Here’s what I enjoyed in music during 2011. No rankings; no commentary; just a list of things I enjoyed. There are links for you to listen to my favourite tracks.

Albums

Battles – Gloss Drop

James Blake – James Blake

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Foster The People – Torches

Girls – Father, Son, Holy Ghost

Holy Ghost! – Holy Ghost!

King Krule – King Krule EP

M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming

Radiohead – The King of Limbs

Tune-Yards – Whokill

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Washed Out – Within and Without

The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient

WU LYF – Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

Tracks

Tune-Yards – Bizness

The War On Drugs – Brothers

Girls – Forgiveness

James Blake – The Wilhelm Scream

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – FFunny FFrends

TV On The Radio – Second Song

WU LYF – Dirt

Bon Iver – Holocene

Holy Ghost! – Some Children

M83 – Midnight City

Radiohead – Lotus Flower

Battles – Ice Cream

Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks

Household – Go Away

Valar – Uptight

Cults – Go Outside

Jamie xx – Far Nearer

Wild Beasts – Loop The Loop

Twerps – Dreamin

King Krule – The Noose of Jah City

Washed Out – Soft

Guilty Pleasure

Coldplay – Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall - This isn’t a great song, really; but that warbling guitar line makes me smile every time!

Honourable Mention - Two brilliant covers from Q Magazine’s tribute to U2′s 1991 album Achtung Baby.

Patti Smith – Until the End of the World

Jack White – Love Is Blindness

Map of Christianity around the world. From andymangold's Flickr stream.

Here’s a sermon I preached at Cottage Church on the weekend. (For anyone who heard it, yes, I went a little off-script a few times; hence why this text might read a little differently!

A World Divided: Failed Politics.

Francis Fukuyama, in a famous article titled ‘The End of History’ (1989), makes the astonishing claim that we’ve found the perfect political ideology. As the world converges ever more on the liberal democratic state and on free-market capitalism, the evolution of human civilisation is over. We will move inexorably towards a lasting global peace.

This ideology has achieved the following things: Wars (Iraq, Afghanistan). Devastating financial meltdowns across the world always hitting the poor the hardest (particularly in Latin America, but most spectacularly in the United States and Europe). The justification of torture and violence as a means of making ‘peace’ (aspects of the global ‘War on Terror’). Social isolation and disruption (the Occupy movement). Heart hearts towards children, the elderly, the poor and refugees (the latter nowhere more than our own nation of Australia). Matters of sexuality, lifestyle and even truth itself are reduced to ‘personal choice’.

Being a community, in this worldview, means ‘You can do whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t stop me from doing whatever I want.’ And so we have: Conflict. Division. Inequality. Alienation.

This politics has failed.

These effects are not restricted to the liberal democratic state and  is the same with every form of political community and structure which humans have pursued. Ancient Greece. Fascism. Socialism. Liberal capitalism. Communism. Every politics constructed by human hands has failed. The reason for this is so obvious that we are often blind to it: the world is full of evil. This is true of our social structures and economic agendas; and it is true of our own hearts, filled as they are with selfishness, greed, envy, malice, and violence—be it physical, social, psychological, political or economic.

In Ephesians 2 (which you should read at this point!), we see that in Jesus Christ, God has achieved and established a new politics for a new humanity.

The root of the problem.

The problem, we see, is twofold: all humanity is alienated from God (2:1-3) and alienated from each other (2:11-12).

The passage moves from the alienation of God and humans to the alienation between people: especially the primary category of God’s people and the world. Gentiles (non-Jews) were doubly in trouble: hopeless and godless, without the covenant promises given to Israel. (Although it is true that God always intended to include them in those promises: see Genesis 12:1-3 and plenty of places in Isaiah.)

The solution.

In Jesus, God solves this double alienation. In Jesus we are reconciled to God the Father (2:4-10, 16). In Jesus, by his blood shed for us, God deals with our guilt, rebellion and ignorance towards him (2:6, 13, 15). In Jesus, by abolishing in his body the law with its commandments and regulations, God removes the barrier between God’s people and the rest of the world (2:13-16).

The result.

The result of this lavish grace and  mercy is nothing less than a new humanity! A new community marked by union with Christ, a shared faith, a shared salvation, and shared access through Christ to the Father by one Spirit. In this new humanity (the plural form of ‘man’ is used in the Greek, to mean ‘mankind’), there is perfect equality before God and with each other. Since there is now no barrier stopping any people from any nation joining with God’s people, all enter by the same route: faith in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah promised to Israel for the whole world.

One of the ways this is summed up is citizenship in the people of God (2v19). Sharing allegiance to the true Lord and King of the world and bound together by our union with Christ, the Church is a new community of peace.

In this way, our reconciliation with God and each other is a political act. No longer is our primary community Newtown or New South Wales or Australia: our primary community is the Church, a community under the rule of King Jesus.

This is the only true community. This unified people is precisely what all human political systems have tried and failed to achieve!

In Jesus, the formation of a true and lasting political community is achieved. Only Jesus, by the shedding of his blood for us, is able to deal with the root of the problem which causes all other politics to fail: Jesus overcomes the problem of disobedient, enslaved and broken hearts.

A Christian politics.

The worldview of liberal democracy championed in the rich world (and increasingly in the majority world) is, we have seen, a politics of division and alienation. It is a worldview which, because of our broken humanity, continues to disenfranchise, dislocate and dismantle communities.

How different to the new humanity created in Jesus’ body! In contrast to the world’s politics of alienation and division, the gospel is a politics of welcome and peace.

And the Church, as a political community, has a political task in the world. That task? Preaching peace to those who are near and those who are far off (2:17).

John Stott observes that ‘he preached peace’ (2:17) cannot refer (at least primarily) to Jesus’ earthly ministry. This preaching peace is precisely the announcement of what Christ has achieved by the shedding of his blood: a new, unified humanity! This is how Christ began his teaching when he appeared to his disciples after his resurrection: ‘Peace be with you!’ (John 20:19).

The political task of the church is nothing less than to snatch people away from any allegiance other than to Christ. As the Church preaches (and, importantly, embodies) the peace of Jesus, people are pulled out from under the rule of the kingdom of the air (as well as Gillard, Obama, Merkel, Sarkozy, Hu Jintao and Hun Sen) and united with the new humanity under the rule of Christ. This is the root of what we might call a ‘Christian politics.’

The gospel, therefore, is unavoidably political. To say this is not to say that Biblical Christianity gives us a set of clear political policies (although I do think there are important Christian things to say on matters of policy). The political claim of the Gospel is much grander than that: the Lord is King (there is no other), and he has created in himself a new humanity, a united people of God; this is the only true human community, in which there is no inequality, no division, no alienation. Instead, there is peace. This is the only politics that works. This is the only politics that sustains hope. This is the only politics that truly unites.

The Church here in Newtown is not facing the same problem as the Ephesians; among us there is no great schism between Jew and Gentile. Yet the issue of being at peace with one another is still a significant one. We’ve had moments in our little community where being at peace has been a struggle. That’s normal for any community! I think we’ve actually managed rather well.

But we need to keep struggling together to be of one mind: following Jesus and letting the peace we have with him and with each other bear witness to the achievement of Jesus Christ on the cross among the people of Newtown.

Paul, writing to the Colossians on the same theme, says this:

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:3-4)

This is who we are. This is our community. This is our story.

Western society often tries to push the Church out of the public square: ‘religion is a private matter; politics is public.’ But our Gospel is political. Let no one convince you that the church is anything other than the new, true and primary human community, which has and will overcome the world through Christ. We are seated in the heavenly realms in Christ (2:6), now, and forever. The church is the world’s true community, even though the world is blind to it.

And so be assured: because your faith is in Jesus, you are taking part in a Christian politics. For a Christian politics is first and foremost to be the one new humanity he has made, and through being so to witness to the peace won for us in Christ Jesus. To those both near and those who are far, the peace of our community points to the One who has made that peace in his flesh.

Francis Fukuyama is right: we have, in a sense, reached the end of history. Although we wait for Christ to return to make his victory finally and fully known, we have already been given the perfect, effective politics of peace, achieved by the blood of Jesus and by our union with him in his death and resurrection made manifest in the community of the church. A true community in which there is no division or alienation, but peaceful citizenship of God’s people and membership of his household.

Jesus is the cornerstone of this community. He has made it possible. He has achieved it, through his blood on the cross and by his Spirit giving us access to the one Father. Only faith in him and the work of the Spirit in his people can hold this politics of peace together.

In short, while citing some interesting correlations between Islamic faith and capitalistic success, the article finds no research which presents a convincing case for the positive effect of any Christian tradition on the economic success of their adherents. The article concludes:

In the end, laws and institutions seem to make more difference to people’s worldly chances than the arcana of theology.

I’m not surprised. Any approach to economics from a Christian worldview must take into account the Lord whom Christians follow, Jesus Christ, who said things like:

No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money. (Matthew 6:24, HCSB)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:37-40, HSCB)

Furthermore, those who became the leaders in the early Christian church said things like this:

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (James 1:27, HCSB)

In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret [of being content]—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. (Philippians 4:12b, HCSB)

If I may paraphrase: Put no faith in the salvation falsely offered by wealth! Give generously, even sacrificially! Put others first! Be content with what you have; flee consumer capitalism!

While the New Testament certainly does not forbid Jesus’ followers from doing well in business, is it really a surprise that faith in the Suffering Servant doesn’t correlate with worldly wealth? The ‘worldly chances’ of Christians are played out in light of the heavenly certainties secured in Christ.

Following a God who associates with the lowly and encourages the same generosity He has shown in giving Jesus Christ, it is no wonder ‘the arcana of [Christian] theology’ has no correlation to business success. As the Apostle Paul says: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: although He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9, HCSB).

"Coin Toss" by Daniel Dale, via Flickr

A friend pointed me to an article in the SMH about the giving of the wealthy in Australia (“Old Money Tells New Money: You Can Make A Difference”, July 4).

The main focus of the article is quite encouraging. Wealthy old-money families in Australia are using their wealth in great ways, and encouraging others to do the same.

One statistic stands out, though:

Despite a surge in the number of Australian millionaires last year – from 173,600 to 192,900 – wealthy locals give less than 0.5 per cent to charity on an income basis, compared with almost 4 per cent in the US, according to 2008 Petre Foundation research.

You can find the report mentioned in the article here. What’s interesting about the report is that it contrasts the giving of affluent Australians with the rest of us. The report finds:

Affluent Australians give more than the average Australian but generally not much more. Gifts, measured by the value of tax-deductible donations expressed as a percentage of taxable income, are only marginally higher for the vast majority of the affluent (with taxable incomes of between $100,000 and $500,000) than for Australians overall, at approximately 0.45% and 0.33%, respectively.

Reflect on that for a second: Australians give just 0.33% of their taxable income!

Now, the real figure will be higher than that, since this only reflects giving made to organisations registered as Deductible Gift Recipients. Churches, for example, don’t fit in this category.

I wonder, though, if Christians give more than that? I hope so.

Faithfulness isn’t measured in dollar terms. Nonetheless, Jesus reminds us that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Exhorting the Corinthians to generous, self-forgetful giving to their afflicted brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, Paul reminds his readers: “you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: although he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

In saying this Jesus and Paul extend the call of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah to be people who reflect God’s self-giving to us, needy and unable to repay him, in the way we relate to others: “if you offer yourself to the hungry [literally, offer your soul!], and satisfy the afflicted one, then your light will shine in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday” (Isaiah 58:10).

That’s the paradox of the Christian life: true blessing comes through self-forgetful sacrifice for the needs of others. That doesn’t just mean giving sacrificially from our material and financial wealth, as Isaiah 58 makes clear; our time, especially, is to be given to others. But material and financial wealth are an obvious and important place to start.

Why is this decidedly unworldly way the one God chooses? Because in self-sacrificial generosity we reflect the character of the God who has given himself for the needy: the Lord Jesus who suffered and died for his enemies, and whose life and death was vindicated with new life. Our generosity says something about our understanding of what God has done for us in Jesus.

Sure, we won’t be perfect at living generously; but as our love and knowledge of God grows, our generosity in response to his mercy should grow as well.

In any case, when we look at Jesus we see that God has given much more than 0.33% of his wealth.

How much are we giving?

Here’s an excerpt from his sermon.

“The cry of men and women living an earthly hell, and passing away in darkness and shame, goes forth ‘Help us! Help us!’—the wail of the guilty, the fallen, the suffering—comes up to God tonight throughout this great city. … The waves are closing round them, living in misery and shame, dying without hope. Men and women, with the name of Christian on your lips, with the mark of Christ upon your arms, I ask you: shall their cry to us be in vain?”

One hundred and twenty years on, Sydney is a very different city. But the cry of those on the margins remains. St. Philip’s is still in the heart of the city, seeking to meet their needs.

My prayer is that the Hope For Sydney project I’m working on will help the church of Jesus Christ to better serve the marginalised in his name in this city.

A brilliant article I came across yesterday. A must-read if you’re interested in political theology and/or political economy.

At the always excellent ABC Religion website, Roman Catholic theologian William Cavanaugh writes that ’Only Christianity Can Save Economics.’ A key quote:

Economy is not a separate sphere of life that only intersects with the religious sphere when people act immorally with their money or are unable to meet their needs. The idea that theology and economics are two separate pursuits is a thoroughly modern idea, the product of the last 250 years or so, an idea that Christians traditionally would have found bizarre.

I was planning a series of posts later this year on the interaction of political economy and Christian theology (particularly eschatology) in the realm of finance. I probably don’t need to now, ’cause Cavanaugh has said it pretty well!

I’m engaged in an interesting conversation about those issues at the notoreligion blog. You might like to check it out.

I’ve been a bit restless lately, and it’s had me thinking about peace (or lack thereof). Last night I was continuing my slow sojourn through an anthology of Gerard Manley Hopkins‘ poetry, and I came across his poem ‘Peace.’ I love the last line: peace is not an end, it isn’t about being comfortable–it allows us to live life, patiently resting on God’s goodness as we wait for His return.

When will you ever, Peace, wild wooddove, shy wings shut,
Your round me roaming end, and under be my boughs?
When, when, Peace, will you, Peace? I’ll not play hypocrite
To own my heart: I yield you do come sometimes; but
That piecemeal peace is poor peace. What pure peace allows
Alarms of wars, the daunting wars, the death of it?

O surely, reaving Peace, my Lord should leave in lieu
Some good! And so he does leave Patience exquisite,
That plumes to Peace thereafter. And when Peace here does house
He comes with work to do, he does not come to coo,
He comes to brood and sit.

‘Peace,’ Gerard Manley Hopkins (1879)

It reminds me of Philippians 4: don’t be anxious, but pray–the upshot being, keep praying until you aren’t anxious anymore, and as long as you’re anxious, pray. Likewise, I’m praying for pure peace, until God gives me that which broods and sits.

Since I’m thinking through the issues I raised yesterday, I thought this might be of use to interested parties. It’s a brief review essay I wrote for a Masters unit last year on the concepts and literature surrounding ‘financialization.’

ESSAY The Financialization of Social Life and the Socialization of Finance: Reviewing the Concepts and the Literature

Most quotable quote (although there are many contenders): ‘It’s a Wall St. government.’ Scary. Probably true.

In one sense it was nothing new: I the second half of last year studying the political economy of finance markets, and none of the ideas presented here are original. They are, however, presented well, and the interviews are excellent. The explanations of the complex financial products wrapped up in the crisis are also great; even after six months studying finance markets I find many of them nearly impossible to understand. (Which, incidentally, suits the finance firms quite nicely, thank you very much!)

Anyway, I have some thoughts related to the film sloshing around in my head: on greed, justice what Scripture says about the problem of the human heart. The film made me profoundly angry and deeply sad: great economic and social violence are done through our ‘self-regulating markets,’ and it can’t be fully explained without an understanding of the evil inclinations human beings are all prone to. One of the things I’ve loved about studying political economy is that it deliberately leaves economics open to contributions from all kinds of disciplines, including (much to my delight!) theology.

In the meantime, while I’m drafting and thinking through those issues, here’s a good review of Inside Job and Client 9 (a doco about the downfall of former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer, who made a valiant attempt to reform Wall St.). Check out the review at The Quietus.