Comments on: God or the girl http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/ musings from those on the journey Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:07:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Nahum Ayliffe http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-137049 Nahum Ayliffe Mon, 08 May 2006 14:56:00 +0000 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-137049 Sex is the great distraction of the Christian gospel.. Christians should probably stop talking about it, and have more of it. Provocative as that statement may seem, it is very sad that the 'good news to the poor' message has become so easily perverted by the insecurities of charismatic but conflicted theologians like Augustine and Origen. How does the Christian gospel presume to have any authority to speak into what people do in their bedrooms. What is more important? What people do between the sheets (where very few people will see them) and what they do during the waking hours (when everyone can see them)? I'm not saying that we should be promiscuous, but there is an unhealthy preoccupation with sexuality in some sections of the Christian church. And popular culture is obsessed by it. 'Be sexy. Be cool. Be popular!' Trumpet the great advertising evangelists of our society, through the great CRT and Plasma Canon of our time: TV. How very interesting that a television show has chosen to depict the existential question in such simple terms. Where is the means of your transcendence? Is it found in the great eternal search for God, or in some lacy underpants and an edible bra...? Hmm. An edible bra... Sex is the great distraction of the Christian gospel.. Christians should probably stop talking about it, and have more of it.

Provocative as that statement may seem, it is very sad that the ‘good news to the poor’ message has become so easily perverted by the insecurities of charismatic but conflicted theologians like Augustine and Origen.

How does the Christian gospel presume to have any authority to speak into what people do in their bedrooms. What is more important? What people do between the sheets (where very few people will see them) and what they do during the waking hours (when everyone can see them)?

I’m not saying that we should be promiscuous, but there is an unhealthy preoccupation with sexuality in some sections of the Christian church.

And popular culture is obsessed by it. ‘Be sexy. Be cool. Be popular!’ Trumpet the great advertising evangelists of our society, through the great CRT and Plasma Canon of our time: TV.

How very interesting that a television show has chosen to depict the existential question in such simple terms. Where is the means of your transcendence? Is it found in the great eternal search for God, or in some lacy underpants and an edible bra…?

Hmm. An edible bra…

]]> By: wire http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-136541 wire Fri, 05 May 2006 03:17:36 +0000 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-136541 is there such thing as a call to celibacy? i tend to view celibacy as nuetral with a call to marry. is this just semantics or have we come to have a cultural expectation? is there such thing as a call to celibacy? i tend to view celibacy as nuetral with a call to marry. is this just semantics or have we come to have a cultural expectation?

]]> By: emergingBlurb http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-136188 emergingBlurb Wed, 03 May 2006 04:46:16 +0000 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-136188 God or the girl.... why do we need choose? How about both! God or the girl…. why do we need choose? How about both!

]]> By: Garth http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135801 Garth Mon, 01 May 2006 01:29:44 +0000 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135801 Interesting isn't it. I think it would take special kind of people. I don't understand the need to ignore your sexuality to somehow better persue God though. Another spin would be to marry but deny yourself having children without the competing demands on your time. But that one has never surfaced as a credible alternative. But I agree that for those that do it well, it is to be greatly admired. Interesting isn’t it. I think it would take special kind of people. I don’t understand the need to ignore your sexuality to somehow better persue God though. Another spin would be to marry but deny yourself having children without the competing demands on your time. But that one has never surfaced as a credible alternative. But I agree that for those that do it well, it is to be greatly admired.

]]> By: dan http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135352 dan Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:54:54 +0000 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135352 LF Oscar Romero is a big hero in our family - one of our dogs was named after him as well!! LF Oscar Romero is a big hero in our family - one of our dogs was named after him as well!!

]]> By: Luke http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135351 Luke Fri, 28 Apr 2006 00:54:33 +0000 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135351 For me, the chastity aspect of the priesthood is amazing, but just as amazing are the vows of poverty and obedience. I might be able to manage chastity, with the grace of God...but obedience? Wow.... For me, the chastity aspect of the priesthood is amazing, but just as amazing are the vows of poverty and obedience. I might be able to manage chastity, with the grace of God…but obedience? Wow….

]]> By: Greg the explorer http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135329 Greg the explorer Thu, 27 Apr 2006 23:22:37 +0000 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135329 I respect and admire men and women who forego marriage, children etc for the sake of their love for God and desire to serve the church. I do not think it should be a compulsory lifestyle though and I think that the Catholic church may get more people putting themsleves forward for ordination if they allowed married priests. Having said that though, I think other traditions that do allow marriage are still suffering a lack of prospective ministry applicants (other than Sydney Anglicans who just had a phenominal and record breaking ordination of over 40 deacons!) The call to ministry is always a hard call to follow, the call to celibacy even harder. I respect and admire men and women who forego marriage, children etc for the sake of their love for God and desire to serve the church. I do not think it should be a compulsory lifestyle though and I think that the Catholic church may get more people putting themsleves forward for ordination if they allowed married priests.

Having said that though, I think other traditions that do allow marriage are still suffering a lack of prospective ministry applicants (other than Sydney Anglicans who just had a phenominal and record breaking ordination of over 40 deacons!)

The call to ministry is always a hard call to follow, the call to celibacy even harder.

]]> By: Lionfish http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135273 Lionfish Thu, 27 Apr 2006 12:13:14 +0000 http://www.signposts.org.au/2006/04/27/god-or-the-girl/#comment-135273 I was running up Jacobs Ladder at lunchtime the other week (let the Perth reade understand) and I met a young Catholic seminarian who was training to be a priest. He spent much of his time working with the aboriginals in NT. I also met some trainee priests on the train late last year. These guys give it all away to follow Christ. I agree Dan - great examples. One of my heroes is Father Romero. There is metaphorically and literally speaking a World of difference between the lifestyles of these guys and that of the Prosperity Preacher. Yes there are abuses in the Catholic Church, but overall - I know who I would rather take my spiritual guidance from. No Millionairre mindsets with these guys. I was running up Jacobs Ladder at lunchtime the other week (let the Perth reade understand) and I met a young Catholic seminarian who was training to be a priest.

He spent much of his time working with the aboriginals in NT. I also met some trainee priests on the train late last year.

These guys give it all away to follow Christ. I agree Dan - great examples. One of my heroes is Father Romero.

There is metaphorically and literally speaking a World of difference between the lifestyles of these guys and that of the Prosperity Preacher.

Yes there are abuses in the Catholic Church, but overall - I know who I would rather take my spiritual guidance from. No Millionairre mindsets with these guys.

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