City Bible Forum

There is an organization in Adelaide known as the City Bible Forum. It is a group of businessmen from the city who have dedicated themselves to serving the needs of working men within the downtown areas (primarily white-collared men). From what I can tell, they do an amazing job at it. Sometime in the near future, I hope to sit down with the organization's president to discuss how they view and go about urban, white-collar mission. When your mission field is several million strong and you see fruits, you must be doing something right!

My connection with the City Bible Forum stems from one of the pastor's here at Hope Valley, Darren Shelton. He is very much a man's man and latches onto anything that helps him better minister to men. On the evening of Ash Wednesday, he invited me to attend one of the Bible Forum events with him and some of the guys from his Men's group. I am very glad I went, as it was a good opportunity to see an aspect of the Bible Forum's mission, fellowship with men in the Church, and get closer with one of the pastor's here.

The event was at a downtown pub and involved a meal of Yum Cha (I still have no idea what this was, but it tasted alright). During the meal, a speaker gave a presentation on sexuality and the brain. Though the discussion was a bit vulgar at times (what discussion of sex isn't), the speaker came at the issue of sex from an interesting perspective, trying to prove that science and psychology supported the Biblical model of dating, marriage, and healthy sexual relations. This seems like just the message people need to hear into today's world. It is not just "Christian dogma" that we espouse, but science backs up the claims of the Bible in almost every way imaginable. This speaker's work in the science of the brain with regard to sex seemed very valuable. Most people seemed to enjoy the evening.

The interesting thing about the event, was that the City Bible Forum did not just rent out the pub for the evening. This meant random people were allowed to sit in the audience. Moreover, they advertised the event in papers and such. Curious people came, expecting a show related to the Fringe festival or something (I would imagine). Instead they got an in-depth analysis of sexuality and its place in society. It was interesting to see how some people handled the environment. One of our waitresses even asked us what the whole event was about (why some strange person kept going on and on about sex). This was an interesting approach taken by the Bible Forum. I don't think they were being disingenuous at all. I just find it interesting that part of their goal was to not make this a discussion simply among Christians. Good on them.

It seems appropriate to comment on Australian service at this time. Unlike in America, waiting staff are paid well in Australia and do not rely on tips. It is very uncommon to leave a tip for the service. As a ex-waiter myself, I like this model quite a bit. Sometimes it is just wicked hard living exclusively on tips. Moreover, why tip for good service? Shouldn't good service be expected? The culture of tipping in America has many flaws. So it is nice that they don't do it here in Australia. On the other hand, I have found some of the waiters and waitresses in Australia very rude. When a tip is not on the line, there is no need for a courteous demeanor, an extra smile, or "going the extra mile." The customer's happiness is not necessarily the goal, as your tip doesn't depend on it. At this event, for example, one of the male waiters was horrible. He forcibly told us to "get out of the way" of the path needed by the wait staff. There was no hint of consideration in his voice. He continued to bring only four of everything to our table despite there being five of us sitting there. When asked for an additional portion, he told us to share with other tables. He was painfully slow to take drink orders and hated our questions. Now, I would like to say he was an exception to the rule here (and certainly nobody has been as rude as he was), but I do think service in America tends to be better than service here. So there you have it: Pros and Cons to America's tipping culture.

In Christ,

Chris