ANGLICAN MEN’S SOCIETY The National Council in Australia NEWSLETTER No. 96 Thirty Forth Year of publication February, 2012 ISSN 1836-7364 How Christ-like is God? Bishops do a lot of driving and invariably run late due to a sequence of back to back daily meetings in various parts of the city. So I have lost a few demerit points and a lot of money in fines of late. As a consequence I’ve begun to drive at the set speed limit. This is an illuminating social experiment because there is an unspoken drivers’ compact which says we; all of us; will exceed the speed limit at every opportunity. Not to do so offends this compact and often elicits a great deal of rage in ones fellow commuters. I have noticed many windows dropped hastily, through which arms extend with hands forming what I call “Bunny-Rabbits”; at least that’s what they look like although some only have one ear! The angry looks on the faces of those who form these “Bunny-Rabbits” leave one in no doubt these gestures are intended to convey the hostile disapproval of my fellow commuters. It seems that violence is just under the skin in most of us. We see it in the way some school leavers celebrate their transition into adulthood which can form a terrifying spectacle on our evening TV news. We see it in the same news slot revealing how nations deal with each other or how oppressive governments deal with their own citizens. Even those of us who do not engage in overt violence, benefit from violence done to others in one form or another. Most of the coffee we drink or the cocoa in the chocolate we eat is produced by trafficked and indentured labour. William Wilberforce swung public opinion in Britain against slavery by pointing out that the sugar good respectable people placed in their tea was a product of slave labour. He would be astonished to know that there is more human slavery and child labour on the planet now than in all of the transatlantic human trafficking in his own time! Violence is definitely a human activity and I am suggesting not an attribute of God whose “thoughts are not our thoughts and ways are not our ways”. I don’t believe that Jesus died on the cross to “pay” a punitive God because I don’t believe the God Jesus revealed is punitive. I do believe Jesus died to save us from our sins by showing us that the end of all our judgement and violence is what it always has been, death. Many theologians following the “game shifting” writings of Rene Girard have begun to reread the Holy Scriptures to ask whether or not the violence attributed to God is really God’s or our violence “projected” onto a benevolent divinity who as John’s epistle tells us is LOVE. The powerful lesson in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the one in whom “wrath” and “judgement” is located by Jesus. It’s not in the father figure whose forgiveness and healing compassion are offered before the prodigal son even opens his mouth! NB Salvation is always at God’s initiative. This is the opposite to “religion”, which always begins with human initiative ie dividing the world into the saved and the dammed – which is exactly what the elder brother in the parable does. He is the place where “wrath” and “judgement” fit to kill is to be found. Not the Father! When Jesus locates the wrath and judgement in the “good” son he is telling us violence is woven into all of us. It’s a part of the human condition. 1 In the Resurrection Event Jesus the victim of our violence came back, not breathing retribution but peace, signally revealing that God in the essence of His being is entirely Christ-like. So the Resurrection is consistent with the forgiveness and healing Jesus manifested throughout his public ministry which is consistent with His Abba, the loving benevolent creator of this world who was, is, and always will be heavily into the LIFE business. May we men venture into this New Year exercising the Love, Joy and Peace we so recently reminded ourselves of in the exchange of Christmas cards bearing those very words, which are the primary attributes of the God revealed to us in the gift of His son, all glory be unto Him. May His PEACE dwell richly in us all. Bishop Tom Wilmot 31 January 2012 ___________________________________________________________________________ NEWS FROM TANZANIA Geoff Crittall writes “Here are excerpts from a letter I received dated 15 Dec. from Val Peters. I was very thrilled to get this”. “…..Since arriving Ivan has been busy on tractor getting shambas (farmlets) ready for planting. Yesterday a big storm – 39mls a lot for here. Ivan out cultivating already, sandy soil. Some are planting today. It will be a busy few days. To think the land was so dry and dusty and windy when we arrived. The monkeys will be happy as the rain will bring on their natural food. They get very cheeky around the house. About 24 of them and they get fed peanuts twice a week. Will come in the house and steal fruit or bread rolls. Have been to a few long services at local churches. Last Sunday 3.5 hours. A new Dean was installed, 9 choirs from the different churches, clergy and more clergy. Local services are mostly 2 hours and not pews as we know them . Chairs last Sunday. The orphanage we support is progressing. Hope to finish the building before we leave (end of March 2012). In Laidley through a stall we raised about $14000. The exchange rate here was very high. One US dollar was = 1700 Tanzanian shillings. Still plenty of people coming for help. Lots of malaria around. Mossies are VERY bad. We take a tablet each day so hopefully we are safe. Lots of students wanting sponsorship for their education, but can’t help all who come. The farm here looks good, grapes doing well, planting maize today. Sunflowers after Christmas. Schools are doing well, need more buildings but cash flow has to be adhered to. John has solar system here and works well. Has a small truckie frig. that works well and keeps them cool. Has to be switched off at night and put on only early of a morning. I did a couple of weeks cooking while cook was away on charcoal stove even the bread turned out OK …..” Val Peters What a wonderful job they are doing Cheers - Geoff Crittall (the letter was sent to Geoff) Ed. – Ivan and Val Peters returned home suddenly at the end of December, 2011 as their daughter, Vicki, passed away as a result of illness. A card was forwarded by the Secretary and our thoughts and prayers are with the Peters in this time of sorrow. __________________________________________________________________________________ REVISED AMS SERVICES The Rev’d Trevor Smith of Melbourne Diocesan Council has revised the Order of Service for AMS meetings and also the Order of Service for Admission to the Society. Both of these services can be found on the Web Site. The last National Council meeting endorsed the use of these services which use modern English while retaining some of the traditional AMS prayers. Branches are asked to use these new services and report on their suitability at the next National Conference. Web Site is www.amsnational.org.au __________________________________________________________________________________ 2 BRING A MATE MONTH On Friday 3rd February the National Executive plus the additional representatives from each State participated in a Phone conference with Bishop Tom Wilmot as Chairman. It was decided promote ‘Bring a Mate Month’ in August this year. Most Provincial or Diocesan groups hold an AMS Day Dinner in August which provides an excellent opportunity for members to invite and bring along a friend to an AMS function. This is a method of increasing our membership and it may also be very beneficial to the prospective member by increasing his social network and his avenues for community service and maybe join the Society. Tubby Clayton and Toc H. On the 12th December, 1885 Philip Byard Clayton was born at Maryborough, Queensland of British parents who were involved in the grazing industry in Queensland. The family returned to the UK in1886 and Philip attended St. Paul’s School, London and later to Oxford University where he studied the classics and theology and graduated with first class honours. Being 5 foot six inches tall and blessed with a rather rotund build he was given the nick name Tubby as a school boy and that name stayed with him for the rest of his life. He was ordained into the Church of England and was a School Teacher for some years before becoming a curate in the large Portsea Parish (one of eighteen Clergy). In 1915 with World War 1 in full action he was released to join the Army as a Chaplain. He soon found himself at Flanders, Belgium the nearest town was Poperinghe. Tubby never married and as a chaplain at 30 years old he was eccentric, resourceful, energetic, a lateral thinker with a lot of humour. His Chaplain duties took him far and wide but he was keen to have a base cum hostel to provide the troops with a club where they could rest and recuperate away from the front. Eventually the Army rented a large house at 16 Rue de L’Hospitale, Poperinghe and Tubby was appointed to run the place.