Readers may be aware that the Sydney Prayer Breakfast Committee confirmed to me in writing that they planned on including an acknowledgment of “Country”, again, at this year’s high-profile, purportedly Christian, inclusive networking event.
I wonder how much prophetic preaching of God’s righteousness, holiness and justice there will be, instead of polite tolerance and silent inclusion of those “Christians” who, in the Name of Christ, blasphemously approve of pride in sexual immorality and subsidised child sacrifice.
In my humble opinion, an effective civic prayer function should advocate the wise fear of a holy God’s judgement for immorality and unrighteousness, with humble repentance for our cities’, states’ and nation’s gross sins ensuing.
What you won’t yet know is that the Chairman of the Sydney Prayer Breakfast, a Mr Neville Cox, eventually wrote to me, now four weeks ago, assuring me that the email correspondence with me, sent from their email address, was unseen by anyone on the Committee. I invited Mr Cox to call me to discuss his and my concerns freely and sincerely, but he has subsequently not replied.
His email further sought to assure me:
“The Committee has never followed the usual form of welcome to country but a statement about all of us being stewards under the sovereignty of God has been usually delivered by a Christian Minister.”
This is perhaps the most common rationalisation of syncretism I hear as I sound the alarm about the pagan idolatry infesting our nation and the one true religion.
It is impotent and invalid as an argument.
As an aside, I wonder how many Christian leaders have the conviction to boldly assert for all to hear that unadulterated, undiluted Christianity is indeed the only true religion? Therein is the beginning of compromise and corruption if one cannot comfortably insist there is only One Way, only One Truth, and only One Life – and His Name is Jesus Christ.
This is no more “arrogant” than a math student insisting there is only one correct answer to a math problem as basic as one plus one. The plurality of wrong answers does not rationally diminish the truth of the single right answer. To tolerate even slightly wrong answers is hateful. One plus one is two. Not even 2.00001 will be tolerated by any teacher with an ounce of love for his students. It’s two.
If the Sydney Prayer Breakfast Committee get the Roman Catholic Pope to perform an acknowledgment of “Country” and he rewrites it to be nothing but reciting John chapter 3, all present have given religious honour and affection – worship – to the spiritual entities collectively called “Country”: including dead people, dingoes and dirt.
You might as well put lipstick and a wig on a Buddha statue and call it “Christian”. You are deceived, and deceiving others.
If one can admit there are problems with the ritual, why even include it at all? What power did the Gospel lack before Dingo and Walley popularised a modern form a few decades ago? What great gain is achieved to justify such a great risk of Christians being seen to approve of pagan beliefs?
Did the Apostle Paul introduce altars “To The Unknown God” in all the Greek churches after preaching to the Ancient Greeks that:
“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.”
Another person recently wrote to me asking for advice on how to get their secular organisation to a less pagan policy position, and was also suggesting a polite compromise of sanitising overtly religious truth claims.
I do commend attempts to be conciliatory and find an acceptable compromise. This is the spirit of Messiah. Realistically, though, some things are irredeemable, and even a little bit of paganism is unacceptable for followers of Messiah. A little bit of slavery is not okay. A little bit of abortion is not okay. A little bit of adultery is not okay. A little bit of pagan idolatry is not okay.
Every major museum in Australia teaches an invariable part of the definition of “Country” (in the context of Aboriginal culture) is the pagan truth claim that dead people, dingoes and dirt have spirits that are due reverence. The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies boldly confirms this is what “Country” always means.
I encourage everyone everywhere to object every time to being subjected to any ritual called “Country”. We can do so graciously, as long as no punches are pulled. Our Christian duty is to leave all without excuse for idolatry and to attempt to persuade them to embrace honour of the One True God, as referenced in our Constitution.
The religious truth claims of the Uluru Statement From the Heart were not even popularly accepted by Aboriginal representatives at that conference (many walked out in disgust at the unrepresentative railroad job it was), let alone the Australian people in a referendum question declared by the Prime Minister to be based upon implementing it “in full”.
If unsuccessful in eliminating the ritual, we should do as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did in Daniel chapter 3, and politely refuse to do what everyone else was expected to do during it. They explained to the King that no matter the personal cost to them:
“Let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”
This need be no more obnoxious than when the elite Australian cricketer, Usman Khawaja, refused to be part of his 2022 champion team’s huddle while champagne flowed. He jumped away from teammates as the alcohol began flowing due to his strict religious beliefs, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Then, when it was done, multiple players urged Khawaja back in for team photos: no offence taken.
Christians in secular corporate contexts should cite this as an example of how space should be made for them and others to live according to the convictions of their conscience and religion. Of course, in a Christian family, congregation, organisation, building or event, there should be no space for idolatry at all, just as there’d be no alcohol in Islamic contexts.
Cricket Australia’s diversity and inclusion manager, Rana Hussain, a devout Muslim woman, explained:
“We don’t drink alcohol and we stay away from it as much as possible too. We definitely don’t want to be touching alcohol even in the bottle and being sprayed with alcohol would be quite a breach for most Muslims.”
Are you listening, Sydney Prayer Breakfast Committee, as well as so many allegedly Christian churches?
Even touching the bottle, let alone getting sprayed with it is too much. Why do these Muslims understand “holiness” more than so many Christians? Small wonder Australian culture has little to no respect for Christianity. We’re not serious enough about it ourselves, having confused compromise for being nice.
We can’t be nice about the implicit religious claims of anything in a bottle labelled “Country”. That word, in cultural context, is a container of meaning that contradicts the teaching of Jesus Christ and the clear doctrines of Christian Scripture.
The tragedy that faithful, well-formed Christians must contend with today is the silence of “nice” denominational leaders taken by unbelievers as the definition of Christian belief. Some liberal Christians with an obviously low view of Scripture even act as apologists for and embrace traditional Aboriginal religious rituals and occultism.
Be encouraged: I am getting reports of Christian schools and other organisations reading this teaching and research on “Country” and repenting of ever including it in their community. Every single one must do likewise urgently. (That research was updated this week with additional photographic evidence from three major museums as well as an SBS election article.)
There is a remnant that will not bow the knee! I have been invited to speak at the Albury Wodonga Prayer Breakfast in July and the National Prayer Breakfast in September. Praise God, both of these events have boldly confirmed there will be no welcome to or acknowledgment of “Country”!
The choice is between “nice” and good. In this instance, we cannot be both. Fear men, or fear God.
Dear Christian, do not compromise or contaminate your witness by doing what everyone else does. Be separate. Be holy. Be faithful to the One True God even when everyone else pays homage to the idol.
Let it be known.
We don’t serve false gods.
We will not be seen to pay homage to “Country”.
