Hotel hosting Christians targeted by ‘Safe Schools’ supporters

“A Melbourne hotel has been caught in the crossfire of debate about the contentious Safe Schools program.

Arrow on Swanston, in Carlton, had agreed to host an Australian Christian Lobby event last night with speakers discussing Safe Schools and gender reassignment.

Before the event, the hotel received harassing phone calls and online threats that called the ACL a hate group and condemned the business for associating with them. …”

– Report from The Australian.

Background: What is Safe Schools? – The Australian Christian Lobby.

Proposed Abortion Law changes in NSW

Update:

We understand that the proposed bills are likely to be debated this week – on Thursday 11th May.

Important news:

“Two NSW Private Member’s Bills relating to abortion may be debated in the NSW Parliament in the next month.

One in particular will completely remove any legal regulation of abortions in the State. It will also have serious consequences for religious freedom and free speech. …

This Bill was introduced into Parliament on 11 August, 2016, by Dr Mehreen Faruqi, Greens MLC. If enacted it would make sweeping changes to the law of abortion in NSW. It would allow the killing of an unborn child at any stage prior to birth.

It would impose a serious burden on the religious freedom of medical practitioners who have a conscientious objection to abortion. It would also seriously impede rights of religious freedom and free speech of those who would wish to protest against abortion near abortion clinics…”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster, Associate Professor in Law at Newcastle, discusses proposed abortion law changes in NSW which, if passed into law, would have far-reaching consequences. (Emphasis added.)

Related:

The Australian Christian Lobby describes the first bill as “The Worst Abortion Laws… Ever.” and is one of the groups organising petitions to the President and Members of the Legislative Council.

If you wish to sign their petition, please note the important information to ensure it is acceptable.

Christians under siege, religious freedom inquiry hears

“A Melbourne IT specialist engaged to work on the Safe Schools program was sacked after privately expressing concerns about the contentious initiative during a staff meeting, with his employer later accusing him of ‘creating an unsafe work environment’. …

His predicament is just one of several cases of discrimination ­alleged by Christians or opponents of same-sex marriage that have come to light as part of the inquiry, which, in the wake of the Coopers Brewery fiasco, has heightened concerns about free speech and a growing intolerance towards traditional views.”

– Report from today’s The Australian.

Marriage booklets out

“More than 65,000 booklets discussing God’s plan for marriage in light of the current push for its redefinition are being distributed to Sydney churches.

The 20-page booklet opens up the question (which is also its title), What has God joined together? Jesus’ good message about marriage for Australia. The publication outlines the biblical view on marriage and answers some common challenges to that view in the context of the same-sex marriage debate.…”

– Story from SydneyAnglicans.net.

See above for Archbishop Davies’ video introduction to the companion website.

Michael Kellahan to be Reader in Religious Freedom at Moore College

“The Principal has announced the appointment of the Rev Michael Kellahan as Moore College Reader in Religious Freedom. This new position will see the College working with Mr Kellahan to address one of the most pressing challenges of the moment in Australia and many other parts of the world. …

Michael has resigned as Senior Minister of Roseville East to take up a full-time role as Executive Director of Freedom for Faith, a legal think tank that exists to see religious freedom protected and promoted in Australia and beyond. …”

– Read the full announcement from Moore College.

‘Win for parents as Safe Schools is scrapped in NSW’

Here’s a media release from the Australian Christian Lobby –

Parents will no longer need to be worried that their child is being taught radical gender theory after the NSW Government announced the scrapping of the controversial Safe Schools program.

This is a positive step for NSW and the government is to be congratulated, says Australian Christian Lobby.  Read more

The Rainbow Ringwraiths

“Totalitarians and fascists have always sought to demonise their opponents, in part by marking them out from the ‘normal’ majority. They are clearly identified one way or another as recalcitrants, and treated accordingly. Simply consider how Jews fared as the Nazi regime occupied various European countries: being forced to wear a yellow badge in the form of a Star of David.

Millions of our young men gave their lives to fight these totalist regimes and to preserve our cherished freedoms. But a new totalitarianism is descending upon the West, and it comes in the form of the militant and totalitarian rainbow activists. …”

– Bill Muehlenberg at CultureWatch has more on the ‘voluntary’ wearing of rings to promote same-sex marriage.

‘A ring to bind them to their master’s will’

“Bosses at big companies like Qantas and Google have ‘suggested’ their employees wear black rings with a gap to show they support same-sex marriage. Or show that they have a future at their company, perhaps, because it’s not quite clear how this push for ‘tolerance’ quite works now. …”

– Andrew Bolt reports on a concerning move — Herald Sun.

More:

Firms ring in campaign for marriage equality — The Australian.

“Qantas staff and cabin crew would wear them, he said, while Google Australia has also provided rings for its 1300 staff to wear. ‘Our goal is to build ­momentum around the issue of marriage equality and spark those conversations about ­acceptance,’ Mr McDonagh said.

The move is likely to fire up the debate about the role of corporations as lobbyists for contentious social causes, which has attracted criticism from some conservative politicians and religious leaders in light of the recent public hounding of brewer Coopers into pledging support for Australian Marriage Equality.”

Airbnb calls for marriage equality — AdNews.

“Launched with support from some of Australia’s biggest brands including Qantas, Google, ANZ bank and eBay, and in collaboration with The Equality Campaign, ‘Until We All Belong’ marks the most public corporate declaration for marriage equality in Australia to date.”

Image: AdNews.

Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies slams same-sex marriage activists

“The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney­ has branded radical same-sex marriage campaigners as a ‘barge of bullies’ who are swamping the public debate with an ‘intro­spective, authoritarian den­ial of free speech’.

Writing in The Australian today, Glenn Davies says the corporate world in Australia has been ‘press-ganged’ into supporting marriage equality and backing div­ersity by gay activists. ‘What kind of diversity is so monochrome that it does not allow differing­ expressions of opinion in the debate?’ he says. ‘This narrow-minded, freedom-restricting carping is what the same-sex marriage­ campaign has come to.’…”

– Story from The Australian.

Here is an excerpt from Archbishop Davies’ piece –

“There is only one upside from the recent attacks and unprecedented abuse directed at an academic and the directors of Christian organisations: people are beginning to wake up and take notice. They are starting to understand that the campaign for same-sex marriage is not sailing on a raft of rainbows but on a barge of bullies.

Last week there was the IBM executive whose position was questioned because he was a ­director of the Lachlan Macquarie Institute. He was the subject of attack in his previous employment as well.

Then there was the Christian academic who had not even entered the same-sex marriage debate, whose university was pres­sured over his employment which, it was claimed, conflicted with its membership in the so-called Pride in Diversity campaign. What kind of diversity is so monochrome that it does not allow differing expressions of opinion in the debate?

Not only has this minority view tried to swamp the public debate with its introspective, authoritarian denial of free speech, it has struck at the heart of Australian democracy and the freedoms that we all cherish. …”

– Read the full article – on page 14 of the print edition of today’s Australian – or in their digital edition (paywalled).

Calls for Macquarie University to distance themselves from Christian Academic

“In the latest case in a growing line of stories, Dr Steve Chavura, a Senior Research Associate at Macquarie University, has been the subject of calls for his dismissal from the university. …

It should be noted that Dr Chavura is not the first LMI board member to receive attention in recent days, indeed these stories a fast becoming common place around the country. For example: …”

– Murray Campbell looks at the latest ‘take no captives’ approach in the culture wars.

(Interestingly, Dr. Chavura’s “research interests include … philosophical issues relating to freedom of speech”.)

Christian leaders slam ‘appalling and unAustralian’ gay activists

“The nation’s most senior Christian leaders have described as ‘appalling’ and ‘unAustralian’ attacks from gay activists that have driven two Christian charities to request board secrecy.

And the Sydney Anglican Archbishop Glenn Davies has slammed the multinational corporates who surrender to those ­attacks as ‘weak-kneed’.”

– Story from The Australian. (paywalled). File photo of Abp Davies: Moore College.

Related: Another Christian persecuted by Gay Left – Herald Sun.

Encountering contemporary liberal theology – in its own words

“Conservative evangelicals are often accused of not ‘listening’ to other points of view. We’re told that we only engage with each other; we only read or listen to ‘approved’ versions of our faith; we caricature the arguments of revisionists without really hearing them.

So I was delighted to receive a press release from Modern Church, summarising the keynote address from the recent annual meeting of their Council, and giving a link to the substantial 12 page text of the talk itself, by Dr Lorraine Cavanagh, which can be found here. [Updated link]

‘Reclaiming the soul of Modern Church’ reads like a manifesto for mission for liberal Christians, and it’s worth reading with genuine enquiry, to ask whether this revisionist version of Christian faith offers a coherent and compelling vision that threatens orthodox biblical faith in any way. …”

– Andrew Symes at Anglican Mainstream provides a very interesting look at liberal theology’s rolling redefinition of Christianity.

Safety fears at Christian charities force board security

“Two Christian charities have been granted official permission to keep their board members’ names secret on the grounds of ‘public safety’, after abuse and threats from gay activists forced an IBM executive to sever his links with a Christian education group.

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission yesterday agreed to keep the boards of the Lachlan Macquarie Institute and the Australian Christian Lobby off the public record ­because publication ‘could ­endanger public safety’. …”

– from The Australian. File photo: Lyle Shelton, Australian Christian Lobby.

Abortion, Obscenity and Free Speech

“Sometimes a powerful visual image is what is needed to shock us into action. But can an image be so powerful and horrifying that it becomes “obscene” and hence unlawful to use in public?

That, it seems, is now the view being taken in Victoria of a particular type of image: pictures of unborn babies who have been killed. While the decision of a Victorian court, it may be followed elsewhere in Australia. …”

– At Law and Religion Australia, Neil Foster (Associate Professor in Law at Newcastle) discusses the decision in Victoria, and implications for free speech.

Image: Australian Christian Lobby.

Why Princeton’s snub of Tim Keller should outrage progressives

“If you’re a conservative evangelical Christian who feels called to ministry, you’re welcome to attend Princeton Theological Seminary. But you’re not worthy of honor there. That’s the message sent by PTS’ president, Craig Barnes, today. …

If Christians like Tim Keller are unworthy of honor and deserve to be marginalized, American Christianity is in serious trouble. …”

– Jonathan Merritt writes at Religion News Service.

Related: What Hath Amsterdam to do with Princeton? – Reformation21.

“In 1898 B.B. Warfield invited the Dutch Reformed theologian Abraham Kuyper to deliver six lectures at Princeton Seminary for the inaugural Stone Lectures. These lectures were eventually bound and printed as Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism. In these lectures, Kuyper discussed what he believed to be the manner by which a Calvinist and Reformed worldview ought to be applied to quite a number of spheres of life.

The inaugural Stone Lectures forever linked the theology of Dr. Kuyper with Princeton Seminary. This connection was further solidified in the creation of the Kuyper Prize, awarded by the Kuyper Center for Public Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.”

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