3 July 2009

Greetings brethren and friends,

This past week seems to have disappeared very quickly and still so many things to do - next week. Hopefully by this time, already into the Sabbath you have wound down and are taking your rest.

Early in the week, Sunday, the June letter from Mark Armstrong was posted and we have had a reasonable strong flow of requests for the offered GTA DVD, "The Blessings of Freedom". With the 4th of July coming up during the course of this Sabbath this GTA sermon is particularly apt on the matter of freedom.

Also Sunday the latest weekly DVDs were sent to the DVD mailing list. As always there are more on the way.

Once again the state of the world hotspots remain as usual - hot. North Korea seems determined to test Obama's and US limits, Iran sails on despite Obama finally finding words of condemnation and then little Honduras seems determined to resist UN, US and regional pressure to reinstate it's deposed president, who was, it seems, deposed for attempting to tamper with the Honduran constitution in an attempt to extend his term of office and perhaps emulate his fellow traveler Chavez, now widely seen as a dictator. Chavez of Venezuela, another socialist, already has achieved that constitutional change.

It is interesting at least to note that under Australia's Westminster parliamentary system we have had two Prime Ministers who have served in that position for longer than the two term Presidential system allows in the US. Robert Menzies for 16 years straight, 1949 to 1966. John Howard served 1996 to 2007, 11 years. Both were conservatives. Also Bob Hawke, Labor (socialist) Prime Minister, 1983 to 1991, 8 years. No one could have ever complained about notions of "dictator" or power grab in respect of any of them. All were elected leaders of their parties, all lead their parties to successive electoral victory, without credible, (though sometimes minor, nothing that affected the outcome) complaint of election irregularities - at least up until they were defeated at the polls (Howard), resigned the leadership to a younger man (Menzies) or was deposed (reasonably ruthlessly) by his deputy leader (Hawke deposed by Keating).

The fact is you have to go back a long way in English history (and so Australian, New Zealand, Canadian - even South African history), let alone American history (it’s not there), to find any semblance of rule by dictator. Cromwell perhaps? That is one reason why the Anglo/American world has been at the forefront of the "free" western democracies for so long. It is therefore always surprising when the leaders of the Anglo/American world appear to side with would be or actual dictators, even when the political winds deem it expedient.

The GTA telecast last Sunday covered the topic that is increasingly filling TV screens with expectant advertising of the next big movie deal - the latest (and last?) Harry Potter film. For the week we have had 53 program responses with 12 of those first time contacts. As the program airs again on TVS at 5.00am tomorrow (Saturday) morning we may have a few more as we did last week for "The ANSWER to unanswered prayer".

The GTA telecast program this Sunday is on the topic of law. Specifically, was the Law in force before Sinai?

Enjoy your Sabbath break.

Murray Allatt
Sydney



Contact minister, Murray Allatt at murrayallatt@icgchurches.org