What can we and do we learn from the past?

There is a unique link between history and Christianity. Those who follow the teachings of the Bible are often reminded that it is a matter of historical record. The study of history often authenticates what many Christians believe about Jesus and his life.

It is so important that we acknowledge that we all have biases. Even historical records can have biases but that does not mean we cannot learn from them. History is the story of people and it is helpful to realise that human beings are complicated. How we relate to each other is also complicated. Even Facebook has always had an “It’s complicated” option for relationship status. The story of how people have related to each other is not always a straightforward exercise.

For someone who is new to the country, Australia Day seems quite complex. On one hand, it looks like the story of two cultures coming together, which should be cause for celebration. When one thinks of two cultures coming together, we would like to think of both sides being enriched by each other, both sides strengthening each other and each side learning from each other and becoming stronger from having come together. There are some who say that this is the reason why we have Australia Day. It is the story of how we all became better together.

On the other hand, history seems to indicate that it has not always been a story of how we all became better together but instead a story of how one culture flourished at the expense of the other. If this is true, then perhaps we should have a better explanation of why we celebrate Australia Day.

We live in a time where people don’t seem to want to listen. Everyone has an opinion and is happy to share it without hearing out the other side. Perhaps Australia Day could be a day when we think about how we can listen better, or how we can learn from one another, or how we can make things better (Matthew 5:23-24) if we have not done the right thing in the past.

Sources:
https://www.narrominenewsonline.com.au/story/5180060/entangling-the-first-fleet-voyage-with-australia-day-is-out-of-date/?cs=1868

All brickbats, bouquets and banter welcome at pastor@pmbc.org.au