I’ve spent lots of time (and poured lots of words here) trying to figure out why so many public Christian voices resort to making the case for Christian morality by appealing to nature, rather than the Gospel of Jesus. Whether these voices are trying to shape secular legislation according to the Christian view, to persuade, […]
Search Results: “christian lobby”
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The Persecution Complex: Everyone has a ‘religious’ agenda, even the secularists
There is always an agenda. Every person has one. Every group. Every ideology. Mostly every person. But sometimes we can cobble together around an object of common love and push a shared agenda. Usually in doing that there’s a bunch of compromise. So Catholics Anglicans, and even Muslims can come together for certain moral causes […]
When Henny Penny meets 1984’s Winston: The sexular age and seeing the world as it really is
The sky is falling. We must tell the king — Henny Penny & Chicken Little I feel a little like I’m a chicken, just kicking back in the coop, chewing some corn or something, and watching Henny Penny running around yelling that if I don’t get off my perch and spit out my corn the sky will […]
On Gayby Baby, sex education, the new normal, and the better normal
An education system is a powerful thing. I’ve perhaps not thought so hard about that power because I spent most of my time in institutions trying to avoid becoming institutionalised. Such is the contrarian streak that runs through just about every fibre of my being. Australian schools are pretty contested fronts in a bunch of ideology […]
Why I won’t “divorce” my wife if the state recognises gay marriage
Yesterday Nick Jensen became an internet sensation when he promised that he and his wife would divorce if the Australian government redefined marriage. In sum, I think this is a dumb idea. In slightly longer sum, I think this is a dumb idea because I think the government recognises marriages according to a definition, rather than […]
10 Reasons Born This Way is not the book the Church needs on homosexuality
“This particular challenge is unique because at the heart of it is a universal lie, that is that all people who experience same sex attraction were born that way. And so, scientists, politicians, lobby groups, right down to the person who you sit next to on the bus who says oh, I’m same sex attracted […]
The cost of a life: Foreign aid, generosity, the Gospel, and our shared humanity
I’d hate people to think that my condemnation of KRudd’s approach to the Bible (part 1, part 2) is an endorsement of Tony Abbott – either politically or theologically. And I suspect that any silence on yesterday’s foreign aid cuts announcement from the Liberal Party could lead to that sort of conclusion. My guiding principle […]
On Gay Marriage, Kevin Rudd, the ACL, and “taking up your cross.”
It feels like a long time since I’ve written about gay marriage. It feels like a long time since I’ve written about Kevin Rudd. It feels like a long time since I’ve written about the ACL. It feels like a long time since I’ve written about anything much. But here goes… The “Current” Background The […]
2012 in review
It’s been a big year for our family this year, a big year for me, and a big year for this little corner of the internet. Think of this post as part Christmas Letter (where I brag about how wonderful my wife and daughter are, and you cringe), and part reflection on another year blogging). […]
A useful reminder for how not to respond to tragedy and sin
Dear Christian with a microphone, I know. It’s tempting. Very tempting. Everybody is looking for someone who has something to say. An expert. And it’s tempting to get on your soapbox when bad stuff happens and talk about how it’s judgment for sin, not an example of the cost of sin. But the two are […]
Things that kill: smoking, sin, being boring
I once bagged vaguely funny (or not funny at all) church signs for very rarely being “on message” or at all related to what goes on if the people the signs are for (passers by) choose to come through the doors of a church building. I was, perhaps, too dismissive, and my discussion with a […]
Peter Jensen on #qanda
Wow. Just wow. Look, Peter Jensen said tonight on Q&A that he supports the ACL – I’m going to write to him and ask him to support them with some PR advice. Just wow. While every word he spoke was seized on and ridiculed by Catherine Deveny, Peter Jensen winsomely, faithfully, and articulately, presented the […]
Why I think it’s ok to criticise the ACL in public
This is probably the most important post in my recent series of ACL related posts – it’s the one objection that keeps cropping up when these posts start doing the rounds on Facebook – and I think it’s reasonably important ground to cover. It’s probably the longest post I’ve ever written. It’s over 5,000 words […]
More like this: Wendy Francis meets SameSame
I have two more ACL posts to write. Including this one. And then I’m done on this round, and we’ll return to normal programming. A big part of the problem with how the ACL does business is that they go in to situations with a hostile posture and things go down hill – situations like […]
Dear ACL, saying “we were misquoted” only makes things worse…
The ACL doesn’t seem to get it. When you say the wrong thing you apologise. You don’t blame people for taking offense. You don’t hide behind being “misquoted” or “misrepresented” – you avoid saying unhelpful and offensive stuff that isn’t the gospel. Our job as Christians in public isn’t to be offensive – it’s to let the […]