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church in general has found itself confronted with the challenge of
reconciling Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. The 'contextual'
reasons include the recent High Court decisions over land, the information
that has emerged in the 'Stolen Children' report, the reflection and review of
our history in light of the upcoming centenary of Federation and the increased
scrutiny that goes with hosting the Olympics.
But of course, in the continuing quest to understand, share and live out God's will for the world, the church works from its inspiration - the love of God expressed in Jesus. Thus, the idea of reconciliation has a biblical root for the church and Australian reconciliation is one concrete moment in the broad work of God in Christ, a work which offers hope in the midst of despair, peace in the midst of conflict, welcome and grace in the midst of alienation, and justice and dignity in the midst of fear or exploitation. Canberra Baptist Church, along with many other churches, is supporting and promoting the discussion of the national reconciliation process as part of its Christian witness and ministry. The essay by Dr. Thorwald Lorenzen, included below (and published in the St Mark's Review, Autumn 1997* ), explores a biblical expression of the theme of reconciliation in relation to 'right time' of our current context. The 'Bringing Them Home' Report into the 'Removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children From Their Families' is a challenge for all churches. Many churches and missions were involved in this painful aspect of Australian history and many others did not support the dissenting voices that spoke against the implementation of these practices and policies. Re-examining this past is proving to be difficult but it has become an integral part of the reconciliation process.Included
below are some commonly asked questions regarding the inquiry and answers that
have arisen from the report. They have been compiled by the Human Rights and
Equal Opportunity Commission and made available for dissemination. They are
presented here in order to build awareness, and address some of the concerns
that church people may have about the Report. Also included is an example of the
approximately 500 testimonies received by the inquiry. |
'Claims
of the Aborigines' - a sermon preached
at Bathurst Street Baptist Chapel (Sydney) by
Rev. John Saunders on Sunday 14th October 1838. |
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| Address
given by Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, AC, CBE, at the
Ecumenical Service, St Mary's Cathedral, Sunday,
28th May 2000. |
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| "Sorry Day" Sermon by Thorwald Lorenzen This Sermon was preached in the context of the National Sorry Day weekend. |
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| Bringing Them Home National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families |
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Reconciliation |
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| An Extract from the Testimony of 'Paul' from the 'Bringing Them Home' National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families |
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| God became human - let us do likewise by Thorwald Lorenzen A sermon preached on Human Rights Sunday on the occasion of the Apology to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People |
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| Apology to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Text of the apology offered on behalf of the Canberra Baptist Church and the response from the local Aboriginal community |
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| Last updated: 10 June 2001 |