Francis McNab: Ahead of his time or 100 years too late?
March 30, 2009
Here is a talk from Paul. Thought it needed more time than it lasted on our morefeed space and he wants more visits :)
Here is a talk I gave at Ringwood Uniting Church on Sunday 15th March 2009.
It draws heavily on the early chapters of Resurrection and Discipleship: Interpretive Models, Biblical Reflections, Theological Consequences by Thorwald Lorenzen. The talk is vastly simplified compared to the book, errors are my own.
If you are not interested in the current debate within the Uniting Church in Victoria, and are more interested in the theology, skip ahead to the section “Traditional”.
Francis McNab: Ahead of his time or 100 years too late?
Paul Dyson
There has been much heated debate about the advertising campaign launched by Francis McNab of Collins Street Uniting Church. I think much of it has been people talking at cross purposes generating more heat than light. So I thought today we could step back a little and have a look at the theological frameworks behind the positions of the people in the debate. So in a spirit of cool and calm reflection I wanted to entitle this talk:
Is McNab a Nazi?
However, after taking counsel from Elva and Stan I changed the title to:
Francis McNab: Ahead of his time or 100 years too late?
Our links here http://morepraxis.org.au/new-faith-infochatlinks-etc
Stages of the Watch - An Easter Prayer Guide
March 30, 2009
Hear is an Easter Prayer Guide and reflections I pulled together. Incase your looking for a devotions thing this Easter. The Pdf can be found here stageswatcheaster
Evening - Last Supper
Friends & Farewells
When have you had to leave your friends? What did it feel like?
Farewells sometimes feel like you are with friends but already gone. Who are your friends that are currently feeling ‘not with your group’? Pray for them.
What will you leave this year? Pray for it.
What would you like the world to farewell? Pray that we do.
Pray for and remember those friends who will not be with us this Easter.
Midnight - Betrayal
Being let down
Think of a time when you felt betrayed or let down?
How did it feel? Pray about it.
Who/what are you betraying/letting down? Pray about this too.
Who/what is being betrayed in our world? Pray about it.
Cockcrow - Peter’s Denial
Denial
When in your life have you denied your spirituality? Denied being apart of the church? Pray about it.
What does it mean to deny Jesus in your everyday life? Hear God about this.
How has the world denied Jesus? Pray for our world’s denial.
Morning - Crucifixion
Whipping, Trial & Crucifixion of Jesus.
“When someone whips you or someone crucifies you which hurts more?” Pray about those times.
Think of people & events on trial.
Who is whipping and who is judging. Pray for all involved
Morning again - Resurrection
Ecstasy, Trauma and New Life
Remember a time you saw new life come to a family, community or group? What were the emotions.
What scares you about following the risen crucified Jesus?
Where do you see the need for resurrection and new life in your life and world? Pray about it.
True faith, true discipleship transcends comprehension and security. It steps out not knowing the outcome but believing in the way.
Pray about this unbalanced life.
Bung Knee…
March 26, 2009
On Tuesday, during Netball, I dislocated my knee and unfortunately this time it didn’t just pop back in. In fact I had my first taste of morphine, an ambulance ride and a lovely injection of anasthetic into my knee before they ‘put it back in’. Here’s a pic of my knee two days on after taking anti inflammatories.
Going to the physio today and have a referral to a knee surgeon (as unfortunately it looks like I’ll have to go get it all tightened up....)
Enjoy..
Finished concrete
March 21, 2009
The concrete is finished, so just the shed to arrive and we need to order our trees too.
Concrete stage one…
March 18, 2009
Our concrete was finally laid and cut. Just not sealed yet. Sealing due to happen on Friday.Ask Senator Fielding to support alcopops tax
March 16, 2009
Got this below email - happy emailing
Dear friends,
Tomorrow or Tuesday there will be a vote in the Senate over the increased tax on ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages (alcopops). We urge you to send an urgent e-mail to Victorian Senator Steve Fielding urging him to support the tax. His e-mail is senator.fielding@aph.gov.au
The Justice and International Mission Unit supports a public health approach to reducing the harm caused by alcohol in our community, which means supporting measures to reduce demand for alcohol (such as restricting advertising of alcohol, programs to encourage responsible consumption of alcohol, increasing the tax on alcoholic products to increase their price), to reduce the supply of alcohol (reducing places where alcohol can be purchased and restrictions on the hours that liquor outlets can operate) and measures to assist those who have been harmed by alcohol.
Points to make to Senator Fielding:
- Ask that he support the increased tax on ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages.
- Point out that this is one necessary measure to help reduce the harm alcohol is causing young people in our community.
- Welcome the other measures that Senator Fielding is seeking, such as warning labels on alcoholic products and restrictions on advertising, but these meassures should be additional to the increased tax on alcopops and he should continue to pursue them in addition to supporting the increased tax.
- The only people who will really benefit if the tax is lifted are the alcohol industry (in this case the distillers represented by the Distilled Spirits Industry Council).
- Note that all the health bodies that presented evidence to the Senate inquiry on the tax supported its introduction as one measure of harm minimisation.
- Point out that the alcohol industry makes about $217 million in revenue from underage drinkers and that this tax will help curb the incentive of the industry to target underage drinkers by eating into their profits.
Background
In 2007 Mat Baxter, principal of Naked Communications and marketer of Absolut Cut, admitted advertisers pitch alcohol to “young binge drinkers”. He stated that there had been “a conscious effort to make those drinks more appealing to young people.” He said that cheap, sweetened “alcopops” were the best way to entice young people to drink alcohol before they developed an adult palate, because they mask the taste of alcohol. Their palatability enabled “people to get drunk quickly.” He also suggested that there is room in the market for more high alcohol premixed drinks because they are preferred by young binge drinkers.
Pre-mixed spirits was one category of alcohol that grew in popularity among underage students between 1999 and 2005. It was the choice of 42% of girls aged 12 – 15 years and 16% of boys in the same age category. One third of them were drinking at a level that would place an adult at risk of harm.
The tax increase on alcopops has the support of medical and public health bodies including the Australian Medical Association (AMA), the Public Health Association, the Australian Drug Foundation and Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation.
The editorial in the latest Medical Journal of Australia quotes alcohol sales data tracked by AC Nielsen that shows Australia’s consumption of ready-to-drink (RTD) alcoholic beverages has plummeted since the alcopop tax was introduced and a rise in the sales of spirits has not compensated for the drop.
Comparing the three months of May-July 2008 with May-July 2007, alcopops declined by 26%, or 91 million standard drinks. Spirit sales increased but only by 11% or 35 million standard drinks, while wine fell by 21 million drinks and beer rose by 13 million drinks. Overall, Australians drank 64 million less standard drinks in the three months following the tax change.
Sales of vodka alcopops with the highest alcohol content have been hit hardest by the new tax. According to the AC Neilsen data “premium” vodka alcopops containing more than 6% alcohol have plummeted by 38%, while the regular strength vodka drinks declined by 20%. It is worth remembering that even regular strength alcopops (5%) are stronger than regular beer (4.7%). Young girls prefer vodka-based premixed spirits in preference to other drinks.
Dark alcopops that are popular among adolescent males also declined - rum based RTDs by 30% and bourbon based by 25%. Super-strength rum based RTDs fell by 35%.
Overall between May 2008 and January 2009, alcopops declined by 29%, with regular RTDs down by 31% and super-strength RTDs down by 24%. It is the equivalent to 310 million standard alcopop drinks taken out of the market.
Spirit sales have only increased 13.5%, equivalent to 145 million standard drinks, despite predatory marketing tactics by the industry to try to boost sales of full strength spirits after the introduction of the alcopop tax. In increase in the sales of straight spirits has not compensated for losing 310 million alcopop drinks, which explains why the spirits industry is so desperate to kill off the tax.
Scott and Nat well wishing…
March 14, 2009
Tonight we all got together to wish Scott and Nat well on their new adventure to Brisbane. Here’s some photos.
Manipulative Youth Ministries
March 11, 2009
Darren has started thinking about a resource to give/help people find a way into manipulative youth ministry practices….
**Non-Disclaimer: I wrote this today as a response to a camp that I’d recently participated in. I love the leaders and the campers dearly and see in each of the the hope and belief that what they’re on about is what Jesus was on about, their faith is unswayable and not self serving. Yet, their style of worship and bible study smacks of manipulation, spiritual and emotional manipulation that makes me ill and makes me want to throw it all in. They don’t see it as such, but as someone who grew up in a culture of camps that had leaders “slaying in the spirit” and “speaking in tongues” as well as laying on hands and the occasional “exorcism” I’m extremely hyper-aware of the way youth ministries can be manipulative.
And, after failing to find any resources by people who may have tried to work with more conservative/fundamental/pentecostal youth ministries in order to name our manipulative patterns and work through them I’ve sat down and written this. It’s entirely off the cuff, straight from my heart to paper, yes I’m angry, but perhaps it’s time that a number of us became angry…
Feature short Film - Validation
March 11, 2009
“Validation” is a fable about the magic of free parking. This is a great short film, 16 minutes long and well worth watching.
Daz had thought of running a youth group night on Validation here I think we could do it for the upperroom in May
What do you think?
Clean Clothes Philippine Action
March 4, 2009
Hi guys, just a few clicks to to stand in solidarity with the workers of the Philippines
Within a week after being released from prison, labour lawyer Atty. Remigio D. Saladero Jr., and five other Phillipine labour and human rights activists face another round of trumped-up charges of murder. Thanks to your previous action, Saladero was freed from prison on February 5, 2009. But your continued support is needed to ensure that he remains free.
Take action today.
Write to the Philippine government and Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) to immediately stop the persecution of labour and human rights activists.
http://www.cleanclothes.org/urgent/09-03-03.htm#action
I send this email in the hopes that the government of the Philippines and ECOP will:
- End the campaign of intimidation against labour leaders and supporters;
- Invite the ILO to do a full independent investigation into the human rights violations in the Philippines;
- Drop all the criminal charges against and stop persecution of the labour and human rights advocates, activists and organisers included in the “Mindoro case” and the “Garmino case”.
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