Thousands of Australians have now signed a petition calling on the NSW Government to end its support for Sydney’s controversial Divine (formerly ‘Unholy’) Playhouse.
The venue operates from a former church on Sydney’s Kent St and uses Christian imagery, language and religious themes for sexualised entertainment.
The concern is not simply that the building was once a church. Rather, the venue’s branding and programming deliberately draw on sacred Christian beliefs and imagery through events such as Sunday Mess, Holy Flesh, and live “exorcisms”, while describing itself as a “sanctuary for divine mischief.”
What makes this particularly concerning is the venue’s acknowledgement of support through the NSW Government body, Create NSW. Christians rightly expect that taxpayer money should not be used to support projects that many believers reasonably regard as ridiculing their faith. Whether Australians agree with the events or not, there is a legitimate public question: should government funding be connected to projects that commercialise and mock the sacred beliefs of Australia’s largest faith community?
Sadly, this incident reflects a broader trend toward mockery of Christians and their faith. The recently released Australian Christian Freedom Index, based on responses from more than 10,800 Australian Christians, found 42% report personally experiencing hostility, threats or harassment because of their Christian worldview.
Encouragingly, Christians responded not with anger, but with prayer and respectful public witness. Around 70 Christians gathered peacefully outside the venue on opening night to pray, while thousands more signed a petition calling on the NSW Government to withdraw its support.
That public response has had a remarkable outcome.
Just one week after opening, the venue has been forced to close after its landlord issued a breach notice ordering it to cease “offensive trade”. The notice stated the venue had “insulted and mocked the sincerely held religious beliefs of millions of Christian Australians” and warned that ongoing protests and public disturbance made its continued operation unacceptable.
While the organisers are exploring legal options, this episode demonstrates that Christians can respond to hostility with peaceful, respectful and principled public witness. In a free society, people have the right to express views that others find offensive, including about Christianity. The issue was never whether this venue should be legally permitted to operate, but whether NSW taxpayers should have been asked to support a project that deliberately mocked the sincerely held beliefs of millions of Australians.
Christians should never expect immunity from criticism in a free country. But we should expect governments to treat our faith with the same dignity and respect afforded to every other religious community, especially when taxpayer funds are involved.
ACL will continue calling on the NSW Government to explain why Create NSW funding was provided to this venue in the first place.
