(This page uses CSS style sheets)
Uniting Church in Australia
three former Presidents' report to Assembly Standing Committee
We are on a journey seeking the compassionate and inclusive way of the Christ. Our spiritual task is to work for the integration of head and heart, imagination and wonder, tradition and change, science and divine mystery. Faith and action are not separated. Faith gives rise to activism and action needs to be be grounded in faith. Faith means working together on feminist, pro-gay and lesbian, environmental, and other social justice concerns.
The formation of the Uniting Church in Australia was inspired by the vision that all Christians are part of the body of Christ, and our unity in Christ is more important than the historical barriers that divide us into denominations. This is why we are a "uniting" church, expresssing the hope that we are part of the process of gathering together the separated Christians rather than forming yet another denomination. Each year there is a sense of anticipation as we read together the stories in Acts about the beginnings of the Church and the spreading of the Gospel to all people.
In the current discussions about sexuality, some people are trying God's patience by struggling to formulate rules that will exclude others. They are attempting to lay on others yokes which they are unable to bear. There is simply no basis for a group of Christians claiming special merit or priviledges because they chose to live be some of the rules of the Torah. The discussion and rejection of this idea is reported in chapter 15 of Acts. The rules in Leviticus were respected by Jesus and the Apostles and remain important to Jews. But it was decided at the beigining of the Christian Church that they would not be required of Gentile Christians
A convenant thought to be universal in application is the covenant that God made with Noah (Gen. 8:15 - 9:17) From this is derived seven things required of everyone: not to worship idols, not to blaspheme God, not to kill, not to rob, not to commit adultery, not to eat flesh cut from a living animal, and to be people of law, establishing courts of justice. In this way, Judaism has always affirmed that God has a place in salvation for everyone. This is the basis for standards suggested for Gentile Christians in chapter 15 of Acts.
The Sexuality Report of the Assembly Taskforce had very little to say about homosexuality. Many members of the church grew up in a world where homosexuality was considered a crime or a mental illness. The report presented none of the evidence which has lead to the general rejection of these outdated ideas. Neither was there any presentation of an understanding of those biblical passages which are misused to direct hatred towards homosexuals. The current differences in attitude to homosexuality simply reflect historical prejudices and ignorance.
There is a need for everyone to act to heal these divisions. None of us, neither homosexual nor heterosexual can afford to exacerbate the divisions. We cannot afford the social, economic, moral or theological costs. Yet the report of the three fromer presidents has done nothing to clarify the misunderstandings or allay the fears. Thus the bitterness of the division can only increase unless measures are taken to facilitate mediation and understanding. The Uniting Church claims have a key role to play in the promotion of mediation, in countering misunderstanding, and in developing understanding and has even offered its expertise in the area of mediation and reconciliation to the government.
This would be consistent with the decision of the Assembly to commit the Church to a continuing dialogue on the matters as yet unresolved in the same spirit of openness and compassion that prevailed during the meeting of the Assembly. It would begin the process of considering how the Assembly might deal with the outstanding issues relating to sexuality.
Until that process begins we must join with the Assembly in acknowledgeing the disappointment of those who were looking to the Assembly for greater clarity and direction in regard to these matters; and express deep regret to those whose personal pain remains unalleviated by its inability to reach further decisions at this time.
The Assembly responded to the request of the migrant and ethnic communites for more time for prayer, reflection and discussion about homosexuality.
The Assembly Standing Committee is encouraging various councils of the church to be communities in which stories and convictions about sexuality can continue to be shared.
It seems to be diverting us away from the bold and hope filled proclamation of God's reign of justice, compassion, generosity, and joy. While we engage in crisis talk within the church, the world keeps filling up with hurting, broken, starving, abused, hated, oppressed, and dying people who need to hear a church that really believes in the gospel. Now that is the crisis talk the church and the world need.
When the church excludes some people, particularly lesbians, gay and bisexual members from full participation in its life and work, then the Body of Christ is broken, incomplete and often acts in unjust ways. There is a need for a healing voice within this climate of fear, ignorance, intolerance and injustice. There is a need to encourage and equip individuals, congregations and church bodies to be instruments of justice within the church by inviting everyone to be full participants in the life of the church, both in policy and practice. There is a need to provide a supportive network, educational and worship resources, and strategies that enable and empower individuals and church organizations for Christian ministries with lesbian, gay and bisexual members.
Our Christian heritage is having a door open to all persons, treating all people with dignity and respect, and genuinely believing the ground is level at the foot of the cross, we are all equals under the grace of Christ regardless of race or gender or nationality or orientation or economic status or hair color or any other incidental facet of your being. That's the gospel isn't it? As Paul says it, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
As Christians we embrace gay and lesbian persons as our neighbours. From our reading of scripture and from our pastoral experiences, we believe there is sufficient evidence to conclude that homosexuality is neither sickness nor sin. For too long, homosexual persons have been condemned and mistreated by followers of Jesus Christ. Sadly, the Bible has been misused in support of this condemnation. This abuse of scripture must end. Heterosexual and homosexual persons are children of God, created in God's image. Christians are invited to prayerfully re-examine scripture and their consciences for any vestiges of hatred or prejudice against their homosexual brothers and sisters.
Carlyle Marney wrote in 1966 that to drive a wedge in the human family by declaring homosexuals "the problem" and excluding them from our pews and pulpits actually splits us all in two, making any real Christian fellowship impossible for all of us. What took us so long to catch on? Look at the unity and level of caring all of this has brought to our church. Thank God!
|