ABOUT US |
Vision Statement: "Where there is no vision the people perish but he that keeps the law is happy." Proverbs 29:18 Vision: The Australian Christian Values Institute has a goal to renew Australia's Christian Values for the common good. Purpose: To provide practical resources to the wider community in order to encourage greater understanding in how to apply the teachings of Jesus Christ to our nation for the common good of all. We believe that the teachings of Jesus Christ can help both the individual and families, as well as media, arts, justice, business, labour relations, church and government. The teachings of Jesus Christ and the rest of the Scriptures provide the foundation for what is commonly called the Judeo-Christian Ethic. The Judeo-Christian framework is the basis for all Australian laws and our democratic form of government. The Judeo-Christian Ethic is another way to describe Christian Values. The main function of the Australian Christian Values Institute is to promote, teach and encourage the renewal of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that is, the cornerstone of our nation. Integrity: To achieve all of the above in a true spirit of integrity and humility whilst remaining open and accountable at all times. Introduction Dear friend, We welcome you to the website of the Australian Christian Values Institute. The Australian Christian Values Institute is an outreach function of Australian Heart Ministries which has been operating as a non-profit charity since the Year 2000. The current board of Australian Heart Ministries is composed of Phil Latz, Warwick & Alison Marsh, Geoff Moses and Mark Sewell who filled a vacancy left by the sad passing of one of the founding board members, Michael Baker. Australian Heart Ministries' board members are all involved in other community and church projects and most board members also have seats on several boards and/or community groups. Each of our board members is highly regarded in the community and provides sound business acumen and a solid Christian perspective to the governance of the association and the activities of the Australian Christian Values Institute as per the above vision. When the Christian Values Checklist was initiated in 2001 we were surprised at the level of criticism it drew from all sides. Some criticism was directed along the lines of, "How dare you suggest that Christian values should have any role in the political discourse." Others branded it as part of the religious right who were part of some grand conspiracy. Truth is always stranger than fiction and eventually the truth prevails. The debate has moved on in Australia and people are now asking the question, "Christian values - What are they and how should they be applied?" This is a good thing. Unfortunately some critical commentators persist in labelling us as members of the 'religious right'. Perhaps because there is no alliteration if they use the term 'religious left'. It is interesting to note that two of the seven on the Australian Christian Values Check list team were members of the radical left in their youth and another was a union official in his earlier years. Infact John Comino's grandfather was a devout communist. The simple fact of the matter is our Christian Values Check list team has a broud range of political veiw points that cover the whole political spectrum. The commentators who are critical of our check list on the ground that we are part of the religious right obviously live by the maxim, 'never let the truth get in the way of a good story'. The reality of current political debate is that the term 'left' or 'right' is an anachronism. Marxism in the form of communism proved to be a spectacular failure. The idea was great, but the reality of the practice of it was a nightmare. The new radicals are those who are pro-family and have pro-Christian values. The ruling elite within the media, the academic world, the government powerbrokers and the political parties tend to be the reverse. It is interesting to note just how many of the pro-family activists I have worked with who have a working class left wing background. The new elites were the old revolutionaries which shows the truth of the old maxim "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". This is one of the reasons that democracy is the best form of government because when used wisely it is a great leveler. Winston Churchill said it this way "Democracy is the worst form of government, but it is better than all the rest." The key to our functioning democracy is the free exercise of Christian values which our democracy is built on in the first place. Our Christian values, which are largely values of the heart as opposed to the law, act like a breaking system on the process of corruption that power produces. That's why the current values debate in Australia is so important. The question is no longer do we need values but whose values do we really need. The Australian Christian Values Institute believes that we need to return to the values that are tried and true. The values that our founding fathers used to build our nation. The values that our soldiers fought for at Gallipoli. Even our Australian flag that our Australian soldiers fought for is built out of four crosses. All of these crosses are emblems of our Christian faith in one way or another, the southern cross being the most predominant. It is our proposition that these values, Christian values are the only way to build a better Australia for the common good of all. These are the values that made Australia great. The critical success of the Christian Values Checklist is that it is accurate and bipartisan in its application. So, for the sake of transparency, we felt it proper to include short bios of the seven member advisory team who have the task of assembling this edition of the Australian Christian Values Checklist. The public can make an assessment of the variety of political backgrounds which provide a great sounding board for the truth. True and accurate assessments of party policy on the basis of Christian values are difficult to assess at the best of times. We offer our research and qualitative opinion on these matters, knowing our imperfections but confident that we have done the best that we can. Thanking you for your interest and we hope you enjoy using these resources for the good of all concerned. Humbly in the service of Jesus Christ, Warwick Marsh Australian Christian Values Institute WARWICK MARSH Warwick Marsh was born in Sydney in 1954 and grew up there, finishing his schooling at Katoomba High School. A student radical, Warwick took an active part in the counter culture of his day and attended many student and anti-war moratorium protests. Most of his friends at the time were Marxists, Trotskyists or student members of the SDS, the leading radical political group of the day. It was during this time that Warwick developed his musical skills and began writing songs inspired by Bob Dylan and Afro-American blues artists. Warwick has been married to Alison since 1975 and they have five children. Warwick lost everything in 1984 in the 'recession we had to have' in a business failure. In 1986 he was a member of the Builder's Worker's Union working in the construction industry in Wollongong. In 1990 Warwick and Alison began work in the non-profit sector in outback and regional community-based missions. They used music to communicate a message of hope, recording several albums with their musical family and other young musicians and Aboriginal friends. Warwick has a passion for creative expression using music, TV and radio, a heart for families, a deep love for Australia and a passion for the poor of the world, particularly in Africa. In 1998 Warwick received the 1998 FOL Father of the Year Award at NSW Parliament House. In 2001 he received a Centenary Medal from the Governor General for 'his service in musical leadership , youth and the Aboriginal community and internationally'. Warwick was co-founder and national co-ordinator of the Aboriginal led Praise Corroboree, co-founder of Musicoz, founder of te River Foundation, current chairman of Australian Heart Ministries, Fatherhood Foundation, member of the National Day of Thanksgiving management board, convenor of the National Prayer Council and founder of the Australian Christian Values Institute. Warwick and his family attend the Lighthouse Church in Wollongong. www.ausheart.com.au BILL MUEHLENBERG Bill Muehlenberg, who was born in America in 1953 but has made Australia his home, lives in Melbourne. He has been married to an Australian, Averil, for over 25 years and has three sons. Growing up in the 1960's, Bill was a student radical involved in many protests. He was the editor of an underground newspaper and actively involved in the drug culture of his day, smoking dope, using LSD, mescaline and selling drugs. Arrested a number of times by police in his youth he finally found a living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as a young man which gave him a real change of heart and birthed in him the desire to help others. Since that time Bill has devoted himself to sharing the good news of God's love through Jesus Christ and helping those less fortunate than himself. He has a BA with honours in philosophy (Wheaton College, Chicago), a MA with highest honours in theology (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Boston), and is completing a PhD in theology at Deakin University, Melbourne. Bill and Averil spent five years in Holland working as missionaries with Youth With A Mission. He was formerly the National Vice President of the Australian Family Association. He was formerly the National Research Coordinator at Focus on the Family. He currently continues an independent ministry in pro-faith and pro-family activism. He is head of an apologetics/ethics ministry called CultureWatch: http://www.billmuehlenberg.com He is the author of In Defence of the Family and many hundreds of printed articles and book reviews. Bill is a part-time lecturer in theology, apologetics and ethics at several Melbourne theological colleges. Bill and his family are members of Crossway Baptist Church, Victoria. www.billmuehlenberg.com.au PAUL MONAGLE Paul Monagle was born and bred in Melbourne. He married Kathy in 1974 and they have 5 grown up children. Kathy and Paul currently reside in Canberra, ACT. Paul is very committed and active within the Catholic church and is passionate for the community. He has occupied many positions both within the church and the community. He is on the Archdiocesan Executive for the Canberra and Goulburn Region and has held a number of Archdiocesan appointments. Paul has worked as a government appointee on the ACT Vocational & Educational Training Commission and served time on the Catholic Education Commission. Recently he served on the ACT 'Jesus all about Life Campaign Council' as the Catholic representative. Paul is currently President of the ACT Australian Family Association and numerous other pro-family and church-based community groups. Early in his working career Paul Monagle was an official with the Public Service Union and has subsequently worked in human resource management, now specialising in that field as the Director of Human Resources for the National Library. Although Paul is not a member of any political party he has been involved in the pro-family movement for many years and therefore has a good understanding of the political process. As a passionate believer in the value of children and families to Australia he is well known in the pro-family movement as an untiring spokesperson for Christian values with a strong sense of social justice for the less fortunate in our society. www.family.org.au DR GRAHAM MCLENNAN Graham McLennan was born in Dubbo in 1945 where he also grew up and was schooled. He attended Hurlstone Agricultural College and finished his Dental Degree at Sydney University where he became a Christian. He married Pam in 1969 and they have 3 children and 2 grandchildren. Graham was a Captain in the Australian Army and received the Defence Medal and the National Serviceman's Medal. In 1973 Graham studied with Francis Schaeffer in L'Abri, Switzerland. In 1986 Graham and his wife founded the National Alliance of Christian leaders (NACL). Graham was on the executive of the National Gathering of 1988 and the Bicentennial of Christian Education in Australia in 1993. He received the Presidential Medal from the President of Vanuatu for 'services to the nation' and has written many books and articles about Australia's Christian heritage. He has a passion for that subject and for the development of Christian media. Graham McLennan has formerly been involved in two different political parties but now prefers to encourage Christians in all parties to make a stand for truth within their party. Currently Graham is convenor of the NACL and Chairman of 103.5FM, Orange, NSW. He is also a member of the planning committee of the National Christian Heritage Centre, Australian Christian History Research and has served on many other national and international Christian boards and charities over the years. Graham and his wife attend a Pentecostal church in Orange and he is a passionate advocate for the outworking of the love of Christ in the community. www.nacl.com.au PETER & JENNY STOKES Peter Stokes was born in London in 1947 and migrated to Australia in 1972. He is the Executive Officer of SALT SHAKERS. Peter and his wife Jenny started SALT SHAKERS in 1994. After fighting against a gambling venue being established in their local shopping centre, they believed God was making them aware of the importance of understanding what was happening in the community. They felt it was important to inform Christians about a range of moral and ethical issues. Peter has worked full time in Christian policy development with the SALTSHAKERS non-profit organisation since 1995. Prior to that, Peter was a coach driver for day tours in Melbourne. He has also been involved in sales, advertising, radio and is a joiner by trade. Peter and Jenny attend a Baptist church in Melbourne. Peter and Jenny Stokes, the chief research officer for Saltshakers, have been prime movers in the revitalization of Christian values in Australia. They have worked very closely with Warwick Marsh since the first Christian Values Checklist, published in 2001. Peter and Jenny are not members of any political party but are bipartisan in their approach to Christian values in the political discourse. Peter and Jenny are passionate to see not just Christian values advanced, but the true message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ - a message of love, acceptance and forgiveness which brings healing to the broken hearted and restoration and renewal for the nation. www.saltshakers.org.aumember of the planning committee of the National Christian Heritage Centre JOHN COMINO John Comino has an interesting political history. John's grandfather emigrated to Australia from a Greek Island in 1901 and worked on the cane field taking the place of the Kanakas who had been deported. He voted for the communist party. John's father was a lifelong labour supporter and took great delight in telling the labour powerbrokers how they could better win and election. John's views have probably moderated somewhat since his grandfather's day, but he is a strong advocate for social justice and the need for government to embrace Christian values for the greater good of the people they serve. John believes that we should not put our faith in political parties but in the deep wisdom of Jesus Christ and his spirit of love and concern for God and man. John has been married to his wife Christine for 34 years now and has four children and one grandchild. He is the pastor of Sydney Community Church based in Concord, NSW. |
Warwick & Alison Marsh |
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