Signs of the Times - May 2019

MAY 2019

Who is my

NEIGHBOUR?

The secret to defeating fear and prejudice HOPE AND THE END OF HISTORY

NO MEAT? NO PROBLEM!

A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD TODAY

IN THIS ISSUE

MAY 2019

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR? PAGE 32 Fear and prejudice are defeated when strangers become friends

20 CURRENT

WHAT IN THE WORLD POPULATION PANIC Is Earth full?

38 STREET SIGNS Racism and prejudice—the public speaks out 4 6

WELLBEING

12 DOCTORS, NOT DR

GOOGLE A plea from a GP 18 GO HEALTHY FOR GOOD Health news snippets for every body 60 NO MEAT? NO PROBLEM! Plant-based eating—the healthy alternative

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 2

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60

54

FAITH

26 AT HOME WITH FAMILY

They’re not perfect, but churches are places of community 40 HOPE AND THE END OF HISTORY Jesus’ second coming will change everything 46 DON’T HANG UP! How one believer deals with scam callers

CULTURE

20 THE NEW PHARISEES

Is the secular left the new religious right?

54 RHAPSODY? Freddie Mercury had it all . . . except happiness

SCIENCE & TECH

52 THE CUTTING EDGE What’s happening in

research, engineering and technology?

FUN

62 CROSSWORD & SUDOKU

/SIGNSOFTHETIMES

FROM THE EDITOR The March shooting deaths of 50 worshippers in two Christchurch mosques were a grim reminder of the darkness that lurks in human hearts. And the consequent outpouring of sympathy for the survivors showed us that people are also filled with compassion and goodness.

But we have to face facts. Racism and prejudice are a reality in our communities. When we feel threatened we close ranks and look for support from those most like us—it’s a natural human impulse. But it’s an impulse that, left unchecked and unchallenged, can metastasise into social exclusion, abuse and, yes, violence.

So what’s the solution? The right wing of politics wants to limit immigration so that we will be less confronted by the clash of values and cultures. It sounds logical, but this thinking has led to desperate asylum seekers being returned to poverty and oppression, and the indefinite detention of their children. Meanwhile the left wing of politics calls for compassion and acceptance, which is attractive, but too often translates into politically correct browbeating and the exclusion of those who hold more traditional worldviews (see page 20).

But, arguments over government policy aside, what ordinary citizens like you and me are best placed to do is build bridges of friendship with our neighbours, particularly those from a different social, ethnic or religious background.

That’s the challenge put to us by Jacob Ugljesa (page 32) and I reckon it’s a fantastic place to start.

Kent KENT KINGSTON Editor

VOL 134 NO 5 ISSN 1038-9733 EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Brad Kemp EDITOR Kent Kingston ASSISTANT EDITOR Daniel Kuberek COPYEDITOR Tracey Bridcutt GRAPHIC DESIGN Nerise McQuillan Theodora Amuimuia PHONE +61 2 9847 2222 EMAIL info@signsofthetimes.org.au WEBSITE signsofthetimes.org.au ADDRESS Adventist Media PO Box 1115, Wahroonga New South Wales 2076 SUBSCRIPTIONS Kelli Geelan PHONE +61 3 5965 6300 Australia, $A26; New Zealand, $NZ26; South Pacific countries, $A41; Other countries $A51 Published since 1886, Signs of the Times is printed 11 times a year by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is registered as a periodical.

Seventh-day Adventist Church (SPD) Limited ABN 59 093 117 689 NOTE The inclusion of a person or their image within does not imply their endorsement of the Seventh-day Adventist Church or its beliefs.

Unless otherwise stated, Bible verses are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®.

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc®. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved worldwide.

COVER PHOTO: SrdjanPav

@Kent_SignsMag MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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WHAT IN THE WORLD SKILLS TO PAY THE BILLS AUSTRALIA

THE SHROOM LOOMS AUSTRALIA

Magic mushrooms may hold therapeutic properties, according to investors funding a first trial in Australia. The research, which started in April, is investigating the effects of psilocybin— the active ingredient in magic mushrooms—on patients suffering terminal illnesses, anxiety and mental disorders. Psilocybin is currently illegal for recreational and medical use in Australia.—Sydney Morning Herald 4

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ITU PICTURES—FLICKR, MARTIN VOREL—LIBRESHOT, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, DEFENSE.GOV, FREEPIK

A South Australian local council is hosting “How to adult” classes, aimed at young millennials.

The sessions will cover budgeting, taxes, as well as dealing with government agencies such as Centrelink and Medicare.

Sociology experts say that a lack of adult skills amongst young Australians is not due to laziness, but rather a “lack of opportunities” to learn “old-fashioned skills”.—ABC

31.6% OF AUSTRALIANS say they FEEL NEGATIVE ABOUT MUSLIMS in their country.

NOT A GOOD IKEA NEW ZEALAND

International furniture company Ikea has been busted selling large framed world maps with a blank space where New Zealand should be—despite recently announcing its expansion into the country. Ikea has since apologised for the country’s absence on its “Bjorksta” world map, but not before it gained widespread attention on Reddit. The whole fiasco has also been mocked on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver—Newsweek

22.4% additionally claim to feel

negative towards Middle-Eastern Australians.—SBS

48.6%

of Australians say people from minority groups (ethnic, racial, cultural and religious)

SHOULD ACT more like stereotypical

“EVERYDAY AUSTRALIANS”.

—SBS

RACISM

13–15%

OF ASIANS experience

RACISM in New Zealand, followed by

8–10% OF MAORI AND PACIFIC SEX AND DRUGS IN MODERATION

ISLANDERS.—Ricci B Harris

USA

Workers from Cognisant, a Facebookcontracted moderating company, allegedly use sex, drugs and black humour to cope with their job. A report from current and former employees claimed that the task of reviewing offensive content, as well as being underpaid and overworked, were among the factors contributing to high stress.—Gizmodo

A study of Maori experiences with racism found the MEDIA was a large factor in PORTRAYING

STEREOTYPES that LEAD TO

RACISM.

—Whariki Research Group MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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POPULATI PANIC

Is the fear matched by the facts?

BY SHANNON ROBERTS

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ORBON ALIJA—GETTY IMAGES

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any would have us believe that our planet is over-­populated and we are putting an ever-­ increasing strain on its limited resources. But while we are right to be concerned about our environmental impact, we should be wary of giving credence to a belief in global overpopulation that has frequently been used to excuse inhumane political programs, some of which persist today.

Since the time of Thomas Malthus in the early 1800s, people have worried that the population will eventually outgrow the food supply.

In the 1960s, biologist Paul Ehrlich visited the crowded streets and slums of New Delhi, an experience that prompted his book, The Population Bomb, which predicted an imminent population crisis and fuelled panic around the globe.

In 1983 the United Nations gave its first ever population awards to both the Chinese minister for population and the prime minister of India for their family planning and sterilisation programs. In his acceptance speech, China’s family planning chief said that “the establishment of the United Nations population award is a far-sighted move to inspire people to engage in population activities and to contribute to the solution of the population problem”.

That year a record number of birth control surgeries were performed in China, including 16.4 million female sterilisations and 14.4 million abortions.

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instruments are opened in hospitals for the sterilisation of women while in the same hospitals, emergency surgery cannot be done for lack of basic operating instruments and supplies.”

There has been a recent resurgence of academics in favour of population engineering for the purpose of climate change and emissions reduction, and many countries still exercise population control. So does the world actually have an overpopulation problem?

unsustainable growth?

It is true the world’s population is growing, but the rate at which it is growing has been decreasing since its peak in the 1960s. Global fertility is currently 2.4 children per woman, just above the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman necessary to sustain the current population.

In fact, many countries around the world are now battling the

HADYNYAH—GETTY IMAGES

The Bible teaches that every person is created in the image and likeness of God—we are each a precious soul endowed with dignity and worthy of respect. The miracle of life, from the time of conception, is something that should move us to awe and worship of our Creator. But a belief in overpopulation has led to practices that contravene the dignity of the human person and the right of each couple to choose their own family size.

A number of political regimes have compelled people to have fewer children. For instance, China’s one-child policy resulted in the abortion of girls, forced sterilisations and selective breeding for “preferred” characteristics, often under the vigilant eye of local officials who intruded so far as to monitor women’s fertility cycles.

A belief in overpopulation has also led to large amounts of aid money being spent on population control at the expense of other health programs. For instance, Dr Stephen Karanja, an obstetrician and former secretary of the Kenyan Medical Association, wrote in 1997: “Our health sector is collapsed.

Thousands of the Kenyan people will die of malaria, the treatment of which costs a few cents, in health facilities whose shelves are stocked to the ceiling with millions of dollars’ worth of pills, IUDs, Norplant, Depo-Provera, and so on, most of which are supplied with American money. . . . Special operating theatres fully serviced and not lacking in

and decrease slightly soon after that.

A recent comprehensive study by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Vienna estimated that global population will likely start to shrink from around 2070.

So, in short, those shocking graphs of predicted exponential population growth we used to see a few decades ago are no longer accurate. The simple fact is that human population numbers are stabilising.

are we there yet?

negative consequences of a falling population. Fertility has declined worldwide to unprecedented levels since the 1970s, and by 2011 total fertility was below 1.4 children per woman in about half of the world’s countries. Shockingly, according to the UN, if it wasn’t for migration, half the countries in Europe would lose 95 per cent or more of their population by the year 2300 and virtually cease to exist.

Currently, most of the world’s population growth is coming from Africa, where people use far fewer resources and create far fewer carbon emissions than the average Westerner.

There are differing long-range population projections as there is still no reliable method for accurately predicting fertility rates and mortality a generation or more from now.

The UN projects that the world’s population will likely reach 11.2 billion by 2100, and that there is a strong probability that it will stabilise

Yet, discussing growth doesn’t answer the question of whether the world is in fact overpopulated.

Overpopulation describes a situation where the number of people exhausts the resources in a closed environment such that it can no longer support that population.

So, even if the world’s population was projected to continue to increase hugely in the long term (which it is not), that wouldn’t necessarily mean that the world’s population is soon going to overwhelm the available resources.

In thinking about overpopulation, we could first think about physical space. It is difficult to argue that there is not enough space for more people because if everyone lived as densely as they do in Manhattan, the entire population of the world would fit in New Zealand, leaving the rest of the planet free of people!

Secondly, each person needs enough food and water. But there is currently no relationship between MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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growing numbers of people and growing hunger. Since 1990, the absolute number of chronically hungry people in the world has dropped by nearly a fifth, while at the same time two billion people have been added to the world’s population.

We also have a far higher standard of living than people living 100 years ago, yet over that time the population has trebled. Oxfam identified in a recent study that overconsumption, the misuse of resources, conflict and waste are to blame for global hunger, not overpopulation. Moreover, about one-third of the food produced for human consumption each year is wasted. This also amounts to a major squandering of the resources that go into producing food, including water and energy.

Water scarcity is another serious humanitarian issue, but again one 10

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not necessarily linked to population.

Water is often used inefficiently due to pollution, conflict, inadequate infrastructure and overuse. Irrigation is the largest water user, predominantly to grow food. Water is also very heavy and can be difficult to move, contributing to local water scarcity. Thus, it requires investment in efficient infrastructure to ensure everyone has access to fresh water.

It’s important to remember that human beings are highly innovative.

Technological advances in food production, such as the unforeseen “green revolution” of the 1960s, will likely continue to increase our ability to produce more food on poor quality soil and marginal land. And research shows that for every US$1 spent on canal modernisation, between $3 and $5 in conserved water can be achieved. The desalination

WITIZIA—PIXABAY.COM

. . . if everyone lived as densely as they do in Manhattan, the entire population of the world would fit in New Zealand . . .

of sea water is another example of human innovation, the cost of which is continuing to decrease with new technology.

Energy is another resource that humans increasingly depend on with the rise of electricity, motor vehicles and manufacturing. But new technology is continually changing how we use energy, and renewable and lower carbon energy sources are becoming more available. For instance: • • There is a 2–3 per cent improvement in vehicle efficiency every year. Consumers could continue to trade in their SUVs for smaller cars, hybrid vehicles, cars that run on alternative fuels or bikes (transportation accounts for almost a quarter of global greenhouse-gas emissions).

•

• Ultracapacitors are a possible future alternative to batteries.

They work with almost 100 per cent efficiency and store electrical energy much more efficiently than has been possible in the past.

•

• There is increasing interest in houses that produce electri­ city and sell it back to the grid through their own production and efficient use of energy.

what future?

It’s the richest 10 per cent of people who produce half of all climate-­harming fossil-fuel emissions, while the poorest half contribute a mere 10 per cent, making

it difficult to argue that emissions are an overpopulation problem.

There are many behaviours we could change before laying blame on overpopulation.

Yet, there is one resource that is becoming more scarce: working-aged people. Declining workforces and a growing elderly population are global economic problems—many countries increasingly rely on migrants to sustain their labour forces. After decades spent forcibly curbing population growth, Chinese state propaganda slogans now exhort couples to “Have children for the country”, and Denmark recently ran a humorous “Do it for mum’’ advertising campaign along similar lines.

It’s interesting to note that both Paul Erhlich and Mother Teresa experienced the same crowded Indian streets, yet their responses were completely different. Erhlich said we need fewer people; his forecasts sparked widespread population control that had little regard for the dignity of people or new life.

But Mother Teresa had a different response. When asked why there is poverty and suffering in the world she simply said that it’s because we don’t know how to share. Surrounded by poverty, day in and day out on the crowded streets of India, her view remained firm: “The child is the beauty of God present in the world, that greatest gift to a family.”

Shannon Roberts is a freelance writer and busy mum of three. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

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W

ELL B EING

DOCTORS,

Not

DR

Your family GP may not have every medical fact on the tip of their tongue, but chances are they’re a more reliable source of information than a web search.

T

he patient looks at me, desperate—“But what do you think it is, Preeya?” Honestly, I have no idea—which is not what I say out loud to the patient, who is getting increasingly anxious about the abdominal pain she has had for three days. “I know it’s nothing nasty—your appetite is normal, you don’t have a fever, your tummy is soft

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on examination and you’re still able to attend work and the gym despite the pain—so I think we should catch up in 72 hours and see how you’re going. If anything changes, come sooner.” She stares back at me. “OK, but what’s causing the pain?”

The truth is that we don’t always have the answer. Despite how the community often perceives us (or

LAFLOR—GETTY IMAGES

BY DR PREEYA ALEXANDER

how we project ourselves), doctors are not magicians. When I tell my patients honestly, I don’t know or I can’t answer that I’m often faced with a shocked expression. “But you’re meant to know everything,” a patient once said to me. Medicine is grey, very very grey a lot of the time.

Perhaps not all of my colleagues will openly share this—but we

don’t always have a single diagnosis for your tummy ache/headache/ fatigue; we don’t always know what’s going on in the human body. As a general practitioner in particular, we often rationalise your symptoms; we know common things occur commonly, we know there are certain life-threatening diagnoses like meningitis or an ectopic pregnancy MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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that we cannot miss, but we can’t always tell you with 100 per cent certainty what is causing your niggling symptom. Time, or “watching and waiting” in GP-speak, fixes these non-specific symptoms you have; we may never know exactly what caused your ache or niggle but it settles on its own simply with time.

not superhuman

A decade ago my patients would have referred to me as “Doctor Alexander”—now it’s just “Preeya” most of the time (some of my older patients still insist on the “Doctor” part), and I have to say I much prefer the more casual relationship with my patients. Back in the day, the therapeutic relationship was paternalistic: the doctor would tell the patient what to do, how to treat their headache or back pain and there was no involvement of the patient in the management plan. Now, however, I work hard to give my patients options; to empower them with knowledge and resources so that they can make their own informed decisions about their treatments. Despite the informal relationship many now have with their family GP, I think there’s still a perception that we are gods, wizards or some other magical creature (personally, I would prefer to be a unicorn!). Despite calling me “Preeya” and the lively banter and laughs during our consultation, my patients often still expect me to have all the answers and they’re often disappointed when I don’t.

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My husband, a nearly qualified plastic surgeon, will often have to explain to his patients (and to our friends at barbecues) that just because a plastic surgeon does a procedure does not mean there will be no scar after a surgery. If you put your hand in a mincer/juicer/lawn mower (all injuries he’s had to repair in his time) you will most likely have some form of scar. Some patients will comment “but a plastic surgeon did it and I have this scar”. I’m often having to explain that the scar they have is a pretty good result given the injury they had and that scarring (in most cases) is the norm—it’s the size and nature of the scar that we have some control over and why we might involve a plastic surgeon in the first place. No scar at all usually isn’t feasible—we are doctors, not magicians.

When you ask me “What would you do, Preeya?” sometimes it’s easy to answer, Well my child has had the full meningococcal B vaccination course so you can see where I stand on that issue. But when you ask me if you should leave your husband who repeatedly pushes you against a wall in front of your child or chips away at you verbally, telling you how useless you are day in and day out, I can’t tell you what I would do when you ask. It’s not ethical—I risk making you feel further alienated and judged; family members and friends have already told you (usually a hundred times) to leave him; adding to the chorus just makes you

feel further isolated. Generally, a doctor can’t ever answer that question (and we are trained not to); it’s our job to provide advice, support, options, resources—not give our opinion. So, while you look at me like I have no idea when I say I can’t answer that one for you, it isn’t because I don’t have an opinion, it’s because I shouldn’t.

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I work hard to give my patients options; to empower them with knowledge . . .

SUPPLIED

battling Dr Google

Recently a friend of mine, also a GP, suggested I explain that when we say I’ll just look up the guidelines, or I’m going to check the dose of that, we are not “googling”. I’ve heard from multiple patients and family members that a doctor started “googling” in front of them; they’re completely shocked as if the roof on the doctor’s office had blown off and Dorothy (with Toto) had flown straight over with her ruby red slippers mid-consult. On behalf of my profession, let me be MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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honest: we cannot possibly remember every dose of every drug, every management regime, every set of blood tests that should be ordered when we suspect someone has a particular disease. Yes, we often look at guidelines—not Google—from reputable medical bodies that exist to help doctors navigate the abyss of ever-changing medical information.

Sure, there’s probably the odd doctor who really does “google”, but I can tell you, most of us don’t.

And on that note, while we are discussing Google, please know that I have done years (and years!) of study to sit in my office with my plaque outside my door. I’ve done six years of medical school and sat gruelling exams, survived (barely) an internship filled with night shifts and tumultuous evenings in the emergency department. I’ve spent nearly two years of my life doing a different speciality training before I made the decision to become a GP; it took an additional two years (and another batch of written and clinical exams) to get fully qualified. So when you say to me, “But Google suggested I have a brain tumour”, please know that my years of study make me a sounder medical practitioner than your laptop. I may not have all the answers—I will admit to that—but I promise I can do a better job than Google at diagnosing your headache.

variety show

The beautiful thing about general practice (but also the reason why 16

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many of us burn out or develop a mental health disorder) is the uncertainty. We cover the entirety of medicine—asthma, diabetes, children, the elderly, vaccinations, cancer screening and diagnosis, headaches, backaches, psoriasis and acne—we do it all. No doctor, GP or otherwise, can know the answer all the time. That uncertainty of medicine can be fascinating and complex, but sometimes it can be very anxiety-provoking. As the patient walks out your door you desperately rack your brain, wondering if you missed something. And that same patient pops into your mind as your head hits the pillow; you say a silent prayer that you haven’t missed anything major. It has taken me years in a relatively short career to realise that not knowing everything all the time is OK. I’m very honest with my patients who, most of the time, are grateful for it.

So please, know we are not magicians. We are doctors who rely on guidelines and, sometimes, the power of time to heal odd niggles that we will never be able to diagnose. We don’t have all the answers all the time. We do grapple with uncertainty every day in our job. And we do leave scars. That’s the truth.

Preeya Alexander is a general practitioner in Melbourne, Australia. She is passionate about preventative medicine and blogs at <thewholesomedoctor.com.au>.

LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE 13 SECRETS TO A HEALTHIER

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WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

DIABETES DECREASE

A drop in the number of young children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) could be related to the introduction of the rotavirus (RV) vaccination for Australian infants, according to a new study. Twenty years earlier, the same research team found a link between auto-immune T1D and RV infection. So when the oral RV vaccine was introduced in 2007 for infants at age 2 and 4 months, the researchers wondered if it might also reduce the risk of T1D. Their initial findings show a drop in the incidence of T1D for the first time since the 1980s.—JAMA 18

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RICHVINTAGE, JONATHAN AUSTIN DANIELS, GEORGE DOYLE, RIDOFRANZ—GETTY IMAGES, SILVIARITA—PIXABAY

A recent study in Taranaki, New Zealand, assessed children and adolescents enrolled in a communitybased obesity program to measure healthrelated quality of life (HRQOL) and psychological wellbeing. The program was targeted at Maori families and those from the most disadvantaged households. Researchers found kids with obesity had a low HRQOL and a rate of emotional and/ or behavioural difficulties six times higher than children without obesity in a comparable population.—BMJ Open

NEED TO KNOW

In recent years, consumers have wanted to know what is in their food and food manufacturers are required to list ingredients on packaging. In addition, a country-specific food composition database is useful for nutritional research and for clinical practice.

The New Zealand Food Composition Database (NZFCDB) is available online (foodcomposition.co.nz) and lists more than 2500 food items commonly consumed in NZ. It also has information on where to find specific nutrients in the NZ diet.—Food Chem

GAME ON! Why would a professional sports club open its doors to unfit, middle-aged men? A pilot study of the Rugby Fans in TrainingNew Zealand (RUFIT-NZ) program was delivered by professional rugby clubs, inspired by a similar program in Scotland.

Compared to controls, men who were randomised to the 12-week healthy lifestyle program showed improvements in body weight, heart rate, blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness and lifestyle behaviours. A full trial is now being planned.

—BMC Public Health

BRAIN BOOST

Higher intakes of veggies, fruit and fruit juice are associated with better brain function in later life. For 25 years, a Harvard study tracked 28,000 men with an average age of 51, assessing dietary intake at regular intervals and later enquiring about cognitive function. Those eating the most fruit and vegetables over the previous two decades, or drinking one serving of orange juice daily, were less likely to report poor cognitive function in later life.—neurology.org Dr Nerida McKibben, a New Zealand ob/gyn surgeon and health communicator, passionately enables people to achieve their greatest health potential. Wanting everyone to live life to the fullest, she integrates wholistic principles into medical treatments. For more, go to www.hop.ec/gohealthyforgood MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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LT U R E

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New PHARISEES THE

Has the secular left become the new religious right?

BY MARK HADLEY

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I

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But while the world laughs—and often at Christianity’s expense—most of us are missing that Pharisees come in an altogether different shape today.

a new era

I’m not the first writer to observe that we are living in a post-Christian society. Aussies, Kiwis and others have been reacting against the heritage that undergirds many of our institutions and values for decades now.

In fact, theologian John McClean suggests we’ve moved on even from post-Christian: “Most of the opinion leaders and culture shapers in the West are not reacting against a culture which has been shaped by Christianity; they, largely, know nothing about the Christian past. Our society, at least on cultural leading edges, is post-post-Christian.”1 If there is a defining worldview

YURI_ARCURS—GETTY IMAGES

f Jesus’ story was a Western, the Pharisees would be wearing black hats. They were ancient Palestine’s hard-nosed religious crew. From the earliest lines of Mark’s Gospel, we see their squinting gaze appraising Jesus, and constantly finding fault with the world’s most loving Man: “When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw [Jesus] eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” (Mark 2:16).

And if His actions riled them, Jesus’ words positively set their trigger fingers itching. They hated the way Jesus criticised their behaviour, and most of all the authority He claimed to do so. When Jesus told them He was God in the flesh their clawed hands were ready to murder Him in the middle of their holiest temple (see John 8).

Is it any wonder then that the term “Pharisee” has passed into modern English as a synonym for hypocrite? In fact, the term has often been applied to Christians themselves, who’ve departed from the teachings of Jesus to embrace twisted forms of puritanism—something many of us have a clear picture of, thanks to The Simpsons. The Reverend Lovejoy and his wife Helen are the poster couple for modern-day Pharisaism. Helen in particular is a gossipy woman who’s prepared to protest Michelangelo’s David: “It’s filth! It graphically portrays parts of the human body which, practical as they may be, are evil.”

rise to a range of helpful revolutions, from fairer pay for women to better treatment of minorities and migrant groups. Yet as they’ve sought to defend this new centre, the These self-appointed champions of liberalism guardians . . . have have taken on a puritanibecome the Pharisees cal tone more familiar to of our post-Christian religion than politics. As John Mark Comer from culture. the podcast This Cultural Moment describes it, “It’s judgemental, it’s angry, it’s self-righteous, it’s puritanical. If you step out of line, if you say the wrong thing, if you believe the wrong thing, you’re now, it is secularism—the pursuit just jumped on.” of a utopian society, completely free These self-appointed guardians of religious restrictions of any kind. of individual rights prune back Paradoxically, it’s also a society with Christmas decorations to avoid giving little meaning, because there can offence. They condemn schools that be no truths to discover in a world question a student’s right to choose where every viewpoint is accorded their gender. They decry politicians equal status. who profess mainstream faiths, Unless, of course, it is tolerance. while ensuring Aboriginal smoking Now tolerance is an important value, ceremonies are mandatory at governbut when it’s elevated to the level of a virtue—something that is true and ment events. They can be every bit appropriate in every circumstance— as hypocritical as Helen Lovejoy in then we shouldn’t be surprised when the promotion of their worldview, we see new Pharisees arise. and just as hurtful towards those who If a hippie from the last century resist it. They have become the Phariwere to step out of a time machine sees of our post-Christian culture. today, they’d find remarkably little to protest. The liberal values that gagged occupied the fringes in the 1960s Take political correctness for have now moved to the centre of example. The small town church social thinking. In many cases, this I grew up in gave me some early hasn’t been a bad thing; it’s given experience of how modern-day

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right to oppose things like same-sex marriage are often accused of “hate speech”. And this labelling doesn’t even have to make sense. In a recent Munk Debate on political correctness, controversial Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson argued that without free speech there can be no true thought. His opponent, Professor Michael Dyson, responded by calling him “a mean, mad white man”. The irony is that Dyson is African-American. One can only wonder what the response would have been if Peterson had referred to him as “a mean, mad black man”.

American satirist George Carlin describes political correctness as “fascism masquerading as manners”. “It presents itself as fairness yet attempts to restrict and control people’s language. . . . [but] I’m not sure silencing people, or forcing them to alter their speech, is the best method for solving problems that go much deeper.”2 And this is the heart of the Pharisee’s problem, then and now.

Jesus referred to the Pharisees of His time—those who appeared to be the most righteous members of their society—as, “whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead” (Matthew 23:27, 28). The same can be said of today’s Pharisees. Political correctness is a dress-up game we play to present a pleasing exterior, while avoiding a heart-deep problem. We value things like love, compassion and tolerance, but we refuse to acknowledge that unfettered freedom to do whatever we want

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Pharisees work with words. They never lacked a censor for what could and couldn’t be said, or even what music was considered free of “satanic African drumbeats”. Those examples may sound ridiculous today, but representatives of our current liberal culture are still using the same kinds of censorship and shame to define acceptable behaviour.

The Pharisees in Jesus’ day referred to this Man who healed the sick and raised the dead as demon possessed (John 8:52). Similarly today, those who appeal to “free speech” for their

will produce the exact opposite.

But then Pharisees have always had it in for Jesus, then and now. Whether hailing from the religious right or the secular left, the Pharisee’s strident objection to the teachings of Christianity is based on the belief that he or she is capable of making it to heaven singlehanded. The promise today might be a secular paradise of tolerance and harmony, but getting there still rests on humans pulling together to make that vision come true, with God firmly on the sidelines.

three mistakes, One solution

So what would Jesus say to our modern-day Pharisees? I think He would begin now, as before, by pointing out that their hopes are built on three mistakes.

First, they need to realise their “good” is not good enough. The original Pharisees were publicly acknowledged as the experts on right living, but their private lives were infested with all sorts of distressing problems—an unhealthy obsession with money, neglect of parents, and most of all, an overweening pride in their accomplishments. Jesus solemnly warned: “I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).

Second, Jesus would challenge today’s Pharisees’ assumption that improving a person’s behaviour will produce an improved person. But Jesus said concentrating on outward

actions just produces perfect play­actors: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25,26).

Finally, Jesus warns Pharisees against hypocrisy: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3–5).

The problems the original Pharisees were spotting weren’t meaningless, any more than the ones our modern-day Pharisees are highlighting. Yet they were being blown out of all proportion compared to more serious issues—“justice, mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23). These Pharisees were disconnected from God and their ethics had become nitpicking and distorted. As then, so now: how can anyone expect to be able to judge human issues rightly if they’re ignoring the One we draw our concept of righteousness from?

But despite His unflinching critique of hypocrisy and selfrighteousness, Jesus is not simply consigning Pharisees to eternal damnation. No, as always, He’s calling them—calling us?—to a new perspective and a fresh start. It’s not too late for a change.

Mark Hadley is a film critic and cultural commentator.

He lives in Sydney, Australia.

1. J. McClean, Are We Now In a Post-Post Christian Pagan Australia?, https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/ article/now-post-post-christian-pagan-australia/ 2. G. Carlin, https://snooze2awaken.wordpress. com/2017/10/02/george-carlin-political-correctness-is-fascism-pretending-to-be-manners/ MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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AT HOME WITH FAMILY At its best, a church community provides the warmest embrace.

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BY BJORN KARLMAN

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t was one of the loneliest times of my life. I was 16 and doing a gap year of voluntary work after finishing high school. I had been stationed in Slussfors, a tiny town in the north of Sweden, not far from the Arctic Circle. I arrived in this sleepy little community in the middle of winter when there were just a few hours of sunlight per day. It was bitterly cold and when I arrived I didn’t know a soul. I lived all alone in the basement of the church where I was serving

as an assistant to the local pastor. I remember being absolutely starved for social connection and before long I had run up a huge phone bill from calling old school friends around the world just to hear a familiar voice.

My life felt as bleak as the snow-covered forests that surrounded me until one small gesture started to melt the ice. A family with four kids, three of who were close to my age, invited me home for lunch after church one Saturday. Their food was MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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delicious. We talked non-stop. My new friends were snow-sports enthusiasts and were eager to help me upgrade my fairly basic skiing and snowboarding skills on the nearby slopes and, more terrifyingly, behind snowmobiles as they tore through the dense Nordic forests and across iced-over lakes. My friends and I totally clicked and before long I was spending almost every weekend with them. They then helped introduce me to just about everyone else in church.

I remember that, by the time I had to leave Slussfors, I was incred­ ibly sad to say goodbye to my adopted family who, by then, had grown to include the whole church.

I had gone from feeling completely alone—the ultimate outsider—to feeling connected and appreciated and part of something much bigger than myself. It was amazing!

That was 20 years ago. Although a lot has changed in the years since, the sense of community that I feel in church has remained the same. “Two are better than one,” says Ecclesiastes 4:9,10 because “if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”

There is something incredible about the warmth and support that can be found in a community of believers.

Meeting with others who gather together in the presence of God has a way of bonding people like nothing else.

Church offers a constant that has stood the test of time. The church represents something so resilient that 28

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Jesus says not even the gates of Hades (hell) will overcome it (Matthew 16:18). When so much in this life is fickle and impermanent, church provides a sense of community that brings strength and togetherness when it feels like the walls of life are crashing down around us.

when church disappoints

Some of you are probably reading this and thinking, Hold on a second, Bjorn, you obviously haven’t seen my local church! Sadly, yes, I’m aware that my rosy reflections are not the full story.

Despite all the good, church can be messy. It can be painful. Church family members, just like biological family members, clash from time to time. If you go to church expecting perfection, chances are you will be sorely disappointed. The church is full of people every bit as quirky and flawed as we are ourselves. And some of life’s biggest disappointments come from our church family. Just like in any family, there are people in church who will get on your nerves.

There are times when church family unity will be tested by divergent, strong views on topics ranging on everything from the interpretation of obscure biblical passages to what the shade of the new carpet should be for the church foyer. That’s just real life.

When these inevitable clashes occur it can be helpful to remember the well-known metaphor of the church being the body of Christ.

“Just as a body, though one, has

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many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ,” says the apostle Paul in 1 Corinth­ ians 12:12. He goes on to say in verse 21, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’”

Rather than acting on the temptation to exclude those who are not like us, those who frustrate us, Paul stresses in verse 27 that each believer is part of this body of Christ. Espec­ ially in times when it’s tough to act as one body, it’s especially important to stick with our church family. “Let us not give up meeting together” said the author of Hebrews (10:25).

There’s immense wisdom in that.

Living in community takes patience and stamina. But it’s worth it. In the end it creates something beautiful, something that the Bible compares to a beautiful bride, awaiting her husband (2 Corinthians 11:2).

a global reality

About six years ago my wife Jammie and I decided we wanted to see more of the world and do some volunteering. We quit our jobs, sold most of our stuff and bought round-the-world air tickets. I built a new career online and since we took off, Jammie and I have lived in 10 different countries. Our threeyear-old daughter, who was born in Bangkok, Thailand, has lived in seven.

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“

As interesting and adventurous as it can feel to travel the world like this, it’s easy to feel alone unless you’re able to quickly find community wherever you are living. In view of this, we have developed routines to help us feel at home wherever we go.

One of the first things we do after landing in a country is find a local church. Despite huge cultural and language differences, going to church on any given weekend basically means near-instant rapport. We walk into churches full of complete strangers and come out with friends.

There’s a reason for this. Ephesians 3:14,15 says that every family derives its name from God. Nowhere is this more true than with a church family. There’s unity despite diversity 30

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because we know Who binds us all together. We have the same Father.

Jesus is Friend to all.

And yes, every once in a while, complete strangers welcome us home for a home-cooked meal and, just like in the Slussfors days, the loneliness vanishes, new friendship replaces it and we know that we are with family.

Bjorn Karlman is a freelance writer who travels the world as a “digital nomad”, living in 2–3 countries per year with his wife and toddler.

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Who is my

NEIGHBOUR?

Fear and prejudice are defeated when strangers become friends.

BY JACOB UGLJESA

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with great respect and love. We have discussions about culture and lifestyle—they being from a Muslim background, myself a Christian. It was a whole new world opening up for me, as I had never had the chance to learn about Islam directly from believers. We often find ourselves talking about politics and religion— tense and taboo topics—and yet we remain good friends. On one occasion I was even asked what I think of the prophet Mohammed, the central figure of Islam, which took me by surprise. Yet despite our marked cultural and religious differences, I am not treated as different.

So listening to Zahira as the tears roll down her cheeks is hard for me. These are more than strangers to me—they are my friends. The way I’ve been treated by them, you would be excused for thinking we are

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magine the scene. A woman is holding her children’s hands while trying to carry groceries home after a hard day at work—a difficult task in itself. She lives nearby the hospital where she works, but doesn’t have a driver’s licence so she must commute several blocks on foot. She is waiting on the corner and a car comes to a stop where she is standing. The window rolls down. Insults and remarks spew from the two men in the car. “Terrorists! Towel-heads!”

The car drives off, but those harsh and ignorant words remain. I’m imagining these scenes as I sit on the couch, listening to my friend Zahira* recount the incident and pour out her pain.

Zahira and her husband Sabir* moved to Australia from Egypt a few years ago to continue their education and to find a more stable life for their children. Like many migrants, they received little to no support, and struggled to fit into this different world. I had met them because my church was just two blocks away.

I personally wanted to know the neighbours who surrounded my church, rather than just focusing on the needs of those in the pews. When I met Sabir and Zahira initially, they were sceptical and cautious, but in no time I’d discovered that they were welcoming and accommodating.

With such kindness, it becomes easy to visit often. Every time I stop over I’m greeted with an excited hello and welcomed into the house. I’m offered drinks and food and treated

“

. . . when we give people a chance our hearts are enlarged . . .

family. Who knows Zahira better, the two men calling her a terrorist from their car window, or me, her friend?

They know nothing about her or her life. I know Zahira personally and have heard what she faces on a daily basis.

I have discovered that when we give people a chance, regardless of our religious or ethnic differences or whatever else divides us, our hearts are enlarged and we are changed.

But we can’t benefit from these encounters unless we listen. Maybe the difference between people who spew hatred and those who give love is that those who love have listened, while those who hate never have.

All the stereotypes and things I had come to believe about Muslims were shattered just by spending time with my two friends. Instead of foolish assumptions I chose kindness

and respect. (Not to mention I was shattering stereotypes of hatred for Zahira and Sabir just by being a Christian friend who cared for them rather than being a stranger hurling insults.) It only takes one person to bring pain to someone’s world, but it also takes just one person to bring healing. So never doubt the power of kindness—it can change the world . . . or at least the world of one person, and that’s enough for me.

As Zahira tells her story, I’m struck by the lasting impact this single act of hatred has had on this family. First, Zahira says, she wondered how to explain this incident to her two sons who are both under the age of 10. How do you explain hatred to children? Why would you ever want to explain such a disgusting thing? Then she tells me she feels scared to take that walk to MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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Jesus taught that to love a person’s neighbour is as important a religious act as loving God . . .

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all restrictions on who we have an obligation to as our neighbour (Luke 10:30–37). Who is my neighbour?

No-one is off limits.

To use the lyrics of the old Crowded House song, “Don’t Dream it’s Over”, we need the clarity to realise that “they come to build a wall between us”, but to say with courage and hope, “They won’t win.”

We need the courage to take personal responsibility for our actions and not let others build a wall between us. We need the imagination to see a world in which love for our neighbour truly exists and the walls others have worked to build are left as rubble. *Names changed to preserve anonymity.

Jacob Ugljesa is associate pastor for Glenvale Seventh-­day Adventist church in Toowoomba (Qld), and chaplain for Darling Downs Christian School. A budding blogger, he has a passion for social justice issues.

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work every morning. If these men are willing to hurl threats and insults, she fears one day someone will do something worse to her or her children. Is it really that much of a leap for words to become actions?

I think the walls constructed by hatred can only be dismantled by love. Of Jesus it is said that “He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us” (Ephesians 2:14).

How did He do it? Jesus in His life was dedicated to associating with the “untouchables”. This usually led to Him bearing the brunt of the hatred hurled at these social outcasts. In other words, He sacrificed Himself for the good and benefit of others who considered themselves unworthy. Jesus taught that to love a person’s neighbour is as important a religious act as loving God (Luke 10:27) and He removed

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STREET SIGNS It was in an aquatic centre around Sydney. I saw a mannequin wearing a burqa, and next to it was one wearing a bikini. I just found that really beautiful that two cultures can live next to each other. And they’re next to each other in the swimming pool as well. Younger ladies, teenagers, older women, and they were all together doing an aquatic class.—Rosa

When I was exposed to racism, it was like a feeling of being inferior or not worthy. You’re less than, you’re not good enough. They make you feel like you’re a different person. I was just a kid growing up . . . . Those sort of feelings lead to problems further on in life. Gives you a bit of an inferiority complex.—Linda

I left Islam when I was 15. I was a social media activist in Pakistan because there were lots of things going on. . . . I made a couple of videos on Facebook and social media. I had my blog. The feds found out; I got charged with blasphemy. I had to leave my country. I came here and they granted me refugee status. Speaking of racism, I don’t think any such thing exists in Australia. [If I’d stayed in Pakistan] I would’ve died, they would’ve hanged me.—Saqib

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Different ethnicity, different treatment?

My supervisor is very kind because he knows my English is not good. So they helped me a lot. They would use their body language to teach me. If I make a mistake, they smile at me and take care of me. My co-workers are also good for me. . . . But to get a job is harder, because of our colour. . . . If we do the same things but make a mistake, they will think it’s your fault because of your skin.—Jojo

The worst one I had was when I was walking through a shopping centre in Melbourne and a gentleman who I was about to pass by stepped up to me and called me a “f***ing Cong” to my face. . . . I’ve never really felt threatened to the point I’m fearing for my safety. But obviously these kind of situations don’t make you feel very comfortable or generally accepted in your community.—Linden

MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

IMAGES BY DANIEL KUBEREK

With younger people, if someone does say anything racist, it’s usually between friends as a joke­—nothing directed to attack me. But older people—my neighbours—are like that. If I park my car in front of his car on the street, he’ll start calling me stuff that is not related to parking my car at all. Just because he knows I’m Muslim. . . . It doesn’t bother me because I always try to give them the benefit of the doubt, and educate them that our religion really isn’t like that.—Baraa

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HOPE AND

THE END OF HISTORY Theories and speculation abound about Jesus’ return to this earth, but what does the Bible say?

A

s the world races through the twenty-first century, have you ever considered what our greatest need is? What do men and women living in the twenty-first century need most? If you were starving, it might be food. If you were homeless, it might be a place to live.

If disease ravaged your body, it might be medicine. If you were lonely and discouraged, it might be love. But is there one thing more than any other that could take you through any difficulty you might face in life?

Is there one thing that can make the human spirit soar?

All over the world people are desperately looking for hope. Someone has well said, “What oxygen is to the lungs, hope is to the human

spirit.” We can live days without food, hours without water, a few minutes without air, but no time at all without hope. Hope buoys up our spirits. It lifts our vision from what is to what will be. It is a candle in the darkness. It is like water in the desert or food to a starving man. It provides encouragement for the future. The Bible is filled with the best hope of all—the hope of Jesus’ return to this planet. But what exactly does the Bible say about this great event?

Just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus gave a promise to His disciples to fill their hearts with hope: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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BY MARK FINLEY

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a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1–3).

Christ’s comforting words are like a promissory note. Jesus said He would return—and we can bank on it!

The apostle Paul described the hope of the second coming of Christ as “the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

He also says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). There’s certainly a lot of hope surrounding the second coming!

Not only will it be an event of hope, but it will also be an event that will be witnessed by the entire human race. The Bible describes this when it says, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him . . .” (Revelation 1:7). Every eye will see Jesus when He returns— the eyes of the young and the eyes of the old, the eyes of the educated and the eyes of the uneducated, the eyes of the rich and the eyes of the poor.

People from all cultures, nationalities, languages, groups and countries will see Him come.

There are, however, many misconceptions about the second coming, with some claiming it will be a hidden, quiet event called the “secret rapture”. But the Bible describes Jesus’ coming quite differently: “And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of 42

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Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). This passage refutes the teaching of the “secret rapture” that misleads so many Christians today. For not only does it emphasise that Christ will come with “power and great glory”, but it states that His return will be arrestingly audible, accompanied by a “loud trumpet call” (verse 31)—the noisiest of all musical instruments! Teachers of the secret rapture claim that the redeemed may see the Lord return, but the wicked who are lost do not.

Yet both this verse and Revelation 1:7 speak of the wicked—those who “mourn” when they see the history­ ending spectacle of Christ’s return.

It will overshadow every other event on planet Earth. No-one will need to tell you when Jesus returns. You will see His coming!

But who will join Jesus when He returns? The Bible says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne” (Matthew 25:31). The second coming of Christ is the grand climax of time and eternity, which all creation has been eagerly anticipating! The heavenly

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angels—not the fallen ones—have been impatiently waiting for and working toward that great event. Do you think any one of them would like to be told, “You stay here while the rest of us go and rescue the redeemed?” You know the answer, and this text declares that none will be disappointed. Prophetic Bible authors like John and Daniel no doubt felt the impotence of mere human language when trying to describe how many heavenly messengers they saw in vision: “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand” (Revelation 5:11).

Jesus’ second coming will be the mighty climax of all the ages. He will

be surrounded by all His holy angels.

Try to imagine what that glorious scene will be like.

An amazing dramatic event will take place when Christ returns: “. . . the dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17). This amazing event is also described in 1 Corinthians 15:52,53: “For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”

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“

Nothing else in life matters more than being ready for Christ’s second coming.

rise up and join their Saviour, those who chose to reject God will be filled with guilt and fear, running from the Christ who loves them and longs to save them. They have rejected His mercy and turned their backs on His love. Now frightened, they flee to shield themselves from His glory.

What a tragic ending! Meanwhile, the saved will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9).

What’s the second coming going to mean for you? It matters whether you are prepared for that surprise of a lifetime. It’s one of the things that matters most. Don’t be swallowed up by the routine—make God a priority in your life right now. Jesus urges His 44

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followers to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Is the kingdom of God a priority in your life? Is a personal relationship with Jesus supremely important to you? Have everyday concerns crowded out the things of eternity or does heaven have first place in your heart?

A saving relationship with Jesus will not come by chance. You’ve got to decide to do it. You’ve got to allow Jesus to get into your heart and into your life. If you don’t decide, you’ll end up in eternal sleep. It’s so much better to wake up now.

Mark Finley has shared Bible truth around the world in person and via broadcast media. He is a vice-president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.

This article is adapted with permission from What the Bible Says About (2012, Pacific Press).

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Don’t

HANG UP! What does genuine Christian faith look like when faced with everyday annoyances. . . like scammers who keep calling your number?

BY DIANA TANNER

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“

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ood afternoon madam, my name is Clark and I am calling you from the Telstra Technical Department. The reason for my call today is to inform you that some malicious software has been loaded onto your computer.

This is the reason it is running slow . . .” I am sure you are very familiar with the rest of the conversation. The caller wants you to turn your computer on, follow their instructions, and become another “catch” for unscrupulous operators to either gain access to your computer or to persuade you to give them your credit card or bank account details.

About two years ago, after enduring these kinds of calls both at home and at work for many years, it finally dawned on me that by hanging up on such callers I was wasting golden opportunities.

Overnight my practice changed. I started viewing each caller through spiritual eyesight, as candidates for God’s kingdom. They were no longer annoying, time-wasting,

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pesky, evil people. Now they were people whom God specifically sent my way for me to speak to about eternal matters.

I’ve tried different tactics over the ensuing months. They’ve centred around pleading with the caller to stop hurting people, to return to the values they had grown up with (that is, honest principles), and to leave this disreputable work and seek honest employment. I know of one man who got up from his chair and walked out of the room without a word to his colleagues. How I know is that another man I was talking to referred to this person and what he had done, and how they had no idea what had happened to him!

My heart leapt with joy as I realised the Holy Spirit had gotten through and this man had listened and obeyed His promptings.

But, over time, those in charge of these call centres conditioned their employees to resist such pleadings. The girls in particular were the hardest to reach. They were very cold. So, realising that

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Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you . . .

this form of appeal wasn’t working anymore, I prayed for God to give me a new direction.

The answer came from my prayer group. We decided to start praying the “Jabez” prayer. Jabez is an obscure Bible character, only mentioned in one place in the Bible, 1 Chronicles 4:10. He pled with God: “‘Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.’ And God granted his request.”

In Luke 6:27, 28 Christ instructed His followers to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” With these two powerful Bible verses working in my life, I decided that whenever I engaged with a scam caller I should seek God’s blessings for that person, just as I was seeking them for myself.

And so I began. When the next call came through, while the caller was giving his opening address, I was praying silently that God would keep him on the line as long as was necessary.

As soon as the caller asked me to turn my computer on I started praying—out loud. I opened with “Lord God Almighty” rather than “Father in Heaven”, as I had no idea if the caller had a Christian background, but I was sure he would recognise the word “God”. I prayed that God would bless him and his family, that his needs would be provided for, and that he would be a blessing in his community and seek to do good to others. I continued until I had nothing left to pray.

When I finished, the man was very subdued and thanked me repeatedly for praying for him. He didn’t want to hang up. We chatted for a while.

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and steal from us. If every Christian Several girls I have prayed with became a channel of prayer for stayed on the other end of the phone individuals like these, I wonder what longer than I’ve ever had girls stay the eternal results would be? Can you on before. One even waited until see yourself praying for God to bless I’d finished praying before hanging these people? To seek good for them? up—a definite improvement on You will not necessarily see the effect previous calls. your kind words and blessings have.

One man who engaged me in You will be working with people on conversation revealed that he was a an individual basis and then, usually Muslim. He didn’t want to be doing only a one-off this “job”, but call. I keep a list he needed the now so I can see money. We had when names are a great converrepeated. One sation and I poor girl phoned encouraged him me three times to leave the room The results for in one day. I he was working ended up asking out of and not this endeavour her why she was come back. I running away also told him I’d will probably from God! continue praying only be known in Results for for him. this endeavour Now these heaven. will probably callers no longer only be known interrupt my in heaven. I busy day in a look forward to negative way. being surrounded by a great crowd In fact my prayer now is that God of people whose voices I recognise would send more calls my way! This because they once tried to hurt me, is an opportunity to expand the and I had the very great privilege of influence of Christ’s kingdom and praying for God’s blessing on them.

I am doing it from the comfort of Do you want to join me? Let’s join my house. Not many opportunities forces together to promote a better like that are available to Christians way of responding to these people today. I often wonder what would who are out to scam us. happen to the scammer industry if every Christian who owned a Diana Tanner is passionate about sharing Jesus howphone in Australia and New Zealand ever she can, including through Signs of the Times magazine. She lives in Perth, Western Australia. became an agent of blessing to these people who invade our houses to try

“

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THE CUTTING EDGE

TOP 3 UPCOMING SPACE EVENTS 1. For the first time, NASA astronauts will fly to the International Space Station next month (June) in a SpaceX rocket. NASA will use privately-owned SpaceX and Boeing rockets for missions in the future.—The Telegraph 2. The European space agency is launching a large telescope (CHEOPS) into space between October and November. For the next 3.5 years, the telescope will study the structure of nearby exoplanets.—Cheops 3. A transit of Venus will be visible in November from select places on earth. It will take 5.5 hours for Venus to visibly pass from the east to west end of the solar disk. The event happens 14 times each century, with the next transit due in 2032.—NASA

THE LATEST

BREAKTHROUGHS

SUN-DIMMING Studies by US scientists say sundimming chemicals being sprayed into the atmosphere could be the answer to climate change. However, the stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) technique could cost $2.5 billion a year.—CBS News 52

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FREEPIK, GODRUMA, PETMAL, DMITRIYKAZITSYN—GETTY IMAGES

ECO-FRIENDLY

CHRISTIAN INNOVATORS Peter Grunberg (1939-2018) Nobel-prize winning physicist in the area of magnetics. Discovered the ability to store data by using magnets and electric fields. His work led to the creation of hard drives and his findings are still being used in smartphones, tablets and GPS devices today.

Robert T Bakker (1945-) Ecumenical minister and renowned palaentologist.

His 1980s research argued dinosaurs were warm-blooded, adaptable and intelligent creatures, the ancestors of birds, contrary to popular beliefs at the time.

Dr Ben Carson (1951-) Seventh-day Adventist neurosurgeon, the first to successfully separate conjoined twins. His 1987 surgery on the Binder twins gained Dr Carson worldwide acclaim, with his story published in his award-winning Gifted Hands autobiography.

AIRBORNE CARBON CAPTURE Governments are looking to invest in technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the air. Companies like Carbon Engineering in Canada are already capturing up to 1 tonne of airborne carbon a day. Countries including the United States are reportedly interested in negative emissions biomass plants, forest management and carbon farming to reduce global carbon.—Vox

TURNING C02 INTO COAL Australian scientists from RMIT have found a way to turn carbon dioxide (CO2) into coal, while remaining eco friendly. The new method turns CO2 into carbon flakes, unlike the liquid form used previously. The solid state of CO2 will help prevent and remove greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.—RMIT MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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CU

LT U R E

RHAPSODY?

What if you could have everything your heart desired?

BY WILL HAMILTON

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f you had unlimited lovers, wealth and fame, you’d be happy, right?

Ask Freddie Mercury. Queen sold 400 million records and a generation after his death the world still knows classics like “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Another One Bites the Dust”, “We Will Rock You”, and “We Are The Champions”.

Freddie amassed $75 million. One birthday he rented an entire floor of New York’s elite Berkshire Hotel and flew his friends over in the Concorde. The wait-staff wore nothing but bodypaint by a famous artist. Guests drank 350 bottles of Moet et Chandon in one hour, and the party lasted days. But a friend said, “In his personal life behind the scenes, I felt he wasn’t really enjoying himself, not deep down.”

Why not?

TUNART—GETTY IMAGES

this thing called love

Each morning I get up I die a little . . .

Take a look in the mirror and cry . . .

Can’t anybody find me somebody to love?

Freddie’s girlfriend Mary Austin stuck with him through years of low pay and rejection.

Queen’s bass player John Deacon said that “what came across most was that they were very good friends . . . Freddie trusted Mary.”

Freddie told his deeply religious parents she was his future wife. But then he told her he was bisexual and, as Queen’s fame rocketed, he started sleeping around in London, Munich and especially New York: “When I am there, I just slut myself. It’s Sin City . . .”; “I’ll go to bed with anything.” That cost him Mary. His producer and close friend said that “for all the star’s sexual activity . . . he was ultimately dissatisfied with his gay lifestyle.”

A lover said of Freddie and of the impact of multiple partners, “You can get hurt very easily. . . . Each finished relationship builds up MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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a new barrier and they become difficult to break down. . . .

You can have . . . friends . . . yet still feel agonisingly lonely, as Freddie said time and time again,” afraid of being “alone, unwanted and unloved”.

Freddie sang confusing love songs. “Love Of My Life” (written for Mary) is all about loss and hurt. “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” is about lust: “I just can’t handle it . . . it jives, shakes all over like a jellyfish.” “Fat Bottomed Girls” boasts “I knew love before I left my nursery” from “Fanny the naughty nanny”—but that sounds like child abuse, not love. “You’re My Best Friend” gets passion and intimacy together, but it was written by John Deacon, who was happily married.

Freddie was playing by different rules, but it wasn’t working. “I’m riddled with scars, and I just don’t want any more,” he said.

Still friends: Freddie and Mary, 1985.

I want it all, I want it now

It’s hard to think of anyone else as flamboyant and experimental as Freddie—except perhaps the ancient Jewish king, Solomon, who was wildly wealthy and decided to ignore the rules of his religious parents and see what made him happy.

He wrote, “I said to myself, ‘Let’s go for it—experiment 56

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The leather look. Late 1970s.

Stage presence. Brian May and Freddie Mercury, 1982.

with pleasure, have a good time!’”

(Ecclesiastes 2:1, The Message*).

Solomon’s diary, Ecclesiastes, records how he tried fine wines, huge building projects, leisure, the best singers and a harem he thought would encompass “the delights of the heart of man”—sexual conquests in similar numbers to Freddie.

“But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke,” he wrote.

“There was nothing to any of it.

Nothing. . . . I hate life. As far as I can see, what happens on earth is a bad business. It’s smoke—and spitting into the wind. . . . That’s when I called it quits, gave up on anything that could be hoped for on this earth” (Ecclesiastes 2:11, 20,17). Eventually Solomon decided he needed God to make sense of living: “Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what’s given and delighting in the work. It’s God’s gift!” (Ecclesiastes 5:19).

ALAMY STOCK PHOTOS

floating around in ecstasy?

Freddie was still seeking satisfaction from the next thrill—cocaine.

But it brought ugly mood swings.

His tantrums kept fans waiting hours in Chicago snow. He smashed a mirror on a roadie’s head—then ordered him to clean it up. A friend said, “He was brilliant. . . . But, oh, close up, he irked me a lot. It was such a disappointment.”

Queen broke up, sick of his selfish arrogance. Freddie felt burned out and depressed; his existence had become a cliché of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. He considered moving back to the security of Mary’s love. Mary even suggested they have a child. He answered, “I’d rather have another cat.”

Freddie complained, “Love is Russian roulette for me. No-one loves the real me inside. They’re all in love with my fame, my stardom.” Yet that was not true of Mary. “All my lovers asked me why they couldn’t replace Mary, but it’s impossible. The only friend I’ve got is Mary. . . . I couldn’t fall in love with a man the same way.” Yet for all the nice words, he seemed to want the impossible—security without commitment.

who wants to live forever?

I’m just the pieces of the man I used to be.

Too many bitter tears are raining down on me I’m far away from home And I’ve been facing this alone For far too long.

I feel like no-one ever told the truth to me About growing up and what a struggle it would be In my tangled state of mind I’ve been looking back to find where I went wrong.

Freddie sang “Who Wants to Live Forever?” in 1986, amid whispers of a new disease. All MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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doctors knew was that homosexuals and intravenous drug users seemed to be most at risk. Freddie took minimal precautions. An ex-lover visited him, dying of AIDS. In panic, Freddie got tested and found he was HIV-positive. Only then did he start using condoms and sticking to one lover.

It started off so well…

Save me, save me I can’t face this life alone Save, save, save me I’m aching and I’m far from home.

sleeping, and then the big sleep.

His final statement: “You can have everything in the world and still be the loneliest man, and that is the most bitter type of loneliness.

I’ve had a lot of lovers. I’ve tried relationships on either side, male and female. But all of them have gone wrong. Success has brought me world idolisation and millions of pounds, but it’s prevented me from having the one thing we all need—a loving, ongoing relationship.”

But was the problem success or his choices? Solomon wrote something

“

You can have everything in the world and still be the loneliest man . . .

Freddie buried himself in work. Another party didn’t stop the blotches on his body or his dropping white blood cell count.

Confined to bed, with Mary caring for him, he was carried downstairs one last time to look at his beautiful house. He spent his last days 58

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similar: “I turned my head and saw yet another wisp of smoke on its way to nothingness: a solitary person, completely alone—no children, no family, no friends—yet working obsessively late into the night, compulsively greedy for more and more. . . . More smoke. A bad business.

“It’s better to have a partner than go it alone. Share the work, share the wealth. And if one falls down, the other helps. But if there’s no-one to help, tough! Two in a bed warm each other.

Alone, you shiver all night” (Ecclesiastes 4:7–11).

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, GOODSALT

I’ve tried it all

Both Freddie and King Solomon tried everything the world can offer—more than most people ever could—hoping that money, sex, fame, creativity and power could make a human heart happy. Freddie sang in “The Show Must Go On”: Inside my heart is breaking My makeup may be flaking But my smile still stays on.

Whatever happens, I leave it all to chance Another heartache, another failed romance, On and on, does anybody know what we are living for?

And in “Pain Is So Close to Pleasure”: . . . pain is all I got when all I needed was some love and affection…

Where are the answers we’re all searching for?

There’s nothing in this world to be sure of anymore.

But Solomon found something to be sure of: “The last and final word

is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you. And that’s it. Eventually God will bring everything that we do out into the open and judge it according to its hidden intent . . .” (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14).

Freddie questioned God in “Innuendo”: If there’s a God . . .

If there’s a point, if there’s a reason to live or die, If there’s an answer to the questions we feel bound to ask, Show yourself, destroy our fears, release your mask.

Solomon searched until he found God. He said faith improves a person’s experience of everything else in life so you can “Seize life! Eat bread with gusto. Drink wine with a robust heart” and “Relish life with the spouse you love” (Ecclesiastes 9:7,9). Good advice for anyone who wants to live.

Will Hamilton is a Sydney-based writer and producer. * Bible verses in this article taken from The Message, © 2002, Eugene H Peterson. Used with permission.

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W

ELL B EING

NO MEAT? NO PROBLEM! Plant food protein secrets

BY SANITARIUM HEALTH & WELLBEING

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1. PISTACHIOS – 30G HANDFUL = 6G These tasty little morsels are the perfect package, providing the awesome combination of plant protein, iron and zinc—important nutrients if you are on a vegetarian diet. Pistachios and almonds have the most protein of all nuts, with just one handful containing 6 grams.

2. SOY BEANS – 150G (1 CUP) (COOKED) = 20.2G Soy beans knock it out of the park when it comes to protein. They contain all nine essential amino acids and the amount of protein they provide per serve is almost as much as meat.

What’s even better, you’ll gain the benefits no matter whether you eat soy beans in their pod or in the foods

A_NAMENKO—GETTY IMAGES

When it comes to getting enough protein, there’s an abundance of plant foods that deliver a protein punch.

Protein is important for growth, tissue repair and recovery from exercise. It’s made up of smaller parts called amino acids. There are 20 amino acids that we need for good health— known as “essential” amino acids. Our bodies can make 11 and the other nine need to come from our food. Some foods provide a few essential amino acids; others provide them all. If you eat a wide variety of food you’ll be sure to get the protein you need. The average man and woman needs about 64 grams or 46 grams per day respectively, but most people exceed their daily protein target. Here are three surprising sources of protein:

HANDY HIDDEN PROTEIN CEREAL two wheat biscuits = 3.63g. Aiming for 20g of protein at breakfast may help regulate your appetite and keep you full for longer. Something as quick and easy as two wholegrain breakfast biscuits (eg, Weet-Bix) contains 3.63g of protein. Add ⅔ cup of soy milk to get to 9g.

made from soy beans, such as tofu, tempeh and many meat alternatives. (170g of tofu provides 20.4g of protein and 100g of tempeh provides 23.2g.)

3. CHIA SEEDS – 2 TABLESPOONS = 6G These tiny seeds have a long list of nutrition credentials, including an unusually high amount of omega 3—an essential fatty acid for brain function and heart health—plenty of calcium, loads of fibre and a generous protein load. They are also incredibly versatile, which is why they are added to many recipes and packaged products. Try sprinkling chia on salads or cereal, add to bliss balls or smoothies, or even soak overnight ready to start the day with a chia pudding. Now that’s a super food!

POTATO one medium-sized potato = 4g. The humble spud often gets a bad rap in the nutrition stakes, but a tasty potato should not be dismissed. A medium­sized potato will provide around 4g of protein and is also a good source of potassium. Try baking them whole and enjoy, skin and all, for extra fibre and B group vitamins.

AMARANTH half a cup (cooked) = 4.7g. Amaranth is the cousin to the “on trend” quinoa and is rising in popularity because of its high protein content.

This ancient pseudo-grain (it’s actually a seed) is gluten-free and contains all the essential amino acids. Great cooked into porridge.

Article courtesy of Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing. Visit sanitarium.com.au or sanitarium.co.nz and subscribe to Wholicious living for more great health and nutrition info each month.

MAY 2019 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES

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FUN

CROSSWORD How closely have you been reading? Each keyword in this puzzle is also contained within this edition of Signs of the Times.

Happy digging!

EDUCATION.COM

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Hint: 3 Down

ACROSS 4 Physician specialising in pregnancy and childbirth 7 Someone who performs brain operations 8 A person who has moved countries 10 The band behind the 80s song “Africa” 13 An artificial waterway 14 Stimulant drug with the street name “Charlie” 15 Country linking Africa with the Middle East DOWN 1 A right-wing authoritarian regime 2 Manipulative attempt to gain money or information 3 Renaissance painter of The Last Judgement 5 French champagne founded in 1743 6 Area including the North Pole 9 A brass instrument with three keys 11 The largest city in Austria 12 A floating marker in a large body of water

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OPENSKY.CA

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