Australian Baptist churches outreach campaign "Jesus loves Osama" has made worldwide news, with their message of "Jesus loves Osama: Jesus said 'love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.'" A message that has upset Australian Prime Minister who thinks that the church's "prayer priority" should not be doing what Jesus said but instead thought it's prayer priority "could have been elsewhere."

Not since cartoonist Michael Leunig's "Christmas wish in December 2006" in the Age (showing the Australian Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister covered in blood) has the Christian narrative been so provocatively proclaimed in Australia.

What is interesting is when John Howard put forward his position to the press in terms of "many Australian Christians" would share his sentiments that 'praying for our enemies' should not be our top priority, may be right. I wonder if his comments are right particularly if "Australian Christian" is a list of identities in priority order (ie. "My identity is as an Australian and I happen to be a Christian", rather than "My identity and how I understand how I'm to be in the world is as a Christian, and I happen to be Australian.").

John Howard maybe very right, that for many Christians 'Jesus as Lord' is not authoritative in how we live our lives and God's transformative revolution ("Kingdom of God") is not were our allegiance lie, instead we are "Australian" first and Christianity is just our privatised religion or 'spirituality', so praying for our enemies is not a priority.

Rob Benson has written, "Scores of churches around Australia have been displaying large posters with the words, "Jesus loves Osama". The poster is part of a series of advertisements designed by Outreach Media to promote what it sees as "the heart of the gospel".

But the notion that the Son of God would demonstrate affection for the world's most wanted man, and that Christian churches might want to point out this gospel truth to commuters and pedestrians, is news to Australia's news media.

Sydney tabloid journalist Luke McIlveen broke the story on February 1 in the Daily Telegraph, and various news media have followed his lead. To my knowledge, McIlveen has not spoken to a spokesperson of the Baptist Union of New South Wales, and incorrectly assumed from a conversation he apparently had, with an administrative support person, that the Baptist Union of NSW distances itself from the signage. In fact it does not; to do so would be an implicit denial of the validity and significance of the teaching and example of Jesus."

For more: Telegraph (UK), ABC (Aus)