No. 3 - The desire for something to believe in

Hugh MacKay writes like so many Australians - he has rejected the conservative Christian faith of his upbringing (Baptist, I think!?) but has returned (in later life) to a sense of the numinous that he finds in a more liberal Christianity.

So he attacks all forms of fundamentalism - be it Atheistic or Theistic. Dawkins and Hitchens get short shrift but so do any religious believers who take their faith a bit too seriously. This leaves us with something a bit too vanilla. There is some good sociological analysis about belief reinforcement and the desire for certainty but he doesn't actually answer anything.

For example, let's take the desire for certainty - why is it so popular? Now that is a conversation worth having.

It may well be because I'm a Christian but this chapter was the least satisfying of the book. There is no traction here. We seem to need people and religious ideas to believe in. And? Simply saying 'that a bit of belief is okay just don't take it too seriously' is both intellectually weak and emotionally unsatisfying. If something is true how is it possible to believe it too much?

So called 'fundamentalists' do often bring the gospel into disrepute but the world does not need less passionate followers of Jesus, it needs more passionate ones!

No. 2 - The Desire for 'My Place'

I'm not surprised that this is no. 2 in a book about Australian culture. What may be true for all humanity is especially true for a nation so largely comprised of immigrants.

Where do you come from? Where do you live? Where do you feel most at home?

These are key questions for Aussies.

Hugh is especially insightful in highlighting 'the shed' for guys. I think the aspect most important to 'the shed' is that it is the place where I can be myself. In a society where men are becoming confused about their roles then a 'safe place' will become increasingly important to them.

And while Hugh is right in his description of the car as 'my place' I'm not sure he fully understands why we have so many 'deep' conversations in it. I suspect it is because we have no where else to go. I've had some of my best conversations with people in a car because of the combination of the following factors: 1. No direct eye-contact ... so we can talk for a long time without it feeling too confrontational and awkward. 2. No where else to go - the conversation has to continue for the alternative is just silence ... or the radio!

Space & Morality - it is so true that we behave differently in cyberspace as in real space. The aggressive on-line debates or inappropriate use of FaceBook are just two of many examples. Our geographical locatedness (is that a word?) helps to earth our identity. If it is a very human temptation to wear masks then the internet actively encourages us in our play-acting. Integrity needs real space.

As MacKay recognises there are two sides to our desire for cultural identity. Like many Australians my identity has much to do with where I grew up and what countries my Father and Mother came from. However, this cultural identification can quickly lead to territorialism. It is fascinating talking to Michael Prodigalidad and Ross Ciano about growing up in Sydney as an Australian-Filipino and Australian-Italian. If 'my place' has boundaries (which it must to be 'my' space) then it will tend to exclude others. Passages like Ephesians 2 and Revelation 7 have profound implications for a truly Christian understanding of identity. Somehow heaven is depicted as being a place of diversity and unity, where we maintain our cultural identity but all barriers between us are removed in Christ.

Home Ownership is a big one. And it is an issue we must grapple with at PBC. As house prices escalate in the inner-west it is easy to spot the trend - Flo to house-share, possibly to married unit rent, to family and wanting to buy ... to having to move where we can afford. MacKay challenges the Aussie dream though. The Castle has weak foundations. Who says we have to own? All the research says that a community needs stable housing (i.e. you can stay for as long as you like) but this does not necessarily mean home ownership. Along with Tim Keller I'm happy to promote renting and bringing up a family in the city. As a deliberate choice. A good thing.

Of course the one thing that Hugh MacKay is not able to factor in is that 'my place' is not (ultimately) located in the here and now. From Abraham onwards God's people have been temporary stewards of the land because we know our home is in the new heaven and the new earth. This is not some kind of Greek Gnosticism that says that the physical earth is bad - Christ's kingdom will be physical too - but it does drastically alter out perspective. Like Aboriginals have always thought, we view ourselves more as custodians of the land than owners of it. My place will be where God's people are, where Christ is building his kingdom.

No. 1 - The Desire to be taken Seriously

This is a fantastic chapter. Hugh is very insightful into human nature. I feel as if I could stop and preach a sermon / write an article on every section of the chapter.

As with the book as a whole, so with this chapter, he is much better at diagnosis than treatment.

The desire to be noticed.

The desire to matter.

The desire to be appreciated.

The desire to be understood.

The desire to be valued as a person.

The desire to be accepted.

The desire to be remembered. (p 3)

Hugh is right. The desire to be taken seriously is what drives us all. Both positively and negatively he charts the impact of this desire on Australian culture - ranging from sex to rewarding children - we are driven by the need for personal affirmation. I particularly think he is spot on with his evaluation of the cult of the celebrity. It is not that we necessarily admire these people but we aspire to get the recognition that they do. Indeed reading about their flawed lives encourages us that we are 'just like them' and therefore we could achieve their status too.

In passing it is worth noting his astute observation about religious minorities. When our beliefs are attacked it does create a knee-jerk reaction of strengthening our resolve. Negatively it means Christians can quickly become reactionary and marginalized, but positively even MacKay recognises that it at least means we are being taken seriously. "Religious faith - or any other kind of belief system - is far more likely to erode and wither if it is ignored. Indifference is the real enemy." (p 16) Let us thank God daily for Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens!

But Hugh pulls out just when he is getting to the heart of the matter. On page 15 he observes that human nature is ruled by a Law of Reciprocity. "At its noblest, we call it the Golden Rule. I'll treat others the way I would like them to treat me. But it usually operates less charitably than that: I'll treat others the way they treat me, or perhaps even the way I think they might treat me." He finishes that section with these two sentences - combining a razor-sharp perception with a credulous naiveté ... "History is filled with examples of nations that have reacted violently against the contempt or indifference of others. Eventually, we must learn to accept that if we won't take others seriously, they won't take us seriously either."

Eventually? Eventually? In over 3000 years of well documented human history where is the slightest bit of evidence that we are learning that? Taking the land of my fathers for a moment - South Africa - history shows that the British oppressed the Dutch (Boers) who oppressed the Africans ... who brought in positive discrimination when they got into power. The truth and reconciliation commission was a wonderful glimmer of hope in all that but that brings us to an issue that Hugh MacKay completely ignores. More of that later. For now, "Open the window Hugh!" In the real world we cannot escape the vicious circle of the law of reciprocity - just saying we need to take others seriously makes no difference. How?

So by the time we get to the end of the chapter we are already prepared for the anti-climax. How? 1. Learn to listen to each other. 2. Go to counselling.

That's it.

He's right of course. These things would help Australia. But so would motherhood and apple pie. What's missing is the incentive to make this change. By nature we are selfish and want to be taken seriously by other people. Hugh is correct in saying that we need to treat others that way so that they will, in time, treat others that way too. (I think two guys called Jesus and Paul also said something like this a few years ago.) But how do we change our nature so that we, long term, continuously, learn to put others first?

Philippians 2 would be a good place to start. God has served us first in Christ Jesus as we respond to his self-sacrificing love so we start to treat others the same. The Truth & Reconciliation Committee in SA only works (in my opinion) when you put it in the framework of a sovereign God who will judge injustice and who gave his Son as a sacrifice for us - taking the initiative in forgiving his enemies. Then, and only then, can the vicious circle be broken and the law of reciprocity start working in a positive manner.

So a great first chapter but Hugh needs to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes. I think he blinks before taking his excellent observations fully to their logical conclusions.