Andrew Thorburn and Essendon and City on a Hill

 A guest editorial by Darren Waters of LCM (Lane Cove and Mowbray) Anglican Church in Sydney: (He wrote this to his congregation, and yet this opinion is excellent and shared by me (Bob))

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

This week, Andrew Thorburn resigned as the CEO of the Essendon Football Club (an Aussie Rules team) after just 24 hours in the job because:

1. He is a Christian
2. He serves as Chair of the board of City on a Hill Church.

In all the furore, Thorburn’s grace and commitment to Christ and his Church has shone through. Please read this to the end to see the implications of this issue for us.

City on a Hill is an Anglican Church in the Diocese of Melbourne. It is as mainstream Anglican as Lane Cove and Mowbray Anglican Church. Prior to his appointment, Andrew Thorburn had not made any public statements about his faith. Nor did he make any statements about his views on marriage, gender, abortion, euthanasia or any other topic that segments of our modern society think differently about to mainstream Christianity. Worryingly, his caution and silence did not protect him.

He was given the choice of either resigning from City on Hill Board or resigning as CEO of the Essendon Football Club and in an apparent surprise move, Mr Thorburn chose his church over his football club. The founder of the Purple Bombers (a LGBTIQ+ group of Essendon supporters) said “Andrew made the correct decision for himself and the football club, but I did not expect him to choose the church.” Unchurched people, generally speaking, don't understand what it means to be a follower of Jesus of Nazareth. As such, there are great opportunities to live out Matthew 5:14 - “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

However, the two damning pieces of evidence, ensuring Thorburn’s appointment was untenable, have been widely reported across many media platforms.

Firstly, in 2013, the year before Mr Thorburn joined the Church, a pastor from City on Hill preached a nuanced, Biblically faithful and culturally sensitive sermon on abortion. However, in one line he said “Whereas today we look back at sadness and disgust over concentration camps, future generations will look back with sadness at the legal murder of hundreds of thousands of human beings every day through medicine and in the name of freedom.” 

Secondly, in that same year, City on a Hill published an article titled ‘Surviving Same Sex Attraction as a Christian’.  It advised (wisely and lovingly in my opinion) those who “struggle with same-sex attraction” to “speak to a mature Christian whom you trust, so you can receive the support and accountability you will need in the long term to survive these temptations”.  A 2016 sermon (not preached by Mr Thorburn, but by a pastor) stating “practising homosexuality is a sin, but same-sex attraction is not a sin” was also cited as a reason to smear Mr Thorburn’s character. Please remember, this is Biblical truth, spoken to Christians who do not want to act on their temptations in obedience to God. These words are not spoken to unbelievers who have no desire to follow Christ.

The Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews said of these Biblical views preached to a Christian Community:

“Those views are absolutely appalling. I don’t support those views; that kind of intolerance, that kind of hatred, bigotry is just wrong. All of you know my views on these things. Those sort of attitudes are simply wrong, and to dress that up as anything other than bigotry is just obviously false.”

In contrast, Mr Thorburn's public statement of resignation said:

“Let me be clear - I love all people, and have always promoted and lived an inclusive, diverse, respectful and supportive workplace - where people are welcomed regardless of their culture, religious beliefs, and sexual orientation. I believe my record over a long period of time testifies to this. Despite my own leadership record, within hours of my appointment being announced, the media and leaders of our community had spoken. They made it clear that my Christian faith and my association with a Church are unacceptable in our culture if you wish to hold a leadership position in society.”

The difference between grace and condemnation; between 'lived inclusivity' and 'slogan inclusivity' could not be more stark.

Mr Thorburn is a wealthy, white, 57 year old male who is therefore privileged enough to take cover until this chapter is replaced in the news cycle by rising interest rates. He will, in a few  months, freely apply for other positions in less publicly-sensitive organisations. But what about those without that privilege?

We must pray for one another and especially for those Christians who are not as privileged as Mr Thorburn. But we must also pray for Christian children who will face incredible pressure to conform to the world’s views on these ‘hot topic’ issues. They really are in the frontline and so we need to pray for them.

But let’s not pray presumptively. Instead let’s be proactive and rediscover the importance of regularly meeting together to have our lives transformed by God’s Word, God’s people and God’s Spirit. Let's nuture our children assuring them that God’s ways are best for us (and them), and that God is our loving, merciful and gracious Father.

Can I urge you as strongly as possible to make Sunday your priority (for your children’s sake as well as your own)? After the disruptions of COVID restrictions, we need to rebuild and restrengthen the bonds of our church family. This will only occur if we commit to meeting together, praying together, reading the Bible together and loving one another as the sisters and brothers whom Christ made us to be through his amazing sacrifice on the cross.

Blessings,

Darren