Wallace slammed by clergy
Prominent Christians have criticised Australian Christian Lobby head Jim Wallace over comments he made on Twitter on Anzac Day.
“Just hope that as we remember servicemen and women today we remember the Australia they fought for — wasn’t gay marriage and Islamic!” Wallace tweeted.
After a barrage of criticism, Wallace later apologised for the timing of the comments but not their content, tweeting, 
“Ok you are right my apologies this was the wrong context to raise these issues. ANZACs mean to [sic] much to me to demean this day, not intended”.
At least two prominent Christians turned to Twitter to express their displeasure at Wallace’s comments.
“It’s so sad that people who should know better have to use ANZAC DAY to pick on people they don’t like. It’s unchristian in the extreme,” Uniting Church minister Reverend Bill Crews tweeted. Crews is the founder of Sydney youth and homeless charity the Exodus Foundation and is the minister at the Uniting Church Ashfield in Sydney’s inner west.
Emmaus Baptist Community Church minister Simon Moyle responded to Wallace’s comments with three tweets. Emmaus Baptist is in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg.
“For what it’s worth, I’m a Christian leader and @JimWallaceACL doesn’t remotely speak for me or any other Christians I know,” Moyle wrote.
“Jesus said, ‘Love one another in the same way I have loved you.’ JimWallaceACL isn’t showing that kind of love at the mo. He can do better.
“As a Christian leader, I deplore @JimWallaceACL’s comments re: Anzac Day & homosexuals & Muslims. Let’s reflect Jesus’ love for all.”
Appearing on Sunrise on Tuesday, Wallace compared himself to swimmer Stephanie Rice who he said had been unfairly persecuted after using the word ‘faggots’ in a tweet. He said he had only been using Twitter for a matter of weeks.
According to Twitter, he posted his first tweet on February 3, 2010.
Meanwhile, the people at Equal Rights Victoria have produced a YouTube video in response to Wallace’s comments and the ongoing government allowance for churches to legally discriminate against those who don’t share their beliefs..
Dave,
Your arguments remain laughable. You simply react on an emotional level whenever anyone says anything you don’t like. I can’t be bothered responding.
Rob,
You still fail to comprehend my point due to selective understanding. Anyway, as I said, I don’t know much about this internet filter thing; but I know enough to say you were given an inch and took a mile. Just because the ACL support this particular policy does not mean they want to implement what you so creatively extended it to. Surely you don’t actually believe that rubbish….?
Jim Wallace has been ‘condemned’ for his comments by a handfull of fringe dwellers who didn’t like him from previous encounters. You will likely find that there is a large majority of Australians who agree with what he said to some degree regardless of the timing of his comments. A typical emotional response devoid of logic, similar to likening blacks to homosexuals. Such a statement is an insult to civil rights movement. Swings and roundabouts anyone?
@Iain … re the “internet filter”, if you think that is only about “smutty pictures” on the internet you are seriously dillusioned. Wallace has campaigned for it to “filter out” (aka censor) websites that support same-sex marriage, euthanasia, abortion, etc. In time it would also (inevitably) be used to control free-speech; with any comment on the internet that opposed the government of the day “filtered out”.
Showing support for same-sex marriage, or the rigths of homosexuals is hardly infringing on the rights of others; although that is an oft quoted claim from the religious right (a claim that has yet to be supported).
No one is saying that Wallace should not be permitted to state his opinions; but just as equally he has to accept that people will state theirs in response. “Free speech” works both ways.
Wallace has rightly been condemned because he went too far, he allowed his own prejudices and ignorance to intrude into what is a very solemn day for Australians. For that he has been rightly condemned by all and sundry.
To claim that giving rights to homsoexuals in the form of recognising same-sex marriage will lead to a slippery slope to societal “hell”, or that condemning someone for offensive comments will do the same, is nothing more than a lame attempt to curtail discussion on an argument that you know you cannot win.
Would you eb so forthright in defending Wallace had he used to term “blacks” instead of “gays”? I suspect not.
Iain
I think the ACL website is very clear, and so are the link of hate attacks on the Australian Community by the ALC. The only person presenting a fabrication is you.
Giving Civil Rights to people is the opposite of a police state, yet the ACL promotes a police state. Even going as far as trying to censor the internet, let alone trying to take away people’s Civil Rights with a constant barrage of hate attacks on good people, and submissions to government enquires with lies about the lives of people in the GLBTI community. The vast majority of Christians here, and on forums and in the media have voiced a disgust at the ACL. My Anglican Bishops supports many rights of people who happen to be in the GLBTI community as do millions of Christians, but according to your Taliban fundamentalism they are all anti-Christian. This is the cry from the ACL for anyone who does not follow them on their road to Hell, that people might exercise a choice about what version of Christianity to follow, or another religion, or even none at all greatly offends you and the ACL. So we have the bastard comments of Jim Wallace to bully people into his abhorrent fundamentalism.
The ACL have shown they only offer a crude mutilated brand of fundamentalist and certainly are not getting known for anything else.
I guess Christians are now anti-Christian when so many turn their backs on the ACL.
“Firstly the ACL states “The vision of the Australian Christian Lobby is to see Christian principles and ethics accepted and influencing the way we are governed, do business and relate to each other as a community.” ( http://australianchristianlobby.org.au/about-acl/ ). Well we know what they think of homosexuals and people of Islam, but this is their stated objective on their website.”
Dave, to alter the meaning of the mission statement through paraphrasing is essentially fabrication. What this mission statement means is that Christian values will remain the cornerstone of our society’s values, or rather, to return them to that position. Your nonsensical statement, ‘change the way every Australian interacts with each other (sic)’, does not reflect the mission statement. Claiming the ACL incites hate and violence is laughable and typical of those with liberal values when confronted with the truth. I refer back to the mission statement of the ACL that you so kindly provided, as to follow it is to do the exact opposite of ‘inciting hate and violence’. If you don’t understand then grab a bible and read the four Gospels. Not sure what the white Australia policy has to do with anything. Let’s keep on track.
As an organisation, the ACL does not refer to homosexuals as evil. To do so is not to be Christian as no person is ‘evil’ within Christian theology. They’re actions may be so but the person is not. This is a nuance that you appear to have difficulty to understand. I am sorry, but it exposes your ignorance of something of which you speak passionately. If Jim Wallace has done this it is because he is human and is not a perfect Christian, as are we all. You sound like the victim of some rather convincing anti-Christian propaganda.
The remainder of your post likening Jim Wallace to Hitler is amusing. If you ever met the man in a situation devoid of discussion about homosexuality you would agree with me. You make this comparison only because you are upset that he does not agree with your lifestyle. Jim Wallace doesn’t refer to your obscure mate because he is one of thousands of people who contributed to the effort to stop the war. He no doubt did a good job however was was one of many and deserves no special recognition. You think he is important because he was gay. Again your point is irrelevant as he is some sort of gay martyr. Again, your ignorance of Christianity is profound for someone so passionately against it.
Rob, yes I agree, my initial comment was out of line. I apologise for being so spiteful. I was a little annoyed by the manner in which this article was presented. It goes to show that we are all human.
Nonetheless, I will clear up this cliche ‘Orwellian police state’ thing for you. Yes I acknowledge your internet filtering thing that you keep raising however this is irrelevant to my original point. Smutty pictures on the internet and free speech are two very distinct concepts, thus I largely dismiss your point. As I said, let’s keep the discussion on track. The Australia that I was referring to was one in which we cannot express our personal opinions due to fear of reprisal from minorities. One will not be able to express any opinion on any topic as there will inevitably be someone who will claim ‘offense’ and undertake legal proceedings. Personal liberties will become so strongly enforced that they will take precedence over collective values. There will be no absolute, no morality and no freedom; just like the ‘Orwellian police state’. A thorough knowledge of history will show you that these situations come about in a slow gradual manner as we are experiencing in Australia. If you aren’t able to notice it now, it’s ok because hindsight is always 20/20. I do enjoy our onversations.
@Iain, it would appear that it is you who need to do some reading (or perhaps it is you who should “Grow up, have a shower, get a hair cut and eat some meat you knuckle dragging neanderthal”).
No one has denied Wallace the right to say what he thinks – after all, he does it often enough as others have pointed out here, and usually quite offensively – but they have rightly pointed out the wrongs in what he says, and the offense it has caused.
As for your claim that wallace is fighting against an Orwellian State, I highlighted his support for the Internet Filter (it was he who proposed it to Conroy in the first place) and the Internet Data recording. Both of these are moves towards an Orwellian State, not away from it.
Wallace is a despicable, arrogant, evil little man.
With any luck his latest diatribe will be one step too far, and the ACL which he heads will be flushed back down into the sewers from whence it came.
@Iian,
Firstly the ACL states “The vision of the Australian Christian Lobby is to see Christian principles and ethics accepted and influencing the way we are governed, do business and relate to each other as a community.” ( http://australianchristianlobby.org.au/about-acl/ ). Well we know what they think of homosexuals and people of Islam, but this is their stated objective on their website.
To me Jim Wallace has a long history of inciting hate and violence. Take for example his extremist comments on homosexuals “…heterosexual relationships that you have 83 per cent of them are monogamous; in homosexual relationships only 2 per cent.” (http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2007/s2168241.htm ).
Jim Wallace was recorded on video, available to view on the link below, claiming as fact that homosexuals are to blame for children being abused in churches (http://www.davethehappysinger.com/blog/2011/04/26/acls-jim-wallace-at-fort-australia-being-gay-causes-priests-to-rape-children-2/
Jim Wallace has referred to homosexuals as Evil. He has constantly told untruths about them, and seeks to deny many rights that he himself is given. All this let alone his racist and homophobic comments. Did he say his father fought to keep the White Australia Policy? No, he targeted carefully and fired. He pulled the trigger of hate again. I and others believe he is not armed by Jesus, but a deep hate of humanity. Often I see him doing great inhumanity to people.
The hate and violence is measured in the empty chair at the table, the sleepless nights with no love, the crying of families who have lost a teenage son. The gay couple out for a night when one gets bashed and crippled. Hate crimes have been going up since Jim Wallace took office. What else do you do to Evil Paedophiles as Jim Wallace implies we are?
I see little difference in Hitler and Jim Wallace. Jim might have a Dad’s army at the moment, but I see he is inciting hate violence. Hitler made up lies about homosexuals and Jewish people, and others killed them, often no “officially”.
Alan Turing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing stopped the war by years. You will not find Jim Wallace talking about his contribution to the War. Jim who to shoots carefully.
You can call Jim Wallace a hero for inciting hate and violence, but to me he is of the same likeness of Hitler. Both used the Bible to create inhumanity in the world.