Christian Today Australia recently caught up with Tom Slater, the National Director of the Australian Evangelical Alliance (EA), and talked about his background; the current activities which EA is planning; and finally giving us his comment on the recent Australian Christian Lobby web cast.
CT AUS: How did you become a Christian?
T.S.: Well, for me it was two influences. The first was being nurtured in a Christian home and in a Christian family. The second influence for me was quite dramatic, a conversion experience. This occurred in a Christian school group and it was in an Inter School Christian Fellowship context … where I went to a house party in the school holidays and discovered what Christianity was all about.
CT AUS: From the facts and surveys gathered by CT AUS, it seemed that a vast majority of Christians were converted when they were young. From your experience, do you support this proposition?
T.S.: Yes … it was probably very well proved in my experience at Scripture Union where I worked for around 27 years. It is pretty obvious that kids are open to considering the Gospel in a way that people are less likely to do as they get older.
CT AUS: Given your extensive experiences in dealing with the government and working in the non-governmental sector, how does it prepare you for the role of National Director for EA?
T.S.: … I have worked on projects which had a lot … of interaction with government departments. One was a project where we set up a program to employ long-term unemployed young people in Shepparton Victoria and that involved a lot of collaboration with both the commonwealth, state and local government departments.
I think all this had done was to give me a sense of confidence. When you meet with these people … you get a sense that you can find your way around and … not be so mystified by the bureaucracy.
I think some Christians feel as though bureaucrats are always cold-hearted, faceless people who are usually against them. In my experience in working with them, they are very ordinary people just like us and are open to reason and hearing a good story.
CT AUS: Given your passion of the outdoors, do you think that churches are taking the environmental issue seriously?
T.S.: I think that churches … in general have neglected it and I believe there is a biblical mandate for us to be good steward of the environment not only for ourselves but also for future generations. God is the Creator and the Sustainer of the universe and, I think, He does care about the environment and that is one reason why I am so passionate about the environmental employment program in Shepparton
CT AUS: Tell us what you love about the outdoors?
T.S.: ... My passion is really about organised group-camping, in particular Christian camping. I have written a couple of books on this issue and one was specifically targeted at a Christian audience ('The Camping Book') and the other for a secular audience as well, titled 'The Temporary Community.'
… The passion for me stems from my own conversion experience … where in a camping situation … you live round the clock with Christian people … Camping is a terrific way to build relationships…The wide open space is very therapeutic in itself and does probably give you a sense of better proportion of (both) the work and the world. On a personal level … it gets me ready to go back to work.
CT AUS: Does the EA have anything planned for the coming 12 months?
T.S.: Yes, in the immediate future we will have 3 celebrations because it is our 50th anniversary this year. Philip Yancey who has been a good friend to us over the years - and of course you know he is probably the best selling Christian author in the world at present - knows how to communicate with people on the fringe, doubters and people whose thoughts are not straight forward and this appeals to me. He is going to be in 3 lunches in Sydney Brisbane and Melbourne lunch
The Engage Network is getting off the ground and is currently going through a pilot-test period of 9 months and we will be evaluating it. If it all goes well, we will launch it big time in April next year.
But otherwise we are looking at the period of consolidation where we have a new person coming into our public theological director position, Ian Packer from Sydney. We want to consolidate our support for indigenous ministries, and we are also going to concentrate on telling our story because financially we are facing a challenge and we need to let people know the good things that are happening and invite their support.
CT AUS: On the world stage the Lausanne movement and the World Evangelical Alliance are working closer together, is this trend reflected in Australia?
T.S.: We are working at a modest pace. We have a very friendly relationship with the Lausanne people here on an ongoing basis. It is worth mentioning that in Sydney two weeks ago, we co-sponsored a conference with Lausanne called the 'Better Together' conference with the theme of men and women in ministry working better together.
CT AUS: What is your comment about the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) sponsored web-cast Christian forum where both John Howard and Kevin Rudd spoke?
T.S.: It was a good thing to do and I think it was really well organised and full marks to Jim Wallace and his staff at the ACL. I am really pleased with what they did.
…I thought it was a pity that the question session ran out of time so that there wasn't enough time for the same questions to be asked to both speakers.
Look both of them spoke well, they are pretty shrewd; they know their audience; and they pitched for their audience.
Some of the questions were a bit superficial and my main concern was there are bigger issues that need to be raised.
CT: Throughout the forum, each speaker picked on different theme within Christianity where Mr Rudd focused towards society whereas Mr. Howard focused on the individual, do you see a unifying issue which Christian can unite for the upcoming Federal Election?
T.S.: I think there are some issues which ought to unite Christians - whether they do it or not I don't know – Justice issues such as the situation with Indigenous people.
… I have been disappointed at both the Federal Government intervention in the Northern Territory and … the Opposition's failure to differentiate themselves strongly from the government's action.
…I think they are paternalistic and cynical …. It (is) a terrible mistake (to) ignore the views of Indigenous people and (not) consult (with) them.
(The government) ….is not listening to the 'Little Children are Sacred' report where (out of) 97 recommendations, not even one of them is implemented … Instead they have sent in the police and the army, and I think that is appalling.
I think that is something which Christians ought to be united on because reconciliation, getting things right, getting relationship right and so on is core Gospel business and to me that mean addressing the issue of the condition of Indigenous people of this country. This is a real gospel issue that ought to unite Christians.
Unfortunately, I think it is all too easy for Christians to think politically about politics rather than think biblically about politics. I think that Christians tend to think like a Liberal or a Labour person and they tend to think left or right rather than biblically.
If we learn to think biblically then we will be a lot more united on issues. I think people who have a social justice background would not be 'pooh-poohing' on issues that are of concern to the right.
Likewise people more to the right who focus on homosexuality will be far more supportive of people who want to do more for the poor and the marginalise and so we have to get more biblical in our thinking and less politicise.
CT AUS: Is this what the EA public theology is about?
T.S: Yes, public theology is about bringing a biblical perceptive (to public issues) … (The Bible) is the starting point. I think for a lot of Christians, the starting point (for example is whether) the candidates are either Labor or Liberal. The starting point ought to be what the Bible says about this and then I will decide whether to support Labor or Liberal. The starting point should be the bible (and) not whether I like my local member.
I get the impression from places (like the) web-cast (that) a lot of 'simple-minded' Christian think it is wonderful (to have a majority of our politicians being Christian). The question is whether the politician takes their biblical faith into parliament and into the decision-making process or leave their faith outside and act like politician inside.