Wreck-conciliation or reconciliation? Ben Pfahlert

Stephen Jackson14/05/2008 02:21 AM

Ben,

Good to see a blog that addresses the burning social issue of our times, namely our relationship with australia’s indigenous peoples.

I agree with the perspective that it is the dominant culture (transgressor in your language) that is required to overcome the narrowness of their position to admit to the reality of history, and their hand in it.

Equally so, it is incumbent on the transgressed to show grace and accept an apology.  In my experience and frequent dealings with aboriginal people at the grass roots level, they are more than prepared to do this.  In a sense, they are “new wine ready for new wineskins”, ready to engage in constructive, collaborative relationship building. 

Sadly, this dynamic is not always reflected in the leadership of both sides. 

However, hope springs eternal, and the recent Federal Govt apology to the stolen generation is a great start in ‘naming some realities’, rather than ‘blaming the realities’.

Jesus is reported to have said that he came not for the strong, but for the weak.  In our times, we need to recognise that we are the strong dominant culture, and indigenous australians have a significantly weaker position in our society.  Our challenge is to hear the call of Jesus to respond to this gross power differential.

Keep the social focus coming!  It is the work of the Spirit!

Hi Ben,

Wreck-conciliation certainly is not unique to Aussie land.

I have also noticed here in South Africa that apologies are usually pushed back on the victim as you described. “I’m sorry you got hurt” and others.

People are actually sorry that got caught out, and are not really sorry for having done wrong. When people can admit to their sin, like you said, it would be a great step forward.

However, in our culture today, it seems that everybody is a victim and no-one wants to take responsibility for their actions.

Great post!

Commenting rules

If you would like your comment to be considered for publication, please observe the following rules:

  1. Please use your FULL NAME (your real name, not an alias).
  2. Stay on topic.
  3. Be godly.

Failure to adhere to these rules will result in your comment being quietly deleted.

If you want to give us feedback but don't want your comments to appear on the blog, DON'T use the form below. Instead, please send us an email or click on the button below.

Your Comment

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.
Faith: It’s always been a matter of trust

Sponsors

Placeholder

Recent comments

RSS logo

Jean Williams on 10 in 2

Jean Williams on 10 in 2

Jean Williams on 10 in 2

Ben Pfahlert on 10 in 2

Nathan on 10 in 2

Current discussions

RSS logo

10 in 2 (6 comments)

Top 10 Tips for Sleep Deprived Prayer (4 comments)

Taking ‘crazy’ one step closer to ‘can do’ (2 comments)

Stress-throwers and stress-absorbers (0 comments)

Recent posts

RSS logo RSS logo

10 in 2 by Ben Pfahlert (6 comments). In January 2010 I set myself a goal that has transformed my diary, my thinking, my reading and the … more

Taking ‘crazy’ one step closer to ‘can do’ by Guest blogger (2 comments). Guest blogger Mikey Lynch, one of the directors of The Geneva Push, talks about the network's approach to … more

Top 10 Tips for Sleep Deprived Prayer by Jennie Baddeley (4 comments). There are so many reasons for losing sleep it's not really worth listing them. You're either getting enough sleep or you're … more

Stress-throwers and stress-absorbers by Jean Williams (0 comments). Are you a stress-thrower or a stress-absorber? A stress-thrower blames things on others and expresses stress in anger; a … more

‘Missional Lifestyle’: Education by Nicole Starling (11 comments). This is the fifth in Nicole's series on ‘missional lifestyle’. Read parts 1, 2, 3 … more

Why do we pray for others? by Scott Newling (1 comment). Learning to pray for others is one of the first things we learn as Christians: we see it commended … more

Forgiveness and repentance (part 8): Does God only forgive us when we repent? (ii) by Mark Baddeley (17 comments). (Read parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.) Does … more

The power of example by Peter Sholl (3 comments). Mexico in the 1940s was a country trying to come to grips with the 20th century. While discoveries of oil and … more

Forgiveness and repentance (part 7): Does God only forgive us when we repent? (i) by Mark Baddeley (29 comments). (Read parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.) We have been … more

The gospel to Greeks by Karen Beilharz (0 comments). For the past three Saturdays, we've been looking at contributions to the old Briefing ‘People in Ministry’ column, … more

Ministry partners