Christianity often has a torrid time in the secular media but some of today’s references range from downright bizarre to disgusting to groundbreaking.Read More »
Tag: media
Does God forgive Tiger Woods?
In a world where private moments are played out on a global stage, nothing is certain about Tiger Wood’s statement today.
Is it a carefully stage-managed step towards restoring his golfing career and endorsements, or the honest confession of broken but recovering man?
Hopefully it is the latter, and if so, the apology part of his statement contains two important parts of repentance.
Firstly, he takes full and complete responsibility for his actions and did not attempt to blame anyone else, especially his wife.
Secondly, he acknowledged that the truth of his apology can only be judged by his actions over time.
To the extent that someone, who has lived a double life for years, can be sincere, these sentiments are important first steps to recovery.
Does God forgive someone who has betrayed his marriage vows numerous times in the most wanton fashion? The answer is yes, if through faith in Christ, he turns from those things.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
The same scandalous grace we need in our more private lives is available to internationally acclaimed golfers. And everyone else…
However, given that Tiger’s mother claims he has re-embraced Buddhism, a religion in which God does not really feature, the question is not so much, ‘Does God forgive him?’ but ‘Does Tiger Woods know God and even comprehend his need for God’s forgiveness?’ PH
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‘No wonder Abbott believes in God’
Miracles made their way into the Editorial of today’s Daily Telegraph, courtesy of Tony Abbott’s close call with a semi-trailer:
“NO wonder Opposition leader Tony Abbott is so convinced in the existence of God. His survival yesterday – in fact, the survival of an entire carload of people – was miraculous.
“Instead of a terrifying accident, Abbott was later able to use the event to highlight his road-safety campaign. Beyond today’s politics, the footage of this episode may assist young drivers in understanding just how dangerous our roads can be.”
Good to see one of Australia’s major dailies indicate a healthy regard for the providence of God. Someone must be praying for our leaders…
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Temptation comes and SMH falls
The Sydney Morning Herald has today run an article about an upcoming defamation case in the Supreme Court involving the Annandale Anglican Church and an aggrieved former member.
Easily succumbing to the temptation to take a swipe at Sydney Anglicans and conservative Christian belief in general, the story almost entirely advocates the former member’s position. While that may be in part due to the reluctance of the Anglican Church to comment on specifics, the emotive language chosen and widening of the target to include the “strict Anglican doctrine of the Sydney diocese” shows another agenda at work.
Even the heading places responsibility for the “Anglican stoush” with the “Pastor’s ban” when in reality the ban came only after a long period during which concerns escalated.Read More »
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A few tips on blog features
Quite a few of my readers are new to the world of blogging, as am I. As more people are checking it out, and perhaps seeing a blog for the first time, I’ll explain what some of the features are.
Each post can be rated which tells me and other readers what you think is good reading. Simply choose how many stars you think the post deserves. Try to be kind.Read More »
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Oh no, Christians in the media
O.N.C.I.T.M 1: 10 well-intentioned American Baptists have been arrested in Haiti for allegedly attempting to abduct at least 33 or up to 100 children by taking them by bus to the Dominican Republic.
One of the Baptists said they realised they didn’t have all the right paperwork, for what they thought were abandoned children, but were “just trying to do the right thing.”
Doing the right thing starts with having great respect for the nations and peoples you are among, even if their lifestyle or processes are different to yours. It can be too easy for us in the west to wrongly view these as sub-standard or insignificant, because we fail to penetrate the cultural differences.
Perhaps the chaos of devastated Haiti is a mitigating factor, and there may be other motivations for those who are holding the Christians without charge, but there is definitely a lesson for us all as weconsider our place in the world.
O.N.C.I.T.M 2: An American missionary couple featured on morning television because of their comments that Darwin is a godless, sinful city. The clean middle-class-looking couple lost all credibility with no one believing they knew the first thing about the city they claim to want to reach with the gospel.
The mistake here, again, is the presumption of describing a foreign city without knowing it or earning the right to be heard. The other mistake is thinking that one city is some how more sinful than another just because its sins may be more obvious, such as alcohol abuse.
Gotta love these Christians, they are so passionate and committed and probably deeply spiritual. But a few brains wouldn’t go astray.
“Forgive me Lord for when I have acted out of the same pride and disrespect which is not love.” PH
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