Geoffrey Burn

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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