Day: July 30, 2018

Marrying same-gender people: a biblical rationale

On what biblical basis can we justify the decision of the Uniting Church, to marry same gender people?

The following blog has been co-written by myself and my wife, the Rev. Elizabeth Raine.  We have a lifelong commitment to the faithful and critical study and interpretation of scripture, and to contextually-relevant missional engagement with contemporary society. We offer these reflections as a way of encouraging serious reflection on the biblical rationale underpinning the recent decision by the Uniting Church, to endorse the marriage of same gender couples alongside the marriage of a male and a female.

Continue reading “Marrying same-gender people: a biblical rationale”

The Word of God, Scripture, and Jesus Christ

The Basis of Union of the Uniting Church in Australia calls us to hold to our core convictions with passion and determination. Paragraphs 3 and 4 of the Basis articulate something of those passionate convictions about God, Jesus, the Spirit, and the Church. Paragraphs 5 and 11 set out the way that we approach and appropriate the Bible.

Each of these paragraphs supports the way that the 15th Assembly of the Uniting Church has made a decision about marrying same gender people.

Continue reading “The Word of God, Scripture, and Jesus Christ”

Fresh words and deeds

The Basis of Union of the Uniting Church in Australia commits us to being a people oriented to the shaping of “fresh words and deeds”. In that document, we learn of the ways that we can go about doing this.

The offering of our fresh words and deeds requires of us, both deep reflection, and trusting obedience, to God’s living Word, who is Jesus, present in our midst as the sign and promise of that “new order of righteousness and love” which is the mark of the kingdom of God.

Continue reading “Fresh words and deeds”