(Reviewed
by Bob Faser)
This
is a book that we’ve needed for some time in Tasmania.
Tim
Matton-Johnson is a Uniting Church minister of Tasmanian Aboriginal
descent. Over the years, he has served
both as a minister to congregations and as an ecumenical staffer, as well as
working in secular employment. He is presently
minister of the Uniting Church’s Bridgewater-Gagebrook Parish Mission in
southern Tasmania.
In
the course of his ministry, Tim has sought to relate his Christian faith and
his Aboriginal heritage to each other, as well as to relate both to his active
concern for the environment and to a post-Enlightenment, scientific worldview. This book is the result of this on-going
reflection.
The
fact that the Aboriginal stories of the “Creation Beings” to which Tim refers
are specifically Tasmanian stories gives particular value to this book for
those of us who are involved in ministry in a Tasmanian context.
I’d
strongly recommend this book to anyone (indigenous or otherwise) who seeks to
build bridges between the Christian faith and Aboriginal people, particularly
in Tasmania. I’d also recommend this
book to anyone who seeks to relate the Christian faith to the Tasmanian
cultural context.
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Constructive comments, from a diversity of viewpoints, are always welcome. I reserve the right to choose which comments will be printed. I'm happy to post opinions differing from mine. Courtesy, an ecumenical attitude, and a willingness to give your name always help. A sense of humour is a definite "plus", as well.