9 780648 344483 > ISBN 978-0-6483444-8-3 First Nations leaders and clergy from the Anglican Church generously offer theological insights and personal reflections that help readers to hear the ‘Voice’ of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of faith. Based on the Seven Days of Creation, and with stunningly beautiful paintings by the Reverend Aunty Robyn Davis, God’s Own Country is an essential, life-giving and challenging study. In our struggle to become an authentically Australian church, what better resource could we turn to than the insights of leaders who draw on vibrant Christian faith and a 65,000 year old understanding of God’s relationship with the land and people of the country we call Australia? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been speaking out for justice since the earliest days of colonisation. Their cries have echoed across generations: cries filled with sadness and pain and anger. It is easy to see why they think that no one is listening. In this powerful and sometimes confronting study, we are given the chance to listen to the voices of seven Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anglicans. But not just to listen, we are really invited to hear: to hear their stories, their sadness, their anger and their hope. The first step towards justice and reconciliation is to listen and to hear and this Study offers a place from which to begin. I commend it to you. The Most Reverend Jeremy Greaves, Archbishop of Brisbane When Moses encountered God before a bush that appeared to be burning, he was told to take off his sandals because the ground was holy (Exodus 3:12). Having done this, he listened and heard an uncomfortable challenge: to go and make a difference. In a similar way the writers of God’s Own Country offer holy ground upon which to listen and learn. I encourage all Anglicans to engage with the reflections and questions of God’s Own Country in the coming season of Lent. The Right Reverend Cam Venables, Bishop of the Western Region in the Anglican Church Southern Queensland
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