Couldn't Help Noticing

Tsunami questions

This letter was published in the Age of December 31:

Dear editor,

Thank you for the Age's thoughtful opinion piece (‘Is God to blame for this’, Age Dec 30) on the tsunami disaster in Asia. I was genuinely encouraged that Kenneth Nguyen did not use it as a platform for rehashing the atheistic ‘problem of evil’ in the usual way. That a good and powerful God allows evil is, I believe, an insoluble problem for us. That is not the same as saying that it is an insoluble problem for God, who knows all and understands all, and more than this, has acted to rescue.

The hope we cling to is that God didn't remain distant from suffering, but sent his only Son to die on the cross, thus dealing a death blow to all evil—a death blow whose full force is yet to be felt, but which will certainly come. For this reason, the message of Christmas is a message that continues to comfort.

Tsunami relief

Many Christians are no doubt anxious to channel some funds towards the relief efforts in SE Asia. The names of several well-known aid agencies have been well promoted in the media.

However, some of you will know that Matthias Media has supported Samaritans Purse's ‘Operation Christmas Child’ in the past, and I commend Samaritan's Purse to you for your consideration as a Christian aid organisation. Their concern and commitment to providing aid and emergency relief services is a great testimony to the Gospel of Jesus, a message which they endeavour to take with them as they go. As their Mission Statement says:

Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan's Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The organization serves the Church worldwide to promote the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Below is the text of a Press Release from the Australian Director of Samaritan's Purse and details of how you can make a donation should you wish.

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29th December, 2004

PRESS RELEASE

“This May Be the Worst Natural Disaster in Recent History”

Samaritan's Purse is sending emergency workers and supplies to Sri Lanka and Indonesia to help meet the needs of survivors of the earthquake and tidal waves that devastated the Indian Ocean coastline on Boxing Day.

The 9.0-magnitude earthquake that triggered the tidal waves was the most powerful in the world in the last 40 years. “This may be the worst natural disaster in recent history,” said Jan Egeland, the emergency relief coordinator for the United Nations. More than 44,000 people were killed and the death toll continues to rise. The eight countries surrounding that area of the Indian Ocean have all been affected (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives), as have several countries with coasts on the Indian Ocean in Africa.

According to preliminary reports, the death toll was worst in Sri Lanka, an island southeast of India. But there are fears the toll might be even worse on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the coast closest to the quake.

Samaritan's Purse staff and partners in Southeast Asia have been mobilised to assess the damage and meet critical needs in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and possibly other countries. They are prepared to distribute emergency food, cooking supplies, temporary shelter, water filtration units, and medicine.

Samaritan's Purse is a non-denominational evangelical Christian relief and development agency that is often one of the first on the scene in situations of natural disasters. Since 1970, they have helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ. Recently they have provided emergency assistance in Darfur, Sudan; after the hurricanes that devastated the Caribbean and the US in 2004, and after the earthquake in Iran in 2003.

Samaritan's Purse Australia is collecting donations to help with the emergency relief. Tax deductible donations can be sent to Samaritan's Purse Australia at PO Box 6544, Blacktown BC, NSW 2147. Credit card donations can be made by fax at (02) 8811 5556 or by phone at (02) 8811 5544 or 1800 684 300. Please include your name, address, and phone number and for credit card donations include the name on the card, the number, and the expiry date of the card. Mark your donations for "Indian Ocean Tsunami Relief.

Or donate online at the Samaritan's Purse website.

Samaritan's Purse also has offices in Canada, the Netherlands, the UK, USA, Ireland and Germany. See their web site for contact details of these offices and to make donations in those countries.

Leigh Brown
Executive Director
Samaritan's Purse Australia Limited
ABN 84 070 722 404
PO Box 6544
Blacktown Business Centre NSW, 2148
Australia
Phone: 61 2 8811 5544 Fax: 61 2 8811 5556

http://www.samaritanspurse.org
Franklin Graham -International President

81% not listening

No, not just to me. To God...

Dear editor,

It's no surprise at all that 81% of Australians surveyed support abortion rights. It's also utterly irrelevant to whether abortion (or any other ethical question) is actually a good thing or not. The rightness of an ethical judgment can't and mustn't be determined by majority vote.

Since only God can determine what is right, the 81% figure simply gives a rough indication as to how many people aren't listening. As a result, they have no sound basis for ethical decision making.

Happy Christmas

To all our customers and partners in the Gospel—may God give you a safe and happy Christmas, full of the joy of celebrating his love for us in this: “that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim 1:15).

Our office will be open on all but the public holidays over the next couple of weeks, with a somewhat skeleton staff. ie. we'll be open Wed 29, Thur 30, Fri 31, and then from 4 Jan onwards.

Thanks for your support and partnership in 2004.

The Matthias Media team

Gough cough

For reasons which are beyond me, a Christian college in Sydney recently invited a former Australian Prime Minister to sound off about Sydney Anglicans, which he proceeded to do with gusto. It got into the local rag, so I wrote this unpublished rejoinder...

Dear editor,

Apparently one of Gough Whitlam's chief complaints about Sydney Anglicans and their leadership is that they are too aggressive, and make public pronouncements about matters that are really none of their business. To his accusation that the church is full of hypocrites, I would respond that there is plenty of room for more, and Gough will find a warm welcome should he decide to attend our church next Sunday.