An online survey of issues, events and ideas
Ian Carmichael / 22nd July 2004
The traditional definition of marriage and family has been under pressure for some time now. Nine E.U. countries already have laws which recognise ‘same sex’ marriages. In Spain, a strongly Roman Catholic country, the Government is currently promoting change to the law in the face of allegedly strong (nearly 70%) support from the public (Reuters report).
In the USA, legislative change seems likely to become a major election issue (Reuters report).
In Australia, the Prime Minister has been criticized for stating his view that the definition of marriage should be kept to being between a man and a woman, “hopefully” for life. Again, the matter may become an election issue.
A new book by Kirsten Birkett, to be published shortly by Matthias Media, addresses these current issues head on, and will be a big help to Christians trying to assess what the Christian view should be. The Essence of Family looks at how the Bible defines ‘family’ and ‘marriage’, explains how the family historically has been defined in society, and assesses the challenges being thrown down by reproductive technology, feminism, and changing attitudes to human sexuality.
Sign up for our e-news to be notified by email as soon as the book is released.
Gordon Cheng / 21st July 2004
Proverbs 3:9-10 looks like a ringing endorsement of the prosperity gospel—“Become a Christian, get rich”. It reads as follows:
Honour the LORD with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Wonderful stuff! But just a few verses later, something even better is promised:
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
(Prov 3:13-15)
Wealth is terrific: lots to eat, fine wine, gold, jewels and so on. But something is better: wisdom. Where is it to be found? Read Matt 7:24-27 for the answer.
Gordon Cheng / 21st July 2004
Jonah 3:4 must be the worst evangelistic sermon ever preached.
Here it is in its entirety: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”. 8 words; 5 if you read from the original Hebrew. A message of judgment, no grace, no mercy, and, like the rest of Jonah's words, no doubt spoken in a tone of great grumpiness.
Yet in the very next verse, we read, “And the people of Nineveh believed God”. Jonah 4:11 says there were 120,000 of them. Jonah 3:6 says that even the moo-cows repented.
How about that? Just goes to show that if God is going to be gracious, even the preacher can't get in the way.
Gordon Cheng / 20th July 2004
/ The ones they wouldn't publish!
In a letter to the Melbourne Age on July 15, Jason Foster complained that neither the Bible, the Torah, nor the Koran count as evidence for God's existence, as they are mere allegation.
Here's my unpublished response...
The only way Jason Foster (Age, Letters July 15) can get away with referring to Gods existence as ‘allegation’ is by refusing absolutely to allow the possibility that God might speak. The problem is that while barricading God from the witness box in this way, Mr Foster fails to notice the one sitting in the most important seat in the courtroom.
Gordon Cheng / 19th July 2004
An article by a Ginger Ekselman, published in newspapers in Sydney and Melbourne, includes this extraordinary confession about her own abortion:
It was only as I was slipping into unconsciousness from the anaesthetic that I realised. Until that moment the word had always been ‘foetus’. I had had a stressful few weeks, trying to work out what to do, cope with morning sickness, finish my degree, go to work, and keep everything a secret. But as I was slipping under from the injection, suddenly, for the first time since I knew I was pregnant, my mind became clear. I thought: ‘I'm killing my baby.’ Then I was lying on my side, with the nurse calling my name, and it was over, and it was too late.
Almost as harrowing is Ms Ekselman's account of the counselling she received before and during the process, which included the young graduate social worker who said “I haven't had an abortion. Tell me, what's it like?”. Other counsellors provided information about the physical process but steered well clear of any emotive language like ‘right to life’.
No-one who is a part of the process of providing abortions is likely to offer the suggestion that performing such surgery might be a sin.
