Campbell clobbered over Tamaki vendetta
Willie Jackson's Opinion
Friday, 10th June, 2011
OPINION: It was great watching TV3's John Campbell being dealt to by Maori MPs Hone Harawira, Tau Henare and Shane Jones this week on his own show.
Great because it's about time John Campbell was shown up for hypocrisy when dealing with Destiny Church.
Henare summed up Campbell's attitude when he claimed the TV presenter had a personal vendetta against Brian Tamaki.
And if you have watched Campbell Live over the last 12 months you would find it hard to disagree with this view.
Campbell seems at times obsessed with Tamaki and especially with his views over homosexuality, his system of tithing the Destiny members and his lavish lifestyle.
He's applying a double standard here because just about every other church in the world shares the same beliefs as Tamaki and Destiny.
Admittedly some church leaders don't have as flash a house as Tamaki – although apparently he still has a hefty mortgage on it.
The last time I looked at the Bible tithing was actually prescribed by God and homosexuality was seen exactly as Tamaki sees it. Yet not once in the last 12 months have we seen Campbell attack or critique any of the other churches.
No, not the Catholics who have sex scandals happening all around the world and paedophiles running rampant.
Not the Anglicans who are responsible for stealing Maori land all over this country nor the Mormons who until recently wouldn't allow black people to become priests.
No, not anyone except for Bishop Brian and the poor Maori people in Destiny.
So it really was good watching Campbell getting sliced up on his own show by the Maori MPs.
Campbell, along with Tamaki's critics, ignore the work he does in turning around people's lives.
I have seen the way he has transformed so many people, turning gangsters into good citizens, getting P addicts off the street and doing the job that so many organisations fail with and getting so little recognition for it.
No, the John Campbells of this world will never acknowledge this, preferring instead to focus on things that all churches have been guilty of since the beginning of time.
So I say well done to Hone, Shane and Tau who all took off their Mana, Labour and National party hats the other night to defend their right to attend a Destiny conference.
They attended it obviously because it's election year but also because all of them have genuine respect for Tamaki and the work he has done for our people.
It's a shame John Campbell doesn't have the same respect.
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