Immigration and the Moral Status of Borders by Luke Bretherton

In debates about immigration a crucial issue is the moral and political status of borders. Do we think borders are good or bad, a necessary evil or a moral necessity? My contention is that those who argue for open borders undervalue a sense of place and the integrity of nations like Britain and Australia as political communities, but those who argue for closed borders over value the likes of Britain and Australia as political communities.

Instead, I will suggest we need a way of valuing our particular political communities in relation to other nations, and ultimately in relation to God, and that such a framework will enable us to make appropriate decisions about how to respect and value existing citizens and fulfil our duty of care to the refugee and vulnerable stranger from outside our borders.

From today’s SMH – In the political realm, birds of a feather don’t necessarily flock together John Dickson

Much has been said about the ”Christian vote”, an expression often associated with those nasty-right-wing-religious-nuts imposing their morals on a secular society.

Given that 64 per cent of Australians call themselves Christian, according to the census, it is important to clarify what the Christian vote means.

Christians should be willing to change voting patterns after Christian reflection on particular policies. A believer who cannot imagine voting for the ”other side” has either determined that only one party aligns with the will of God or, more likely, is more attached to their cultural context than to the wisdom of scripture.

A Liberal Translation of the New Testament

Unless we are really clever we usually read the Bible in translation.  Some are good some are not so good perhaps.

In 1868 Edward Harwood tried his hand at making the Word available to his peers.  In his own words he gave us a  translation that “left the most exacting velleity without ground for quiritation.”

On the night he was betrayed…

On the night that he was betrayed, Jesus met with his disciples in an upper room furnished and ready for the Passover meal.

At the start of the meal he got up and removed his outer garment.  He wrapped a towel around his waist, put some water into a large bowl and began to wash is disciples feet, drying them with the towel he was wearing around his waist.

It is s sometimes so easy for us to take the bread and wine; it is normal, it is expected, it is not all that confronting.  But to have someone wash your feet!  It is certainly, at least in our culture, out of the ordinary, it is very intimate — the intimacy of touch – and can be very confronting.

I am every asylum seeker – Eureka Street

I am every asylum seeker – Eureka Street.

For too long, Australians have conflated the idea of escaping dire poverty with the idea of seeking refugee status. Genuine refugees do not come to Australia for “better lives”. Nor do they necessarily have better lives when they get here. They come – from all religions, races and classes – because they have been persecuted and cannot return home.

Greg Foyster is a freelance journalist who’s written for The Age, The Big Issue, Crikey and New Matilda. The stories below are based on letters from asylum seekers in detention.

The choices we make and the habits that follow – Galatians 5:16 to 26

The letter to the Galatian churches is a letter where the main idea is freedom, spiritual freedom.  Freedom from the obligation to take on the Jewish ceremonial and religious law.

For the Galatians this was no ‘new idea’.  It was the very message that they had responded to when they were first told the good news about Jesus.  The problem was that once Paul Christian people had to take on both circumcision and the obligation of the Jewish religious laws.  Paul’s letter was a strong reminded that this was not the case.  In fact, to take on the obligation of the law was to turn your back on Jesus.

Hello world!

Hello World!

Thanks for joining me on my blog and my journey.  It is truly good to have your company.

I have blogged briefly before but I fell out of the habit.  I think I lost my password or something.  Or I just felt that I had little to say or write.  Perhaps that remains true.  Only time will tell.

I started a blog partly because it was more convenient to me than formatting in Face Book notes.  Also, a  tech-savvy friend told me that there were way more options with a blog in terms of automation and functionality.

I am still learning; obviously, with this being my first blog on a new site.  Please forgive my ineptitude.  I am sure that with time and some instruction I will start to get a hang of it soon.

Feel free to leave comments and responses.  I like to see footprints on my page.  If there is anything that you would like to pinch, pinch away, but I ask you to be polite and give credit where credit is due.

Brian