Rugby Australia needed to contract out a theologian and preferable a theologian who has also practiced law, employment law if they wanted to sack Folau as he didn't quote scripture, he quoted his own interpretation in the main part of his tweet. Obviously they didn't search far and wide in their private religious school base to find the right person to prosecute their case.
Monday’s been upgraded to 33 degrees, enough of this post apocalyptic endless summer already
Rugby Australia needed to contract out a theologian and preferable a theologian who has also practiced law, employment law if they wanted to sack Folau as he didn't quote scripture, he quoted his own interpretation in the main part of his tweet. Obviously they didn't search far and wide in their private religious school base to find the right person to prosecute their case.
They should have also got a whole lot of ex Rugby greats who were drunken bums and mad rooters and tell him to fu** off out of the game, rather than just kowtow to Alan Joyce.
As offensive as it is to homesexuals, (do lesbians get a pass?), he actually offended the majority of the population as if you have been drunk a couple of times you get caught by his rant. What percentage of Rugby greats and non greats haven't been drunk, especially after playing a game of rugby?? 5%?
They then could have sacked him for being a fu**in stupid gullible idiot. It never said the people he listed, would go to hell. He was re interpreting Galatians 5:19-21. Here are the passages under modern interpretation.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 5:19-26 - New International Version
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will...www.biblegateway.com
It goes on for verses 22:26
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
This is Folau's tweet and his comments, he quoted verse 19-21 from the King James bible version but put his own spin on who goes to hell - because they will not inherit the kingdom of God.
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I listened to a ABC radio yesterday morning and they had Greg Griffen on as the sports lawyer, and an employment lawyer and they both said RA had a weak case and had jumped the gun. The female lawyer went on about the harm the Folau tweet might cause and said they had a case on that basis. It sounded like a bloody mess.
The original King James version is;
Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 5 - King James Version
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do...
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
This theologian wrote about the case in the SMH in July, 2 or 3 months after RA banned Folau.
Did Israel Folau actually misquote the Bible? Hell, yes
The rugby player misused a biblical passage to project judgments about homosexuality and ‘modern’ beliefs about hell into it.www.smh.com.au
During the extended Israel Folau debate I have been waiting for a theologian or biblical scholar to come forward and address Folau’s misuse of scripture in his controversial post. The saga rolls on and I am still waiting. I have also been searching media reports curious to know what brand of church Folau attends. It is important to know this to understand his motivations. I gather he is a member of The Truth of Jesus Christ Church at Kenthurst in Sydney's north-western suburbs.
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Folau attached the biblical passage that underpins the post – the letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verses 19-21. He is using the 17th-century King James translation: "Now the works..............
These words were originally intended for communities of mainly non-Jewish Christians in a province called Galatia (in what we would call modern Turkey) somewhere in the decade 50-60 AD. They are not the words of Jesus. They are the words of Saint Paul. The King James translation, although widely loved for its beauty, is not as precise as modern translations.
It is nevertheless pretty clear that the sins referred to here can be summarised as sexual promiscuity, idolatry, drunkenness, violence and other bad stuff. Whoever composed the original Instagram post has also attempted to summarise these sins. Note however, that Galatians 5:19-21 does not, in any translation, mention homosexuals. Folau and whoever wrote the original post have projected homosexuality into the promiscuous category. That is their bias.
You will also notice that there is nothing in the passage from Galatians about these sinners going to hell. The early Christians were expecting the imminent arrival of the resurrected Jesus to usher in the Kingdom of God. To be part of that you needed to repent and believe. This was urgent business. They believed that the world as they knew it was coming to an end. Many evangelical Christians still cling on to the same vain hope.
This expectation of the Kingdom of God has nothing to do with going to heaven or hell when you die. It is about the end of the world. The concept of "hell" that Folau is talking about was developed later in church history.
Those who defend Folau by saying that he is just quoting the Bible are wrong. He is doing more than just throwing biblical quotes around. He is misusing this biblical passage by projecting judgments about homosexuality and "modern" beliefs about hell into it.
Those who defend him by saying he has every right to practise his religion need to understand what that involves for a Pentecostal Christian. He is not a Sunday Catholic or a gentle Buddhist. For a fundamentalist Christian, practising religion will necessarily involve preaching and proselytising. It is a package deal. There is no such option of quietly living your faith. That is for hermits and contemplatives, not Christians of his ilk.
Folau’s contract with God is to live a good life, to worship God and to reach out and save others. Unfortunately he also had a contract with Rugby Australia. If there is a clash, which contract do you think will take precedence in his heart?
As a former Charismatic, I think I understand where Folau is coming from. I am sure that in his mind he does not think he has done anything wrong. His naive intention is not to vilify anyone, he is trying to save them. He is not a mean and nasty internet troll. For him this is an act of tough love and faith. I expect his church will be counselling him thus.
As a former biblical studies major, it annoys me when Christians distort a biblical passage to preach their message. And to a late-life agnostic like me, those messages just sound like nonsense anyway. For me now it is all about kindness. Folau’s comments fail that test. It is not kind to lump people into categories and tell them that "hell awaits". I am pretty sure that the atheists on his list are not going to lose any sleep over this threat. But there may be vulnerable people out there who are negatively impacted by his judgments.
John Tait B.Sc (Ed), M.Theol is a Melbourne writer.
Did you actually read Foalu's tweet?? He says it right there on the right hand side of his tweet. Galatians 5:19-21 KJV (ie King Jame Version of the bible)
