The Scottish Referendum – How Should We Pray?

First posted on thinktheology.co.uk, Friday 12 September 2014

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I must begin with the proviso that this is a summary of how I personally understand the gospel, the message of the Bible, to relate to the imminent referendum for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom. Others have different views about politics and about the connection between earthly kingdoms and the Kingdom of God; this is my initial attempt at a biblical theology of politics. However, I humbly ask the Christian reader to “examine the Scriptures… to see whether these things are so” (Acts 17:11).

1.  Politics is Jesus’ speciality

Colossians 1:16 says that “in Jesus all things were created, in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether …”  We would expect Paul to continue “… oceans or mountains or stars”.  Instead, he specifies “thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” – all of these “have been created through Jesus and for Jesus”.  That is hugely important.  Psalm 86:9 says “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord”.  Paul goes further, explaining that every form of authority was actually designed with Jesus in mind, as the only one who can properly handle it.

We could be specific, then:  The United States, a federal republic, was created through Jesus and for Jesus.  China, a socialist republic, was created through Jesus and for Jesus.  Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy, was created through Jesus and for Jesus.  The European Union, with its Parliament, Council, and Commission, was created through Jesus and for Jesus.  The United Nations, with its General Assembly, Security Council, and so on, was created through Jesus and for Jesus.  No political system can function properly without His direct oversight and allegiance to Him.  Yet all leadership that genuinely seeks to take responsibility to care for others is a reflection of His character (Eph 3:14-15; Ps 22:27-28; Ps 82), and therefore derives its authority from Him (John 19:10-11; Rom 13:1-7; 1Pet 2:13-17).

2.  God’s plan is for global political unity

a)  Only one legal ruler of humanity
Humanity was designed politically on the model of a family, with Adam as its first ruler, followed by his son Seth, who as the promised ‘seed’ was given authority over his siblings (Gen 4:1-2, 9, 25; Ps 22:27).  This line of authority continued via Enoch to Noah (Gen 5:29), via Shem (Gen 9:26-27; 11:31) to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Gen 17:19-21; 26:3-5; 28:13-15).  Then among Israel’s twelve sons, Judah was given the authority (Gen 49:8-12), and therefore his descendant David was legally ruler of Israel and thus of all nations, for their blessing (Ps 18:43-50; 72:8-11).  Jesus was the direct heir of David’s throne (Matt 1:1-21; cf. 1Chron 1:1–3:24), and therefore legally took responsibility for the actions of His people by dying in their place as ‘King of the Jews’ (John 19:14-22; Num 30:15).  At the same time, though, He was also dying as the rightful King of all nations, who alone could legally pay for the sins of any Gentile peoples who accepted His authority (Rom 5:12-21).  Having appeared the first time to deal with sins, He will come a second time to fulfil all of God’s promises of salvation and restoration of all things (Heb 9:28; Acts 3:19-21; Matt 19:28-29).

b)  Global government awaits its appointed time
From the beginning God has been actively governing all nations.  Adam and Eve, and then Noah, were given humanity’s commission to “fill the earth” (Gen 1:27-28; 9:1), and yet soon after the Flood, humanity attempted a premature political unity at the Tower of Babylon, in disobedience to their commission (Gen 11:1-9).  God thwarted their intention at that time by dispersing humanity and creating nations (Gen 10), but at the same time called Noah’s heir Abram to be a blessing to all the nations (Gen 12:1-3).  Ever since Abram’s day, many nations have attempted to create empires (Gen 14), but the one nation that inherited Abram’s authority has had to wait for God’s timing, while being used by Him to bless other nations (Acts 3:25-26).  Prophets from God’s chosen people Israel not only elaborated God’s future plans for Israel and its promised King to govern all nations (Isa 11; 60; Mic 4; Zec 9–10), but also took God’s messages to other nations and empires (Amos 1–2; Isa 13–23; Jer 25; 46–51; Ezek 25–32; Heb 1:1-2).  Yet even when the promised King finally arrived, after His resurrection and return from Galilee to Jerusalem, it was still not yet time for Jesus to take up the throne of His father David over the nations.  His disciples were expecting these promises of the prophets to be fulfilled immediately for Israel (Acts 1:3, 6; 3:21; Luke 19:11-28; 22:28-30), but they had not grasped how vital all other nations were to His kingdom also (Matt 24:14, 30-31).

c)  Promises for Israel depend on the nations
Jesus explained to them that Israel’s promises could only be fulfilled once all nations, even in the remotest part of the earth, had been blessed with the good news that Jesus had demonstrated God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel, and that all nations could now accept Israel’s God for themselves (Acts 1:6-8; 13:32-49; 14:15-17; 17:30-31; Rom 15:8-12).  Before the disciples could reign as kings over their own nation, therefore, they had to serve as ambassadors to all nations, empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Paul perceived that this was all part of God’s plan: Jews like himself would serve as a light to all other nations first (Isa 49:5-7; 60:1-16; Acts 3:25-26; 13:47), so that once all nations had heard and accepted Jesus’ kingship (Hag 2:6-9; Zec 2:10-12; 8:20-23; Rom 11:12, 15, 30), then their own nation Israel would become jealous for their rightful King and turn back to Him (Deut 32:18-21; Rom 11:11, 13-14, 25-27, 31), ready to welcome Him when He returns to Jerusalem (Matt 23:37-39; Luke 21:24).

d)  No global kingdom without every nation represented
Jesus intends to reign as emperor when He returns, over every tribe, language, people and nation (Ps 2; 1Cor 15:20-25; Rev 1:5-6; 7:9-10; 11:15; 15:3-4; 17:12-14; 19:15-16).  This one-world empire will be entirely unified under His righteous government (Zec 14:3-4, 9, 16; Mic 4:1-8; 5:2-4), although He will maintain the unique identities of each diverse nation and people group (Ps 47:8-9; 87:4-6; Isa 25:6-8; Amos 9:11-12).  Jesus needs disciples in every nation to serve as His government in the resurrection when He returns (Dan 7:18; Luke 19:11-27; Rom 8:17-21; 2Tim 2:12; Rev 2:26-27; 3:21; 5:9-10; 20:4-6).  Adam and Eve’s original commission to “fill the earth”, in order to “rule over” it, is now understood to apply not just to humanity in the image of Adam, but to redeemed humanity in the image of Jesus (Rom 5:12-21; 8:16-25; 1Cor 15:44-50).  This is why He has been waiting patiently for nearly two thousand years for us to fulfil His greater commission; when He returns as judge at the end of this age, He does not want any nation to perish entirely (Matt 24:14; 28:18-20; Acts 17:26-31; 2Pet 3:3-4, 9, 12, 15-16; Jdg 21:3, 15, 17).

3.  Jesus’ government is characterised by unity

The Church in the present age is meant to be a microcosm and prototype for the worldwide Kingdom of God that will be revealed when Jesus returns.  Within the Church, Jesus’ co-heirs are learning His principles for how to govern people with justice (Matt 18; 1Cor 5:1–6:8), manage finances (Luke 16:1-13; 2Cor 8–9), make war (2Cor 10:3-6; Eph 6:10-20), and engage in international relations (Rom 15:25-28; 16:16).  However, following the example of Abraham (Gen 14:13–15:1) and Jesus (Luke 4:5-8; John 18:33-37), the Church ought not to take or accept authority from the world, but must wait for the kingdom to be granted to it from God Himself when Jesus returns (Heb 10:32–11:40).  Of course, that does not prevent servants of Jesus from engaging as actively as possible in politics in a personal capacity, for the benefit of their fellow citizens (Gen 45:4-8; Dan 5:29–6:28; Rom 16:23; 1Tim 2:1-4).

Since God’s plan is for the whole world to be governed by Jesus through His Church when He returns, the principles now expected of His Church are designed to be of benefit to nations also.  One of the most fundamental characteristics of Jesus’ government is the unity of diverse people, and not division.  Diversity is of course important, as in the model of the twelve tribes of Israel, or the Church made up of Jew and Gentile without the need to become like each other (Acts 15; 21:17-26; Rom 14).  But nevertheless, unity is the one thing Jesus prayed for the future Church in His high priestly prayer (John 17:20-23).  Paul likewise prayed this for the churches (Eph 1:18; 3:17-19; Php 2:1-5), knowing that Jesus had died to remove dividing walls of enmity (Eph 2:11-22), and will eventually perfect His entire Church in unity before His return (Eph 4:1-16).  Unity is a mark of mature believers (1Cor 3:1-4), and church leaders must constantly be on the alert to prevent disunity (Acts 20:28-30; Php 4:1-3).

4.  Political division and disunity is a sign of God’s judgement

Unity is a defining feature of God’s government, and thus also of nations that accept His authority.  Equally, the Bible clearly demonstrates that disunity is allowed by God, or even imposed, as a judgement on wicked rulers, nations or coalitions.  The New Testament tends to teach more about God’s dealings with individuals and local churches, but the Old Testament teaches much more about His dealings with whole nations.  From the curse on Adam and Eve (Gen 3:12-16), through the dispersion of the nations at the Tower of Babylon (Gen 11:1-9), to the political division between northern and southern tribes of Israel after Solomon’s reign (1Kgs 11:9-13; 12:19-24), God used division to punish rebellion and teach consequences.  Similarly, coalitions of enemy nations that had attacked God’s people were defeated when He brought confusion on them so that they turned on each other rather than on Israel (Jdg 6:33 + 7:22; 1Sam 14:19-21; 2Chr 20:22-23).

God has good plans for every nation, since He made each nation (Ps 86:9) and gave it government for the sake of His Son (Ps 2:8; Rom 13:1; 1Tim 2:1-3).  He does not wish division on any nation, therefore, but rather that there be ever-increasing unity (Isa 9:7), even between nations (Isa 11:10), in preparation for Jesus’ return to reign over the entire earth.  Of course, in many cases political unity has been forged through injustice and oppression, and for motivations of power or greed.  Even so, unity itself is ultimately a reflection of God’s heart, and political unity can be redeemed because it was created through Jesus and for Jesus (Col. 1:16, 20).  That does not mean that diversity and the unique value of each individual part should be downplayed; on the contrary, it is indispensible for the proper functioning of both the individual part and the whole entity (1Cor 12).

On the other hand, division is one of the fruits of the flesh rather than of the Spirit, involving “enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, [and] factions” (Gal 5:20).  It is a characteristic of earthly rather than heavenly wisdom, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing” (James 3:16).  On the other hand, “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (3:18), and peacemakers “will be recognised as the children of God” (Matt 5:9).

5.  Our response should be to pray for unity and peace

Although the Church ought not to accept any power granted to it by the world, its members have been “seated … with Jesus in the heavenlies”, at the place of highest authority at the right hand of God Himself (Eph 2:6; Col 3:1-4).  Believers can therefore petition God the Father “in Jesus’ name”, that is, in agreement with the requests of Jesus Himself as revealed to two or three witnesses by the Holy Spirit (Matt 18:16, 18-20; John 14:12-14; 16:13-15, 23-27; Rom 8:26-27, 34; Heb 7:25).  To the extent that they do so, their requests will be granted by the supreme Authority over all creation.  This gives them greater influence over world affairs than any political government on earth.

Believers do not just have the opportunity to petition the King of kings; they are specifically instructed to do so, on behalf of all those around them who do not have this sort of authority.  Paul urges the servants of Jesus as a matter of first importance that “entreaties, prayers, petititions and thanksgivings” be brought to the throne of God “for kings and all who are in authority”.  The outcome of such prayers will be an environment in which people “may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity”.  This is “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour” who cares for “all people” and all nations/Gentiles, because such an environment will also enable the good news of His Son’s ransom and coming kingdom to be communicated freely to all (1Tim 2:1-7).

Let us then cry out to the Almighty God of Israel, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Ruler of the kings of the earth (Rev 1:5).  Let us pray, in accordance with His will as revealed in Scripture, for His judgement to be turned away from our nation, and for wisdom for our leaders and government and decision-makers (in this case all those living in Scotland).  Let us petition the Lord, and also make diligent effort in whatever way we can, “to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3).  “May Your kingdom come; may Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10)

Dear Theology Applicant

First posted on thinktheology.co.uk, Tuesday 17 April 2012

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This post takes the form of a letter to a young person considering studying theology at university, and I hope provides some useful advice drawn from my own experience of studying theology at Cambridge and Oxford.

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Dear Theology Applicant,
 
I am glad for this chance to speak to you before you start your studies in theology.  To begin with, I am pleased about two things, first that you are interested in applying your intellect to the study of God and His revelation in history, choosing to love Him with all your mind, and second that you see the value of being well-prepared and have decided to seek advice.  When I myself was applying to Cambridge to read Theology, a church leader who was then doing doctoral studies in New Testament came round and chatted with me for a while to help me make an informed decision.

It is not easy to know how to advise someone in your position, because so much of it depends on the individual’s experience and gifting.  I have personally had a fantastic time studying theology at university, and it has worked to sharpen my understanding of the Bible and my ability to communicate its truth to others.  On the other hand, I know of many people who came from strong evangelical families to study theology at university, but in the process either lost their faith completely or became lukewarm and thoroughly compromised in their trust in God’s Word, with the result that they are now either of no use to the church or even stumbling blocks for it.

Like Saul, I would not want to encourage you as an inexperienced youth to step into a dangerous environment for which you are poorly equipped.  Yet unlike him, I do not want to burden you with heavy armour that would hamper you if you know God has called you there; it is not a time for fear but for courageous acts of faith.  Universities are places where evangelicals are forced to achieve the highest standards of scholarship in order to demonstrate the trustworthiness of Scripture.  An evangelical student who can hold on to the truth while dealing with opposition graciously will be a great asset to the church.

Though you may be a bold champion for God’s glory, like David you must remember that you are part of a bigger army.  If you are to succeed it is essential that you find a vibrant church for spiritual growth, as well as academic advisors to mentor you, like Jonathan, and direct you towards the articles and books that present more conservative points of view.  One place to look for the academic support is the Theology Network, where you can find resources and get involved in a local group at your university.

Even so, spiritual mentoring and academic advisors cannot make up for a lack in personal knowledge of the Bible.  Almost all of the things we have grown up believing are questioned by academic theologians.  There are the extreme liberals who deny that any of the Old Testament books were written before the time of the Greeks, or who think that Jesus said less than one fifth of the things recorded in the Gospels.  However it is fairly standard to find the following views in contemporary scholarship:

• Genesis 1-11 is entirely mythical
• the Patriarchs were not real people but rather symbolise tribes or are simply folktales
• Moses didn’t write any of the Pentateuch
• the Exodus and Conquest, if they happened at all, were at most only a small group of slaves that escaped and joined disaffected Canaanites who later adopted their stories
• David and Solomon were probably just local chieftains or tribal leaders, and Israel and Judah were only established as proper kingdoms around the time of Omri and Ahab
• nearly every book of the Old Testament was composed over centuries, with the ‘core’ of the original prophet or author being changed and added to by scribes over many generations
• the book of Isaiah was written by at least three different individuals over about two hundred and fifty years
• Ruth, Jonah, Esther and Daniel are all fictional stories, the latter being written only around 165BC
• Jesus may not actually have believed himself to be the Messiah, and ‘Son of God’ ideas were only introduced years after His death
• Jesus’ death was entirely unexpected, even by himself, and Christianity as a religion was an attempt to come to terms with this loss
• none of the Gospels were written by actual disciples of Jesus, and they were not written until between forty and seventy years after Jesus’ death
• Paul ‘invented’ Christianity as a Gentile religion, and was probably opposed by various other of the original leaders including Peter
• Paul didn’t write Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy or Titus
• Revelation wasn’t written by John the Apostle, but by an ‘elder’ of the same name who lived in Ephesus.

 
Please don’t be disturbed or shaken by these statements – I repeat them not because I believe them to be correct, and I have studied them in some detail, but because they represent standard views in modern biblical studies.

With all of the views in the above paragraph, you will find that it is not raving liberals who are arguing these points, but quite traditional, gentle, learned professors who are simply teaching you what the standard textbooks say.  They will be able to point out things in the Bible that you had never seen in that way, and will quote very intelligent theologians of this and previous generations who proposed such ideas.  You will be expected to be able to understand and reproduce these arguments in your weekly essays and your exams, and if you disagree with them (which you are entitled to do), you will have to do lots of extra reading and present carefully argued alternatives, so that you cannot be accused of basing your arguments on ‘faith’ alone.

There will be times when you are presented with views in lectures or in books you are reading, and you have absolutely no idea how to respond to such a position.  The standard evangelical arguments you have read will seem rather weak in comparison, and you know that this scholar is a reasonable person who has clearly read far more than your parents or your church elders.  It isn’t really a matter that affects salvation, and it surely can’t make that much difference to your personal relationship with God.  At that point it will be too late to decide who you are going to trust.  If your plan was to ‘go where the evidence leads’ and make your mind up when presented with all the facts, the ‘facts’ will all point in one direction.

However if you have decided from the start that God is trustworthy, His Spirit will bring to your mind those things He has said.  If you have hidden His words in your heart, that you might not sin against Him, He will point out to you verses that don’t fit with what you are being taught.  As you are browsing through books in the library or articles on the internet, He will lead you to read things that are exactly what you need to answer this question or address that issue.  In conversations during supervisions or with fellow students, you will find yourself coming up with arguments that you had never thought of before, and He will give you the words to say.

If God is trustworthy then His words will be trustworthy, and we know that God has “made foolish the wisdom of the world” (1 Cor 1:20).  “If you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become my spokesperson.  They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them.” (Jer 15:19)  One of the things that I came back to most often during my undergraduate degree was that my dad (who never went to university) loves the Scripture and knows God personally far better than my professors, and if he wouldn’t accept something they were saying, I would be wise to disagree even if at the moment I had no idea why.

Obviously, if you are going to go into academic theological study, having to disagree so frequently with what you are being taught will take a lot of effort and extra study and prayer and graciousness with your lecturers.  There are resources available to help with this (such as the IVP Dictionaries), but if you are going to enjoy your university experience, you will need (1) an unshakeable conviction in the trustworthiness of God and His Word, (2) a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures, (3) an enthusiasm for study and suitable intellectual ability, and (4) a capacity for graciously and respectfully disagreeing with others.  I don’t know you well enough to say whether academic theological study is the thing for you, but please pray about it and perhaps chat it through with your parents and others in the church who know you well.

If you don’t feel that God is directing you to study theology at university, there are other alternatives for developing your understanding of the Scriptures and the biblical languages.  I can understand the views of a respected church leader I know, who went to Bible college himself, that Bible colleges are the worst of both worlds – their confessional perspective may protect you from the full brunt of liberal scepticism, but it also means that your ability to make a difference in academia will be significantly impeded because of the negative reputation Bible colleges have there.  On the other hand, studying in a Bible college usually means spending three years in a ‘Christian bubble’, sheltered from the friendship and questions of non-Christians rather than living differently within the student world.

If you have the ability to do academic theology, there is support available for helping you study at university; if not, the church will be better served by you choosing another career and doing personal study on the side.  A calling for church leadership does not need you to be a skilled academic to feed your flock, but you must be “diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15)  Personal study is by no means an ‘easy option’.  Whatever you choose to do, you will need to work at it with all your heart.

I’m aware that most of my comments above have been focused primarily on biblical studies, and there are other areas of theological study such as church history, philosophy of religion, psychology and religion, other religions, and modern theology.  Every battle is different in its challenges, but even if all you have is a slingshot, never doubt that our God is mighty; “in Messiah are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3).  Go, and may the Lord be with you.

Tear Down The Idols

On my recent visit to Papua New Guinea, I came across a small booklet produced by the National Community Transformation Network, entitled Tear Down The Idols: A Call To The People Of Papua New Guinea To Destroy All Idolatrous Objects – [Tear Down The Idols (PNG) booklet].  This was prepared and circulated to church leaders throughout the country in the lead-up to this year’s National Day of Repentance public holiday, 26 August 2015, less than a month before the fortieth anniversary of PNG’s independence on 16 September 1975.  Pastors’ fraternals all over PNG welcomed the call and organised united ‘Marches for Jesus’ on this day through their towns.

Biblically, forty years represents a complete generation, following the pattern of the first generation of Israelites who left Egypt in the Exodus and then died in the wilderness, passing on the inheritance of their promises to a new generation (Numbers 14:26-35; 26:63-65).  Theodore Zurenuoc, Speaker of the PNG National Parliament, appealed to this biblical principle in his recent New Year message posted on the PNG Parliament website: Theodore Zurenuoc 2015 New Year message to PNG

Along with the standard public holidays of New Year’s Day and the Christian holy days (Christmas, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Monday), the National Day of Repentance has recently been instituted as a fourth public holiday with specifically national significance for PNG, alongside the Queen’s Birthday, Remembrance Day and Independence Day.

The National Day of Repentance, or ‘Repentance Day’, was authorised as an annual day of Christian prayer in August 2011 by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill (the first document he signed as PM) following a request by a group of churches to his predecessor, the acting Prime Minister Sam Abal.  Abal had stepped in for Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare who was taken ill at the end of his fourth term of office (1975 [independence] – 1980, 1982-1985, 2002-2007, 2007-2011).  It seems that the choice of 26 August for this new public holiday corresponded to the date in 2007 when Somare as Prime Minister signed the following covenant between the people of Papua New Guinea and the God of Israel.

Shortly after this signed covenant, on 5 September 2007, Somare prayed the following prayer on behalf of PNG, renouncing all other covenants with evil spirits and demonic powers [quoted by Zurenuoc in his December 2013 blog post]:

“Now, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the power of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, I the Prime Minister and Founding Father of Papua New Guinea on behalf of the People of Papua New Guinea repent our iniquities and transgressions, and rededicate our nation to your Almighty God.

I renounce the worship of all IDOL and all EVIL gods. I renounce all covenants with the evil spirits and demonic powers. I renounce and reject all their actions and I reverse all their evil effects.

Almighty God and eternal Good Shepherd, forgive our sins against you and against one another. Deliver us from evil, heal us, heal our land, and grant us your peace and joy. Make us a holy people, pleasing to you in every way.

Today, as the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea; and on behalf of the people and the nation of Papua New Guinea, I make this New Covenant with you and Almighty God, we acknowledge you as One and the ONLY God, we acknowledge you as the only God in whom Papua New Guinea stands.

We acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, we acknowledge the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives in the nation of Papua New Guinea.

On this day I pledge our allegiance to serve No other gods but YOU, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Eternal God, our good Shepherd, as Prime Minister and Founding Father of Papua New Guinea, I submit Papua New Guinea today, its people, its leaders in Church, leaders in the villages, all its leaders of the country into your almighty hands.

We trust you to lead us into this new beginning; to the fulfillment of your plans and destiny for our nation.”

Theodore Zurenuoc was appointed Speaker of the National Parliament on 3 August 2012, just before Peter O’Neill was elected Prime Minister, and in November 2013 he and the five-member House Committee began a process of removing spiritual artefacts in the Parliament building.  Something similar had been attempted in 2000 by a predecessor as Speaker (1999-2002), Bernard Narokobi, who had helped to write the PNG constitution, when he installed temporarily an illuminated cross on the pinnacle of the Parliament building (Gibbs pp.9-10).  Zurenuoc’s initial removal was of the lenticul (nineteen carved heads on the lintel of the entrance, representing the nineteen provinces of PNG), and since then the fifteen metre high installation of three ‘indecent’ carved totem poles in the State Hall has been undergoing a lengthy process of dismantling.

In taking this action Zurenuoc was supported by, among many others, the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Religion, Loujaya Kouza MP.  She had recently been to Israel and consulted Messianic Jewish leaders and intercessors there “about the country’s ambition to have a covenant with Israel and to have the God of Israel as the God of PNG”.  She was told that if this was truly the case, PNG should not officially recognise any other god.  [Kouza was quoted by RJ May (p.6) citing a National newspaper article, with further reference to an equivalent Post Courier article.]

Shortly before removal work began, in October 2013 the Prime Minister of PNG, Peter O’Neill, led a senior delegation of Government officials and business people to Israel, where a declaration of cooperation was signed between the two governments.  Further connections with Israel can be seen in the national collection of money on this year’s Repentance Day as an ‘Aliyah’ offering to help Jewish people wishing to return to Israel.

During its removal, the lenticul was cut into three pieces, and it was then offered to the National Museum.  When the Museum objected, the artefacts were left in a garage of the Parliament until someone removed them into his own possession, according to Andrew Moutu, Director of the National Museum and Art Gallery.  Other supporters of this programme of redecoration such as Rev Joseph Walters have clarified that such spirit-defined carvings belong properly in the Museum as objects of PNG’s past, rather than in the national House of Parliament as guiding principles for its future.

Although there have been objections from a number of people, including Members of Parliament and the official Catholic Church in PNG, there are many others who support the changes to the Parliament building.  Outside observers such as Merlan & Rumsey (pp.14-15; see also May’s conclusion, p.9) have noted how the vast majority of ‘grass roots’ people in towns around the country, including lay Catholics and PNG-born priests, would agree with these actions, lacking any nostalgia towards traditional customary practices.  For example, a group of fifteen pastors wrote a joint letter in support of the changes on 15 January 2014.

In place of the triple totem pole in the State Hall, Zurenuoc has been preparing a ‘Pillar of Unity’, incorporating a rare first-edition first-issue copy of the 1611 King James Bible.  This Bible was donated to PNG by Dr Gene Hood from Indiana, USA, who had sponsored Christian radio stations and missionary work in the country, and who passed away just days after handing it over to Zurenuoc and other MPs at a convention in Ohio.  Zurenuoc also apologised at the time on behalf of the nation of PNG for its mistreatment of Christian missionaries in previous generations.  The Bible arrived at Jackson’s Airport in Port Moresby on 27 April 2015, welcomed warmly by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, politicians and religious leaders, and a crowd of about 20,000 people.  The new National Unity and Identity Monument will be unveiled in a public ceremony on 16 September 2015, the fortieth anniversary of PNG independence.

Zurenuoc has set out his vision for a restored Parliament and a united nation of Papua New Guinea in an article last year in Business Melanesia – PNG Parliament restoration & unity project April 2014.  Despite vocal objections from a small minority within and especially outside PNG, this project seems to be moving forward with widespread approval.  Let us pray for wisdom and protection for all of those who truly love PNG and are working for its good, as the country celebrates its fortieth year of independence in one week’s time.