By the Rev. Philip Gardiner Member of the Board of TBS (Australia)

During the Rev. Dennison’s time spent in Perth, Western Australia, he visited the Aboriginal Christian Church in Harrisdale. The pastor there has a congregation in the south-eastern suburbs of Perth, but he also has an extensive ministry throughout Western Australia.

Recently a new congregation has been established in Narrogin, a rural town in what is referred to as Western Australia’s ‘wheat belt’. Each year the pastor travels to the north of the state to minister with the Junjuwa People’s Church in the Fitzroy Crossing area. Many people come a long distance from different Aboriginal groupings to attend those yearly meetings. Numerous have professed the Lord’s Name in salvation.

New converts among Aboriginal people can face great challenges in their stand for the Lord. Over recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in the ancient traditions of Aboriginal people. Throughout Australia there has been great promotion of ‘culture’ in both the education system and the corporate world. Schools have time set aside to learn about various aspects of culture including smoking ceremonies, the didgeridoo, and other ancestral issues. The Biblical account of creation is replaced with the ‘dream time’ story.

This means that there is great pressure upon Aboriginal young people to embrace ‘culture’. Among some churches in Australia there is a willingness to seek to mix culture and Christianity. By God’s grace the pastor, and those who labour with him, take a strong stand, seeking to show Christians that there is no freedom in culture, but our freedom is in Christ and His Gospel. Just as Elijah challenged the people on Mount Carmel to follow either Baal or God, his challenge is to God’s people today to either follow culture or Christ.

Tragically Aboriginal families throughout Australia have suffered greatly on account of alcohol and drug abuse. Many children are being raised in very difficult circumstances. The answer for these children is not culture, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is encouraging that the Aboriginal Christian Church has retained a strong stand on the text of Scripture and the preservation of God’s Word. As a result, the English Bible that is used is the Authorised Version of the Scripture. The congregations in the ACC have long been supporters of the TBS and have been pleased to receive various donations of Bibles and literature from TBS to enable them in their witness for Christ. We encourage our readers to pray much for the furtherance of the Gospel among the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.

First published in Quarterly Record no. 647.