Your selection of books on homosexuality pushes an agenda that results in suicides and self hate of young gay guys all the time – even if the result of this is what you (and a minority of churchgoers) believe to be a more Christian life.

Ouch!

True that Koorong pushes an adgenda but your comment also suggets that you yourself are pushing an adgenda, which is fine, and I understand the difference between an Australia wide companies influence on the mass population and a single person’s but the bias is still evident. Don’t forget that some people claim to be ex-gay and claim to have found true ‘healing’ from God. Whether or not this is true is debatable but from my experience of Koorong this is the adgenda it pushes. I’m not disputing that repression of sexuality and the idea that it is sinful can lead to suicide and self hate, but I don’t think that Koorong pushes this as the ideal way to deal with a struggle with homosexuality in order to lead a Christian life.

I think you have a very black and white view of this. There is a grey area. People live happy, fufilled lives believeing that it is sinful to practise homosexuality. Some even claim to have changed. The options are not be a gay christian or hate yourself or suicide. I am living proof of this grey area.

Koorong’s offical stance is conservative, meaning that they believe it is imoral to be a gay Christian, meaning that according to koorong the basis of Anthony’s book is imoral. This does not prevent the book from being a great read, or from being helpful but it does really prevent Koorong from selling it, because in selling it they are implying that they endorse the views he has. Koorong has made some mistakes in leading Anthony to believe that they will carry his book and maintaining a wall of silence about why they are doing so. But in the end they are maintaining what they see as the moral standard of the books they sell by refusing to sell it, this is their right. It would be difficult to draw the line if they sold Anthony’s book, they could end up selling Spong or even Dan Brown! Not even I would shop there then. Every Christian has to draw the line between what is true Christian teaching and what is not. Is it right that a national company gets to have that line as well? I don’t know.

The best course of action is to remeber that dispite everything this isn’t about who is right and who is wrong. This shouldn’t be a hate campaign against Koorong labeling them as endorsers of self hate and suicide amoungst gay christians, you expect them to treat you and your views with respect and tollerance, you need to show them the same courtesy.

it seems that some have recieved undelivarable mail notices and bounces.

I’ve just gone to the admin page of Koorong and the email addresses that were there have now been removed.

http://orders.koorong.com/info/store/admin.jsp

it seems that were getting a lot of emails. Its hard to understand that a christian bookshop would first of all ignore correspondence from an author whose book they sold and then ignore correspondence from customers and the public.

its not over yet though

Last night I was at a function where people from catholic, pentacostal, prodestant and MCC backgrounds were all present and one older man refused to sit in the same room and have a theological discussion with MCC members because apparently they have not been reciognised as an actual denomination or church. I asked the man if be believed catholic doctrines of mary, purgorty and the infalibility of the Pope. I also asked him if he believed many of the claims that (mainly) pentacostals have of speaking in tounges and recieving private visions from God. When he declined to believe all this I asked him if he would like every person who was not an evangelical christian to leave the room. He sat down. But I don’t get it.. We all suffer differences in doctrine and theology why is MCC suddenly worse than anyone else?

If Koorong promotes books glorifying other Christian traditions that are biblically questionable such as Catholicism then your right Jannah, they should carry Anthony’s book. However it is still within their right to withhold sales even if it is prejudiced. It’s this wall of scilence that I can’t believe, how cowardly! I underrstand why they may choose not to carry Anthony’s book even if I don’t particularly agree with them. This would all be made so much easier if they simply stated their reasons. Though then I guess they would have to state their reasons for carrying catholic books and the like, it could get very messy for them.

I guys and gals

I have just taken a sneek peek at some of the postings for Anthony’s new book.

Seems like Koorong understand the game of politics. I wonder if Peter Stoke’s Salt Shakers in Melbourne called in their merry little band of emailers to pumble Koorong’s website. If so then we have a game of Christian versus Christian … YAWN!

Sandy – you are far too kind to suggest that Koorong have a policy to stock “moral” literature … please, have you read some of the rubbish that is stocked on the shelves?

First and foremost Koorong is a business. It seeks to make money. It would prefer not to be dragged into a political/moral debate unless its hand is forced by the likes of Peter Stokes … who by the way gathers great satisfaction in playing the moral watchdog and perpetuating a rigid marketing machine to the poor ignorant Christians that attend Sunday services across the country.

I suggest Sandy that you take a closer look at Peter Stokes and the Salt Shakers and direct your energy toward holding them accountable for their blatant bigotry, techno bullying and hate mongering

Dear Paul,

I understand that is probably the one hundreth email you have recieved about Anthony Venn Brown’s book ‘A Life of Unlearning’. Please take a minuite to hear me out and I hope that you won’t be wholly dissapointed with what I have to say.

I am a conservative Christian who is not seduced by the premis of Anthony’s book that homosexuality is ok with God, you and I both know that it isn’t. I have been conversing with Anthony for months now though and have come to know him as a man of integirty. Yes he has it wrong but he is a good man with a genuine desire to please God and a genuine belief in his cause. I wonder if you have read his book, if not I urge you to do so, I am sure as you begin to know him you will see this for yourself.

My email concerns the appaling and unchristian way that you as a business have handled the controversey surrounding your choice not to carry his book.

1st, you agree to stock it on the internet and actually sell people copies before you decide that this isn’t appropriate. In doing this you give Anthony and the rest of the pro-gay community false-hope. You are a national organisation with alot of clout and let me tell you, people were pretty excited to think you would be stocking the book.

2nd, you offer little explanation as to why you refuse to stock the book, ignore the many emails you have recieved from dissapointed people and by turning the cold shoulder on people it not only shows the companies cowadice in admitting fault but it gives a very negative impression of conservative Christianity. I have tried to defend Koorong’s position Paul but how can I defend you totally blanking people? WE as conservatie Christians claim to be in the right here and how do we show it? By doing something JUST as unbiblical and JUST as sinful by ignoring people, ultimatly telling them that because they happen to be misled in this one area they are unworthy of a responce.

Theologically Anthony’s book is dubious and should not be sold. But koorong can claim no moral superiority in this situartion. In working to maintain biblical truth you are destroying the second most important commandment I have to ask you Paul, is this how you love your Christian family? Is this how Jesus would love them? He came to earth not for the righteous man but for the sinner, how would Jesus handle this? It’s not too late, this can be fixed, yes Koorong may loose face a little, it may…heaven forbid…have to humble itself. But the point isn’t how hard it will be, only that it can be done. Your company owes Anthony and everyone who emailed you one hell of an apology. It saddeds me that most people will just add this to the ever increasing list of offences commited in the name of conservative Christianity. No wonder people are seduced away from God’s best for them if His own people don’t even bother to dignify their existance.

Regards,

Sandy Lowe.