REV ELIZABETH RAINE
At the very beginning of our Scripture, we find God creating a world that is “very good”. It is clear from the first chapter of Genesis that God created a world for humans, plants and animals alike.
God saw to it that all the creatures and human beings were provided for, with the ...
STEPHEN BURNS
Recently I’ve had the great fortune to help establish a new website which focuses on exploring liturgy.
The website, www.exploringliturgy.org, has many strands, but concentrates on five aspects of worship:
If you have been following the Revised Common Lectionary you most likely have spent some time recently reading the letter to the Ephesians.
If you haven’t paid much attention to the letter I encourage you to read it because it is particularly helpful for not just thinking about the life of the Church but the ...
We don’t very often tell the story of Australia’s role in establishing the United Nations. Perhaps it is not widely known that a delegation of 20 Australians at the San Francisco Conference on International Organisation from April to June 1945 helped shape the Charter of the UN in decisive ways.
I’m sure this month’s Crosslight has comprehensive coverage of Assembly and the key decisions made there.
I want to focus on some of the aspects of Assembly not directly related to the decisions we made that I hope might encourage every council and committee to think about their life.
SHARON HOLLIS
Several years ago, I overheard my young daughter’s Barbie dolls having the following conversation:
Barbie 1: ”What are you doing today?”
Barbie 2: “I’m going to a boring meeting.”
It was a salutary moment for me as I realised I had used that exact phrase – “I’m going to a boring meeting”– ...
We are living in a period of significant turmoil. It would be easy to feel overwhelmed by the current political climate. It is often difficult to know how to react to issues such as mass migration and religious pluralism, the numerous ongoing geopolitical conflicts, the large social issues including gun violence, marriage equality, #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter, the developing ...
This month we commemorate the 41st anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia. It’s not nearly as exciting as last year’s 40th birthday. There will be fewer cakes and parties and events I imagine. After the excitement of last year, this June’s anniversary reminds us that the life of the church is mostly lived out in ...
The theological world recently mourned the death of Professor James Cone, a prominent African American theologian who taught for many years at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Among his influential and prophetic books were A Black Theology of Liberation and The Cross and the Lynching Tree.
SHARON HOLLIS
As we move towards the Feast of Pentecost when we celebrate the gift of the Spirit to the church and each follower of Jesus, I am reminded again of the privilege I have witnessing so many signs of the Spirit’s presence calling us to worship, witness and service.
Weird, strange, foreign, old, irrelevant, outdated, useless, violent, are among the words people have used to respond to the question “what is the Old Testament?”
In contemporary Australia people have rarely responded by saying, it is ‘the word of God’ or ‘Scripture’.
The UCA Basis of Union says, The Uniting Church acknowledges that the ...
There is a phrase from one of Paul’s letters that has stuck in my mind recently, not least as I take up a new role within the synod. The role title I have been given is long (Director of Education and Formation for Leadership and Head of Pilgrim Theological College, no easy acronym there!), so it’s kind ...
