Another Book

At the risk of boring those of you who've already heard about it - this edited collection is one of the things I've been working on for the last six months. It came out of a really stimulating conference that a colleague and I organised last year, at which historians from quite different backgrounds - some postcolonialists, some religious historians - came together to try and talk about the relationship between missionaries and colonialism. Often missions history is done either from a confessional or religious perspective or within a hardcore postcolonial framework. Both of these have their dangers and we wanted to try to get people from these groups to talk to each other and learn from each other. The conference was fantastic - we felt as though it gave evidence of a real change for the better in the way missions history was being written - and we decided we should try to publish some of the papers. If you are near the University of Melbourne on Tuesday 8 July, you can come along and see the result being launched! Or, if you are really keen, pre-order one here for the special price of $35!
(Btw, for those of you who read Faith and Place, Meredith has contributed a wonderful chapter about Richard Johnson - the chaplain of the first fleet, whose picture graces our cover.)

Essential Reading

I am currently working my way through the wonderful Macquarie PEN Anthology of Aboriginal Literature. I can't recommend it highly enough: it should be essential reading for all Australians, particularly Christians. The title is a bit misleading in its use of the word 'literature' - it is in fact a selection of Aboriginal writing. The first section includes letters, petitions and articles written by Aboriginal people from the beginning of white settlement. So it's as much a historical anthology as a literary one.
I haven't had much time for blogging lately, but over the next few weeks I plan to post my thoughts on the works in the Anthology. Let me encourage you to go out and buy a copy - it is a very slim and readable volume, and the selections are mainly short pieces - perfect for reading on the train, while waiting to see the doctor, in ad breaks. And it will change the way you see this country.
* The photo is a detail from the 'missionary window' at St John's Anglican Church, Toorak. The window depicts men of different ethnic groups coming to Jesus. Interestingly, only the Aboriginal and African man are kneeling.

No, no, no, no, no

There has been much tut-tutting, apoplexy and inter-state phone calling among the Cruickshank clan after the disappointment that was last night's showing of Persuasion on the ABC. If you haven't seen it, imagine what Reader's Digest would do with the story. I can understand the need to cut down the dialogue and plot for reasons of time, but removing almost all of the extended dialogue and replacing it with pointless and unlikely 'action' scenes.... no, no! All those wonderful, character-revealing conversations gone! As a consequence, we lose most of the satisfying subtlety of Austen's characters - from Anne Elliot herself to a minor but fascinating character like Lady Russell or Captain Benwick.

And replacing all this dialogue with action is equally unhelpful. The whole strength of Austen's world is the depiction of characters - particularly women - within incredibly frustrating limitations. Anne Elliot is meant to be profoundly constrained - by her society, by her family, by her personality. She is not meant to be sobbing hysterically all the time and running around Bath. She does not pash her husband in public.

I fear this bodes ill for the rest of the movies in the ABC Austen series. And I was really looking forward to Northanger Abbey!

Insane Holy

Andrew and I have been reflecting (again!) on jobs, careers, security and similar, in the light of Deuteronomy 8: 3 ('Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.') So this was both timely and amusing.