The State of our State

I was at an Anglicare dinner this week, where Premier Chris Minns spoke. The social challenges that face New South Wales are overwhelming.

Sydney is something like the 800th most densely populated city in the world but in the top ten in terms of unaffordability. This means housing security is an issue, not just for younger generations, but for working people. Someone recently said we may become a city without grandchildren.

More than 25% of women have experienced some kind of domestic partner violence as an adult. Put these two together, and women fleeing DV stations often cannot access safe housing, let alone food, health and education for their children.

Often at events such as this, where politicians are present, the question is what can governments do about __________? It is a valid question, but we need to appreciate that governments have limits.

Anglicare as an organisation can do what governments do, and can go beyond. It is right for church-based agencies to be caring for the needs of our most vulnerable, and for Christians to be known for their compassion.

This approach has its limits too. As we have seen, moralistic spirituality imagines we can self-sanctify if we try hard enough. There is a sense in which the progressive agenda imagines that with a mass movement of goodwill and virtue signalling, we can overcome DV, racism, discrimination, and so on.

Neither is possible. This side of Jesus' return, humans remain flawed creatures, who cannot pull themselves up by their bootstraps. We ought to work hard against sin and injustice, inside ourselves and in our systems. Evil is to be discouraged and restrained, but we cannot defeat it.

Jesus has overcome evil, and by his Spirit, we can resist it more and more, and be agents of kingdom grace, love and forgiveness.

By Rev. David Rietveld