Micah Challenge Australia Blog

 

The Micah Challenge blog is a space for discussion and debate about the issues of global poverty, faith, advocacy and justice and the Millennium Development Goals. This blog aims to provoke thought and challenge you to learn more about the issues discussed. We welcome your comments.

Micah Challenge is a global campaign of Christians speaking out against poverty and injustice. Click here to visit the Micah Challenge website.

  • Selective advocacy?

    Posted by Micah

    24 May, 2010

    By Micah Challenge International Director, Joel Edwards I just can't get my mind around Christians who pay taxes, pray for our governments but think that reminding them about poverty has nothing to do with being Christian... Within a two week period I chatted with three Christian leaders who all felt that the church holds the only key to society's recovery. Their basic conviction was this: the Church has a mandate to worship and serve people through evangelism and social care but persuading governments to act on behalf of the poor and marginalised was both a waste of time and a misreading of our mandate. I stand in awe of the work and character of all three but I left feeling unconvinced that they were right. So it was good to have been a part of a recent forum on Government Foreign assistance and God's Mission in the World. The meeting was orchestrated by Bread for the World, Center for Applied Christian Ethics and Micah Challenge and sponsored by the Gates Foundation. In 2007 US foreign aid was $28.9 billion - a lot more than any other nation but still… read more

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  • Insurance and the MDGs: Promises, participation

    Posted by Micah

    17 March, 2010

    Promises are a product. I work in insurance claims. I work in the promise business. Insurance products are not like other products. When you buy insurance you don't get to bring home a sexy shiny new gizmo, you bring home a promise. The promise is that if an unexpected, unforeseen sudden loss occurs, it will be covered. Politicians work in the promise business too. Politicians make promises to get elected and/or stay in office. In my business we are required by law to keep our promises. If we do not, the courts will make us. But what happens when politicians don't keep their promises? That is up to us. We are the court. Participation is a popular buzzword in development circles these days. People need to participate in their own development for the development to be truly transformational and effective. I agree. The developed world needs to get participation as well. Participation from churches, citizens, campuses across the global north that holds leaders accountable to their promises. This year's campaign aims to do just that. It is a call for Christians… read more

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  • God in the aftershock

    Posted by Micah

    12 March, 2010

    Micah Challenge International Director, Joel Edwards reflects on God and natural disasters Does putting God 'in the dock' over disasters or poverty issues help us see who he really is? The age-old question of Caring God vs Tyrannical Bully raises its head again in the wake of new year disasters... Why does a good God allow disasters such as earthquakes in Haiti and Chile to happen? It's the question which has put Christians on the spot for centuries. Great minds such as the Christian apologist C S Lewis and more contemporary writers such as Philip Yancey have wrestled with God and the problem of pain. The question pushes Christians in a tight place because it actually puts God himself in the dock. And there isn't anybody alive who hasn't done that at some point. And it's an important issue because what it does in effect is to raise a fundamental question about whether or not God really is concerned with our well being or just a very big bully who has bouts of kindness. Asking questions about God's goodness in disasters is one thing; demonising God is quite… read more

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