Revealing God's character and purpose: An Interview with Rev. (Dr.) Andrew Sloane

Rev. (Dr.) Andrew Sloane is a Lecturer of Old Testament and Christian Thought at Baptist Theological College in Sydney, Australia. He was a doctor by profession before entering the Baptist ministry. Ordained in 1991, he has served in Baptist churches in Ranwick, Leura and Newcastle. From 1996–2002 he was on the faculty of Ridley College in Melbourne, first as a Lecturer in Old Testament and Christian Thought, then as Lecturer and Warden of Ridley University College.

Rev. Sloane, who is also a Fellow in the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology, was invited recently by Micah Challenge India to speak on the theme, "Effective Engagement of the Church in Poverty Eradication" in the context of the role of the church in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Speaking on the challenges and opportunities churches are facing in running towards the MDGs, he said, "We, as God's representatives should bring this righteousness and justice to God's people. We are here to fulfill God's promise. Through us, God's character should be revealed, God's purpose should be fulfilled and God's will be done."

"Our mission is the mission of God," he said. "With privilege and power comes responsibility and churches have the responsibility to form communities of justice, communities that reflect God's character, His merciful and loving nature. We have an extraordinary opportunity to take part in this global movement of justice."

Speaking about India, he said, "Christian leaders should be instrumental in bringing about a global movement to cancel the debts of the world's poorest nations. Churches should become leaders in this call for justice, this call for end of poverty. Churches in India have the opportunity to become leaders in this major social movement, a movement which reflects God's character and God's purposes. It is up to us to make the most of this challenge."

Following the speech, Rev. Sloane shared with Christian Today, his thoughts on the role of God in the lives of the downtrodden, the growing concerns of spiritual poverty, the relevance of Christian beliefs in an age of science and technology and the Intelligent Design debate.

Q. Should churches focus more on eradication of physical poverty or spiritual poverty?

A. Eradication of spiritual poverty is one of the things we have to focus on towards achieving MDGs. It is the true root of poverty and injustice. When we recognize it, we also know how to solve it. Whenever there is injustice, people get disconnected from God. So one of the things a church should concern about is eradication of spiritual poverty. Engaging in evangelism is a very important thing to do. But also we need to recognize it that if we are calling people in evangelism, if we are calling people to come and follow Jesus, following Jesus means walking in his steps and making our concerns His concerns. So the two go together.

Q. What is the relevance of God in the life of the poor or people in the bottom rung of India's rigid caste system?

A. I can't speak from personal experience because my background is a privileged one and so I do not know what it is like to feel like someone who has suffered socially or economically. But I think if we represent God truly even to those who are desperately poor or have suffered socially in many ways I can't even imagine, they can come to recognize the Living God, recognize God's concerns for them, God's love for them...they can understand that this God suffered for them.

I think one of the things they will see in Jesus is God embracing the suffering of humanity and how He has overcome it through His death. The Cross and Resurrection demonstrates the victory of God over all the forces of evil...it reveals His love for us and the eternal life for those who believes in Him. So all the things I can't imagine, things I really can't get inside of...God and Jesus has already done it. He knows what it is like to be a victim of injustice. The crucifixion shows it, He knows what it is like to suffer horribly, he knows what it is like to be homeless and ostracized. People who have suffered like that almost have an opportunity to have fellowship with God as they share with Jesus's sufferings.

Q. What is the relevance of Divine Nature or God in an age of science and technology?

A. I feel that understanding God properly is central to understanding the world. You see one of the things that science does is seek patterns in the world, and from the perspective of Christianity, Christians recognize that the world is created by God and that God is a God of order. He has made a whole world a very orderly place rather than a chaotic one. In other words, the order that science is seeking is the order that God has already established. One of the interesting things is that there are many scientists who are Christians by faith. In fact, there is a higher percentage of Christians among scientists than in the general population. Many scientists say that their exploration of the world actually helps them strengthen their faith in God. When they see the beauty of the world, they cannot help but conclude that there is God and He is very much alive.

Q. What are your views on Intelligent Design?

A. I believe in Intelligent Design. I believe that this world, however it came to be, is the result of God's design. God is intelligent and He has designed this world. I believe that the world reflects God's intelligent design. But Intelligent Design, as the world knows it, is a scientific theory seeking to say that there are some things or patterns that cannot be explained in any other way except that God has intervened to create all that we know or see. But I do not find this explanation very persuasive as in the end, it seems to be suggesting that there is an alternative. It is suggesting that there is either a natural explanation of things or that God must have done it. But why would we think like that? If God is the sovereign Creator and sovereign sustainer of all things, then God is governing all things and is in complete control of what has happened or happens. So you see, the theory creates some sort of unnecessary divide. And, it kind of locks God out of some things. If you say that in order to be Creator, God has to do something special here, it is almost implying that God is really not doing anything else very much at all as there is no time. So this whole thing (theory) falls apart.

Q. Did you ever come across a situation where you found your basic Christian beliefs were in contradiction to modern science and technological development?

A. Sometimes, initially, yes. But on further retrospection, no. Sometimes we think that the scientific teachings of the origin of universe or the origin of life contradict our Biblical faith. But actually it is not so. If we read the Book of Genesis, it does not tell us when God made things or how God made things. In fact, I think the book of Job tells us that even if God told us those things we would never ever understand them. Because it is something that is so beyond us. And, it is something that I am not primarily concerned about. If science says that the world is more than a billion years old, well, it just shows that God is at work for a very long time. It shows that God uses extremely interesting processes to achieve His purposes. And he works through them.

Q. Can Christian doctrines be used as a strong foundation or base for one's understanding and acceptance of modern science and technology?

A. Sure. But critically there are some things which science cannot explain, where science goes wrong. For instance, there are some scientists who research on the human brain and they say that there is no such thing as true human freedom, that we are just machines. But I don't think that is true as the Bible tells us that God has given us freedom and responsibility. So though Christian doctrines can affirm everything in modern science, yet, what it actually gives us is a firm foundation to enable us to critically think about science, to recognize that much of it fits beautifully with the Christian faith.