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.

  • Why I support Micah Challenge

    Posted by Matthew

    23 August, 2011

    Blogger, Matt Anslow, on why he's a long-term Micah Challenge supporter Micah Challenge is both a necessary and potent instrument for God's kingdom. I want to tell you how and why I got involved. Micah Challenge is both a necessary and potent instrument for God's kingdom. I want to tell you how and why I got involved. Before I began working for TEAR Australia (one of Micah Challenge's coalition partners) I worked in a local church, studied theology (which I still am), and lectured in Biblical Studies (which I still do). My time in church ministry taught me many things, including that as a collective unit Christians have the ability to change the world through both their voice and action. Unfortunately, in my experience, there are times when Christians band together to stand for causes that are somewhat peripheral to the central issues that Jesus himself addressed (straining out gnats, but swallowing camels?). Nonetheless, the Church has great potential to change the world for good, and this potential has fortunately been realised in many episodes of… read more

    Comment on this post

  • Would you spend $15,000 on a meal?

    Posted by John

    8 August, 2011

    I learned very early on in my working life the importance of a dollar. The organisation I worked for early in my career partnered with poor communities in Africa. At the end of each month we would transfer funds to help pay salaries. If we didn't meet budget at the end of the month, I would get paid first, followed by the senior staff in Africa, the project managers etc etc and on down the line it went. The person that would miss out was the driver or the cook or the cleaner - the person that no doubt needed it the most. In this context, I learned to value every dollar. While I have mellowed a little in my penny watching over the years, I still have experiences that make me feel completely at sea. Last week I had one of those experiences. I was out to dinner with some old friends from school. Most of my old school mates work in the finance sector. It is a different world to the world I live in. We started talking about expense accounts and work lunches. One of the boys piped up with this question. 'Boys, some clients took us out for dinner recently. There were… read more

    Comment on this post

  • The gulf between the rich and the poor

    Posted by Siu

    3 August, 2011

    The gulf between the rich and the poor is not simply an economical one. While the poor do not have moral superiority over the rich, and at least in theory our material affluence should not adversely affect our ability to understand the Bible, is our wealth a hindrance that stops us from fully understanding the plight of the poor and the Scripture? I don't want people to become poor, because I have seen enough human misery. I belong to a community where a significant number of people suffer from economic hardships because of their disadvantaged social status. I met a lady recently whose son suffers from mental illness. They live in public housing and life is hard for them. A friend's mother is currently seriously sick in Burma, and it has cost my friend a fortune just to send her to the hospital. I feel for them because I was once poor - not destitute, but poorer than most people I know in Australia - and I know the helplessness of living in a world where the rich and powerful call the shots. Two views on one cartoon
 My job takes me to different… read more

    Comment on this post

  • Wrestling and Repenting

    Posted by Marty

    1 August, 2011

    Last year's church engagement intern, Marty Richardson, looks back at his time at Micah Challenge. During my time with Micah Challenge I really benefited from the chance to consider my place in the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom that is not removed from this world of inequalities, but a Kingdom that brings great hope to all humanity as we struggle with issues of poverty and injustice. My internship experience greatly challenged me in my beliefs and the practice of my faith. This challenge has been healthy, as it is always healthy to process Biblical and ethical issues in the context of our lives. One event that particularly sticks in my memory is an evening at Voices for Justice last year when some of my questions and learning about aid and development and the part I'm called to play seemed to come together and a few answers fell my way. As the 'Service of Public Repentance' on the front lawns of Parliament House (in Canberra; In June - brrrrrrr!) commenced, I stood standing to the side of a very cold group of people feeling very tired and not highly engaged.… read more

    Comment on this post

Category:
Page 16 of 19
12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19 
Recent Blog entries