Merry Christmas in July from Michael Bublé
LISSA @ PARADOX CAFE
I’m very excited to announce that Lissa will be performing at our next PARADOX CAFE! Paradox has been going great guns, here’s the pics from the last one. Go check out our PARADOX site for more details; Lissa’s site and the video below from balcony tv.
TIM FITZ @ The Smallest Gig
Gay Marriage?
Debates are currently raging in Australia about same sex marriage. There are Christians who say really dumb stuff in opposition to the proposed changes to The Marriage Act. The pro same-sex marriage lobby also say some pretty dumb stuff. I have a ‘don’t be a Christian jerk‘ policy in life and online. But if I’ve personally offended you, I’m genuinely sorry if and when my tone and manner has been offensive.
Earlier this week I posted the Australian Christian Lobby animation, I don’t think it says much, and I think that it overemphasises procreation as central to marriage. Typically, I don’t think that ACL are the best political voice for Christians. In the embedded video above (click here if you can’t see it) John Dickson and Simon Smart from Centre for Public Christianity offer a great approach for Christians to engage lovingly on this issue. Watch it. Let me know what you think.
I haven’t yet watched it, but I understand that John Dickson was featured in a good interview on ONE PLUS ONE last Friday. Check it. EDIT: I’ve now watched it. It’s very good. Watch from 10:50 for about 10 minutes. I love the model of Christian discourse with the wider community encouraged by JD.
Here is some more Christian content from the last 18 months worth considering:
- Time for some nuance between the gay and the god-fearing – John Dickson
- The modern marriage ideology – Andrew Cameron
- Stylish same-sex campaign glosses over real issues – Peter Jensen
- An apology from a Pastor to the gay community – Hans Kristensen
- 9 things that Inform the way Christians Interact with the Gay Community – Hans Kristensen
- Homosexuality – Hot Topics 2012 Part 1 – Andrew Heard
- Same-Sex Marriage – Hot Topics Part 2 – Andrew Heard
NEW LINKS 3 JULY 2012:
- A Key Motivator for Christians in the “Gay Marriage” Debate – David Ould
- What sort of marriages do homosexual people want? – Eternity Newspaper
I believe that Christians ought to have a voice in this debate to commend a Biblical view on marriage. But ultimately, there is no expectation in the Bible that Christians can legislate how the rest of the world should live.
The most important thing that Christians can do is point people to Jesus. ALL people need to hear the wonderful news of Jesus. Jesus loves you, he died for your sin, he rose again to guarantee eternal life to all who trust in him. Check out these relevant posts for more info about Jesus: The King who Saves; The King Who Rules; Faith 101; The G.O.S.P.E.L.; No More Fear in Death; Responding to the Evidence.
The Marriage Act
SNIPPETY // Same-Sex Marriage + Free Music Ethics + Nalbandian + Fairfax
There isn’t enough time to write all the draft blog posts that circulate through my head. Solution? SNIPPETY. SNIPPETY is an irregular mishmash blog post of news, views and other snippets. Feel free to interact with the mash in the comments.
Stylish same-sex campaign glosses over real issues // Our Archbishop Peter Jensen had a great article in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday. Read it here. Also you can read a letter that he sent out to all the Anglican Churches in Sydney during the past week. Snippet from the letter “It will help however if in the near future Christians who wish to stand for marriage, as instituted by God, would thoughtfully and courteously let their views be known to their Federal parliamentary representatives. We should speak up for the sake of love.”
Do you enjoy free music on SPOTIFY/GROOVESHARK? // I haven’t actually read this letter yet, but some musician friends have been sharing it. I’m bookmarking it for later reading as I’m interested in thinking through the ethics of subscription music services and their impact on artists. Read it. After I read it, I might leave a comment below.
David Nalbandian is a knuckle head // Did you see him kick line judge in the Queen’s Club tennis final? Watch it here. Read about it here. If Danny Vukovic got a 1 year ban for this hi 5 with the ref in 2008, then Nalbadian ought to get at least 5 years if not life.
Fairfax to shed 1900 staff, erect paywalls // Big changes at Fairfax announced yesterday. Read about it here. Over the last 10 years old media sources have struggled to grapple with new media. These changes from Fairfax are essential! Seth Godin has been talking about the need for old media to get with the program or die on his blog for a long time.