Faith in Action Graeme Sterne, 2006

Slaves were regarded as… Slaves could be… - beaten to death - imprisoned without trial - lashed - forced to have sex - made to do humiliating things - fed whatever ‘massa’ chose - split from their families Slaves were regarded as… - cattle, to bought and sold - dangerous animals which needed taming - born to hard labour - only understanding harsh physical discipline - not worth educating

Sam Sharpe - Baptist lay preacher - a slave himself - “all men are equal in God’s eyes” - led the Western Uprising - pacifist withdrawal of labour - led to violence - 580 slaves executed overall - Sam was hanged in this square (1832) - 90/106 were also hanged here - 200/300/500 lashes plus prison

The Act of Emancipation, 1833 Full freedom, 1838 Final resolution, 1865 Independence, 1962

Some Christians supported slavery… - Noah’s cursed son - Bible does not condemn slavery - It suited their economic interests - It suited their social status - It suited their concept of civilisation But Sam Sharpe (and others) believed in a different world - all men are equal in God’s eyes - equality should be lived out in social and economic relationships - Sam Sharpe was a revolutionary - he did not espouse violence but he did want to see change - inevitably change brought him into conflict with the ruling class

Today, Jamaica is still working towards a better society A. Diversity – “Out of many, one people” B. Rastafarians – longing to return to Ethiopia - Bob Marley, the ‘god father’, lion of Judah - love, peace, unity and respect C. Exploitation - of tourists - 27% unemployment - highest murder rate in the world - 2nd highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world - low wages drive people off shore And there are still people trying to make a difference…

Not this guy. He’s trying to make a buck from the tourists

He was charged tax on the service charge Not this guy. He was charged tax on the service charge which was added on to the food bill which was already taxed!

She brought these people to her church – Malaysia, New Zealand, Mexico Elaine is. She brought these people to her church – Malaysia, New Zealand, Mexico

A. Urban Youth Project Drama, dance B. Youth Be Wise Comic books C A. Urban Youth Project Drama, dance B. Youth Be Wise Comic books C. Art for Peace Mural on the wall

Are we putting our faith into action? Death of twin babies Death of Chinese student 15 cm knife in a man’s head Will we just say “Oh that’s terrible”? Will we form a committee? Will we make excuses? What is our response to this?

Are we putting our faith into action? Young people are giving themselves to increasing levels of materialism, living for the moment, short term commitments Are we going to fold our hands, resigning ourselves to the trends? Are we afraid of being called judgmental if we share the Gospel with people? Are we happy to just ‘minister to our own’? Or will we build community?

James says ‘faith should be demonstrated by action’

We must turn our beliefs into practice We must turn our beliefs into practice. Even demons “believe” but they do not turn that belief into repentance. Sam Sharpe believed that ‘all men are created equal in God's eyes’ and he did something about that belief

In this church we are committed to… Sharing the Gospel (especially with Chinese) Effectively ministering to all generations of Chinese in New Zealand We want to know Christ personally We do not want to leave things to just turn out the way they are going. We want to influence the direction of history. We want to be transformed and to transform others.