Let your gentleness be known to everyone (Philippians 4:5)
I have been thinking in recent days about modes of speaking; ways of proclaiming deeply-held beliefs, ways of engaging in constructively and fruitfully with people who hold different opinions from me. Life these days in the church—and life these days in the public arena, with political debate and social media interaction—seems always to be challenging me, in the way I think about ideas, and speak with other people about those ideas.
This time, one year ago, I was one of a number of church leaders who entered the Ellenbrook office of the Hon Christian Porter MP. We went to ask Mr Porter and the Federal Government to bring to Australia all people imprisoned in offshore processing centres. We took this action in solidarity with the more than 400 men on Manus Island who, at that time, were refusing to leave the ‘closed’ processing centre.
We went there in love, because we believe that Love Makes A Way.
This is the blog that I wrote for the UCA WA magazine, Revive, in reflection on the experiences of that day. (Note: the four years in detention has now stretched to five years in detention, with no end in sight … the injustice continues.)
Continue reading “The presence of God while in the hands of police”
Elizabeth and I attended The Perth Peacemaking Conference today, being held to mark the centenary of the end of World War One. We heard the Gospel proclaimed with clarity and passion by our colleague, Chris Walker, during the morning Eucharist in the Anglican Cathedral. We listened to representatives of a range of religious faiths express how their faith informs their commitment to peace; people from Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Indigenous Australian, Baha’i, and Christianity (Quaker, Roman Catholic, Anglican and Uniting Church).
There was a good interchange of ideas. I jotted down some of the most striking and insightful comments made during the forum. Here’s my top twelve.
Continue reading “Blessed are the peacemakers”
It’s 100 years, this weekend, since The Armistice was signed to end The War to End All Wars. In theory, that meant that war would end, and peace would prevail. It is an important moment, to recall that event, and to assess the consequences. Sadly, it has not been a century of peace; far from it.
So, this weekend, I am pondering peace, and worrying about war.
I’ve recently written about adding to, or modifying, the classic creed of the church, the Apostles Creed.
https://johntsquires.wordpress.com/2018/10/30/affirming-the-teachings-of-jesus/
In this blog, I turn my attention to the process of interpreting this creed, and other classic creeds of the church.
“The teachings of Jesus were a bit of an embarrassment to the [4th century] church and its relationship with power. The creeds which were developed at that time say almost nothing about the real life of Jesus or his teachings. Jesus is a saviour figure rather than one whose life and teachings matter.”
Chris Budden, Why Indigenous Sovereignty Should Matter To Christians (page 62).
This is blog from my guest, Father Chris Bedding, of the Anglican Church. He spoke at the Star Street Uniting Church at a gathering on 25 October 2018, where members of the LGBTIQ community gathered with Uniting Church people to welcome marriage equality within the Uniting Church.
Continue reading “Marriage of same gender people: a gift to the whole Church”
Here’s my explainer of the current situation in the Uniting Church in Australia regarding marriage, set out in nine easy steps.
I’m posting because I seem to be writing the same kind of thing to various people asking “what’s going on?”, and it might be helpful for us all to have a common understanding of the situation. As the Uniting Church is governed by a series of inter-related councils, it can be a little difficult to understand the complexities at times.
This is just how I understand things, but I thought it might be helpful.
In the light of the debates and discussions about human sexuality over the past 18 months in Australia society …
and, in particular, in the light of the recent letter from the Assembly General Secretary of the Uniting Church, regarding the decision of the Assembly about marrying people of the same gender …
I want to offer the seven affirmations below to my LGBTIQ friends and colleagues, and to the allies who are seeking to support them at this time.
They aren’t original to me. They simply come from decisions made by the church in council. They were important at the time, and they still stand as guides and standards for who we are, together, as the church, today.
Might all within the Uniting Church reflect on and pray about these affirmations, and each of us seek to live up to them in our personal discipleship and our life as a community.
The church is a community where people of different perspectives and varied commitments gather together in fellowship. It has always been the case, and it is especially evident in the present time, that the church is marked by diversity—a range of cultures, a range of skills, a range of theologies, a range of understandings.
This diversity is in focus in a particular way, in the life of the Uniting Church in Australia. The decision of the recent Assembly, to acknowledge two distinct understandings of marriage, reflects this diversity. The range of views across this diversity has led to some challenges.
Continue reading “Recognising Pain, Working for Reconciliation”
An Informed Faith 