Dear Essendon FC, As a Former Refugee, I Have Questions About the Andrew Thorburn Saga
Dear Essendon FC,
I realise you've been in the news recently because of the resignation of your newly appointed CEO, Andrew Thorburn.
Just one day after appointing him as CEO, he was asked to resign. Not because he did or said anything wrong but because of his beliefs.
Your President, Dave Barham, wrote on your website:
As soon as the comments relating to a 2013 sermon from a pastor, at the City of the Hill church came to light this morning, we acted immediately to clarify the publicly espoused views on the organisation's official website, which are in direct contradiction to our values as a Club.
Essendon is committed to providing an inclusive, diverse and a safe Club, where everyone is welcome and respected.
The Board made clear that, despite these not being views that Andrew Thorburn has expressed personally and that were also made prior to him taking up his role as Chairman, he couldn't continue to serve in his dual roles at the Essendon Football Club and as Chairman of City on the Hill.
Your actions leave me (and no doubt other refugees and migrants) with two urgent questions:
1) You say, 'everyone is welcome and respected', but many refugees and migrants have the same views on abortion and marriage as Andrew Thorburn. Will we be excluded from your club like he was?
Most refugees are from the Majority World, where our cultural and religious views on these issues align more with Thorburn than with your club. Many of us believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, and the unborn deserve to live.
And we came to this country because we believed Australia doesn't persecute people for their political, religious or cultural views – unlike many of the places we left. I came from a Marxist country that preached equality but excluded those who didn't hold to the regime's politically correct beliefs. Unfortunately, I see a parallel between what my people experienced under such a regime and what Andrew Thorburn experienced at the hands of your club.
Thus, while refugees like me felt welcomed – overwhelmingly welcomed – by the Australian people, your actions toward Thorburn raise the urgent question: is that welcome coming to an end, at least in places such as Essendon FC?
Will the Sudanese Christian who wants to play for Essendon be told to check his religion at the door before he can play?
Will the Syrian refugee be forced to renounce his leadership position at his Mosque before he can work as a staff member at your club?
Will we be treated as second-class citizens, excluded from your club, because of our views on abortion and sex?
It's a question on many people's minds, and we would love for you to clarify it.
My second question goes to the heart of this painful saga:
2) What does true inclusion look like in our culturally and religiously diverse society?
This is a critical question for our diverse society.
Does acceptance and respect for other people involve affirming everything about them?
Can we accept other people, even if we differ with their deepest beliefs, desires, views and identity?
When it comes to LGBTQIA+ issues, there seems to be little room for disagreement. Either you affirm everything the LGBTQIA+ community stands for, as per Essendon values, or you're a bigot.
Now, if your definition of "bigot" is not affirming all things LGBTIQ, then yes, Andrew Thorburn – and former refugees like me who hold to the Bible's view of gender and sexuality – are bigots.
But by that definition, Jesus was a bigot (as were prominent Christians like Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr).
While Jesus was crystal clear about how God designed us to live (e.g. he reaffirmed marriage as the lifelong monogamous union of one man and one woman), he nevertheless loved those who didn't live up to this standard.
Jesus loved the prostitutes without affirming prostitution. Jesus loved those caught in sex outside marriage without affirming sex outside marriage. Jesus showed love to all people – without affirming all their desires and actions.
He demonstrated that it was possible to radically love and accept people – be they gay or straight – without affirming their desires or actions.
I call that authentic inclusivity.
On the flip side, if our definition of inclusiveness requires affirmation, we'll constantly exclude people, as you excluded Andrew Thorburn.
But if our definition follows Jesus' model, we'll forge inclusivity that allows us to live with our deepest differences while respecting each other's humanity.
Now that's an inclusivity that welcomes everyone - not just those we agree with.
I urge you to ponder how such authentic inclusivity could become a bedrock value of your club. It would send a strong signal to refugee and migrant communities that we are welcome at Essendon FC.
Whereas the signal you're sending now is that we’re not.
I look forward to your reply,
Akos Balogh
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