KEEP YOUR eye ON THE BALL THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PRIVILEGE
DOES PRAYER WORK?
A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD TODAY
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THE RESPONSIBILITY OF
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When the going gets tough, sometimes what’s needed is a simple reminder about how blessed we really are . . . BY MARK DELANEY
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inherited privilege
Much of my privilege is inherited in the sense that it is not due to any effort of mine whatsoever. The nature of my inherited privilege first dawned on me during a school trip when I lived temporarily with another family. That family was a broken one. I realised my stable home with loving parents was not everyone’s experience. Nothing I’d done merited such an upbringing, and nothing my hosts had done deserved their tougher life—it is just how it was. 8
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Related to having a stable family is the privilege of opportunity—the chance to try new things and in so doing, acquire new skills. Learning to swim and to play a musical instrument were opportunities that I thought every child had. Only later in India did I find that most children in the world actually can’t swim or read music, let alone travel, skateboard or surf. As a 19-year-old, I spent a year in Denmark as an exchange student. That privilege allowed me to see that other cultures, in some ways, are better than our own. Denmark also showed me that having English as my mother tongue was an undeserved privilege. I hadn’t realised how illogical English grammar and spelling was until I watched others trying to learn it. Why, they would question me, was the plural of “house” “houses”, while the plural of “mouse” was “mice”. I had no idea, I just knew it was! After Denmark, I returned to Australia to study at university. Here I was confronted with even more privilege—a free, high-quality, tertiary education! I’d already met a number of Americans who were about to incur huge debts at college—sums which would need to be repaid over decades. Even with HECS in Australia, I could continue my studies and not need to repay
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n my early 20s, I spent a few months in India. I remember meeting a man outside his home—a 4ft-high wood and plastic shack. In my limited Hindi, I learnt that his wife had just given birth to their child right there in that hut with no medical care whatsoever. In that moment I realised that the world was not a fair place. Just by being born in Australia, I was guaranteed free medical care, whereas this man and his wife lived with constant vulnerability. He had not deserved his lot in life, just as I had not earned mine. It’s just how the world is. Growing up, I thought I was “normal”. I didn’t feel particularly better or worse off than others around me. However, as I've journeyed further along the road of my 54 years of life, the more I’ve realised just how privileged I am. That realisation should, I suggest, give rise to a sense of responsibility to use our privilege to assist others.
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The privilege I experienced had nothing to do with what I'd done right
anything until my salary reached (in global terms) a very healthy level. During my later university years, I also heard stories from refugees in Australia who had fled war and persecution, which made me realise how fortunate I am to enjoy peace and freedom. Again, the privilege I experienced had nothing to do with what I’d done right, or anything my refugee friends had done wrong—it just was the way it was. Later, my wife Cathy and I moved to India. Our years there have shown us even more clearly just how privileged we are on a global scale. One obvious aspect is wages. Working in Australia, we were able to save thousands of dollars for our travels. In India, we met people who would work all day for $2—barely enough to put food on the table, let alone save up for travel! Again, my being able to work for $20-$30 an hour was not due to my ability, it was
simply because I lived in Australia. Another significant aspect of my privilege in India (that Cathy couldn’t experience) was that of being male. India is a very patriarchal society in which most women have many major life decisions—education, marriage, children—made for them by males. In Australia, the difference isn’t as stark, but as a male, I’m sure I’m still blind to much of the privilege that comes from being a man. There are many other inherited privileges I’ve experienced in my life that I haven’t described here: being white; a lack of significant physical or emotional disabilities; having a network of wise mentors; and being part of the ethnic/cultural majority.
generated privilege
Other aspects of my privilege have derived in part from my working hard in life. In some ways we could JUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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ALTERNATIVE VS CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE: IS THERE A REAL CHOICE?
Natural remedies are seemingly filling the gaps where modern medicine holds no solution for medical conditions. This approach, however, requires extra caution . . . BY SUVI MAHONEN
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FA IT H
r a l u c a ectOF spEVENT THE MOST
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Jesus’ return will be an unprecedented, but also personal event as He returns to restore earth and those who have chosen Him.
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his beautiful world is fractured and torn. Covid-19 has left its morbid footprints across the face of the globe. More than 200 countries and territories have been affected by this devastating pandemic. Fortunately, due to firm measures of control, Australia and New Zealand have escaped the worst results. Nature has also joined in the attack. The Australian bushfires of summer 2019–2020 were particularly devastating. Millions of acres were burnt to ashes, thousands of buildings and homes were burnt to the ground, and the lives of firefighters and other citizens were snuffed out. Then came the floods. On the other side of the globe, America has also experienced massive and extensive fire hazards across the western states. Added to these is the ongoing threat of societal unrest, racial tension, climate change and international conflict. Many people are
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deeply concerned about the future of our life on this planet. I have good news for you today. There is Someone, by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, who has a plan and the power to deliver this planet from pain, death and chaos. Millions of people down through the ages have met this Man in the pages of the Bible and found Him to be the Prince of peace.
who is this man, Jesus?
If you have not met Him, you will find Him in the four gospels of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Here is a Man who was born 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth of Galilee and spent only three-and-a-half years in public work. During this brief period, He drew the crowds through His teaching, preaching and healing ministry. Multitudes were healed of all kinds of diseases and some were
even raised from the dead. He had 12 close followers called disciples. He claimed to be the Son of God (see Matthew 16:16,17) and even to be one with God (see John 10:30). Furthermore, He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Towards the end of His ministry, when one of these disciples asked Him to show them the Father (God), He said to him, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Just before His death through crucifixion, Jesus gave a comforting promise to His sorrowing disciples that He would return and take them to be with Him in His Father’s kingdom: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 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 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).
how will He return?
Forty days after Christ’s death and subsequent resurrection, He departed to His Father. Luke writes, “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven” (Luke 24:50,51).
This was a startling experience for the disciples. “They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10,11). These encouraging words indicate that the same Jesus who ate with the disciples and whom they could touch and feel and worship will return. And His return will not be in secret. Jesus very clearly told His followers that it would be public and visible to all. He said, “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27). We all know that lightning penetrates the darkness and likewise, the return of Jesus will be highly visible to all. The apostle John wrote, “‘Look, he is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him’” (Revelation 1:7). Jesus said He would return in glory, unlike His first coming as a babe, accompanied by all the heavenly angels (see Matthew 25:31). What a dazzling sight beyond all imagination. Even the deaf will hear the mighty sounding of His coming (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16).
why does He return?
Jesus Christ will return to the world to bring final complete restoJUNE 2021 • SIGNS OF THE TIMES
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SUPPLIED
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From Tragedy to
TRIUMPH THE INSPIRING LIFE OF IRENE
GLEESON
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