To me it just does not add up.
Foxy,
same here. I get the feeling that this is simply a new tactic for either bleating discrimination or undermining something for an agenda down the track. Whatever it is we can be certain it will involve compensation claims ! And, as per usual it'll be those who can least spare a Dollar who'll be forking out for it !

Hi Foxy

The two sermons in question were delivered before Thorburn became involved in the church’s leadership. Neither he nor the Essendon board knew anything about them until Monday morning, when someone drew them to the attention of the media. At this point Essendon issued the ultimatum that Thorburn must either resign from his church position or resign from his CEO position

I can just imagine how a Football Club CEO with normal sexuality would fit into the rainbow orientated organisation !

Hi Rhian,

Thank you for your patience and civility and your
attempts to explain the situation to me. I apologise
for not getting it. I've now read more on the matter
and it does appear that you were right and I was wrong.
The club did put an ultimatum on the CEO to chose either
or. So it was not as I claimed - simply up to him.

The entire matter is an unfortunate one for all concerned.
Of course it is the club's decision as to who they want
as their CEO - but it does speak badly that the man was
not given a chance to prove himself as to the kind of
CEO he would have made. But, I guess in large organizations
the Board's decision stands.

In my view - the man should have been
allowed to stay and prove himself. And only
when his views clashed with theirs could
he have been sacked. He was not given that option it seems.

Hi indyvidual,

Sorry that I misunderstood the entire matter.

This is guilt by association.

There is not one instance of Thorburn posting anything objectionable on any website. He was effectively fired based on his association with an external society.

I see a huge lawsuit coming from this.

I also see Brittany Higgins is being ripped apart by the defence counsel who is uncovering all her lies.

Hi Foxy

Thank you for that. No need to apologise – the media coverage has been a bit confused (I still can’t work out who exactly told the press about the sermons) and both sides of the culture wars have framed their arguments and picked their facts to suit their prejudices. So you can get very different pictures of the events depending on which media sources you go to.

I agree he should have been given the chance to prove his merits, but Essendon had no choice but to respond to the media outrage.
I think a better response would have been to ask him to publicly affirm that he would conform with, and actively promote and implement, the club’s inclusiveness policy; then watch very closely to ensure he did just that. That would be a reasonable thing to expect of a CEO, and if his religious beliefs prevented him from doing that he should indeed resign.

But I think the board went way too far in demanding he resign on the basis of one or two sermons given at his church that he never even heard, much less endorsed. And it troubles me that ideas on abortion and sexual activity which are the official positions of many mainstream churches should render their adherents unemployable, even though I personally disagree with those positions.