Dave Andrews
Encyclopedia
Dave Andrews is an Australian Christian anarchist author
, speaker, social activist, community developer, and a key figure in the Waiter's Union, an inner city Christian community network working with Indigenous Australians
, refugees and people with disabilities in Australia. Andrews is also a trainer for the Vision For Mission of the Uniting Church of Australia; an educator at large for TEAR Australia
, a Christian international aid and development agency; a teacher for the Bible College of Queensland, the Brisbane College of Theology
, and the Australian College of Ministries
. He is the author of five non-fiction books including Christi-Anarchy, which describes in detail his excommunication from worldwide Christian mission organisation, Youth With A Mission
and calls for a total deconstruction and reconstruction of what it is to follow Jesus. He has been described as a "prophet
" by both Mike Riddell
and Rowland Croucher
. Andrews is married to wife Ange and the father of two.
, Andrews grew up the son of a Baptist
pastor
in the West End
of Brisbane
. After spending time in Afghanistan
, he went to India
with his wife Ange and stayed from 1972 until 1984. Andrews was excommunicated
from Youth With A Mission
by their International Council. The reasoning, according to Andrews, was that "I was a rebel and, as an unrepentant rebel, would be summarily excommunicated," and that "it 'was what the Lord told' them to do." Andrews described the aftermath as devastating: "I became suicidal because all the significant people I turned to denounced me, no one else would speak to me, and the people who had promised to protect me ended up having psychological breakdowns
. One guy was taken away to an asylum
."
called Aashiana out of which grew Sahara, Sharan and Sahasee–three well-known Christian community organisations working with slum dwellers, sex workers, drug addicts, and people with HIV
/AIDS
. Present in that country at the time of the assassination of Indira Gandhi
in 1984, Andrews helped protect Sikhs from the backlash that ensued through non-violent intervention. David Engwicht claims that Andrews and a friend "put themselves between an armed mob and a Sikh family and saved them from certain death." Andrews and his wife were forced to leave that year.
who serve the homeless and the needy
in the streets of West End
. The Waiter's Union throws a Community Meal every fortnight to which those in halfway house
s are invited, and members homes have different assistance objectives and are open to people in need. It is a structureless organisation relying on mutual, rather than hierarchical, accountability
.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, speaker, social activist, community developer, and a key figure in the Waiter's Union, an inner city Christian community network working with Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
, refugees and people with disabilities in Australia. Andrews is also a trainer for the Vision For Mission of the Uniting Church of Australia; an educator at large for TEAR Australia
Tearfund
Tearfund is a UK Christian relief and development agency which works in over 50 countries. It is a founding member of both the Micah Network and the Disasters Emergency Committee.-History:...
, a Christian international aid and development agency; a teacher for the Bible College of Queensland, the Brisbane College of Theology
Brisbane College of Theology
Brisbane College of Theology, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, was an ecumenical theological education consortium, comprising St Francis' Theological College , St Paul's Theological College and Trinity Theological College . It was based at Raymont Lodge in Auchenflower and offered both...
, and the Australian College of Ministries
Australian College of Ministries
Australian College of Ministries , is one of Australia’s largest Christian leadership and discipleship colleges, offering an extensive range of accredited vocational, undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications through flexible delivery modes.ACOM is recognized amongst its peers,...
. He is the author of five non-fiction books including Christi-Anarchy, which describes in detail his excommunication from worldwide Christian mission organisation, Youth With A Mission
Youth With A Mission
Youth With A Mission is an international, inter-denominational, non-profit Christian missionary organization...
and calls for a total deconstruction and reconstruction of what it is to follow Jesus. He has been described as a "prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
" by both Mike Riddell
Mike Riddell
Michael Riddell is a Dunedin, New Zealand-based writer.-Early life:Riddell was born in Porirua East , and began schooling at Porirua East Primary School. He was the youngest of a family of four, with two sisters and a brother...
and Rowland Croucher
Rowland Croucher
Rowland Croucher is an Australian pastor, counsellor and author.Brought up in the Open Brethren in Sydney, following a five-year career as a high-school teacher, Croucher began training in 1964 for the Baptist ministry in New South Wales...
. Andrews is married to wife Ange and the father of two.
From West End to India
Born in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Andrews grew up the son of a Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
in the West End
West End, Queensland
West End is an inner-city suburb of southern Brisbane.-History:West End was named by early English settlers who found the area reminiscent of the West End of London....
of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. After spending time in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, he went to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
with his wife Ange and stayed from 1972 until 1984. Andrews was excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
from Youth With A Mission
Youth With A Mission
Youth With A Mission is an international, inter-denominational, non-profit Christian missionary organization...
by their International Council. The reasoning, according to Andrews, was that "I was a rebel and, as an unrepentant rebel, would be summarily excommunicated," and that "it 'was what the Lord told' them to do." Andrews described the aftermath as devastating: "I became suicidal because all the significant people I turned to denounced me, no one else would speak to me, and the people who had promised to protect me ended up having psychological breakdowns
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
. One guy was taken away to an asylum
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
."
After excommunication
Andrews has stated that he and his wife committed themselves to a creative, constructive course of action and experienced "a profound level of healing" over the next five to ten years. In 1975, Dave and Ange and their friends started a residential community in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
called Aashiana out of which grew Sahara, Sharan and Sahasee–three well-known Christian community organisations working with slum dwellers, sex workers, drug addicts, and people with HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. Present in that country at the time of the assassination of Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
in 1984, Andrews helped protect Sikhs from the backlash that ensued through non-violent intervention. David Engwicht claims that Andrews and a friend "put themselves between an armed mob and a Sikh family and saved them from certain death." Andrews and his wife were forced to leave that year.
The Waiter's Union
Dave and Ange returned to Australia with their daughters Evonne and Navi, they were employed by Queensland Baptist Care. Dave and Ange founded The Waiters' Union as a non-formal network of spiritually minded activistsActivism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
who serve the homeless and the needy
Needy
Needy may refer to:* Poverty* Codependent, a tendency to behave in overly passive or excessively caretaking ways that negatively impact one's relationships and quality of life...
in the streets of West End
West End, Queensland
West End is an inner-city suburb of southern Brisbane.-History:West End was named by early English settlers who found the area reminiscent of the West End of London....
. The Waiter's Union throws a Community Meal every fortnight to which those in halfway house
Halfway house
The purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...
s are invited, and members homes have different assistance objectives and are open to people in need. It is a structureless organisation relying on mutual, rather than hierarchical, accountability
Accountability
Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is often used synonymously with such concepts as responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving...
.
Published works
- Can You Hear the Heartbeat? with David Engwicht. Manila: OMF Literature, 1989.
- Building a Better World. Sutherland: Albatross BooksAlbatross BooksAlbatross Books was a German publishing house based in Hamburg that produced the first modern mass market paperback books.Albatross was founded in 1932 by John Holroyd-Reece, Max Wegner and Kurt Enoch. The name was chosen because "Albatross' is the same word in many European languages...
, 1996. - Christi-Anarchy. Discovering a Radical Spirituality of Compassion. Oxford: Lion Publishing, 1999.
- Not Religion, But Love – Practising a Radical Spirituality of Compassion. Oxford: Lion Publishing, 2001.
- Plan Be. Authentic, 2008
Reviews
- "Christi-anarchy: A truly offensive book" by Mark Young, the Social Responsibility Advocate for the Uniting Church (Queensland Synod)