The Victorian popular press – or what passes for it – weighed in (without any moral or intellectual heft or the remotest understanding of the issues, as always), describing crisis scenes at Essendon where a “controversial” and “divisive” character had somehow slipped past the woke brigade at the footy club to score a senior role.

Divisive on … abortion! You mean, he supports the right to life. And on homosexuality, regarded by the Christian Church since the time of the Apostles (spelled out in the Didache, for example) as a sin.

THEOLOGY

St Thomas Aquinas didn’t think much of homosexuality, either. He is one of the pillar-architects of modern Christian theology.

Of course, it is the way of the secular, Left-leaning, progressive corporate media to describe opponents and their world views in loaded terms, and make out that this is “reporting”.

Now, I wouldn’t normally be seen dead defending a banker. Or an ex-banker.

After all, the banks and their corporate mates have been at the forefront of the HR-woke revolution in Australia and elsewhere. (An irony there.)

But the case of ex-banker Andrew Thorburn is something else.

The Herald Sun proclaimed: “Tolerance gestapo says Christians can go to hell.” Indeed.

The Anglican Archbishop of MelDanistan weighed in. As well he might.

Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, Philip Freier, described the reaction to Mr Thorburn’s appointment as “panic” and urged organisations not to make a “knee-jerk reaction” based on public response.

“Otherwise we are going to get into this crazy situation where basically the State or, public opinion, majority public opinion, starts regulating something which is intensely personal like religion,” Dr Freier said.

It would have been nice if the Archbishop had found it within his remit to actually defend Christian morals and views. Yet, his core points remain.

Thorburn was CEO of NAB, no less. Not a lightweight, then. Possibly eminently qualified to run a woke sporting corporate.

He resigned from NAB in February 2019 after the final report of a Royal Commission.

At the time, he said: “As CEO I understand accountability. I have always sought to act in the best interests of the bank and customers and I know that I have always acted with integrity. However, I recognise there is a desire for change.”

Seemingly, then, a man of, if not honour, at least a man of reality and of optics.

And he has a role as an authority in a local Christian church in Melbourne. This is, seemingly, much more of a problem for the elites than his role in the ongoing banking scams.

HOMOSEXUALISTS

When the homosexualists got their way in 2017 when they destroyed traditional marriage, there was much debate about what that might mean for religious freedom in this country.

The fears of the No campaigners have been confirmed, in spades.

The Liberals’ assurances about this were taken as some measure of security for those who saw the end game coming.

Commissions of inquiry were appointed, under the apparently assured guidance of an old Liberal wet and now Mayor of Hornsby (Phil Ruddock).

The rest, as they say, is history. Having homosexualist activists prancing around the House of Representatives in 2017 was not a good look. Many of them Liberals. Nor did it portend well.

There is a long-held and now utterly compelling belief on the part of Christians in Australia that the game is up, and that the long march of the anti-Christian activists through the institutions is a fait accompli.

It didn’t take long to come to fruition.

The rugby player and Christian pastor Israel Folau was drummed out of sport in Australia in 2019. It was an occasion of infamy.

Folau, as we all know, was caught quoting St Paul on social media on the question of sin and redemption. We can’t have that!

Homosexualist activists now demand that the rest of us “affirm” their sin … err … I mean lifestyle.

And this demand has consequences. It means that anyone who can remotely be associated with mainstream Christian positions on controversial matters of what we used to call morals can be sacked, denied promotion, denied jobs, censored and ostracised.

To say that that the Victorian Premier’s intervention was inappropriate, indeed, appalling, is merely to state the obvious.

RAMPANT

He describes Christian mainstream views as “rampant homophobia”.

He claims to be a Catholic, I believe. Not quite on point with the Gospels, Mr Premier. Look at your Bible.

Those of us with the vaguest grip on reality know that Daniel Andrews is a moral rogue who has somehow found himself with hands on the levers of power, and continues to damage all that civilised citizens should value.

The world, post Israel Folau, is a dark and dangerous place. It is fair game for elected politicians, assuming (falsely) that they have a handle on high moral questions and the right to pronounce on these, to set standards for society.

As far as I know, this churchman (Thorburn) hasn’t gone out of his way to castigate his fellow citizens for their behaviour.

It is simply enough that he holds a position in a Christian Church that upholds Christian teachings.