Rod Bower (activist)

Last updated

The Venerable
Rod Bower
Born1962 (age 61–62)
Newcastle, New South Wales
Nationality Australian
Occupation Priest
Employer Anglican church
Known for Human rights activism
Criticism of the Christian right [1]
Political party Independents For Climate Action Now

Rodney Scott Bower (born 1962) is an Australian Anglican priest and social activist. [2] He was formerly the Rector of Gosford, on the New South Wales Central Coast, [3] and Archdeacon for Justice Ministries and Chaplaincy in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle, and is now their Director of Mission. He is most known for his church signs that advocate progressive causes. [4]

Contents

Theology

Bower has said:

"When we explore, perhaps, what I mean when I use the word 'God' we can come close to a common ground [with atheists] because I'm not talking about some divine being. God is the very act of existing. And so there's a point of meeting for atheists and people of faith. [5] I don't really believe in Heaven and Hell at least not in the traditional sense. If there is a Heaven it must be a bit like Mardi Gras." [6]

Activism

Bower is known for his controversial political activism in which he promotes progressive causes through the Gosford Anglican church's message sign. He has promoted issues relating to gay marriage, refugee rights, gun control, anti-nationalism, and anti-Rupert Murdoch's media monopoly. [7] [8] [9] Bower also supports abortion. [10] He says euthanasia should be considered [11] and that there is a need for illicit drug testing. [12]

He has stated his views have been inspired by the liberation theology proponent Dom Helder Camara. [13]

Bower first began his activism in 2013 when he put up, "DEAR CHRISTIANS, SOME PPL ARE GAY. GET OVER IT. LOVE GOD" after delivering the last rites to a dying man whose family hid the man's partner due to fear of the church's stance on homosexuality. [13] After an image of the sign became popular online, he continued using it as a method of activism. [4] In 2014, he began participating in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras wearing his clerical attire. [14]

Israel Folau quoted from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Bower says, "FOLAU IS WRONG, DON'T LISTEN TO HIM". [15] Bower, along with others, set up a GoFundMe page in response to one set up by Folau. [16]

In 2017, Bower was criticised for a Gosford Anglican church sign, referring to Peter Dutton, the Australian immigration minister, which said, "DUTTON IS A SODOMITE". [17] Bower stated he was referring to the biblical story of Sodom, which in his interpretation was "about hospitality, or more to the point lack thereof, and particularly about the condition of the heart that leads to inhospitable behaviour". However, there is an alternative Biblical explanation for the word 'sodomite' [18] from that articulated by Bower. [19] The assistant archbishop of Melbourne said the term Sodomite was, "a very personal slur on a government minister". [20]

In 2017, Bower chained himself to Kirribilli House to protest the Manus Island detention centres. [21]

His controversial signs relating to multiculturalism and anti-nationalism has led to counter-demonstrations by right-wing groups. In 2016, The Party for Freedom interrupted his service clothed in Islamic dress to protest his "social justice agenda". [22] In April 2018, after putting up a sign stating "Lest we forget Manus & Nauru", he received a threat by a member of the Australian Defence Force that they would "set that church on fire". [23] Later in the same year, a group interrupted the service wielding fake weaponry. [24]

In 2016, Bower was criticised by Andrew Bolt for his relationship with the Grand Mufti of Australia, Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, who had called homosexuality an "evil act". [25] In 2019, Bower was criticised by the Australian Jewish Association for comparing the Nauru processing centre to the Holocaust. [26]

Political career

In 2018, Bower announced he would run in the 2019 federal election for a New South Wales senate seat "to give a voice to the marginalised". [27] He has expressed an emphasis on policies surrounding "climate change, refugees and basic human rights". [28] Bower ran under the Independents For Climate Action Now party ticket in New South Wales, receiving only 0.6% of the vote and was not elected. [29]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Sydney</span> Diocese in the Anglican Church of Australia

The Diocese of Sydney is a diocese in Sydney, within the Province of New South Wales of the Anglican Church of Australia. The majority of the diocese is evangelical and low church in tradition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Church of Australia</span> Church of the Anglican Communion

The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the Catholic Church. According to the 2016 census, 3.1 million Australians identify as Anglicans. As of 2016, the Anglican Church of Australia had more than 3 million nominal members and 437,880 active baptised members. For much of Australian history since the arrival of the First Fleet in January 1788, the church was the largest religious denomination. It remains today one of the largest providers of social welfare services in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Dutton</span> Australian politician (born 1970)

Peter Craig Dutton is an Australian politician and former police detective serving as the current Leader of the Opposition, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia since May 2022. He has been the member of Parliament (MP) for the division of Dickson since 2001. Dutton previously served as the minister for Defence from 2021 to 2022 and the minister for Home Affairs from 2017 to 2021. He held various ministerial positions from 2004 to 2022 in the governments of Howard, Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby Australia</span> Governing body for rugby union in Australia

Rugby Australia Ltd, previously named Australian Rugby Union Limited and Australian Rugby Football Union Limited, is an Australian company operating the premier rugby union competition in Australia and teams. It has its origins in 1949. It is a member of World Rugby. Rugby Australia has eight member unions, representing each state and the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory. It also manages national representative rugby union teams, including the Wallabies and the Wallaroos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Pell</span> Australian Catholic cardinal (1941–2023)

George Pell was an Australian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as the inaugural prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy between 2014 and 2019, and was a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers between 2013 and 2018. Ordained a priest in 1966 and bishop in 1987, he was made a cardinal in 2003. Pell served as the eighth Archbishop of Sydney (2001–2014), the seventh Archbishop of Melbourne (1996–2001) and an auxiliary bishop of Melbourne (1987–1996). He was also an author, columnist and public speaker. From 1996, Pell maintained a high public profile on a wide range of issues, while retaining an adherence to Catholic orthodoxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St James' Church, Sydney</span> Church in New South Wales, Australia

St James' Church, commonly known as St James', King Street, is an Australian heritage-listed Anglican parish church located at 173 King Street, in the Sydney central business district in New South Wales. Consecrated in February 1824 and named in honour of St James the Great, it became a parish church in 1835. Designed in the style of a Georgian town church by the transported convict architect Francis Greenway during the governorship of Lachlan Macquarie, St James' is part of the historical precinct of Macquarie Street which includes other early colonial era buildings such as the World Heritage listed Hyde Park Barracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Thomas' Anglican Church, North Sydney</span> Church in New South Wales, Australia

St Thomas' Anglican Church, North Sydney is a large Anglican church in Sydney's North Shore. It is located at the corner of Church and McLaren streets, close to the North Sydney central business district. The church is listed on the local government heritage register and is listed on the Register of the National Estate.

Roger Adrian Herft is a former bishop in the Anglican Church of Australia. He was the Archbishop of Perth from 2005 to 2017. He was previously the Bishop of Newcastle from 1993 to 2005 and the Bishop of Waikato in New Zealand from 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Barnabas Anglican Church, Broadway</span> Church in Australia

St Barnabas' Anglican Church, Broadway, is an Anglican church in the Diocese of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The church is located on Broadway, near the University of Sydney and University of Technology in the Sydney suburb of Ultimo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglican Diocese of Armidale</span> Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia

The Anglican Diocese of Armidale is a diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia located in the state of New South Wales. As the Diocese of Grafton and Armidale, it was created by letters patent in 1863. When the Anglican Diocese of Grafton was split off in 1914, the remaining portion was renamed Armidale, retaining its legal continuity and its incumbent bishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel Folau</span> Australian multi-code footballer

Israel ‘Isileli Folau is a professional dual-code rugby player who plays as a fullback for Japan Rugby League One club Urayasu D-Rocks. Born in Australia, he represents Tonga at international level after qualifying on ancestry grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Goldsworthy</span> Anglican Archbishop of Perth

Kay Maree Goldsworthy is an Australian bishop of the Anglican Church of Australia. She is the current archbishop of Perth in the Province of Western Australia. Upon her installation as archbishop, on 10 February 2018, she became the first female archbishop in the Anglican Church of Australia. Previously, she served as diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Gippsland in the south-eastern Australian state of Victoria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Tomane</span> NZ rugby league & union player

Joseph Malaki Tomane is an Australian professional rugby union footballer. He played inside centre for Leinster in the first game of the 18/19 Pro14, and formerly played for the Brumbies in the Super Rugby competition. He has been capped for the Wallabies.

Gregory Edwin Thompson is a retired Australian Anglican bishop. From 2014 to 2017 he was the Bishop of Newcastle. He was previously, from 2007 to 2013, the Bishop of the Northern Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Folau</span> Tonga international rugby league & union footballer

John Folau is a rugby league and rugby union footballer who plays for the Sydney Rays in the National Rugby Championship competition. He is a former Tonga international rugby league footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Hastie</span> Australian politician

Andrew William Hastie is an Australian politician and former military officer currently serving as the shadow minister for defence. He previously served as the Assistant Minister for Defence from 2020 to 2022 under Minister for Defence, Linda Reynolds and later Peter Dutton, in the Morrison Government. Previously Hastie was Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security from 2017 to 2020. Prior to politics, he was a troop commander in the Special Air Service Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanishka Raffel</span> British-born Australian Anglican priest (born 1964)

Kanishka de Silva Raffel is a British-born Australian Anglican bishop of Sri Lankan descent, who has served as the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney since 28 May 2021. He previously served as the 12th Dean of St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney from 4 February 2016 until his installation as archbishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Erikson</span> Australian far-right extremist

Neil Erikson is an Australian far-right extremist and self-proclaimed neo-Nazi.

Murray Harvey is an Australian bishop in the Anglican Church of Australia. He has served as the 12th Bishop of Grafton since September 2018.

Clarence Edgar Bester is a South African-born Australian bishop in the Anglican Church of Australia. He has served as the 11th Bishop of Wangaratta since February 2020.

References

  1. ↑ McCarthy, Joanne (30 August 2018). "The hungover 'epiphany' on the way to the priesthood". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  2. ↑ "Gosford Anglican". Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  3. ↑ Wainwright, Sofie; Vince, Mary-Louise (21 February 2022). "'Keep the tradition going': Provocative billboard priest Father Rod signs off". ABC News. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 Bowden, Tracy (30 August 2018). "What drives the priest behind those controversial church signs". ABC News. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  5. ↑ https://vimeo.com/129361594 The Bower Effect at 4:20
  6. ↑ "Rev. Rod Bower: "I don't believe in heaven or hell…"". 2 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Mao, Frances (19 May 2018). "A priest and his political billboards". BBC News. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Schafter, Monique (26 August 2014). "Priest addresses social issues in eyebrow-raising signs". ABC News. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  9. ↑ "Australian priest on gun control: 'Thoughts and prayers are not enough'". 9Honey. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  10. ↑ "Fr Rod Bower". 26 October 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  11. ↑ "Fr Rod Bower". 27 February 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  12. ↑ "'Billboard priest' weighs in on festival drug deaths after conducting funeral of Alex Ross-King". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 1 February 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  13. 1 2 Steger, Jason (14 December 2018). "When I look at Jesus' message, it is a political message: Father Rod Bower". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  14. ↑ Collins, Terry (23 February 2014). "Rainbow rector's marriage march". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  15. ↑ "Gosford priest hits out at Israel Folau with new church sign". 24 June 2019.
  16. ↑ "Magda Szubanski and friends launch alternative GoFundMe: ForLove". 26 June 2019.
  17. ↑ Whitbourn, Michaela (30 September 2017). "Anglican Priest Rod Bower brands Peter Dutton a 'Sodomite' in social media post". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  18. ↑ "Definition of SODOMITE".
  19. ↑ "Fr Rod Bower and Gosford Anglican Church says: 'Dutton is a Sodomite' | Caldron Pool". caldronpool.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019.
  20. ↑ Whitbourn, Michaela (30 September 2017). "Anglican Priest Rod Bower brands Peter Dutton a 'Sodomite' in social media post". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  21. ↑ "Father Rod Bower among Manus protesters released after chaining themselves to Kirribilli House". SBS News. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  22. ↑ Karp, Paul (15 August 2016). "Far-right protesters interrupt Anglican service clothed in mock Islamic dress". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  23. ↑ Maley, Jacqueline (30 April 2018). "Threat to church after Anzac Day message echoing Abdel-Magied's post". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  24. ↑ Hitchick, Merran (21 May 2018). "Far-right activists who invaded mass would be charged with terrorism if Muslim, rector says". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  25. ↑ Bolt, Andrew (4 July 2016). "Priest defends in Islam what he attacks in Christians". Herald Sun.
  26. ↑ Morton, Rick. "Outspoken priest Rod Bower raises ire of Jewish groups". The Australian. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  27. ↑ "Father Rod chases Senate seat". The Australian. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  28. ↑ "Outspoken Anglican rector Rod Bower announces Senate bid". SBS News. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  29. ↑ "Senate Results - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. Retrieved 23 July 2019.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.