Liberating the Will of Australia: Towards the Flourishing of the Land and All Its Peoples
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Why do many First People in Australia find themselves continually under siege? Why do many interventions fail to produce what was hoped for? Why is it that, when there have been many positive developments, at some deep level, nothing seems to have changed? Will the “Uluru Statement from the Heart” ensure the future security of the First Peoples in Australia? By developing strands from Christian theology, Liberating the Will of Australia answers these questions in a way that gets to the heart of the problem. It is shown that the way that the First Peoples were treated by the first European in-comers became an indelible part of what Australia currently is. This explains why harm is often done even when good is intended, and why some problems are too complex to solve. But that does not mean that we need to be stuck in the past: through deep repentance by the “Subsequent Peoples,” much more than an apology, we can take hold of the work of God to bring new things out of what is broken. Ultimately, this is profoundly hopeful. Although focusing on Australia, the theological tools developed can be applied in other colonial and post-colonial contexts.
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“This powerful, lucid, and searching book makes for
uncomfortable reading. Geoffrey Burn engages deeply both with the
Bible and Christian theology and with the legal and political
history of Australia. The costly and life-giving reality of God is
seen afresh.”
—Walter R. W. Moberly, Durham University
“Geoffrey Burn has produced a thoroughly researched and compelling
account of the causes of the problems facing the First Peoples in
Australia, but more importantly offers a solution through
repentance and forgiveness. Anyone who has any concern for First
Peoples should read this book and take note of its
conclusions.”
—William W. Hood, Moore Theological College, Sydney,
Australia
- Title: Liberating the Will of Australia: Towards the Flourishing of the Land and All Its Peoples
- Author: Geoffrey Burn
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2020
- Logos Release Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
- ISBNs: 9781725263840, 9781725263826, 9781725263833, 172526384X, 1725263823, 1725263831
- Resource ID: LLS:9781725263840
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-10-16T06:44:08Z
Geoffrey Burn is the managing and Anglican chaplain in a prison
in England. Born and raised in the Sydney region, his time in
England has enabled him to see his home, Australia, in a new way.
He is the author of various scientific and theological articles and
books.