Rebuilding The World - Lessons From Nigeria
This enquiry began for us about 4 years ago. We have been involved in peace building through the message of Christ’s gospel and have seen the Lord do so many amazing things. We have learnt many lessons along the way. But when you dig down into the reasons for violence in a nation, you inevitably come across some buried things, and to bring these to the light of day isn’t a simple matter. First, there is the learning curve, how to understand what you are finding. It gets complex. When we first came to Africa in 1986, we had the blessing of being brought up in a developed, peaceful and in many ways Christian nation. We wanted to share these blessings. The main way of doing that was through the gospel, discipling and training leaders, missionaries and church planters, especially from diverse ethnicities and from grassroots backgrounds. This is still our main way of working with the Lord in reaching and transforming a nation. [...]
Most of us have heard of Cecil Rhodes. He
dominated southern Africa in the nineteenth century, exploiting her resources
and subjugating her people. Africa was seen as the property of the industrial
nations and politics within Africa were steered to enforce this worldview.
Rhodes made his fortune as just one player in the larger global empire and
dedicated his wealth to the ongoing interests of those in power. The infamous
Last Will and Testament of Rhodes was dedicated to strengthening British-led
control of America, to solidify global hegemony by the English-speaking world
in the decades to come. The vision of many in America is multipolarism, a
non-imperial worldview, but American politics has been infiltrated throughout
her history with (what we may call for brevity) the Rhodes’ vision of global
empire.[...]
It’s always high risk following the truth.
Imagine being in Egypt when Moses gave a vision of a new kind of world. The new
world doesn’t appear immediately. It’s a transition, when the corruption slowly
and forcefully yields to the inevitable new rule. Like Pharaoh, it doesn’t give
up easily. Even when the dawn has come, Pharoah still raises his army to hold
on. But this only ensures his end. Imagine believing in the face of constant
contradiction from the “evidence” (Pharaohs’ power.) You are seeing the unseen
and refusing to let it go until it is established reality. When the reality
comes, will you have pre-purchased shares in it, invested all your
wealth-stores in it? Or will it be too late?
“By
faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to
enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of
Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking
ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he
persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover
and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not
touch the firstborn of Israel.” (Hebrews 11:24-28) He accepted Christ’s blood
as a sign on a new world, walking in its faith, love and hope, so destroyer had
no place in his heart.[...]
All Hebrew holydays were in this direction. They were Days of Remembrance: Israel was to remember that God had compassion on them when they were slaves in Egypt, so Israel should likewise have compassion on the slave, the refugee, the stranger, the people in unfortunate circumstances. The fact that this Jubilee was the main point of the Day of Atonement meant that restoring the suffering in our societies today is a form of atonement: it cleanses our societies of evil, it takes away Satan’s opportunity at destroying our relationships and peace. [...]
Real Economies Saves Millions of Lives
Nigeria was one nation mentioned in Henry
Kissinger’s secret government report in the 1970’s (now released and easily
found on the internet), in which development would be deliberately curtailed,
enabling the West to have ready access to her resources.
Malthusianism (the theory that resources
are diminishing and so populations must be culled) is the basis for “climate
change” fear, enabling corruption that further pins back the use of resources
for the teaming populations of undeveloped regions. But a major reason for this
theory is it provides massive opportunities for money laundering, just as does
the “war on terror” and prolonging the war in Ukraine. King Charles is using
this fear to push trillions of our dollars into “saving the planet,” but in
reality, into his own and his friends’ pockets. (See my previous article on the
Parables of the Minas and Talents.)[...]
The Parables of the Minas and the Talents
The parable of the minas is in Luke 19:1-44 and the parable of the talents is in Matthew 25:14-48. Please read the parables and wider context in the above references.
The parables have similarities and
differences. In Luke, it’s about the installation of a brutal king, who rewards
his faithful servants and kills his detractors. The details of this match the cruel
Herod the Great, who travelled to Rome to be appointed king of Judea and
returned to Jerusalem and killed the Jews who rejected his reign.
Jesus gave this parable of the minas at
Zacheaus’ house, as Zacheaus repented from his extortionate dealings with the
poor, where he collaborated with Herod’s dynasty and Rome. The “profitable
servants” in the parable describe the practices Herod and his tax collectors were
involved in, which is why the common people hated them. They collected taxes,
above the official amount. They invested this in their own banks. They used this
to buy cash crops, for the Roman army. They stored the cash crops to manipulate
commodity prices. They bankrupted farms and bought land on the cheap. These
“business” practices were entirely contrary to Torah. It’s the way unregulated
banks work today. [...]
Wars Of Civilizations
Wars between civilizations are a definite
thing to avoid. We had them with the Crusades one thousand years ago. They
suite the political aspirations of some. More recently, we have had them again
with the “wars on terror” throughout the Middle East. These were led by the
Neo-Conservatives, firstly the Bush family, and then the Obama/ Hillary and
Biden camp. Australian politics has gone right along with this, no matter which
of the two main parties.
Surprisingly, at least to me, Trump
reversed the trend, being the first US president is recent history not to start
a war, and he ended all the wars America was running when he came to office. He
brought peace to the Middle East (including Israel), which today is building an
economic block of sovereign nations. No other recent American president would
have allowed this to happen. He kept his ways lawful while in office, despite
constant illegal actions against him. His presidency was costing criminals too
much money. Wars have not been about security, but about control of all our
lives and about money laundering in high places. [...]
The Economics of Peace
Peace is derived from the gospel of Christ,
and the gospel of Christ includes humanity in her wholeness, which means every
part of our lives. The gospel embraces the spiritual (heavenly) as well as the
natural (earthly). The heavenly and earthly are to come together in Christ, who
rose from death with a heavenly (spiritual-immortal) natural body (flesh and
bone), thus bringing heaven and earth together, as it was meant to be from the
origin of creation.
Denying any part of this heaven-earth creation is to break down the shalom (balance) of creation. The term “peace” means wholeness, balance, or harmony between the parts. So, any interest in peace, must be an interest in all parts of life. We need to understand economics, as part of God’s gospel plan for creation. In Genesis 1-2, heaven and earth and all parts of creation combine in a symphony, contributing to the wholeness of each part. Therefore, atheism, or Darwinian materialism, is doomed to fail. It is monopolistic, denying other parts. It gives rise to monopolistic oligarchs, subduing and controlling other parts for its own interests. [...]
In the decades after WWII, the rural areas
of Australia were developed. Large dam and irrigation infrastructure meant
massive produce in farming, mainly through the private sector. Farming families
often became wealthy and rural communities thrived. Churches were the social
backbone of the communities, and one local church could sponsor a missionary
family somewhere in the world. The gospel and helps were offered to many
others.
From the 1980’s, the ability of the private
family to participate in local and global development has greatly reduced.
Instructure development has stopped and regressed in many regions, not only in
Australia but other like western civilizations. Farming has also been
increasingly corporatized.
(It’s said regressive infrastructure is for
the good of the climate, but instead it’s to move “investment” [fake printed
money/ money laundering] into the speculative portfolios of the wealthy. Nature
is also now a speculative asset on Wall Street, adding trillions to their
portfolios. Now countries are forced to look to China and Russia for real
economic investment and development.) [...]
God promised he would never leave Abraham’s descendants. He faithfully carried Israel right through to Christ, in whom he fulfilled his everlasting promise to all nations (to all who believe), that we should become Abraham’s eternal descendants in Christ. The land of Canaan was Israel’s initial inheritance. [...]
This research was kept a secret, until the report yesterday. When you think about the extent the elite go to to become “immortal,” it reminds you of the movie called Island. Clones were farmed for future organ donation to the investor. They were living human beings and led to believe they would one day go to a special island to enjoy. This “island” was instead the day they would die so their owner could live. This “Island” represents the false promises of science today, with their lockdowns, masks, vaccines, GMO foods, while life continues to deteriorate, and the elite gain more control of all markets. We actually live in the days this movie depicts. [...]
This was a common kind of covenant between a ruler and a pagan god in ancient times, accept maybe the last line, “all peoples of the earth will be blessed through you.” The god would covenant to make the leader and his nation great and powerful and would curse all his enemies. But when God speaks these words, they have a renewed meaning, which people begin to understand as they learn his character. This is a common form of communication in the Old Testament: God starts with where people are (their current understanding of things) and draws them to the renewal he offers to us in Christ. [...]
Genesis Nine - God Begins to Steer Us Back to Peace
Genesis Seven - Pre and Post Flood: Two Different Worlds
Genesis Six - Humanity Destroys the World:
Genesis Five - Interpreting Scripture:
Genesis Four - Cain Throws Away Peace For Pre-eminence:
Genesis Three - Contention Over The Creation:
Genesis Two - Life Sustaining Relationships:
Recently a program called 60 Minutes viewed in Australia to scrap the Qanon movement. This movement alleges that the recent American presidential election was corrupt, and that the military is preparing to step in to restore constitutional and democratic rule. 60 Minutes was once a legitimate investigative journalism program but some time ago it capitulated to the pressure of the powers to hide the truth. Clear documentaries about this capitulation have been aired […]
The early church shunned all forms of violence, respected the authorities and abided by all reasonable laws. They also kept the law of God on worship, assembling together and sharing the gospel and God’s truth, without accepting public or official intimidation. As conscientious objectors, they practiced non-compliance with the evil in the empire, even if it cost them their homes and lives. […]
“Black Lives Matter,” Elitist Hypocrisy and Murder:
It’s common for politicians to play on tensions and divisions within communities to bolster their campaigns and stir up passion and support for their own progress. It is also true that in society certain groups like to keep resources to themselves and shut out those of other races or backgrounds. This was forbidden in the early church, especially seen in the tussles Paul had with many from his own background, when he reached out to include all others as equal in Christ. This matter became very deadly and hurt Paul a lot in the persecution he received. […]
Some people point to the idea of Israel being a theocracy, as if it were an evil fundamentalistic nation, like radical religious nations may be seen today. This isn’t the case. These people may point to some of the severe judgments in the Pentateuch, like when there was insurrection, or to cultic laws that seem strange to us today. [...]
The scriptures call them “the rulers of the darkness of this world, the spiritual forces in heavenly places.” This refers not only to unseen spiritual powers but also to the global web of human power. In Paul’s day it was centred in Rome. “Heavenly” means above the daily affairs of normal people, the place of control, where humans struggle for power and influence over others. In the Old Testament, “heaven” served as metaphor for “to rule over.” God is in the highest heaven. He rules over all. The role of the church in the first century was to “display God’s wisdom to the powers,” to renew the way humanity rules, to renew the kingdoms of this world. This is still the church’s role, especially for the sake of our children yet to be born. [...]
This article describes what I believe to be a coup that has taken place in America and is also taking place in the majority of nations in the world. The article ends with a reflection on the Exodus from Egypt under Moses and Isaiah’s “return from exile” in comparison. [...]
With the various crises we have had, the solution has been to pump trillions of dollars into the global economy to keep it afloat. Whether the 9/ 11 attack on New York, the 2008 bank crisis, the current COVID and government enforced lockdowns, the answer has been to flood the economy with fake money to keep prices in investment portfolios and private wealth high. [...]
Henry Kissinger’s wrote a top-secret report in 1973 claiming that in order for the USA to get resources from other nations without hindrance these nations must be stable politically, and for this they needed intervention regarding the control of their populations. [...]
“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” (Proverbs 19:17)
To think that God could put himself in debt to you! We live entirely by grace and yet God says he will put himself in debt to us. This is how much he cares for the poor. He promises to look after us when we look after others. [...]
The truth is that when free speech is banned, that banning is itself contrary to the social good. It is when justice is taken away, when people aren’t allowed to speak, when elite, corporate or political crimes don’t receive the light of day, when whistle-blowers aren’t permitted to speak, that social cohesion becomes threatened. This is very clearly a pre-fascist society, or has it already crossed the line into fascism? [...]
In the short period of a few years we have gone from a war on terrorism, to a war on a virus to a war on domestic terrorism. Next will be a war on climate change, or a war against “internet terrorism” (hacking), further debilitating our financial mobility and the freedoms of all non-elite business interests. [...]
The 1960’s were the years of great optimism over modernisation. Countries like Australia were linking in with the growing economy of America. Industry was becoming more mechanised. To afford such machinery industries needed to become larger. Smaller industries were bought out and former employees laid off. The welfare state started to grow as government stepped in to relieve the unemployed. The process was seen as capitalism: allowing competition to reform markets so nations could compete favourably on a global level. [...]
Revelation 19 speaks of Christ coming on a white horse with a sword coming out of his mouth. It is not literal text but speaks of God’s judgment against “Babylon” which was Jerusalem of the first century, which joined up with Rome to destroy the church. [...]
The politicization of Covid-19 in America was also designed to bring Trump down, as was the violence committed by Antifa throughout the nation in 2020. Trump has not been found guilty by due process in any of these matters, or in any other matter of law as President. His alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot and “breaking into” the Capital building in Washington has no proof and has not undergone the slightest legal due process, even though a second impeachment was raced through in a matter of days. [...]
I don’t know how genuine the “founding fathers” were in their intentions, but they spoke of these freedoms and the people responded in coming together to gain a victory over British control. The problem with even our own politicians in these circumstances is that they may use the common people for their own prospects. The first Congress convened in the city of Philadelphia and the army gathered there to demand their wages in arrears. Congress refused and asked the governor of Pennsylvania to disperse the rowdy mob, but the governor felt sympathy for the mob’s cause and refused to act. Congress then sought their own independent site, security and finances, and Washington D.C. was eventually established. [...]
Recent international events add even more anxiety to many people in Nigeria and other places, not knowing what the year will bring. The sufferings of many years bring a perspective to current events that is real. In the article below, we dive into biblical themes for assurance that is not empty and vain, directing our response to rebuild with a hope that is powerful. Agriculture is just one area we can implement transforming solutions in this global and economic centralism, which tears the local community apart everywhere. [...]
Many of the things we will speak about in this article were until recently the ideas of conspiracy theories. Now they are being openly spoken about by the World Economic Forum. It is no longer theory. Plans to tag and monitor human beings are unfolding today. CCTV (the monitoring of the public with close circuit television) was introduced by Germany in 1942. Today Chennai has installed 657 CCTV cameras per kilometre. Beijing has 1.1 million installed in the city. The top 10 cities in the world for current use of CCTV are all Chinese and Indian, with the exception of London, coming in at number 4. Once inaccurate facial recognition is up and running with the 5G network, it will also be employed through an expanding CCTV network through the whole world. […]
Identity politics restricts the way people can speak in a society. It exercises mind control, using social and political pressure to manage the way people think and what they are allowed to learn. Its movements give opportunity for certain political players to arise. Once in power, they further remove social and political freedoms to solidify their control. Actual concern for the identity group they claim to represent is false. It is about their coming to power and then restructuring free and democratic societies. […]
The creation project in Genesis 1-2 reveals our identity in creation in relationship to each other, especially in the male/female relationship, in which family is nurtured and this self-giving for the weak reveals to the creation the image of God. The coupling in Genesis throughout these chapters (heaven & earth, light & darkness, land & sea, plants & animal, male & female) is a poetic device that reveals our identity in relationships to each other, to the whole. This is the creational holism of Hebrew theology. […]
Over recent years, we have several major protest movements globally. Such as the 'Occupy Wall Street' protest, the 'Climate or Environmental' protest, the 'Black Lives Matter' protest, the "Anti-Lockdown protest, the 'End SARS' protest, etc. […]
Everything about the message and life of Jesus revealed the nature of the empires we build against others, to secure our personal interests, and how this imposes isolation, exclusion, deprivation, violence and suffering on others as the necessary collateral damage of our own safety. This was not only revealed in the teachings of Jesus, […]
“He made them male and female.” Here is clear gender intentionality to fill family and the creation. Both gender qualities flow from the same God, but in creation he separated them out, to model a creation built upon serving, complementary relationships. This reflects God’s image: his life-giving service towards creation in Christ. By hating the […]
Growing up in Sydney in the 1960’s I wasn’t aware of an “Aboriginal problem.” It wasn’t until the late 1980’s, when I began to travel in Australia and stay in homes, that I heard stories of Australia’s history. We often stayed in the beautiful Deniliquin, in Ruth’s parent’s house near the Edward River. This is […]
A unified Christian witness concerning today’s world When you look back to the Wesleyan/ Booth era you see a more solid Christian witness to social progress than we have today. Sure, they had their enemies too, within the Christian establishments. But the movement had a far more hopeful eschatology than we have today, somewhat like […]
When you look back to the Wesleyan/ Booth era you see a more solid Christian witness to social progress than we have today. Sure, they had their enemies too, within the Christian establishments. But the movement had a far better eschatology than we have today, somewhat like that depicted by N T Wright’s current […]
There is a form of Christian atonement that seems to miss the mark. It’s the idea that atonement is a legal contract, and therefore since Christ has died there is no ongoing atonement lived out by the church in the world. So, let’s have a brief look at some of the important aspects of […]
My first experience with the Pentecostal movement was in the western suburbs of Sydney. This was outside my normal social experience. I grew up in affluent areas in the Presbyterian Church, but in the Pentecostal movement I found a church who lived as community and who studied the scriptures. This was back in the […]
The foundation for peaceful and sustainable globalism is local justice and genuine democracy that looks like the cross and resurrection of Christ: self-giving bringing new life to others. Technology, we assume, is our hope for the future. Whether it’s global warming or city congestion we are told that a new technology is coming that will […]
The purpose of the charismata, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, is to restore integrated, healed on holistic community. His purpose is to transform us into the image of Christ, who humbled himself, rather than sought bigness, to restore the world. Our worship meeting is to reflect Christ’s humility, so the weak are honoured, […]
For many years we have been experiencing conflict between Fulani cattle herders and farmers of other ethnicities in Nigeria. A typical kneejerk response is to paint the conflict along religious lines and demonise the other party. Humanity has behaved this way for millennia and resorted to the usual solutions of violence to fix the problems. […]
Since the industrial revolution it has been necessary to invest large sums of capital to start up new businesses and to attract the resources necessary for production. In a capitalist society the capitalist (the ones who provides the money) own the assets and the product of the business. Those providing labour are seen simply […]
Acts 10 records a massive shift in the Jew’s awareness of the salvation plan of God. To think that the gentiles could be accepted by God was unimaginable to the Jews. In Acts 10 we see this shift in Peter’s awareness, just as Paul’s ministry to the gentiles was about to unfold. The church ushered […]
The foundational stories of our cultures matter a lot in our outlook as a people. One of these foundational stories is about our views of creation. Our philosophy around this informs how we think the world functions. The modern view is one of macro-evolution, not that macro-evolution is entirely modern in origin, but is in […]
A review of Ezekiel’s renewed temple narrative in regard to the church and restoring the humanity, welfare and economics of local community. Becoming followers of Christ, loving our enemies, rebuking the rich, protecting the poor. He finds our lukewarmness distasteful. (Rev 3:16) As I read in a recent article, the Covid crisis isn’t the […]
“Universalism,” they say. We know the scripture says that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek…” But what if we seek to apply this to our relationships with everyone in our communities? Does “in Christ” mean just for those in our fellowship, or does it also mean we should treat everyone the same […]
The opening chapters of Genesis are vital to the founding of any nation or community. They lay out the nature of God, the purposes of the community within the creation and factors that relate to the identity of humanity and the individual person. They do this in a rich poetic/ story narrative that is also […]
The cross brings to us a distinct form of justice seeking, which we could call the justice of solidarity. It is the nearness of God to the suffering. The incarnation, the humility of God as a carpenter, as a peasant, as a refugee in Egypt, says something to us about our own calling of closeness […]
We found in defeating terrorism that you must win the middle ground, then the extremists are isolated and have no popular cause. A theology of life is necessary for peace. Unless both sides of the left/ right equation are seen to, human life will suffer to an extent that will disturb conditions of peace […]
Colonialism can take many forms. It’s mainly our desire to dominate the world and the things in the world. It arises out of a competitive view of our relationships. “If we don’t colonise, someone else will, and then they will subjugate us.” So, for “God, king and country,” we should win the colonial fight. […]
The scriptures were written in our patriarchal cultures. The story of the bible is about God coming to meet with us within our own cultures and incrementally drawing us to his image as we see it in Christ. Christ is how we ought to see God, not through the lens of our own cultures. […]
The role of monopoly in undermining community, local wealth, health, and our national budgets. Building peaceful globalism by restoring local holism and protective family. And a response to COVID-19. As we have lived through violence for many years, we have begun to see some of the underlying causes. One is the disenfranchisement of youth, […]
Just over 500 years ago Europe experienced the Reformation. The nations had been under the yoke of the pope of Rome. The pope controlled all things eternal and temporal, including kings and all their decisions. There are a lot of parallels between that time and today. Let’s have a look at a few. Today global […]
A lot of the scripture uses metaphors, especially when it describes Christ’s work in the gospel, or God’s judgement. There is a common use of poetic simile to put across a point strongly and vividly. The Hebrew reader of both the Old and New Testaments was used to these metaphors. If we take these […]
Peace comes in stages. There is first the cessation of hostilities. After that there is the slow building of relationships, building bridges and taking down walls between relationships. Then there are the acts of restoration, caring for the sick and the wounded in conflict, the persecuted and the widows and orphans, on both sides […]
I don’t mean sustainable environmental policies. As important as they are, that is not what this article is addressing. I mean the expectation that charity should be sustainable. Somehow this seems to be a contradiction. A good place to start is with Paul’s definition of love. Love gives and keeps giving of itself. It […]
Now is a time that people may be listening. What shall we say? Rebuilding community and rural and agricultural environment: the absolute necessity of God’s sabbath renewing our world before we destroy it. We have been experiencing a forced sabbath on the world. Many of us have been on the constant go, with at least […]
Men in white coats, Silicon Valley startups, the next billionaire and monopoly, new gadgets to solve our problems: our hope for a better tomorrow. Science has been bought out by business and it tells us what they want us to hear and believe. They dress in white like the priests of old, sacrificing the poor […]
A look at Hebrew positions related to the trinity and how this informs our gospel theology for a renewed creation and our discipleship as the church in the world today, especially as God’s peacemakers. How can the Christian vision of the trinity fit into the Hebrew bible vision of one God? I don’t think […]
Good Governance The task of good government is to see that the weak are protected. The idea that government is to stay out of the way and allow the weak to be trodden upon is a bad idea. It is the job of the strong to protect the weak, to serve in the interests of […]
