Tuesday, October 24, 2006

I sense a great disturbance in the force....

Coverage from the SMH - who usually botch up, put on a spin or just get it plain wrong when reporting about matters religious and The Sydney Anglicans in particular. All religions must necessaril;y fit into a certain media pigeon-hole - if not, let's force them to fit. At least the Church crosses the radar in Sydney. Queensland's (or better Brisbane's) Courier-Mail is now the abomination of desolation, tabloid in size, tabloid in nature - no hint of any serious religious news - the only coverage will be if a cross-dressing priest starts performs strange ritual acts in public.

Back to Jensen et al:

"We may be only at the beginning of the disturbances which will lie before us and the effort we will be called upon to make".

Have the Jensen's got media savvy, and are now intoning their words in a flavour the SMH can handle - as inspired by George Lucas?

Hear the words of the prophet Obi-Wan Kenobi "I sense a great disturbance in the force."

or just as inspired:

"I have always said that it is more likely that we will see its devolution into a looser federation of churches, networking across old lines in new ways. Indeed, I think that this has now begun to occur."

Is this the long awaited "Federation" as prophesised by Gene Rodenberry of Star Trek?

Next there will be mention of the quorum of twelve, the home planets and a rag-tag fugitive fleet. Perhaps this has already begun, if "American culture" is code for "Cylon":

"The powerful individualism of American culture, and its triumphalistic belief that it leads the world in civic freedoms, has captured the church. The new faith is a missionary religion."

Star Wars, Star Trek and Galactica - the triumvirate is complete.

SMH, sit up and listen.