Australia Day

26th January, 2007


It's important for us Australian Christians to stand up and speak up on Australia Day - fly the flag, so to speak. There is so much the enemy has tried to bring against our nation.

According to the 2001 Census which revealed 68% of Australians are Christians. While not all go to Church, they profess to adhere to Christian values.

The very foundation of our nation can be traced back to our Christian roots. For instance, every school and hospital in this nation has its roots in Christianity.

The very basis of our government - based upon the Westminster System. which is dreived from Magna Carta - which in turn is based upon the Bible - is Christain founded.

Few Christians know anything of this nation’s rich Christian heritage and the fact that it was dedicated to the Lord, or that many of our early explorers, pioneers and politicians were men and women of God.

It is largely unknown and, sadly, seldom taught, that Captain James Cook, Captain Charles Sturt, Edward John Eyre, Flynn of the Inland and many other famous names were men with a heart for the Lord. Certainly the "Providential" hand of God was upon their lives.

Fewer still are aware that one of the men who co-authored our nation’s constitution was Prime Minister Alfred Deakin, a man who prayed and was used of God in the founding of this nation.

Not many people are aware that Australia has seen the Holy Spirit poured out in some 70 documented revivals!

Many of this nation’s founding fathers were Christians. However this does not mean that they were without fault, as many of today’s critics are eager to point out. When we use the term Providential History (the hand of God on this nation) we do not mean a "sinless" history. As the Bible shows, God uses people, despite their shortcomings and faults.

Many of this nation’s early explorers, leaders and politicians did have shortcomings. They did mess up, like all men. However, most of them had a heart towards God and a will to obey Him.

In "Australian Christian Life from 1788" the author writes: "Christian history is a history of surprises.

From such unpromising beginnings an heroic form of resolute, self sacrificing yet ‘singing’ Christianity began to make its way.

From among soldiers, convicts, settlers, and Aborigines also, churches came into existence which powerfully affected the greater part of the entire population." (Murray I).

Many Australians today have a man-centred or humanistic national view. This is one of the main differences between our founding fathers and modern Australia, and is a major reason why our nation has such serious problems.

Henry Parkes, the Father of Federation, said: "we are pre-eminently a Christian people - as our laws, our whole system of jurisprudence, our Constitution.......are based upon and interwoven with our Christian belief.." (Sydney Morning Herald 26/8/1885).

Daniel Webster (Websters Dictionary author) wrote:"If we and our posterity shall be true to the Christian religion, if we and they shall live always in the fear of God and shall respect His Commandments….....we may have the highest hopes of the future fortunes of our country.....But if we…neglect religious instruction and authority........trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity."

Do you really care for your country?

Then change must start with us, a return to values and morals.

We have not only lost our sense of honour, we are even being stripped of our very memory of honour.

With the demise of those values we inherit an era without heroes. Sadly what passes for heroes today are in actual fact merely celebrities.

Where have all the heroes gone?

Seventy five percent of Australians admit they have no heroes, no role models.

Albert Schweitzer summed it up this way; "Example is not the main thing in life – it is the only thing."

My desire is to infuse the faith, the courage, the values of our founding fathers into the hearts of our youth. We must ensure that Australia always remains what it was intended to be - South Land of the Holy Spirit.

Firstly we must pray for our land and secondly, teach our children their Godly heritage.

Why? "

So they may place their hope in God"!

Our children must know that we are conquerors, not convicts!

Professor R obert Lindner wrote: "........Australian Christians only recently have begun to receive their due in Australian historiography.There have been in the last few decades encouraging signs of a renaissance in the writings and acceptance of Australian religious history." (The Long Tragedy. Page 8, Professor Robert D. Lindner - Fulbright Professor of History at the University of Woolongong in 1987 and Professor of History at Kansas State University USA).

Christian leaders and congregations from most denominations throughout Australia will unite on Australia Day to call on God to intervene in the drought crisis.

Prayers will also be offered for the youth of our country, for a decline in suicide figures, for servicemen, the Government and many other issues.

n this Australia Day it's so important that we as fellow Australians and Christians unite to pray for our nation, particularly in this season of drought and fires.