Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
A symbol
Baptistcare is spread widely around the southern half of Western Australia. We’ve got about 1300 staff and we work from more than 20 different office or service locations as well as providing services in more than 200 private homes around the state. How do we establish a sense of unity in such diversity?
One way is to have a symbol that we can use in each of our locations that reminds us that we are not alone but are part of a bigger family. I heard about one organisation that uses a teapot to remind them of their role of hospitality. I like the idea of a watering can because of our vision to transform and enrich lives – there seems to be some synergy with gardening.
Have you got any ideas? Add your thoughts to the comments at the bottom of the blog and join the conversation.
One way is to have a symbol that we can use in each of our locations that reminds us that we are not alone but are part of a bigger family. I heard about one organisation that uses a teapot to remind them of their role of hospitality. I like the idea of a watering can because of our vision to transform and enrich lives – there seems to be some synergy with gardening.
Have you got any ideas? Add your thoughts to the comments at the bottom of the blog and join the conversation.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Champions of Freedom #3
This is the third in a series on Baptist Champions of Freedom.
Thomas Helwys championed religious freedom for people of all religions, including no religion at all, in 17th century England when the government made the rules about what people could believe. Roger Williams took the same principles with him to America where he was the founder of the state of Rhode Island and championed the cause of separation of church and state, ultimately influencing the US Constitution. Our third Baptist Champion of Freedom is Martin Luther King.
King was a Baptist preacher and co-pastored the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta with his father. His grandfather had served as pastor of that church from 1914 to 1931 and his great grandfather had also been a Baptist preacher. Martin Luther King’s commitment to social justice and freedom stemmed from his Baptist heritage and belief in religious liberty. He became a civil rights activist quite early in his life and in 1964 became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end racial segregation and racial discrimination. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Why did I tell these three stories of Baptist Champions of Freedom? Simply to say that the roots of Baptistcare are intertwined with a long heritage of people who have championed freedom and have stood up for the rights of individuals. I hope that in some way we can maintain the courage of our forebears.
I'd love to hear your comments about these stories.
Thomas Helwys championed religious freedom for people of all religions, including no religion at all, in 17th century England when the government made the rules about what people could believe. Roger Williams took the same principles with him to America where he was the founder of the state of Rhode Island and championed the cause of separation of church and state, ultimately influencing the US Constitution. Our third Baptist Champion of Freedom is Martin Luther King.
King was a Baptist preacher and co-pastored the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta with his father. His grandfather had served as pastor of that church from 1914 to 1931 and his great grandfather had also been a Baptist preacher. Martin Luther King’s commitment to social justice and freedom stemmed from his Baptist heritage and belief in religious liberty. He became a civil rights activist quite early in his life and in 1964 became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end racial segregation and racial discrimination. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Why did I tell these three stories of Baptist Champions of Freedom? Simply to say that the roots of Baptistcare are intertwined with a long heritage of people who have championed freedom and have stood up for the rights of individuals. I hope that in some way we can maintain the courage of our forebears.
I'd love to hear your comments about these stories.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Champions of Freedom #2
This is the second in my three stories about Baptist Champions of Freedom
In my last blog I mentioned King James 1 who was persecuting Catholics and Puritans, including burning heretics at the stake. He was replaced in 1625 by King Charles 1 who began another campaign of persecution against the Puritans.
Roger Williams was a Church of England minister who left the Church of England to become a Puritan because he became convinced in his beliefs of separation of church and state, so after Charles began his campaign Williams and his wife Mary sailed to America. After challenging the government in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 about the way it tried to regulate religious matters and its appropriation of land from Native Americans, Roger and Mary Williams were banished from the colony.
They headed south from Massachusetts to Rhode Island where they purchased land from the local Naragansett Indians and founded Providence where Williams organised the first Baptist Church in North America. In 1652 Williams wrote a pamphlet entitled “The Bloudy Tenent yet More Bloudy” which discussed the separation of church and state. His work on this subject has been credited by US Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison as providing the original influence for the first amendment of the US Constitution.
Just as Helwys, who I described in my last blog, was critical to English thinking about religious freedom and freedom of conscience, so Roger Williams, another Baptist, provided the impetus for fresh thinking about religious tolerance in North America and as a result influenced the decision-makers.
In my last blog I mentioned King James 1 who was persecuting Catholics and Puritans, including burning heretics at the stake. He was replaced in 1625 by King Charles 1 who began another campaign of persecution against the Puritans.
Roger Williams was a Church of England minister who left the Church of England to become a Puritan because he became convinced in his beliefs of separation of church and state, so after Charles began his campaign Williams and his wife Mary sailed to America. After challenging the government in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 about the way it tried to regulate religious matters and its appropriation of land from Native Americans, Roger and Mary Williams were banished from the colony.
They headed south from Massachusetts to Rhode Island where they purchased land from the local Naragansett Indians and founded Providence where Williams organised the first Baptist Church in North America. In 1652 Williams wrote a pamphlet entitled “The Bloudy Tenent yet More Bloudy” which discussed the separation of church and state. His work on this subject has been credited by US Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison as providing the original influence for the first amendment of the US Constitution.
Just as Helwys, who I described in my last blog, was critical to English thinking about religious freedom and freedom of conscience, so Roger Williams, another Baptist, provided the impetus for fresh thinking about religious tolerance in North America and as a result influenced the decision-makers.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Champions of Freedom #1
Since the organisation we work for carries the name Baptistcare I thought it appropriate to reflect on the roots of our name. Over the next few blogs I want to tell some stories about three significant Baptists who I call champions of freedom. One of the distinctives of the Baptist Church since it began in the 17th century has been religious liberty and freedom of conscience. I hope these three stories will be helpful.
Born in England around 1550, Thomas Helwys joined an independent church at Gainsborough in England at a time when independence was not looked upon favourably by the church-controlled Government. In 1607 the High Court of Ecclesiastical Commission began putting intense pressure on independent churches and a group of people, including Thomas Helwys, made their way to Holland where the first Baptist Church was established by John Smyth.
After some time Helwys became concerned at the persecution of both Catholics and Puritans that was occurring in England under King James (the guy who authorised the translation of the Bible we now call the King James Version) and in 1612 he decided to return to England shortly after Edward Wightman, a Baptist, became the last person in England to be burned at the stake for heresy. Helwys found a publisher for his book, “A Short Declaration on the Mystery of Iniquity” and dedicated a copy of it in his own handwriting, to King James. The Mystery of Iniquity was the first exposition in the English language to fully express the concept of liberty of conscience and religious liberty for all people, including those who claim to have no religious attachment. Helwys was imprisoned for his efforts and probably died in prison.
Born in England around 1550, Thomas Helwys joined an independent church at Gainsborough in England at a time when independence was not looked upon favourably by the church-controlled Government. In 1607 the High Court of Ecclesiastical Commission began putting intense pressure on independent churches and a group of people, including Thomas Helwys, made their way to Holland where the first Baptist Church was established by John Smyth.
After some time Helwys became concerned at the persecution of both Catholics and Puritans that was occurring in England under King James (the guy who authorised the translation of the Bible we now call the King James Version) and in 1612 he decided to return to England shortly after Edward Wightman, a Baptist, became the last person in England to be burned at the stake for heresy. Helwys found a publisher for his book, “A Short Declaration on the Mystery of Iniquity” and dedicated a copy of it in his own handwriting, to King James. The Mystery of Iniquity was the first exposition in the English language to fully express the concept of liberty of conscience and religious liberty for all people, including those who claim to have no religious attachment. Helwys was imprisoned for his efforts and probably died in prison.
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