“Christians are seen as overly serious people who are easily offended. There’s something wrong with that.” So says the Rev Michael Jensen, lecturer in theology at Moore College and passionate advocate for the place of joy and humour in the Christian life.
In a seminar held at Darling Street Anglican Church earlier this year Mr Jensen posed the question ‘is God laughing?’
“The need came out of the fact that Christians are often weighed down by their faith,” said Mr Jensen, who spoke at the seminar organised David Miles, who leads the ministry ‘Joy Division’ that looks at the place of humour and joy in Christianity.
“God is not laughing at our condition or our sin,” Mr Jensen said. “However, God is laughing at the folly of the rulers who oppose him and their pretensions to power, such as in Psalm 2.”
Mr Miles, who is involved with church planting in the Baptist Church in Byron Bay, says his ministry is concerned with educating Christians on the positive hope that comes with being a Christian. “Joy Division is committed to drawing out the joy of Christian truth in an imaginative way. We are determined to be as positive and creative as we can be. At the same time, we are aware that God is more than a beauty to be explored and imagined, he is a reality to be confronted and a person to be known,” he says.
“As Christians, we can look forward to hopeful things coming out of tragic situations. We can have a hope in the things of the world to come,” Mr Miles says.
Mr Miles points to Sarah and Abraham as examples. “God is the God of laughter and when Isaac’s name was mentioned, laughter became something right up there in Israel’s mind. Israel is in fact ‘the son of Laughter’.”
Joy Division will next introduce ‘Body Theology’ in a series of seminars to be held at the Baptist Tabernacle, Newcastle, from July 5 to 9, discussing why Christians should have a positive view of the body.

Details: David Miles on 6685 8120.