Letters to the editor - December

AMS Staff | 26 November 2007

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Cover censorship raises concern

Many brickbats have been thrown at the cover of your October issue (letters, SC, Nov). Sure it could have been in better taste, but I failed to see the political bias, or did I imagine the Prime Minister depicted as an effigy of Satan.
Editor Allan Dowthwaite has apologised profusely for the lack of care or wisdom. But that’s all about democracy at work and freedom of speech, whether Christian media or not.
What does concern me, however, is the decision by some parishes to withhold distribution of Southern Cross. Who made such decisions for those parishes? Who has the right to be chief censor in a parish and decide what people can read? If decisions were made solely by the rector or leadership team, then alarm bells start ringing. Most parishes distributed the issue and as a result, many people reacted and responded. That’s the way it should be.
So, lick your wounds, Allan, and get on with the job of managing a top publication!
Bob Lindsay
Turramurra, NSW

I have a confession. I enjoyed your October cover and even laughed at it. I even laughed at your headline “He’s not the Messiah” but wondered how many of your readers would be able to complete the quote with, “He’s just a very naughty boy”. Please do not let this humourless age diminish your reporting to the blandness of most Christian publications.
Ray Seymour
Glenhaven, NSW

For some reason I missed the October issue of Southern Cross. But having read the November letters, I made sure I found myself a copy to see what the stern tone was about. I was surprised to see nothing that I, nor my fellow parishioners felt deserved comment - positive or negative.
I can find no political bias in the cover. Methinks the letter writers need to lighten up a bit. Unfortunately it is their own political bias which is revealed, and nothing more.
Jennifer Davis
via e-mail

After the extent of the criticism levelled at the front cover of the October SC, would it be wrong of me to express publicly that I liked it? While I accept that some readers may have been offended by the image, it cleverly captured the fact that childishness is in no way restricted to children. Should we continue to pray for our political leaders? Yes. Should we cover over the immature behaviour displayed by some of our politicians? No.

Andrew Charleston
Sydney, NSW

Bruce Baird feedback

Respect to Bruce Baird, the Honourable Member for Cook (SC, Nov). Seems to me that if God kept him from getting a portfolio in the Howard government so that he could spend time looking into conditions of asylum seekers in Australia, then a greater good has been achieved.
And while I’m handing out the bouquets, a big endorsement for Moussa Ghazal for his work amongst Muslims through St David’s, Arncliffe. I’m glad he’s concerned that Muslims ‘see the love of Christians’. And he’s right that Muslim Australians only see Christian animosity when we try to choke Muslim migration. Seems to me, God’s opinion on this matter is blunt and clear. According to about 40 places in Scripture we are to ‘treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you’.
Matt Andrews
Newtown, NSW

I was really pleased to read the article about Bruce Baird. It showed what a Christian can do if he or she is willing to stand against the crowd. The article gives some feeling for the upbringing behind Julia Baird and the values she has always espoused, especially when convenor of the Movement for the Ordination of Women. Thank you.
The Rev Sue Emeleus
St George’s, Paddington

Chinese page smacks of tokenism

I was excited to see a photo of my church and our Chinese assistant minister, David Yue, on the Chinese page (SC, Nov). Intrigued as to what the article could be about, I flicked through the remainder of SC to find the translation into English. I was appalled to find none. While I appreciate the need for a Chinese character page for my Chinese brothers and sisters, my lack of Chinese meant I was unable to share in their news and particularly that from my own church!
I am certain we began a cross-cultural Chinese ministry at our church with a future view to complete integration. However, I feel as though the gap between the Chinese and English congregations is an ever-growing chasm. The ‘them and us’ culture is prevalent enough without SC fostering it with a token Chinese language page, which excludes all English speakers, in a magazine that is published in Australia, where the national language is English.
If it is important enough to have one page in Chinese, why not a whole Chinese edition? I understand the economics of it make this impossible, but we are all one in Christ and this one page smacks of separatism.
Lynda Calder
Eastwood, NSW

Gay bishop beat-up

Usually nothing surprises me about SC but, then, my expectations are not high. This beat-up did. Someone keeps track of Bishop Gene Robinson and finds a reference to an Australian visit. The Primate says he may meet Robinson under certain circumstances. No real story. Ask Mark Thompson who makes the outrageous suggestion that a single meeting constitutes such a close alliance as to render the Primate biased. Thus the non-story ends up as a slur on the Primate. Is it too cynical to suggest the slur was the purpose of the article?
Michael Horsburgh
Glebe, NSW

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