Master of Transformational Development
Climate Change, Justice & Sustainability
Since December 2017, together with my wife Vanessa, we have been serving in the Solomon Islands as the District Officers in charge of The Salvation Army. During this time I have been on a journey of learning and discovery that has challenged my cultural values, strengthened my faith and opened extraordinary opportunities for mission.
The Solomon Islands is a country consisting of over 900 islands and a population of around 650,000 people with 92% professing a Christian faith. Christian values are clearly evident in every area of life with prayer and worship being central activities, not only in the churches but also in the public and political arenas. Every public meeting or event I attend, secular and sacred, is opened in prayer. Every village has a church that is central to community life and pastors hold more influence among indigenous people than politicians. In this context, being a Christian leader with responsibilities in both ecclesial and community work has a very different feel to Australia. As a Salvation Army Officer in Australia, when networking among secular organisations I encounter polarised responses to my ministry as a church pastor and my mission as a community welfare worker. Government, business and community leaders are more than happy to support our community work, but shy away from anything related to the church. This is a challenging space when your social and spiritual mission is integrated. However, Solomon Islands offers a very different space that enables me to freely interact with indigenous leaders who see Christian faith as an integral part of life without the dualism imposed by Australian secular culture. In fact, I have found that the integration of the spiritual and social mission of The Salvation Army, often expressed as ‘heart to God, hand to man’, resonates strongly with many Solomon Islanders who want the church to be more than a worshipping community. While I have never been shy in sharing my faith, there is a freedom of expression here that is liberating when interacting with people of influence and seeking their support for our ‘whole’ mission.
Yet, underneath this hyper-spiritual environment that projects a façade of Christendom, is a deeply entrenched culture of corruption, along with multi-layers of social evils that strains the credibility of this Christian nation in the eyes of international observers. Whether it is domestic violence, gender injustice or environmental degradation, the lack of alignment between faith and life gives false witness to the Christ this nation serves. Therefore, networking beyond religious indigenous leaders with secular expats and international NGO’s presents a number of faith challenges. On one hand there is a growing recognition that working with churches is essential to effective program implementation, on the other hand they look upon Christianity as ineffective, superstitious and even destructive. I get a sense from a number of external agencies that churches are tolerated as a means to an ends rather than an actual vehicle of community transformation. I have always held to the view that “the local church is the hope of the world” (Bill Hybels), in so far as it is the manifestation of Christ’s mission today. Regrettably, external observers do not see this manifestation of Christ in ways that brings hope and healing to a nation crippled by its own form of dualism that contradicts any aspiration of integrated mission. As I interact socially with High Commission, NGO, AFP, and ADF personnel, I am confronted with scepticism and resistance because of the stark incongruity of belief and behaviour. Fortunately, their respect for The Salvation Army allows me to engage in dialogue that ventures into this contentious faith space. I was recently introduced to the new Defence Advisor for South West Pacific, whose opening greeting to me was, “I’m not interested in your religion. As long as you understand that, we’ll get along fine.” I discovered that his rejection of anything ‘religious’ comes from years of military service where he has seen horrendous things done by people who profess faith in God or Allah. This includes having previously served in the Solomon Islands during the ‘Tensions’ where civil and ethnic unrest brought down the government and led to a period of total lawlessness in this Christian nation.
I see my challenge and role in this space including discipling indigenous Salvation Army leaders in Holiness so that their faith and life intersect in a way that transforms their worship from singing nice songs on Sunday, to living Christlike on Monday. And casting a transforming vision of Christianity to external networks that demonstrates how integrating faith into community life can bring belief and behaviour into alignment so that kingdom values transcend cultural values. This begins with an honest and humble acknowledgment of the current state of faith and culture by local Christian leaders and a call to lament and repentance for what has previously been done in Christ’s name. The Salvation Army is a relatively new church movement in this country with an international reputation that uniquely places us to respond to these faith challenges.
