Sydneyanglicans.net reported the strongest criticism mount by Dr Jensen is on the concept of individuality and choice which are the fundamental to a Western liberal democracy. He said: “Human freedom has become a major culture issue…(but) the teaching of Jesus on human freedom challenges elements of the prevailing liberal ethos.”
The archbishop went on saying Jesus Christ gave us a choice between ‘finding freedom in others or living for ourselves where the choice we made dramatically affect the quality of our social life.’
In regards to Malcolm Turnbull a Liberal MP comment about the scared right of all Australians to live their own life where no one can tell them how to live Dr Jensen responded by saying: “It is people who distrust human nature who want to restrict freedom. The real issue is, can we trust each other to use our freedom well? Will my freedom to bargain, be at the expense of your ability to look after your family? Will my freedom to open my shopping mall on weekends, be at the expense of your freedom to have a weekend off from work, at the same time as the rest of your family? If you want a free society, you must attend to its moral health.”
The importance of these lectures is to remind us the life of Jesus Christ and hopefully it will stir a debate within society. The Archbishop wants to reinforce this notion that: “Jesus cannot be written out of history and he must not be written out of Australia’s future.”
He said: “It would be so helpful to move away from (largely sterile) jibes about the ‘religious right’ and the ‘loony left’ and actually engage with something as significant as the greatest life that was ever lived and the greatest words that were ever spoken. I would be delighted if they led to all sorts of people reading the gospels for themselves.”