 Justice and healing for the lands and waterways now known as Australia continue to be a tremendous struggle, particularly for the First Nations peoples who have cared for the lands and waterways for so many tens of thousands of years and whose sovereignty has never been ceded. Last year's 'No' vote in the referendum was a devastating sign of that. Some steps have been taken within Church circles, not least within and by the Uniting Church in Australia, which continues to work through the implications of its covenant with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Congress (UAICC) and also strongly supported nationally the Voice to Parliament. However, recent developments in theological education show the limits of such Christian will and determination in these lands. For the ecumenically supported Wontulp-Bi-Buya College has been closed (see here) and the University of Divinity has closed its School of Indigenous Studies (see here). The closure of the School is a particular blow to the emerging theological depth and strength of First Nations theology and a deep disappointment to so many, including those like myself who teach occasionally in that university. The process appears to have been very quick and signifies a lack of considered priority. MY and others' thanks go out especially to the Revd Dr Garry Worete Deverell and Professor Dr Anne Pattel-Gray for their work and express solidarity in finding fresh ways ahead.
In the light of recent events, the Listening to Country series, hosted at Pitt Street Uniting Church this year, becomes even more important as a step towards meeting the need for deeper listening, re-commitment, and solidarity.
0 Comments
 A friend sent me this fine and challenging reflection - here - which speaks, with honesty and critical awareness of the failure of Christian churches and theology to enable the reality of the hope of liberation theology (which, probably not a surprise to anyone (!), was so influential in my own theological formation). I'm reminded of the great historian Christopher Hill's words about the English Revolutions - how 'God visited England in the 17th century century (embodied in radical hopes, dreams, and part achievements) and then moved on' - as I have felt for some years that, certainly in much of what passes for 'traditional' (actually traditionalist) Christianity, God visited in many ways for many centuries but has now moved on. Beyond our struggles to own the appalling violence and toxicity of Christianity's past (and too much of its present), or to embody 'justice' and 'inclusion' meaningfully, the central question of God is still too little considered by Christians - with even liberals and progressives alike too often falling back into old categories, even when they (and to be honest 'we') query or riff upon them. Molly Crawford calls us on us to go much deeper, facing up fully to the 'absence of a liberating God'. As she says, recalling Gustavo Gutierrez' own words:“ We have to break with our mental categories, with the way we relate to others, with our ways of identifying with the Lord, with our cultural milieus, with our social class, in other words, with all that can stand in the way of real, profound solidarity with all those who suffer… from misery and injustice”
Or, as Marcella Althaus Reid put it, in words which many queer and womanist critics of classic liberation theology would echo, we need to dwell on, and in, the 'indecency' of the 'absence' of God, and in actual (not so much rhetorical), and truly examined, solidarity. Many thanks to Dr Meredith Lake and Rohan Salmond for inviting Penny Jones and I to share in this episode of ABC's Soul Search, exploring queer theology and its expression in World Pride. It was a great joy, including sharing with such delightful co-interlocutors and friends as Dr Peter Kline and Benjamin Oh. Link here  Action is obviously (to most of us) long overdue to address our climate change crisis and other issues of sustainability on our planet. At the heart of our inability to respond as a species also however includes the very ways we look at the Earth. For Season of Creation 2021, here is my introductory Reflection on the unhelpful and positive models and metaphors which we have been using, and the enlivening re-thinking by theologians in recent times. Full text here. (originally created for Pitt Street and Glenbrook Uniting Churches)  I've been very glad to contribute to this series of essays on Contemporary Feminist Theologies, with such a distinguished and lively group of contributors. My own essay is on the need for supporting trans theological voices and their/our emerging insights - 'From footballs to Matildas?' Overall, this book explores the issues of power, authority and love with current concerns in the Christian theological exploration of feminism and feminist theology. It looks particularly at issues such as embodiment, intersectionality, liberation theologies, historiography, queer approaches to hermeneutics, philosophy and more. With thanks to the Australian Collaborators in Feminist Theologies. More about the book here.
One of my great theological heroes is Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, who sadly died recently. Virginia was such an inspiration to me over the years - beginning from when I was ridiculed by male students at theological college for promoting her landmark book on the Divine Feminine - apparently they couldn’t think of ‘images of women’ except pornographically (and ours was a ‘liberal’ college)! Later, her work Omnigender, and her own gender identity journey, was important in my own realisation of my authentic gender. In this short video she speaks of aspects of her feminist journey, as she accepts the first Mother Eagle Award (to the 2017 Gay Christian Network Conference). The Mother Eagle Award is presented jointly by Christian Feminism Today and the Gay Christian Network to honour women who have taken the lead in courageously advocating for LGBTQIA equality in Christianity (for more information, please visit https://eewc.com/mother-eagle-award/.) Virginia's message is an enduring one which I strongly echo: ‘Please, please, transcend your fear. Work with me and the cosmic Mother Eagle in the creation of social justice, stirring up our best, fluttering over our young, and spreading our broad wings’  One of the most encouraging aspects of the Australian theological scene is the work of the Australian Collaborators in Feminist Theologies. Based at the University of Divinity, Melbourne, this vital network has considerably inspired and supported me in recent times and will, I hope, continue to grow in strength and influence. Personally I am thankful to this project and its leaders to have an essay (entitled 'From Footballs to Matildas? - Gender Diverse People and Theological Game Change') included in the forthcoming book Contemporary Feminist Theologies: Power, Authority, Love - part of Routledge's 'Gender, Theology and Spirituality' series. I am also pleased to share in the Horizons series of online conversations which the Collaborators run on a monthly basis. This month, I am myself a focal point, chatting with Dr Cath McKinney about intersectionality, not least the challenges and opportunities of gender diverse people within feminist developments (link to event here). Here below - and at this link - is a short reflection to stimulate thought and discussion...
 At the heart of the community of Cunnamulla in western Queensland is the town swimming pool. As in many Indigenous, or Indigenous-majority, communities, it plays a central role in fostering community, health, connections and life of various kinds. In Cunnamulla this is certainly notable, not least through the marvellous work of Marianne Johnstone who not only manages the facilities, including the 50 metre olympic-style pool, but wonderfully trains and leads swimming, triathlon and other activities.
One of the highlights of our recent diocesan Reconciliation Action Plan initiative in Cunnamulla was therefore the Saturday afternoon swimming gala. The climax of this was the invitation relay race, led by the local mayor Lindsay Godfrey. Our group was encouraged to join in and bishop Cameron Venables and local Anglican Minister Steffan van Munster duly stepped forward to help form a team which came a very creditable third (the winners being an able relay of local Aboriginal young men). It was a powerful symbol of both Cameron and Steffan's ministry among local communities. Instead of simply sitting on the sidelines, or dispensing prizes (though bishop Cameron did that too!), they plunged right into the heart of community life, literally getting soaked in the process. Plunging into the pool is a powerful metaphor for what Christians call the incarnation, the way of Jesus which involves plunging fully into all life has to offer and all of the human condition. Sometimes Christianity, and Christian theology, has been a bit of an, albeit usually kindly and well-intentioned, onlooker activity. Getting wet however is not a real option for genuine ministry and mission. Gustavo Gutierrez, the great Latin American pioneer of liberation theology, reflected that a truly incarnational theology is 'the second act', after the commiitment to life, justice, solidarity with the poor, peace and reconciliation. This is certainly true of the journey of Australian Reconciliation as well as faith development in general. What of my involvement in the pool, you might ask? Well, being a water-challenged person on account of my very British and rural upbringing (far from the unwelcoming cold seas around the UK and at a distance from a pool like Cunnamulla's), I did not myself jump in that pool, although I did offer to join either the running or cycling leg of any similar triathlon. Yet I hope that, in other things I do, I also have the faith to keep plunging in the pool of life. We also have to reflect but active participation is vital. Jump in, as they say in Cunnamulla, the water is wonderful. |
AuthorJo Inkpin is an Anglican priest serving as Minister of Pitt St Uniting Church in Sydney, a trans woman, theologian & justice activist. These are some of my reflections on life, spirit, and the search for peace, justice & sustainable creation. Archives
July 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed