Our purpose in putting up this billboard was five-fold:

1.    To invite people to think about the virgin birth and the nature of God.
2.    To say that there was more than one Christian way to think about the
virgin birth and God.  Indeed there are many.
3.    To promote the Progressive view of Jesus having 2 human parents and God
being the power of love in his life.
4.    To ridicule the very literalistic view that God is a male and literally
sired Jesus.
5.    To invite people outside of the church to see a type of Christianity here
at St Matthew’s that they might be able to relate to.

Point one has hugely successful.  Whether people agreed with our theology or
not, conversations broke out all around the world in work places, homes, and
schools.

Point two was not as successful.  Many thought we were ridiculing every
Christian view save our own.  Yet, partly due to live interviews on radio
and TV, this was corrected as we went along.

Point three again was only partially successful.  Initially most media
seemed more interested in those expressing outrage than reporting our
reasons for doing it.  Again as time progressed and overseas media in the UK
and Australia picked up on the story this Progressive view got more
coverage.

Point four was very successful.  People knew we were criticizing the male
god and the crude image of being Jesus’ literal parent.

Point five was the most pleasing of all.  We have had lots of wonderful
response from people for whom this billboard gave them reason to hope that
maybe there was ‘room in the inn’ of Christianity from them.  Or at least
with us out the back