My fist reaction was: what a strange name for an overtly Christian group (primarily AOG) in the light of some of the less than complimentary things Jesus said about families (Luke talks about the demands of discipleship entailing hating your father, mother etc!) And are we not called to seek first, not family, but the kingdom of God!? That may mean not necessarily signing up to the values of society (economic growth, national security, the nuclear family etc as ulimate goods), but being committed to the outcasts and forgotten ones, as Jesus was. My understanding of the reign of God and baptismal living have always pushed me to voting for the left end of the political spectrum.
I then wondered if this was another "family values" push that would give single mums, gays, those incapable of having children etc a hard time? And what would an overtly Christian group say about families of other faiths?
So I checked out their website: http://familyfirst.org.au/policy.php. Indigenous Australians, refugees and asylum seekers, the war Iraq and the environment were some of the bits I checked out. While many of their policies are vague and obviously need lots of development, they do actually talk about social justice etc. A surprise for me was the acknowledgement of a diversity of beliefs, traditions and values in Australian society.
I suspect that dialogue rather than caricature may be more productive.
Does anyone have any more first hand experience of the party and its leaders? Did any Insights list members vote for them? Should some of us join, encourage further theological reflection and help them to sharpen their policies? Are there aspects we should warn people about?
Rob Bos
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