Will legalising prostitution reduce the amount of prostitution? Will legalising it make it better for women? Will it reduce the exploitation and oppression of women in the sex-industry. Will it reduce the criminal element? All good questions.
Perhaps the aim is merely to control it and to remove it from the suburbs. How will the new law reduce the prevalence of prostitution in the suburbs? Presumably by police action. But is there not a law against that already?
Controlling, regulating, supervising, put it under the watchful eye of a bureaucracy as well as the police ... might still allow scope for bribery, corruption and the criminal gangs.
Is it worth letting our MPs know our opinion on this? For what reasons have they not adopted the Swedish model of making the use of prostitutes illegal, rather than making prostitution legal?
{podcast id=268}
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 6 November 2011
Bible Readings: Genesis 22.1-19; Psalm 16; Roamsn 4.16-25; John 6.35-40
Why faith like Abraham's is all that is necessary for God to credit to us all that he requires to accept us as his people.
It was quite an exciting weekend at Willetton last week. The multi-cuisine feast was a gourmet’s delight. Once again there were a lot of people present who are not normally in church on Sundays.
And on Sunday at Willetton we also had quite a lot of people who are not normally in church with us. Some were visitors from other churches, and some were visitors from no church.
Is this a good thing? Having people come to events or church services who don’t normally go to church? Coming to meals is OK I suppose. But what about church? Do we really want lots of people coming who are not used to church and don’t know what to do?
{podcast id=149}
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 23 October 2011
Bible readings: Isaiah 40.27-31; Romans 5.1-8; John 3.1-16
Sermon preached at a baptism service about children, families, marriage, baptism and knowing God's love.
Why would anyone want to baptise children these days? After all it is becoming a minority sport. We could ask why parents add their child’s name to the waiting list for private schools (and pay a large fee for the privilege in some cases)?
Because they want the child to have a good education (and they hope the school will still be a good school 12 years later when the child enters secondary education). So we baptise children because we want them to be part of the (minority) group that follows Jesus. Because we want them to follow Jesus themselves. And learn about him. And find out how to follow him.
In a way it’s a bit like enrolling the child as a member of your favourite football team. You want them to have the privileges of membership eventually – and to be supporters.
{podcast id=267}
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 16 October 2011
Bible Readings: Jeremiah 23.1-6; Psalm 34; Romans 3.25-31; John 12.20-36
Why there is nothing to boast about by those who live according to the Old Testament expectation that they should live by faith
{podcast id=266}
Sermon preached at Christ the King Willetton on 9 October, 2011
Bible Readings: Isaiah 53.1-12; Psalm 51; Luke 18.9-14
God's righteousness made known in the gospel and received by faith in Christ by all who believe, by means of God's free gift of grace and the redemption that came by Christ's sacrifice of atonment
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