Here are eleven things that are interesting and more connected than you might think that have happened in the last few months. A radicalised white man from Australia, with European heritage, walked into a mosque in Christchurch during prayer time and shot 51 people dead (the death toll rose 6 days ago). The Prime Minister […]
Search Results: “christian lobby”
What’s wrong with the Australian Christian Lobby: Can “lobbying” even be Christian anyway?
A little while back somebody on Facebook suggested that I seemed to not like the Australian Christian Lobby but not say why. I thought that was odd, because I thought it was self evident. I don’t like the Australian Christian Lobby because by not talking about Jesus and talking about issues, they are presenting a […]
Jim Wallace from the Australian Christian Lobby gets it right in the Media (he talks about Jesus)
Ok, ok. I’ve bagged out the ACL in the last few months for being morally conservative rather than “Christian” in their dealings with the media, starting with the premise that a Christian presence in the media should involve mentioning how Jesus helps us to arrive at a particular position with response to social issues. I’ve […]
An open letter to the Australian Christian Lobby: Please don’t use tragedy for political gain
Dear Jim Wallace, I know. I’ve said some stuff in the past. Less than flattering stuff. About your place in the Australian political scene, and your place in the Australian Christian scene. I don’t doubt that your motives are wonderful, we’d both like to see more people know Jesus, and less sin means a better […]
How not to use billboards, and other things the Australian Christian Lobby should learn about the media
What a fortnight it has been for the outdoor advertising industry. Never has religion won them so much mainstream media coverage. Well. Not since the last atheist outdoor advertising campaign in the states. Here’s the thing. From an advertising perspective, campaign wise, billboards are a pretty rubbish way to do things. If you have a […]
The perils of small (and large) target Christianity
In the politics/PR world there’s a thing called the ‘small target strategy’; it’s a way to manage your brand and reputation by only putting out there what is absolutely essential for the broader public to know, and so minimise the things about you that might give offense. Now, there’s a certain sort of wisdom built […]
The alt-right brony Christian conspiracy theory
When you’re fighting a culture war it seems that your enemy’s enemies become your friends. Also when you’re fighting a culture war it seems any ammunition served up to further your cause should be fired without question. This makes for really strange bedfellows. My Little Pony is a cult TV cartoon phenomenon — based on the line […]
Hey ACL: If your “Christian Values” endorse One Nation, you’re doing it wrong
It’s election time in Australia, which means its time for various Christian pundits and thought leaders to put out their ‘how to vote’ guides, because, clearly, most of us can’t possibly work out how to participate in the democratic process without some sort of pre-packaged checklist highlighting where the parties stand on the issues we’re […]
A political theology (outlined): Or ‘why I’m not advocating Christians say nothing about politics’
Well. I’ve certainly learned my lesson. I will not be posting short posts very much anymore. They take far more time than long ones… I’ve also learned that when you leave things unsaid people will make all sorts of assumptions about what you are saying. So let me clear this up. Because this objection is […]
Census sensibility: 10 thoughts on the 2016 Australian census results and what they mean for Christians
Almost no Christian commentator involved in church ministry that I’ve read this week is particularly surprised by, or concerned about the findings of the 2016 census. Which might come as a surprise to those out there who’ve used the data as some sort of evidence for the decline of Australian religiousity, or to suggest that […]
Why (with all due respect) adopting the rules of the ‘secular’ political game and pretending Jesus doesn’t profoundly matter to us is a dumb idea for Christians and we should stop
“I can understand Christians in Australia being hesitant to [talk about the Bible in parliament] today because you’re probably likely to get laughed down, and it might not be seen as a legitimate source for political ideas. So, in a way, it’s a strategic rhetorical question. I think the category of natural law – where we […]