"When I went to university I really needed to sort this out for myself," she says. "At that point, I personally committed to Christ. It's fundamental to my calling, to my values, and there are two particular pieces of scripture that hsout to me from the rooftops. They are about freedom for the captive and recovery of sight for the blind. They are all about inclusion, being there to feed the hungry and house the homeless."The report goes on... Her worship is not confined to Sunday services, which she attends regularly for communion and "some quite time for me". She prays often and she sings. "Faith is a living thing."
I was really encouraged by this. Rein is committed to causes like homelessness, indigenous literacy, disability, teenage mental health etc etc... This seems to fit with the verses that she has referred to above, where Jesus tells his listeners, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
In my mind, it also fits with someone who has really grasped the core of the message of the gospel of Jesus. She understands that in accepting Jesus for herself, she accepts living out the priorities of Jesus as the norm for her life. And being Australia's "first spouse", she is in a wonderful position to do some great things on his behalf.
In an earlier post entitled, "Muscular Christianity", I questioned whether it is possible for Christians to be in politics and maintain their integrity? I also asked why Christians in politics almost always seem to be promoting the rights of Christians to do things they want to do, rather than to use their power and influence for the benefit of the marginalised and disadvantaged? I also wondered why we don't ever hear about the "Christian left" in politics? Having read this article, I'm wondering if in Therese Rein, there is some kind of answer to all those questions... And not only Therese, but maybe in Kevin Rudd as well. I know he comes across a pompous nerd to many; a man who uses too many big words and chucks tantrums if his inflight meal is not as he likes it. But, he is also the one who insisted that the parliament apologise to the stolen generation; signed the Kyoto agreement; relaxed tough policies on asylum seekers, introduced social inclusion units into government departments, and sought to tackle a number of other important social issues as part of his government's priorities. This is much more than our previous government was willing to do. (I have it from someone who knows someone who worked very closely with John Howard that his Christianity was quite nominal)...
Maybe there is hope for Australian politics. Maybe there is some room for a little optimism. Maybe God's good work can be done through the wor
ld of politics and politicians... (but maybe that's taking optimism just a little bit too far)... :)Shalom...
PS - On Kevin Rudd and his own professions of Christian faith. Have a read of this article he wrote for The Monthly magazine in 2006 (before he was PM). It is called "Faith in Politics" and is a very interesting read...
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