Keeping watch on Media Watch
I am not a dispassionate observer of the recent events regarding the Dean of Sydney's speech to the Reform Conference in the UK, and the subsequent reporting of it in the media both here in Sydney and in the UK. Phillip Jensen is a friend of mine. As a Christian, I owe him a great debt for his teaching and his leadership. For the last 17 years I have enjoyed working in an organisation that would not exist but for his vision and enterprise.
But David Marr is not a dispassionate observer either, and nor could anyone accuse him of pretending to be. His antagonism towards evangelical Christianity, and particularly its stand in relation to homosexuality, is public, well-known and stretches back many years [1]. Phillip Jensen has been his target before, as a clear and forthright representative of this brand of Christianity.
Perhaps this personal history and viewpoint clouds the judgement of both of us. Readers will, of course, need to judge this for themselves.
When I saw the ABC's Media Watch show last night (25/10/04), and David Marr's commentary on Phillip's remarks, my initial reaction was disappointment. However, when I re-read the explanation and apology that Phillip had given to the Sydney Synod, publicly available on the web, I admit I was angry.
Read more.