Against the praise of those who make Martyrs.

There will be more martyrs, and they will be in the name of diversity. The early signs are there. When a kid gets expelled for following the law of the land from his high school -- then you know that you have fascists running the place. But, you may say, this young man was alt … Continue reading Against the praise of those who make Martyrs.

A plea for hate speech.

When I was a child I was taught this rhyme. Sticks and Stones may break my bones But names will never hurt me There was playground bullying. A lot of it. When my boys were young they were bullied: for their school was majority Muslim with a Somali minority, and they were mixed race and … Continue reading A plea for hate speech.

Truth to power is hate speech. [2 Samuel 12]

Nathan the prophet should be taken as an example. David had an affair with Bathsheba, had managed to get her husband killed, married her, and thought there was no scandal. But Nathan was here to school him. Note what he did, and consider this is what Christ did. He told a parable. David had a … Continue reading Truth to power is hate speech. [2 Samuel 12]

No platforming is ancient. [Acts 13]

When the lectionary breaks a sermon in half, you have a choice. Do you look at other scripture, or do you continue from yesterday's post? Which was about the need to use reason with those who are reasonable. This is important, and it is a filter. Consider the response to the end of Paul's sermon. … Continue reading No platforming is ancient. [Acts 13]

A nightmare or Christ [I John 5]

I had a nightmare last night. In the nightmare, there had been an Islamist blow up our church. I survived. Irrational, but nightmares are weird [1]. But the bit that stuck was that I was asked by a reported how I felt. I praised God that my friends and family were with Jesus, and prayed … Continue reading A nightmare or Christ [I John 5]

The gospel is now hate speech [I Cor 8]

We live in this time and this context. The leadership we have is fallen. We are to pray for our leaders (including the very needy and broken people who must run for the Prez and be the next narcissist in the White House). We are in this world. But the world hates us. Consider this … Continue reading The gospel is now hate speech [I Cor 8]

The social democratic experiment is over. [Quotage]

There is an endgame for social democracy. As Margaret Thatcher said: socialism endeth when you run out of other people's money. And that will not look good. Sadly, for the beneficiaries and the benefactors (more accurately, parasites and producers), this system cannot last. For there are some Malthusian mathematical limits inherent into this system. What … Continue reading The social democratic experiment is over. [Quotage]

Christ offended: popularity was not in him.

Today is Waitangi day. It is instructive to see how the internal tribal politics within each tribe or iwi have limited development and productivity of land, and that the government is trying to fix that: the minister of finance and the attorney general are both Catholic, and they do take teaching on fairness and justice … Continue reading Christ offended: popularity was not in him.

How to confront and alienate.

Last night I found a bit of sarcastic prose that can do quite well as an example of how to write offensively. But today the most difficult part of the lectionary is below. Jesus is being completely blunt and (to Jewish eyes) heretical. He is saying that he is greater than Moses, and is greater … Continue reading How to confront and alienate.

The CPS would convict Christ. Of Hate speech.

Well, the text today has crimes against property. At least. Besides, Jesus hurt feelings. It appears that this is a criminal action in the UK. I recently found an article that claims 55,000 British people were convicted of hate crimes in 2011, but that seems to be an error. Rather, it appears that 55,000 people … Continue reading The CPS would convict Christ. Of Hate speech.