Talk 4: The Power of Remembrance

Talk 4: The Power of Remembrance

Two fictional young scientists, Dr Tony Newman and Dr Doug Phillips, who invent a time machine, become trapped and travel through time into different historical events and into the future.

The Time Tunnel was an American science fiction TV show which ran from 1966 – 1967.  At the threat of the suspension of their government project to build a time machine, Tony sends himself into time, with Doug following shortly after to rescue him, but they remain lost in time.

The scientists become participants in past events, such as the sinking of the Titanic and the attack on Pearl Harbour.  During their time spent in the historical events, Doug and Tony and the Time Tunnel personnel, in their underground complex in Arizona, discover that events of the past can be altered to some extent by the intrusion of the time travellers informed by historical research that records the remembrance of the past.

When the Bible exhorts us to remember the past, what kind of remembering is in view?  Unlike the story of the time tunnel, remembering the past is not so we can go back and change or cancel the past, but remembering the past will have impact on the way we understand who we are and the way we live in the present and how we move forward into the future.

The word ‘history’ is derived from the Greek word meaning ‘enquiry’.  It is not just the study of events but an enquiry into the past that informs the present. It is to explore and explain events telling the whole truth with integrity and based on evidence and not based on current ideology and construction seen through the lens of race.  When we enquire into our nation’s history, it is not the intent to cancel what has happened, but “if history is properly practised………we see ourselves as flawed and fallen creatures, capable of deeds of great generosity and kindness, but prone to unspeakable wickedness under pressure of ambition and greed.” [1]

How do we understand the cultural setting and linguistic background and histories of Aboriginal students as we plan effective learning strategies that are responsive to this? Current ideology often portrays Aboriginal people as merely victims of history and white Australians, including the Church, as oppressors.  Many Australians seem stuck in the prism of two ideas, either defending all of our history or accepting the ideology that it’s all bad.  “We have a generation of students who are leaving school morally adrift and culturally illiterate who see our history through the lens of the oppressed and the oppressors.” [2]

Rather as Christians we remember and tell our story through the lens of Scripture, which enables us to highlight the good, the bad, the ugly and the redeemed.

It is important to remember that, in the Sovereignty of God, Evangelical Christianity was brought by the First Fleet and made a substantial contribution to the public prosperity of our nation, and this is largely an untold story to the current generation. The foundation of the Australian constitution was anchored in a Judeo-Christian understanding of the world which resulted in a stable democratic system and the growth of Australia as a modern nation. It is so important that we can unfold to our students the wonderful heritage that has come to them as part of a western civilisation that was based on God’s Word. The work of God’s people was seen in bringing the Gospel throughout the land and to charitable work, caring for children in societies such as YMCA, YWCA and Sunday Schools and brought the Gospel to Aboriginal people.  “They did most of the all-too-little that was done to protect the Indigenous population and to educate settlers, keeping alive in the latter a conscience over maltreatment of the former.” [3] Aboriginal Christians such as Neville Bonner, the first Aboriginal  Senator in Federal Parliament and Sir Nicholls, a professional footballer and Pastor worked to bring reconciliation anchored in a Biblical understanding of the inherent equality and dignity of all human beings.

The Aboriginal people had inhabited Australia for thousands of years prior to British settlement.  After 1788, their communities were disrupted, and their populations were devastated by disease and terrible massacres.  They did not get the right to vote until 1962; many were paid unjust wages and because their land was taken, no generational wealth was able to be passed on. As Christian educators, we should not fail to tell the stories of abuse and racism that occurred toward Aboriginal people. We also need to say that, “ the British government enjoined Governor Arthur Phillip to ‘live in amity’ with the native people; that Phillip refrained from vindictiveness or punitive measures as a matter of policy, even after he had himself been speared at Manly; and that white men were hanged for the murder of blacks as early as the 1830’s after the Myall Creek massacre” [4] whilst recognising that they were not afforded the human rights of white settlers.  It is important to also study the laws that were enacted in the nation over time in order to rectify this.

Reconciliation requires the recognition and ownership of the wrongs that were committed and an ongoing commitment to work alongside Aboriginal people to empower them to fulfil their God-given purpose.  We need to remember how strong the Aboriginal people were to survive the arrival of the British and all that came with it. When we see our Australian story through the lens of Scripture, we unfold a story of sin, forgiveness, redemption and true reconciliation found only in Christ.

For us as Christian teachers, we need to recognise that God’s desire is that all people be one in Christ, regardless of their ethnic origin. Only the Gospel has the power to heal and restore broken relationships.  Let us tell our story.

“There is neither Jew or Greek, slave nor free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3: 28,29)

[1] Edited by Dr Kevin Donnelly, Cancel Culture – the Left’s Long March,( Melbourne: Wilkinson Publishing Pty Ltd, 2021), 89

[2]  Ibid, 49

[3] Stuart Piggin & Robert Linde, The Fountain of Public Prosperity- Evangelical Christians in Australian History 1740 – 1914, ( Clayton Vic: Monash University Publishing 2018), Book Review

[4]  Edited by Dr Kevin Donnelly, Tony Abbott – Cancel Culture, 101