Christians

Imagine if a dumb trend like planking collided with something much more dangerous than a balcony railing, like say religious fanaticism, and an entire nation caught the bug.

Welcome to contemporary America, where the fad of “Tebowing” is both sweeping and dividing the nation. Tee-what? Tebowing, named after hyper-religious Denver Broncos quarterback, Tim Tebow, is the act of taking a knee in prayer, usually while you’re actually doing something else. Like playing footy.

Tebow has been doing it for months in Broncos games, although he won’t be doing it any more this season, or not onfield anyway, after his team was thumped by the New England Patriots on the weekend. Apparently God prefers a patriot to a believer.

Continue reading "A football field is no place for nutty religious fanaticism" »

Clad in his spectacular Bishop’s regalia, Greek Orthodox Bishop Ezekiel throws a cross in the water at the annual “Thefeonia” at Station Pier. This Greek “Festival of the Waters” is held at Port Melbourne in early January every year, where I’ve represented Federal Labor to the sometimes 5 to 6 thousand members of the Greek Australian community. 

Usually I’m there with an array of local State and Federal Greek Australian politicians, but, in my own mind, my presence is emblematic of the natural tolerance and pluralism of modern Australia.  All the politicians release doves and make brief speeches. 

At the “Thefeonia” this year it seemed appropriate that I briefly expressed the nation’s solidarity with another ancient Christian community, Australia’s Copts, who are approximately 80,000 strong across Australia four of whose churches, in Australia were amongst the sixty four listed worldwide as targets by an Al Qaeda website.

Continue reading "Christians under attack in the Middle East and Australia" »

So bumpy grindy dry-rooting on a dance floor is now acceptable fodder for openly Christian artists’ video clips. Fine. Not for me to moralise. That was done here in this piece and most of you said “Pffft. Who cares?”

What I’m wondering is where the outcry is from the huge flock of Guy Sebastian fans who wear their Christianity on their sleeves.

Look at the photo above. It’s G-Seb schmoozing in Sydney the other week with American rapper/singer Eve, a woman not known for her modesty, who has previously collaborated with the likes of Gwen Stefani.

Continue reading "Can Guy Sebastian have it both ways?" »

Go on , be a good Christian, sign the petition to stop parental choice about ethics classes for kids in public schools.

That’s the message of Christian and Catholic lobbyists in NSW at the moment (I separate the two because I wouldn’t want to offend all those evangelical Christians in Sydney who don’t believe Catholics are real Christians).

Just last Sunday a family member asked what the story was about ethics in schools because an announcement had been made in the morning service about signing the petition.

Continue reading "Churches need an ethics lesson of their own" »