
us a special joy. Earnest study of the Word is characteristic of church workers
and Aboriginal members who are Lutheran Christians; despite some of the
degrading influences being thrust upon our indigenous people by contact with
unscrupulous white Australians. Further to
this is the outreach throughout Indonesia, New Guinea, Thailand, Malaysia, and
Cambodia under the direction of the Board of Mission and the invaluable
contribution of “Asia Focus”. Such
would demand a separate and in itself an exciting chapter. Second, as
Australian society is increasingly multi-cultural since the l960s, there are
L.C.A. congregations where Germans, Estonians, Finns, Latvians, Hungarians,
Poles, Indonesians, Chinese and Koreans can worship the Lord in their own
language. In more recent times migrants
from Africa and the Sudan have been welcomed into Australian society and
received into Lutheran churches. Many
congregations have discovered that home groups have promoted interaction among
people of varying cultures. It remains
a personal conviction of the need for confessional Lutheran pastors from Africa
to promote true confessional teaching among our African immigrants. Third, at the national level there is a
reason for gratitude that the Lord’s Prayer is still prayed at every session of
the National Parliament. Long will I
recall the words of the Governor-General of Australia., Major Michael Jeffrey
at the National Prayer Breakfast held in the Great Hall of Parliament House in
Canberra on Monday, November 3 ,2003.
During the course of his address the Governor-General included these
words: “Of course we will fail sometimes…That is why God sent His Son to be a
role model for us and to suffer excruciating pain for our sins. He died and rose again and this story is
told in the bestselling book of all time…The Christian faith provides succour
and hope, but it also demands commitment by church and society especially in
the upbringing of children.” .Such events are among important signs of hope for
those faithful to the Word of God, Fourth, within Australia, there is the
spectacle of an increasing spiritual hunger, especially among the youth. There is the growing sense that hedonism and
consumerism have betrayed them.
Bewildered and deceived by the acquisitive society, like the Greeks of
old they are beginning to ask: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21b) G.K. Chesterton foresaw the consequences of postmodernism with
its secular agenda while writing in the early years of the twentieth century:
“The secularists have not wrecked divine things; but the secularists have
wrecked secular things, if that is any comfort to them. The Titans did not scale heaven; but they
laid waste the world.” 9. How farseeing and prophetic was G.K.Chesterton! We have only to watch the T.V. news with
nightly reports of crime, violence, drug trafficking and scandals. Atheism lays waste such a land offering
bounty. One
lamentable and lingering offshoot of postmodernism is the practice, too common
among L.C.A. pastors and congregations, to emulate Pentecostalism through
experimental worship and up-beat music.
This can only spawn an absence of the Divine and the upfront of an
entertainment fad. Certainly it is far
from my intention to dismiss the wealth of well-written and beautifully
composed modern hymns. But so often I
regret the extreme denigration of our unique Lutheran liturgy resulting in its
fragmentation and ultimate loss. Is
this what thoughtful Australians want and even expect of the Church? Quite the contrary; as evidenced in the
growth of the Orthodox churches. There
continues to exist today the imperative call for Lutheran Christians living in
the twenty-first century, to rediscover and express their apostolic,
confessional and catholic identity.
The Lord demands not success but faithfulness. The crucified, risen, and ascended Lord
appealed to the Christians in Smyrna to, “Be faithful unto death, and I will
give you the crown of life” (Rev.2:10c).
It was Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna, St. John’s disciple, prior to his own
forthcoming martyrdom, to include in his letter to the Philippians this
instruction: “Stand firm, therefore, in these things and follow the example of
the Lord, ‘steadfast and immovable’ (1Cor.15:58, Col.1:23) in the faith”10 If Australia is to continue as a land of promise, then it remains imperative for postmodernism with its ultimate message of life’s meaninglessness, to disintegrate amidst the on-going tragedies that continue to haunt the twenty-first century. By contrast, “Thy Word shall stand despite all foes” (M.Luther-Hymn 195) Akin to the Christians in Corinth, may we relearn, that Rock is Christ (l Cor.10:4b). Let us
pause to appropriate the words of the Rev’d. Steven E. Harrold from his article
entitled, “Augsburg Evangelism”:
“Justification by grace through faith is the very essence of any
authentic evangelistic message. It is,
as some say of John 3:l6, ‘the Gospel in a nutshell.’ If the Gospel is indeed the centre of Christian life, the Gospel
is what dictates the difference between church and world. Without the Gospel, the church has nothing
to say to the world and has no reason to be at variance with it at any point.” 11 End Notes 1 Os Guinness, “Time For Truth”, (Baker Books,
Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2000, pp.11-12) 2 Gene Edward Veith, “Postmodern Times”,
(Crossway Books, l994, p.99) 3 Col
Stringer, “Discovering Australia’s Christian Heritage” (Col.Stringer
Ministries, Inc.200l, p.9) 4 David
Schubert, “Kavel’s People” (Lutheran Publishing House Adelaide, l985) 5 Everard
Leske, “For Faith and Freedom-The Story of Lutherans and Lutheranism in
Australia l838-l996” (Open Book Publishers l996, p.90) 6 Charles
Colson, “The Body” (Nelson Word Ltd. England, l992 pp.233-234) 7 “Luther’s
Works” AE. (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, l960, Vol.35, p.l7l) 8 Gene
Edward Veith, “The Spirituality of the Cross” (C.P.H. l999, p.23) 9
G.K.Chesterton, “Orthodoxy” (Fontana Books, Second Impression, 1963, p.139) 10 “Early
Christian Fathers” (Edited by Cyril C. Richardson, The Macmillan Co.New York,
1970,p135) 11 Steven
E. Harrold, “Augsburg Evangelism” (Lutheran Theological Review, X111, St.
Catharines,Canada, pp.l5,l6) All
Scripture references are from: “The Bible- English Standard Version- Concordia
Edition” 2003.. |