#SNIPPETY // Religion + Politics + Shellfish + Slavery + Same-Sex Marriage + Ice-Cream + Manure + Foreign Aid

Happy Australian Federal Election Day! I thought I’d share a few snippets of other posts I’ve been reading related to a number of political hot topics. Regardless of what happens later today; it is incredible to live in a country where it’s very, very, very unlikely that there will be any riots or other post election loss mayhem. Remember last Federal election resulting in a hung parliament? Remember the anarchy that broke out during the 10 (give or take) days that we didn’t have a government? Nup. Me neither. Whoever wins, I’ll be praying for “all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Timothy 2:2). Feel free to interact with the mash in the comments.

SNIPPETY dave miers dot com

>> Shellfish, slavery and same-sex marriage: How not to read the Bible
I have and linked to a number of articles and written my own brief response to Kevin Rudd’s appearance on Q&A earlier in the week. This article by the new Anglican Archbishop of Sydney – Glenn Davies – is excellent in how to read the bible in context.

>> Why the “Rudd as Theologian” Affair Is So Important. And so Dangerous.
David Ould has linked to a second video from Rudd on the Bible. Here is a quote from Ould’s post: “More importantly still we should note the increasing contempt with which he speaks about the Bible. This is not simply Rudd saying that certain sections of the Bible ought to be discarded, this is Rudd communicating in tone and manner (whether he likes it or not) that the Bible itself is ridiculous and that those who hold to a consistent view of the Bible are ridiculous.”

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SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS, KEVIN RUDD and HOW TO READ THE BIBLE

“Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made an impassioned defence of gay marriage on Q&A last night, after being asked how he could support same-sex unions as a Christian.” See the clip of Rudd in action on the ABC website.

DEE WHY BEACH

ABC News posted this on Facebook this morning:

Have you seen Kevin Rudd’s impassioned defence of gay marriage? It’s proving a hit on social media this morning. Do you agree with what the Prime Minister had to say?
#auspol #ausvotes #election #election2013 #marriageequality

Here is my response:

  1. Kevin is free to defend gay marriage.
  2. However his handling of the bible was weak.
  3. His lack of tolerance for the minister who asked him a question was ironic considering he has only shifted his opinion on this issue in recent months/years.
  4. Kevin said the point of the New Testament is love. He said it was our love for each other. The point of the bible is love… but first and foremost it’s about God’s love for us.
  5. Jesus loves all people. Christians are passionate for the world to understand that Jesus loves them.
  6. This includes heterosexuals, homosexuals, bisexual, polyamorous and any other word people use to describe themselves.
  7. No-one deserves Jesus’ love, because all people have failed to love God and love their neighbour as themselves.
  8. The best way to understand the love of Jesus is to look at the cross. At the cross Jesus – who is innocent of sin – willingly takes upon himself the penalty of sin. He then rose again proving that he had dealt with sin and guarantees life beyond the grave to all who believe.
  9. This is good news and is liberating for all who believe – both now and into eternity.
  10. On behalf of Christians who are sometimes filled with hate on this issue, I’m sorry.
  11. If you’re interested in learning more about Jesus… I recommend the biography written by Mark. It’s the shortest. As you read it, ask 3 questions a) Who is Jesus? b) Why did Jesus come? c) What does it means to follow Jesus? You can read it here: www.bible.com/bible/111/mrk.1.niv

There have been a bunch of people responding to my comments across the day. Let me know what you think!

Last year I put together a resource on with some Christian thoughts on same-sex marriage. You can see all those resources here: davemiers.com/gay-marriage

See below for some more responses to this issue from 3 friends…
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#SNIPPETY // How Christians should vote + Syria + Miley Cyrus + Mirror City Timelapse

There isn’t enough time to write all the draft blog posts that circulate through my head. Solution? SNIPPETYSNIPPETY is an irregular mishmash blog post of news, views and other snippets. Feel free to interact with the mash in the comments.

SNIPPETY dave miers dot com

Mixing Religion and Politics // Federal election in Australia this Saturday. How should Christians approach voting? See John Dickson’s article on how Christians should and shouldn’t approach voting.

Assessing Christian election guides // While thinking through how you should and shouldn’t vote, you may want to check out some of the Christian election guides. Sandy Grant has comprehensively assessed the relative merits of the 4 Christian issues voting guides. Find it on the briefing website.
Continue reading “#SNIPPETY // How Christians should vote + Syria + Miley Cyrus + Mirror City Timelapse”

THREE INSPIRING VIDEOS // POLITICS + SPORT + EDUCATION

Australia has a federal election in less than a week. The following speech from Looking for Alibrandi by the character Jacob Coote is a favourite. We have important political issues to debate in Australia, but these are put into perspective when compared to problems in countries like Syria and Egypt. Jacob’s speech starts at 1:04. It is M15+ with some coarse language.

Continue reading “THREE INSPIRING VIDEOS // POLITICS + SPORT + EDUCATION”

#SNIPPETY // Smart Phone Dependency + Calling to Ministry + Info Graphics + The Digital Puritan + Cruel Refugee Policy

There isn’t enough time to write all the draft blog posts that circulate through my head. Solution? SNIPPETYSNIPPETY is an irregular mishmash blog post of news, views and other snippets. Feel free to interact with the mash in the comments. It’s been a year since the last snippety post, but I’m keen to start doing them more regularly. Look out!

SNIPPETY dave miers dot com

I Forgot My Phone // This youtube video has been doing the rounds for the last couple of days. Guilty! Big challenge is to be with the people you’re with and get off your smart phone! Is this your experience?

Review: Do you feel called by God? Rethinking the call to ministry // Ben Pfahlert reviews Michael Bennett’s newish book on the call to ministry. Pfahlert – who incidentally has a very onomatopoeic last name – gives a good summary of the book and agrees with its conclusions. I haven’t read the book, but agree with the theology in his conclusion. I think using the calling terminology to ministry is unhelpful and doesn’t actually reflect the Bible’s use of ‘the call’. In the bible, ‘the call’ to all Christians is to 1) become a Christian and 2) grow in holiness. Check out the article if you’ve ever questioned whether you’ve been called into ministry – or a certain ministry – and if need be get hold of the book to perhaps correct your thinking.

Infogr.am // Ever wanted to make an attractive looking info graphic? Not sure how? Infogr.am could be the answer! I’m hoping to give it a go in the lead up to speaking at National Youth Ministry Convention later in the year.

The Digital Puritan // Last week at an Anglican ministers conference we heard Mark Dever speak on the life of Richard Sibbes. I discovered this excellent resource – The Digital Puritan – that has a wealth of material from that period. Lots is free, and other material is only a couple of bucks. Worth a browse for some encouragement by some old dead guys.

We wouldn’t treat animals the way we treat refugees // No-one is suggesting that there is a simple solution to deal appropriately with people seeking asylum in Australia. However at the moment – at least among my friends – there is a consensus that both sides of Australian politics could be more compassionate. This article from Julian Burnside in the Guardian suggests that both Labour and the Coalition are presenting cruel policies. What do you think?

Comments welcome.

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THE DISPATCH // NEW @MARSHILLMUSIC EP

The newest band out of Mars Hill ChurchTHE DISPATCH – have just launched their self-titled EP. I received a copy a week ago and have had it on repeat for the whole week! Mars Hill bands continue to produce solid new songs and contemporary arrangements of older songs. THE DISPATCH has two originals and two fresh arrangements.

THE DISPATCH

Here’s my brief run down of the tracks…

  • Track 1The Word straight up, all about Jesus. Lyrics from the prologue of John’s Gospel.
  • Track 2 – By His Grace – epic themes of being saved by God through grace, faith and Christ from the book of Ephesians.
  • Track 3 – The Solid Rock – Edward Mote’s My Hope is Built is a classic hymn and this is a good version. Good beat and much more singable than one that has been sung in Sydney for the last 20 years.
  • Track 4 – How Deep the Father’s Love – this modern day hymn from Getty & Townend is an amazing song that will be sung for many years to come! So it’s worth having new arrangements. This is probably my favourite version of the song and also my favourite track on the EP. It is very folky, driven by quality picking on the acoustic guitar. The female voice and the slightly faster tempo make it a beautiful rendition.

We do lots of Mars Hill arrangements in our church and youth community. I can see all of these songs getting a run in the future. Highly recommend.

Go download the EP now. It’s only $4!!

See the band bio below…

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