St Matthews' 2011 Christmas billboard

[Forgiven]

Wed, 14 Dec 2011
By 3 News online staff

St Matthews-in-the-City Church has again rolled out a provocative billboard in time for Christmas - their latest showing Mary with a positive pregnancy test.

The church says the billboard aimed to “avoid the sentimental [and] trite” and “spark thought and conversation”.

St Matthews has caused controversy with numerous provocative billboards in recent years.

In 2009, their Christmas billboard showed Mary and Joseph in bed with the tag line, “Poor Joseph, God was a hard act to follow.”

This year Vicar Glynn Cardy says St Matthews wanted to focus on what it was like for a real mother with a real child.

The church’s website says the billboard has purposely been left blank of any text.

“We hope to do so with an image and no words. We invite you to wonder what your caption might be.”

The billboard, erected last night outside the church, will stay up until Christmas Day.

St Matthews unveils provocative Christmas billboard - Story - National - 3 News

[mattfivefour]

Both the '09 and the current billboards are blasphemy. The stupid argument raised, that the idea is to make people think, is exactly that— stupid. Judging by this priest's fruit, I would run as far away from that "church" as I could.

[livin_in_the_Son]

At first I was like, well the first one is just stupid, but the 2009 one made me gasp! How dare they? I'm too shocked for words.

[LivnForChrist]