“Dear Pastor Townend
Dear Pastor,
Thank-you for taking the time to reply. I am sorry that my reply has been delayed by an assignment period.
I appreciate your honesty in asking witnesses and reading Mr Stacey’s sermon yourself, and confirming authoritatively to me that it did have a “mention of pederasty” (i.e. man-to-boy sex or homosexual child abuse). Your honesty about that builds my trust and respect.
However I do not understand why you seem reassured that it was just a “passing comment”. I remember that it was not the main point of Mr Stacey's sermon, but does that help? Surely even a “mention of pederasty” does not fit in a story of Jesus. Would Jesus heal the body of a sodomised boy and not set him free from the more powerful older man, and not compassionately challenge the older man to go and sin no more, aiming to save souls for eternity? I just cannot think how pederasty could possibly fit into that story.
And surely a public mistake requires a public correction or public apology?
Could you please clarify whether Avondale accepts their Public Relations Officer giving out Dr Cole’s notes saying homosexual behaviour was not prohibited by the Bible, and sending them from his Avondale email address to my friend? Is Dr Cole, who pushes these views, still an ordained pastor and Conjoint Senior Lecturer at Avondale? Is that acceptable under your leadership?
You say the Burn The Haystack presenters “sometimes give different viewpoints” but “support the doctrines of the church”. Could you please listen to their interview with Mr Afamasaga and tell me exactly how you think they support church doctrines? They invite a gay presenter who contradicts SDA doctrine and give no challenge or balancing view or other sources for young people watching.
It is clear that Avondale has staff who are quietly influencing young SDAs towards full acceptance of LGBTQIA relationships, as I hope to show you in coming days. Former students have contacted me saying they heard Dr Graham Stacey say similar things in his classes at Avondale as his son Brenton Stacey is now saying. If staff publicly and privately undermine the church's views, why should my tithe pay their wages?
It is nice that you are proud of your family history with Avondale, but please take care to look what is really going on today. No-one had a prouder family history than Eli’s sons, but Ellen White says Eli “overlooked their faults” because he loved peace and ease. Please be a better leader than that.
I am praying for you.
God bless
Claire”
Claire (pseudonym) is a young person studying at the University of Newcastle.
****