Baptist Irony: the campaign against Covid vaccination mandates popped up again in the wake of a court case that found that the Queensland police had not correctly set up their covid rules. The Other Cheek reported on the reaction of conservative Christians. This got a response from Matthew Littlefield, one of the Baptist pastors from Queensland who set up the Ezekiel Declaration petition to protest church lockdowns to the effect they were not conservatives; they were following the radical Baptist doctrine of freedom of conscience.
Which struck Obadiah as opening up an irony. Concurrently, we have Baptists of the left setting up the Open Baptist network seeking freedom of conscience to hold same-sex weddings and have gay ministers, and the Ezekiels citing freedom of conscience to oppose the Covid rules. Maybe it is just a Baptist feature, not a bug.
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Really open: Obadiah is not sure any of his readers will want to know how each person voted at the Church of England General Synod (church parliament) last month. But should one want to, not only the numbers voting for and against each motion is made public, plus how each individual member, Bishops, Clergy or lay, voted. You can find links to all votes gathered here on the Thinking Anglicans website.
Obadiah does not know of any denomination in Australia as open as this. And yes, it was all live-streamed.
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A great story in Anglican Aid’s annual report:
Obadiah loves to see a Christian Organisation donor those for whom donor is due:
“For the last three years, Benjamin Ghazal has been collecting recyclable bottles and cans to raise money for Anglican Aid’s partner Anugrah Disabilities in India.
“Ben is 22 years old and has autism and an intellectual disability. Members of Ben’s church have helped support his endeavours by giving him their bottles and cans, and his support workers have helped him take the recyclables to Return and Earn centres.
“‘We and our partners at Anugrah are so encouraged by what Ben is doing and praise God for the love and kindness of people like him who are caring for brothers and sisters in need in other places,’ said Anglican Aid CEO, Tim Swan.”
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Weatherboard: The Facebook algorithm served up to Obadiah story of the post WWII “austerity houses” made from weatherboard by the SA Housing Trust. It was Obadiah’s first Australian home as a little boy in lord howe avenue, Hillcrest SA. the street is still there but the suburb’s houses have mostly or entirely disappeared. Looking at the plan it must have been a very tight fit for a family of six.
It never occurred to young Obadiah that a whole suburb built out of two house plans, painted in a choice of six standard pastel colours was unusual. Even when after a few days of school he and his twin Peter tried walking home and got lost because the streets were so similar.
Reading about the austerity housing Obadiah was overcome with gratitude for the Housing Trust – part of possibly the most socialist government in Australia although it was run by the paternalistic Premier Tom Playford leader of the Liberal and Country League.
Obadiah would like to think his family is giving back, with his twin Peter currently serving as Director Strategic Advice to the South Australian Housing Trust. It is almost enough to forgive him for following the Adelaide Crows, not GWS.
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Protesting a protest: the Never Again Is Now rally in solidarity with Jewish community, held in Adelaide last week was counter protested by a pro-Palestinian group. ““I’m really flabbergasted that a protest for peace and tolerance and respect could be counter-protested,” said Freya Leach co-founder of Never Again who spoke at the rally.
The police intervened to keep the two groups apart. Obadiah believes that it would be best if groups exercising their right to protest avoided doing counter protests.
Obadiah can’t help thinking that should apply to Mark Leach, Freya’s father who described his one man protest against a Sydney pro Palestinian rally, waving an Israeli flag, as a key moment in deciding to organised the Never Again Is Now rallies.