Left and Right - City on a Hill

Starting this August

Jesus in a Political Age

Freedom of religion, climate change, refugees, transgender rights, gender equality, race relations … Where do you stand?

Whether you lean left or you lean right, this series, ‘Left and Right’ will explore Jesus in a political age.

What does Jesus have to say about the issues of our day and how are we to respond? We will look at these together, ask questions, listen to each other, open the Bible and seek truth throughout this series.

Visit a Sunday gathering and explore these resources from across our City on a Hill churches.

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Series Topics

The votes are in and the people have spoken!

Below are the top eight topics we will explore throughout the series, with a ninth topic chosen by each City on a Hill Lead Pastor. The series will begin with an introductory week setting up the series and thinking about the relationship of church and state, and will conclude with a week on our unity and common purpose.

Gender Equality

Male and female, God made us all in his image — but the details are complex. Should quotas be mandated for leadership roles? What about the pay gap? Should more be done to encourage women to return to work?

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Transgender Rights

Should children be allowed to receive treatment for gender transition, and what rights should parents have? Is it appropriate to legislate the use of gender-affirming pronouns or allow trans women to compete in women’s sports? What if we dissent?

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Euthanasia

The Bible sees life as a precious gift, but on the edges of life and death the issues can feel complex. Should a dying person have the right to end their life?

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Race Relations

Jesus brings people from all nations together, but we still must confront the past wrongs and present realities of racism. Are we a racist nation? Can a nation be systemically racist? Should we take responsibility for atrocities before we were born? Should we change Australia Day?

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Refugees & Asylum Seekers

With immigration policy in political deadlock, what might thoughtful Christians say about offshore detention, migration, citizenship and multiculturalism?

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Freedom of Religion

As governments introduce laws that conflict with biblical values, should churches and Christian organisations be given special consideration? Should Christian schools, for instance, be entitled to employ only Christians? Some think the church is under siege, while others think we are just losing unfair privileges. When should we fight for religious freedom – and if so, how?

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Free Speech

Speech can lead to truth and life, but can also incite hatred. Setting the limits is not always easy. What is hate speech and should it be criminalised? Is there a right to offend, or a right not to be offended? Is de-platforming and cancel culture dangerous for our society?

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Bible Talks

Each week we will be engaging in Bible talks on the topics listed above. Featured below are the City on a Hill Melbourne Bible talks. To watch or listen to Bible talks from the other City on a Hill churches click ‘More’ or visit resources.cityonahill.com.au.

Jesus in a Political Age

Jesus didn’t come to raise an army and overthrow the world. Christians, you don’t have Labour or Liberal written on your heart, but the name of Jesus. Don’t go left, don’t go right — go deeper and go deeper into Jesus. May we show Christ-like conviction over the truth of scripture but also Christ-like compassion over the hurting and oppressed.

Transgender Rights

We ought to remember who God says we are and that we are loved by him. We are not who the world tells us we are because we live in a broken world, marred physically and spiritually because of the fall. We remember that in Christ we have a new identity that transcends gender, and the people who don’t feel at home in their bodies are people whom God cares for and whom he wants to know him.

Race Relations

The gospel of Jesus calls for more than racial diversity, it calls for reconciliation. In Jesus, we are one family of brothers and sisters from every race. To pursue reconciliation, we must be truthful when it comes to our past and present. We must acknowledge that Australia is stolen land, and the resurrection of Jesus compels us to work together for justice and hope for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who called the lands we know as Australia home for at least 60000 years, according to the Uluru Statement.

Freedom of Religion

When do we submit to the state and when do we subvert its idolatries? What happens when our right for religious freedom clashes with the rights of another group? What does Australia need to do for religious freedom? Secularism is a good thing, so that the government ought to not have the power to tell you how to do your religion. Australia is a multicultural country with a secular government, not a secular country, which is one where every cultural group can live at peace with one another.

Gender Equality

Are we most concerned with equality of outcome or equality of opportunity? What is true gender equality and how does progress look like in the workplace of a fallen world? What should it look like in the church? Headship is service. Our call as men and women is to reflect the image and character of God to the world. Men and women each have a unique part to play in the church, but within the world the Bible is not prescriptive. As a whole, we ought to bring our distinctiveness and work together to be better together.

Euthanasia

We all have the right to life with dignity but do we all have the right to live to die with dignity? Death comes to all, and in any form death is the enemy. Euthanasia is wrong because it claims that a human being loses dignity when it loses autonomy. Yet, the bible makes it clear that every human being has inherent, incorruptible, and unlosable dignity because we are made in the image of God. If life is no more than breathing, it’s still a life made in the image of God. Life and death are God’s domains, not ours. Jesus is good news now and forever, because in Jesus we have eternal life, a life without suffering and pain and death.

Free Speech

Who decides what speech is free? Once free speech is given, it is often forgotten to be shared to others, particularly those who are not in power. Freedom of speech is the right to express an opinion without censorship or restraint. It is a nod to the created order of form and function, but it also accounts for human finitude and frailty. Because free speech accounts for a fallen world, objective truth ought not be legislated because legislation is governed by fallible people. Freedom of speech is in tune with the gospel, and is for love of neighbour. We need each other and the different ways we see the world to best image God to the world. Yet, in sharing the gospel we bring teaching and not a sword, believing the gospel is enough, and being able to share it with gentleness and respect.

Climate Change

Christians ought to reclaim a high view of the world as having been created by God. With one hand God holds the universe, and with the other he feeds the sparrow. Caring for the world does not mean worshipping it, but it does mean we put aside our comfort and ease in order to satisfy the creation mandate of being stewards of the earth. As Christians, we know the heart of the problem. Sin is deadly, and the choices we make have consequences. Creation is subjected to futility. Yet, we take hold of the living hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This doesn’t mean we can just sit back and watch the world burn, instead we prayerfully seek wisdom in government, corporate, and individual actions and alternative resources.

Refugees

The barriers separating us from God and each other has been overcome and overturned in Jesus. If we are moved by justice and care by what is happening in the world, if we would have the same compassion for Ukraine as we would for Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar, we ought to seek solutions to help refugees feel welcome, and ensure our government has godly wisdom in how they handle these policies. May we welcome well, no matter the story, and be a light to the nations.

The City of God

Christians finds themselves living in the tension of two opposing kingdoms as residents of the temporary kingdom of the world, yet citizens of the eternal kingdom of heaven. We all want to work for the good life, and then to imagine a better world for everyone. Yet, even if we reached that golden age, it will never reach God’s vision in the new creation. So, as we live as exiles on earth, we are to be involved in God’s kingdom on earth, and committed to growing God’s family and our own, but we do this all in light of the eternal. We are to be a city on a hill within the world, yet a people longing for the city of God.

Conversations

Throughout the series Senior Pastor Guy Mason sits down with a range of political leaders and advocates to learn more about their stories, how we should tackle the tough issues of the current political age and discuss Jesus’ influence on their life, career and political views.

Stay up to date with upcoming guest interviews via our social media.

Tim Costello

Tim is one of Australia’s leading voices when it comes to social ethics and justice. He has an extensive career that includes former mayor of St Kilda, Ordained Baptist Minister, previous CEO of World Vision Australia and currently serves as the Executive Director of Micah Australia.

Tim has much wisdom to share on the nature of politics and how followers of Jesus can lean into the issues and topics shaping our world.

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Martyn Iles

Martyn is the Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby, a grassroots movement seeking to have a Christian influence in the public square and political sphere. Martyn is a lover of theology, law and politics – produces many podcasts, videos and resources on the truth of Jesus, and how this shapes our understanding of and interaction with political issues.

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Brooke Prentis

Brooke Prentis is a proud Wakka Wakka woman and Aboriginal Christian leader. Brooke became a Christian in her early 20’s and has become passionate about seeing justice for First Nations people and raising up Christian Aboriginal leaders.

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Mike Baird

Mike Baird is the CEO of Hammond Care, a Christian independent charity providing healthcare to the ageing population. Previously, he held an executive position at NAB and served as the 44th Premier of New South Wales. His time in office coincided with the Lindt Cafe Siege in 2014, which proved to be an incredibly challenging time for the state of New South Wales.

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Tim Farron

Tim Farron is a British politician and former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the UK. Tim’s faith in Jesus has inspired a life of compassion, care and social impact. He is an author of a book titled, ‘A Better Ambition’ where he shares his own story.

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John Anderson

John Anderson is a former Deputy Prime Minister who served in this role during John Howard’s time as Prime Minister of Australia. John shares openly and vulnerably in this interview about the challenges of politics, his experience in leadership throughout the 9/11 attacks, his own personal pain and his journey of faith in Jesus.

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