Online Fundraisers? There's still plenty out there

Once upon a time, my architect father took me to task. “That is an unresolved dualism,” he thundered, pointing at a design on my architecture student drawing board. What he meant was I had drawn a building that did not look like it fitted together. As I recall, he didn’t thunder much, so  it hurt when he did – mainly because he was right.

Of late, Christians might feel they have an “unresolved dualism” too. They can donate to the Israel Folau appeal, OR they can donate to Magda Szubanski’s “For Love” appeal.

There’s been an obvious groundswell of support to the Australian Christian Lobby’s (ACL) Folau appeal. But some Christians have also donated to the “For Love” appeal. Some people will posit this as a choice: an “unresolved dualism” of rival online money machines.

The ACL has now closed the Isreal Folau appeal. But they are still raising money for a religious freedom advocacy campaign.

That Suzbanski-led appeal supports kids with cancer and Twenty 10, a gay charity aimed at homeless gay youth.

What’s not to like?

There’s no “unresolved dualism”. With a good conscience, support both of them if you want to.

It’s entirely possible for someone to support Folau’s right to speak his faith AND think that homeless gay youth deserve support. You can choose both, or one or the other. Or neither. There’s no need to think of them as rivals. There’s no “unresolved dualism”. With a good conscience, support both of them if you want to.

They are secular charities –  but many Christians support those. I have been on the board of a local disability sports club – so I plead guilty to supporting secular charities.

A rainbow heart logo may put some off the Szubanski appeal – but you can go direct to the Children’s Cancer Foundation or Twenty 10.

Of course there are many other fundraisers around. Let me plug Bible Society – raising money for Bibles in China – and so many more good causes (and some weird ones too) on GoFundMe.

Perhaps you can think of going on GoFundMe as a modern version of turning the other cheek if you were offended by their censorship of Folau. (Besides they did him a great favour).

As the good book says “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18) and “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” (Matthew 6:3)

For some Folau may be in your left hand or Suzbanski in your right, or both, or neither.

Peace.