Condom Practice follows Belief - Shane Kennedy

Why parents are surprised and outraged by the Edgewater College condom fiasco is beyond me. The peer sexuality support team is just part of a secondary health curriculum that actively promotes and supports the message to our teenagers that sex is okay at any age, at any time and with anyone as long as you use a condom.



Mr Vester’s school, like many other state secondary schools, peddles this advice under the guise of keeping our young people safe. Wake up parents – what happened at Edgewater College is consistent with the philosophy driving the Health curriculum in our schools.

It’s a bit rich Helen - Shane Kennedy

Helen Clark’s criticism of Cardinal Williams and her own trite utterance ‘that people should show tolerance to other views’ smacks of gross hypocrisy. Our PM shows little tolerance for any view that crosses her own, particularly when on the subject of morality.



It seems the PM has forgotten her comments in an interview with the ‘Express Newspaper’ in February. When answering a question regarding the supposed levels of homophobia shown by ‘religious groups’, she is quoted as follows: ‘It’s a very small minority point of view and I think through continuing to set the tone of tolerance, acceptance and diversity you just have to further marginalize such people. Hopefully one day nobody will think that way.’



Ms Clark’s comments are both instructive and hypocritical. It is all right to marginalize a position you don’t agree with when you are in power. It seems that tolerance, acceptance and diversity are defined and have meaning only in terms of this government’s agenda.

The Mandarin

Trogdor Lurks

John Lennon

On 4 March 1966 The Evening Standard published an interview in which Lennon said, Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first-rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me.



How sadly mistaken he was! God's kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. It was before the Beatles were thought of, and will be after they are thought of no more.

Test Photo

House Specs

Ok, the people have spoken, and I have heard them.



3 Bedroom weatherboard house, with tile roof.

Master bedroom, medium sized, with tv aerial cable, phone port, and lots of power points.

2 smallish bedrooms, one with tv aerial cable, the other with phone port.



Kitchen is a good sized kitchen, with a large pantry. Stove (a nice brown colour) is oldish, but in good condition. Kitchen has good bench space also.



The living area is largish, with windows on three sides, so it gets plenty of sun. It contains a cool fireplace thingy with the tube bit that goes up through the ceiling.



The garage connects through to the hallway, which is handy.



The bathroom is smallish, but it has enough room for both a bath and a shower. The toilet is separate.



Other features include aluminium joinery, a nice small back section with roses and two lemon trees. Thoroughly appropriate I thought. It also has an alarm, and room for not a few cars.



Detracting features include the dump of a house next door, and the long driveway. Oh, and that it's close to church! Hehe no excuse for being late.

Mandarin Update

It still lives. Are you scared?

Sermon Update

I'm preaching on 4 July, and 11 July. Just so ya'll know not to be at evening services those nights!

Butter Mince

Nato, was just reminded of your comment recently. The full and final recipe will be available soon. Once I live away from home I will be able to try my finishing touches without the mocking of the Philistines I currently live with.

More On The House

The house is a sort of yellow colour. With brown roof tiles.

House

An offer I made on a house has been accepted. Wohooo! More on this later.

Dumb Headlines

Here's one for ya! New Zealand troops remain in Iraq after being shot at. Well hello! What do you expect in a war zone.

In Reply to Richard Randerson - Herald Opinions 9/6/4

Richard Randerson seems to think that if homosexuality is part of a persons’ nature, then judgements on it are incoherent with the gospel of love. This view is biblically wrong, and the dean should know this. It matters not whether homosexuality is by choice or by nature. The Bible says that we are all by nature sinners, and objects of God’s wrath. That sin is part of our nature provides no excuse for it, but rather becomes the very reason for God’s wrath towards us.



Randerson’s understanding of the gospel of love is severely limited. The true gospel of love presents to us the holiness of God’s character, and it contrasts it with the sinfulness of mankind. Only those who repent of sin, and put their faith in Christ Jesus for salvation from the coming wrath of God will be saved.



It does great injustice to the intelligence to say that the Bible teaches anything other than homosexuality is a sin. Since God in his word to us, tells us that it is a sin, and that all sin leads to eternal destruction, it is right for a minister of the church to plead with people to repent from it. Indeed, it is the only loving thing to do.

Hypocrisy in High Places

This morning, on a leading radio station, Helen Clark expressed concern with the Bishop’s stance on homosexuality. She said that homosexuality has always been around and we need to have a tolerant, accepting and inclusive view on the matter.



It seems the PM has forgotten her comments in an interview with the “Express Newspaper’ in February. When answering a question regarding the supposed levels of homophobia shown by ‘religious groups’, she is recorded in print as follows. ‘It’s a very small minority point of view and I think through continuing to set the tone of tolerance, acceptance and diversity you just have to further marginalise such people. Hopefully one day nobody will think that way’.



The PM’s answer is both instructive and hypocritical. It is all right to marginalise a position you don’t agree with when you are in power. Tolerance, acceptance and diversity are defined and have meaning only in terms of the government’s agenda. We must demonstrate tolerance and inclusiveness towards homosexuals but apparently this does not extend to those of us who along with the God of the Bible say that the practice of homosexual behaviour is a sin.





(Courtesy of Shane Kennedy!)

Prayer

Peter preached a sermon which really challenged me about my prayer life. So I have started praying more. I set an alarm for 15 minutes, and fully concentrate on prayer for that whole time. Today, I hadn't finished after 15, and was able to keep going. I feel really encouraged when I pray, it's just a matter of discipline to actually do it.



Prayer is powerful. God hears us. It was amazing. On Sunday I really prayed for opportunities to share at work. Today I was able to get in to a really good debate with one of my colleagues about morality, God, and relativism. She has similar morals to the Christian. However, she thinks it doesn't matter how you get to those morals. And I attempted to demonstrate how you can't get to the morals we are talking about from the beliefs she has, without them being arbitrary. She was forced to admit this, but countered with a relativism argument, which I challenged with the standard challenges to cultural relativism. The discussion got her thinking, and I hope it will lead to a sharing of the gospel.

Mandarin Update

It is still on my desk and looking good.