4thought.tv – Giving air to the Christian preoccupation with sexuality
4thought.tv is the new Channel 4 program described as:
A series of highly personal short films, broadcast 365 days a year, reflecting on a broad range of religious and ethical issues, and aspects of our spiritual lives. These 90 second films challenge some traditional views, providing a platform for both scepticism and devout religious beliefs.
Sounds interesting, so let’s have a quick look at the upcoming Christians to front the show:
First up on August 2nd, the virulently anti-homosexual director of Christian Voice Stephen Green, who was featured on this blog after Classic FM stopped its promotion of Eric Idle’s show ‘Not the Messiah’ due to complaints received from them.
Unsurprisingly Stephen will be addressing the subject of homosexuality.
Rev Rowland Jide Macaulay is due on the 3rd:
Rev Rowland Jide Macaulay believes that those who use the Bible to condemn homosexuality are hypocritical; surely they should also advocate the stoning of adulterers.
Next up on the 4th August is Rev Peter Ould, who believes that God has helped him to overcome his attraction to men. Peter wrote a piece for the Evangelical Alliance back in 2008 entitled; “Of course no one is really gay“:
……I was, therefore, convinced that there was no firm evidence that my same-sex attraction was hard-wired.
Finally on August 6th, Rev Wale Babatunde, of whom I know nothing about and can’t be bothered to dig. Channel 4 describe his views thusly:
Rev Wale Babatunde believes that the Bible is clear: God does not accept homosexuals in the same way that he does not accept thieves.
Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I haven’t spent time putting this post together to make any particular comment on Biblical, theological, moral or ethical stances surrounding the issue of homosexuality. You can make your own mind up.
What I’m heartily sick of is our faith being perpetually defined solely in terms of sexuality.
As I scan hundreds of incoming feeds from Christian blogs and websites of all types and denominations, a disproportinate amount of the articles relate explicitly to sexuality, especially denouncement or vindication of differing types of sexuality.
If I knew nothing of Christianity I would presume sex is the most important facet.
It’s pathetic, boring, sad, judgemental and disheartening, and Channel 4 are simply exploiting this phenomenon.
Let’s be brutally honest for once. This preoccupation with all things sexual emanating from some quarters of the Christian community, makes us ALL look sex obsessed at best, and severely repressed at worst.
If you have stumbled onto this blog please do take a few moments to read the following piece:- Echoes of God
July 29th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
Sex sells, and sex is a major battleground in culture at the moment. It’s a potent combination. It’s hard to imagine, say, Rico Tice getting air time to talk about the gospel on terrestrial channels.
July 29th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Primetime national TV and what will the Christians be talking about…..yep….gays.
July 29th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
Whilst homosexuality may be far from the top of the list of priorities for most Christians, if the most senior Christians do not continue to speak out forcefully against this view then how are the uninformed viewing public to think otherwise than that this view is condoned by them?
July 31st, 2010 at 8:58 am
Especially when most of the public have no strongly held view on the subject. Mind you, God does have to take some of the blame. He always seems disproportionately concerned with men’s genitals, starting with circumcision. Its an odd fact that women’s genitals hardly get a mention in the bible.