Monthly Archives: May 2018

Baptist

BUV Equip Emerging Leaders & Mentors Online Training


Our BUV recently held our Equip Emerging Leaders & Mentors workshop training online. Using the Zoom platform on a variety of devices (computers, tablets, phones, etc.) means our ELMT participants were able to meet together online to reflect and discuss the topic of God-Centred Leadership with Kimberly Smith and Andrew Woff providing input and guiding the discussion.

Some of the key questions raised were around grappling with the difference between an effective business leader and a godly leader and the qualities of a Christian leader as compared to a regular leader. It was great to grapple with these questions together.

This was the first Online Workshop for 2018, with more to come during the year, each covering leadership/mentoring topics. Each workshop will welcome a different guest and take a different approach. Participants from all ELMT groups are invited to join these Online Workshops as part of the ELMT training opportunity.If your church is interested to connect into our Emerging Leaders and Mentors training program, please contact Joanne Semple for more info. 

 

Source: BUV News

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

President Trump & the Iran Nuclear Deal

It should have come as no surprise. On Tuesday 8 May 2018, United States President Donald Trump made the grand announcement – that the United States was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. He promised to do so during his 2016 Presidential campaign. He repeatedly made noises about this nuclear deal as being the ‘worst deal’ he has ever seen. So Mr. Trump has kept his campaign promise. What, however, does this mean for the world? Is it good news, bad news, or both?
For years, the world has looked with great concern as Iran pursued nuclear power, which, it consistently proclaimed was only for peaceful purposes. Why did a nation with 10% of the world’s oil and the 2nd largest gas reserves need to go nuclear? The Islamic Republic has a well-known habit of proclaiming ‘death’ to America. They predict that Israel will ‘disappear’ within 25 years. Why was Iran developing ballistic missiles that were able to reach all of the Middle East and much of Europe?
Despite the regime’s declared peaceful intentions, the world community obviously did not believe them: hence, heavy sanctions were levied by the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union. All these sanctions had a debilitating effect on Iran’s economy.
Under former US President Barack Obama, the US, the European Union, Germany and the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia, China, France, United Kingdom) negotiated with Iran to forge a nuclear agreement. The idea was that Iran would receive sanction-relief in exchange for strict limitations on its nuclear program. The goal: to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The parties did come to an agreement on 14 July 2015 and the Iran nuclear agreement became known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It has been operative ever since and Iran has allegedly been in compliance with the terms of the agreement. In exchange, it has received $100 billion dollars or more, along with full oil exports, all of which helped its moribund economy
So practically speaking, what did President Trump’s announcement actually do? He did not end the JCPOA – he merely withdrew American participation in it. It is no longer US foreign policy. The other signatories are free to abide by it and the UK was one of the first to say that it would.
No question, Mr. Trump’s action would be controversial. It is also unilateral, not multi-lateral, since the other parties are still technically on board with the JCPOA. In theory, it could make the instability in the Middle East even more so. However, here are some things to consider.
Sunset Clause: The JCPOA in theory does not stop Iran from gaining a nuclear weapons capability; it merely slows it down. Within 10-15 years, the major restrictions on Iran will be lifted, thus allowing them to freely continue research and development, enrich uranium, and use advanced centrifuges. For agreeing to apply some brakes on their nuclear program, Iran received billions which have clearly gone to funnel militant groups. While Iran is to permanently renounce any pursuit of nuclear weapons, it has no legal impediment to do so after the restrictions expire.
Increased unrest: Since JCPOA, Iran-inspired unrest has increased in the Middle East. Hizballah, Iran’s proxy, has effectively taken over Lebanon. Iran has raised up its own army in Syria, where the slaughter has grown. Hamas in Gaza is being rearmed. Houthi rebels in Yemen have been armed by Iran with missiles, which have been fired into Saudi Arabia.
Non-transparency: Iran appears to have complied with the terms of the agreement. Or have they? Was not part of the deal that Iran would to be 100% transparent in regards to its nuclear history? They said that they have never sought to pursue nuclear weapons, while the recent evidence says otherwise. This is especially the case where Israel’s secret service, the Mossad, stole 1000s of pages of nuclear files from a secret storage facility in Tehran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then made a public presentation around these documents, which tell a different story to the official Iranian position.
Missiles: Iran’s pursuit of long-range ballistic missiles should be a concern for the Middle East and Europe. These are not even covered by the JCPOA. Even without nuclear weapons, these missiles can carry deadly payloads.
Legality: Normally a treaty has to be approved by 60 senators in the US Senate. This was not the case with JCPOA. In fact, symbolically 60% of all congressmen and senators voted against the agreement, including well-known left-wing Democratic allies of Obama. So it is safe to say that the agreement was never constitutionally ratified by the approval of 60 senators and therefore of dubious legality.
What next? Technically speaking, the JCPOA continues, minus the United States. The US will reimpose sanctions within 90 days. Iran has warned the US that it will ‘regret’ its move, while the US has told Iran it must not attack the US, or else face the dire consequences. Iranian parliamentarians have burned a US flag inside the parliament building (and were asked not to burn down the parliament building in the process). The other parties can continue on but without America. Israel, of course, is pleased about America’s withdrawal from JCPOA; so are Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. These nations see a potential Iranian nuclear weapon as much a mortal threat to them as does the Jewish state.
Iran has been successful in its goal of building a ‘Shia Crescent’ from Iraq to Syria to Lebanon (Persian Gulf to Mediterranean). However, the economy is weak, there have been robust domestic protests against the regime, it is spread thin in Syria, and faces a potential military encounter with Israel.
Iranian leadership is highly pragmatic and this may prevent extreme measures. So either Iran will submit to a North Korean-style rapprochement with America and the West, or it could lead to more trouble for the regime. We will know soon.

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

President Trump & the Iran Nuclear Deal

It should have come as no surprise. On Tuesday 8 May 2018, United States President Donald Trump made the grand announcement – that the United States was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. He promised to do so during his 2016 Presidential campaign. He repeatedly made noises about this nuclear deal as being the ‘worst deal’ he has ever seen. So Mr. Trump has kept his campaign promise. What, however, does this mean for the world? Is it good news, bad news, or both?
For years, the world has looked with great concern as Iran pursued nuclear power, which, it consistently proclaimed was only for peaceful purposes. Why did a nation with 10% of the world’s oil and the 2nd largest gas reserves need to go nuclear? The Islamic Republic has a well-known habit of proclaiming ‘death’ to America. They predict that Israel will ‘disappear’ within 25 years. Why was Iran developing ballistic missiles that were able to reach all of the Middle East and much of Europe?
Despite the regime’s declared peaceful intentions, the world community obviously did not believe them: hence, heavy sanctions were levied by the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union. All these sanctions had a debilitating effect on Iran’s economy.
Under former US President Barack Obama, the US, the European Union, Germany and the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia, China, France, United Kingdom) negotiated with Iran to forge a nuclear agreement. The idea was that Iran would receive sanction-relief in exchange for strict limitations on its nuclear program. The goal: to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The parties did come to an agreement on 14 July 2015 and the Iran nuclear agreement became known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It has been operative ever since and Iran has allegedly been in compliance with the terms of the agreement. In exchange, it has received $100 billion dollars or more, along with full oil exports, all of which helped its moribund economy
So practically speaking, what did President Trump’s announcement actually do? He did not end the JCPOA – he merely withdrew American participation in it. It is no longer US foreign policy. The other signatories are free to abide by it and the UK was one of the first to say that it would.
No question, Mr. Trump’s action would be controversial. It is also unilateral, not multi-lateral, since the other parties are still technically on board with the JCPOA. In theory, it could make the instability in the Middle East even more so. However, here are some things to consider.
Sunset Clause: The JCPOA in theory does not stop Iran from gaining a nuclear weapons capability; it merely slows it down. Within 10-15 years, the major restrictions on Iran will be lifted, thus allowing them to freely continue research and development, enrich uranium, and use advanced centrifuges. For agreeing to apply some brakes on their nuclear program, Iran received billions which have clearly gone to funnel militant groups. While Iran is to permanently renounce any pursuit of nuclear weapons, it has no legal impediment to do so after the restrictions expire.
Increased unrest: Since JCPOA, Iran-inspired unrest has increased in the Middle East. Hizballah, Iran’s proxy, has effectively taken over Lebanon. Iran has raised up its own army in Syria, where the slaughter has grown. Hamas in Gaza is being rearmed. Houthi rebels in Yemen have been armed by Iran with missiles, which have been fired into Saudi Arabia.
Non-transparency: Iran appears to have complied with the terms of the agreement. Or have they? Was not part of the deal that Iran would to be 100% transparent in regards to its nuclear history? They said that they have never sought to pursue nuclear weapons, while the recent evidence says otherwise. This is especially the case where Israel’s secret service, the Mossad, stole 1000s of pages of nuclear files from a secret storage facility in Tehran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then made a public presentation around these documents, which tell a different story to the official Iranian position.
Missiles: Iran’s pursuit of long-range ballistic missiles should be a concern for the Middle East and Europe. These are not even covered by the JCPOA. Even without nuclear weapons, these missiles can carry deadly payloads.
Legality: Normally a treaty has to be approved by 60 senators in the US Senate. This was not the case with JCPOA. In fact, symbolically 60% of all congressmen and senators voted against the agreement, including well-known left-wing Democratic allies of Obama. So it is safe to say that the agreement was never constitutionally ratified by the approval of 60 senators and therefore of dubious legality.
What next? Technically speaking, the JCPOA continues, minus the United States. The US will reimpose sanctions within 90 days. Iran has warned the US that it will ‘regret’ its move, while the US has told Iran it must not attack the US, or else face the dire consequences. Iranian parliamentarians have burned a US flag inside the parliament building (and were asked not to burn down the parliament building in the process). The other parties can continue on but without America. Israel, of course, is pleased about America’s withdrawal from JCPOA; so are Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. These nations see a potential Iranian nuclear weapon as much a mortal threat to them as does the Jewish state.
Iran has been successful in its goal of building a ‘Shia Crescent’ from Iraq to Syria to Lebanon (Persian Gulf to Mediterranean). However, the economy is weak, there have been robust domestic protests against the regime, it is spread thin in Syria, and faces a potential military encounter with Israel.
Iranian leadership is highly pragmatic and this may prevent extreme measures. So either Iran will submit to a North Korean-style rapprochement with America and the West, or it could lead to more trouble for the regime. We will know soon.

Baptist, News

The BUV and Ashburton Baptist in Mission Partnership

Ros Otzen’s new book on the history of the Ashburton Baptist Church in Melbourne, Australia, is a remarkable story of partnership in mission between the Baptist Union and the local church. In the 1920s, Ashburton was a suburb of orchards, forest and farms. Cows mooed around Warrigal Road and the land around Gardiner’s Creek was a place for fox hunts. The 1930s was the period of the Great Depression but some crazy Baptists, who despite their cupboards being bare and their wallets empty, had a great vision to establish a new church. From the beginnings in 1934, it has been a vigorous partnership with the Baptist Union of Victoria, which has extended for over eight decades.

                                                                    Ros Otzen & Geoff Pound

Thanks to churches such Armadale, Camberwell and East Malvern, for sending out people to establish the fledging church in the young suburb of Ashburton.

Thanks to the Baptist Union of Victoria, through its Home Mission arm, for purchasing land on Marquis Street, for arranging architectural drawings, organizing volunteers from other churches to erect the building in one day (it took longer!), granting financial loans, helping the church to get pastors through the Advisory Board and subsidizing pastor’s stipends for several years.

We were indebted to our union of churches, so when we could support ourselves the Ashburton Baptist Church began to give generously to help new churches like Syndal. Over the years the Ashburton church has given finance and contributed people to serve on the Baptist Union’s Executive Council, the Finance Committee, the Whitley College Board and teaching staff, to Baptcare and its staff workers, the Baptist schools, the Baptist Union of Australia, the WellSpring Ecumenical Spirituality Centre, the Advisory Board, the Victorian Baptist Historical Society, the Baptist Union of Australia and some of its members have gone to various countries to serve with ABMS-Global Interaction and other mission organisations. ABC has given significant architectural advice and assistance to churches doing renovations and putting up new buildings. It has contributed several people to be Baptist Union Presidents and Officers.

The new book, So Great a Cloud of Witnesses, tells of this wonderful story of partnership and service together as a Baptist Union and a local church. The Ashburton Baptist Church is a community that knows its story well so it values participation, it supports the mission beyond its local community and it seeks to build on the legacy that it has been given. A church that doesn’t know its story is like a mule with no pride of ancestry and no hope of posterity.


When asked about her approach to writing the story of ABC, author Ros Otzen said, that in contrast to many other local church histories, which are organized around the pastors who came and went, she has attempted to record the names and stories of the women and men, and boys and girls that have made up and built the church community. “This approach,” she said, “is in keeping with the people-centred church that the Ashburton Baptist Church has been and continues to be and it is in line with the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ of which the writer to the Hebrews has written.” Ros drew attention to the ‘resurrection banner’ hanging on the wall behind her, a photo of which is on the cover of the book. The banner was designed by Rhonda Edmonds and the resurrection picture of the empty cross radiating many different colours and various shades is made up of a large number of patches contributed by ABC people. The banner symbolizes life, participation, colour and partnership.

Before offering a prayer of blessing for the book, senior pastor, Geoff Pound, told this story:

Mike Krzyzewski, better known as Coach K at Duke University is one of the most successful coaches in US college basketball. And this is one of his secrets.

Before their 2015 tournament, Coach K and his players and coaches wrote on a basketball the names of people who had helped them. The coach told the team, “We are going to have this ball with us on our way throughout this entire tournament, and we would like for you to write on the ball the names of people who have made it possible for you to be here. Write down the people who have encouraged you and those who mean something to you.”

Coach K said that the players took the ball everywhere. Players started carrying the ball around—to team meals, on the plane, at practices and in the locker room. Some of the guys even slept with it—they had it right there with them in their rooms.

After the team won the championship, everyone with a name on the ball received a note saying, “Thanks. You were with us every step of the way.” The ball kept gratitude at the centre of their game. And it helped to give them the winning edge.

Geoff Pound said, “I believe that this new book will serve a similar purpose. For in it are scores of names of people who have served this church over these 85 years. This is a book of gratitude for them. It’s aptly entitled ‘So Great a Cloud of Witnesses’. So many have passed on. Many there are who are still in our midst and they all warm our hearts and cheer us on. As the writer to the Hebrews reminds us, they urge us to press on and persevere in the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”

“May God bless this book, its author and all those who read it.

May this book keep us forever grateful for all those who have gone before.

May this book inspire us as we continue to be the church in this place in the years ahead.”

 

This article is adapted from statements made on 6 May 2018 at the launch of the new book, ‘So Great a Cloud of Witnesses: Ashburton Baptist Church 1934-2014’. The 345-page book was written by author, Dr. Rosalind Otzen and was published by Monique Lisbon through her company Mono Unlimited. The book sells for $25 and is available from the Ashburton Baptist Church, P.O. Box 300, Ashburton, 3147. Email: info@ashburtonbaptist.org.au