Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Author disappointed that mainstream media ignored his book contributing to same-sex marriage debate

Dr David van GendTHE Toowoomba-based president of the Australian Marriage Forum, Dr David van Gend, admits he stepped on a roller-coaster promoting his new book on the same-sex marriage debate.

In the last few weeks, a commercial printer refused to print his book, and when an alternative printer was found, his book launch tour to all state capitals was ignored by mainstream media outlets.

In Stealing From A Child – the injustice of marriage equality, Dr van Gend claims “to lay bare the subversive ‘genderless agenda’ that comes with genderless marriage.”

“We were very disappointed by the lack of any intelligent interest by the major media,” Dr van Gend said. 

“They control the cultural high ground and are almost uniformly of a ‘progressive’ mindset and they will give no oxygen to any reasonable person on our side of the debate.”

Ahead of his first book launch in Brisbane, Dr van Gend received email threats that the launch would be disrupted by violence. 

This didn’t happen, and the rest of his book tour ran smoothly, attracting solid attendances, but with little media attention.

His final book launch, in Canberra, coincided with Labor politicians blocking the government’s proposal to hold a people’s vote on the same-sex marriage issue.

“We were prepared for the plebiscite. Now the finishing line has been moved away,” Dr van Gend said.

This would allow advocates for traditional marriage more time, he said, “to win hearts and minds”.

“We have been given precious time to help more Australians understand the subversive nature of this proposal and the disturbing package deal of genderless consequences that comes with genderless marriage,” he said.

Stealing From A Child sets out the deeper consequences if same-sex marriage became law. 
He describes it as “a package deal of harms”.

“In particular genderless education like ‘Safe Schools’, genderless bathroom laws to let cross-dressing males  use girls bathrooms,  genderless birth certificates – so there is no mother or father there is just parent one and parent two – and even changing husband and wife into partner A and B so as not to cause trouble for genderless couples,” Dr van Gend said.

“Those are some examples of the radical redefining of marriage, parenting and family for every single one of us.”

Dr van Gend said he was impressed by the calibre of people attending his book launches, many of whom, bought bulk copies to distribute in their churches. 

“Their attentiveness their determination to understand this great question and share this understanding with friends was very heartening,” he said.

Dr van Gend will continue promoting his book and hopes to visit regional cities. 

He said he is not concerned by the lack of mainstream media attention.

“They’re playing politics,” he said. “I know that a book like this comes under the parable of the sower. I have gathered the best seed in this book. We are now broadcasting it, we are sowing it as far as we can. And I know there is a lot of good soil out there and that the seed will bear good fruit  – but just how much fruit is not up to me it is between God and the soil.”

Stealing From A Child is available from Connor Court Publishing.