Words, witness and the future

By Andrew Johnson, General Secretary of the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly

All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches is a new book from Ben Rhodes published in the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Rhodes worked as the Deputy National Security Advisor in the Obama Administration and wrote foreign policy speeches for President Obama.

In the book, Rhodes argues that the central argument in American history is between two competing visions: a vision based on inheritance, hierarchy, exclusion and power, and a vision based on equality, inclusion, democracy and belonging.

As the Uniting Church begins its 50th year, what are the competing visions of the Uniting Church? One story says that our future is determined by demographics, diminishing resources and institutional decline. The other says that our future is determined by the Spirit of God, who continually calls us to deeper discipleship, broader hospitality, courageous justice and renewed mission. As I have argued previously, I do not believe we are on the Titanic, a vessel inevitably destined to sink. However, this appears to be the prevailing narrative which animates our life – both our depression about the future and our anxiety about change.

The alternative narrative is harder to uncover in our life; that may be because it is not found at the centre of our life. It is a story of hospitality, where we have sought to extend the table to everyone, inviting everyone to courageously follow Jesus.

“We will work for the eradication of poverty and racism within our society and beyond.”

– Statement to the Nation, 1977

In 1977, we made one of our most radical declarations in the Statement to the Nation we pledged ourselves to seek the correction of injustice wherever it occurs. We committed to work for the eradication of poverty and racism. We committed to the wise use of energy and the protection of the environment. Commitments as relevant today as they were when we made them half a century ago.

“The Uniting church seeks to be open to changes that the Holy Spirit will bring to the church because of the creative contributions of people of different racial and cultural group to its life.”

– We are a multicultural church, 1985

In 1985, we declared: ‘We are a multicultural church’. We committed to the full participation of culturally and linguistically diverse communities in our decision making. We committed to the equitable rights to use Uniting Church properties and access to resources. We recognised the need for special ministerial education programs for people working in multicultural communities of faith.

“I apologise on behalf of the Assembly for all those wrongs done knowingly or unknowingly to your people by the Church, and seek your forgiveness.”

– Dr Jill Tabarat, Covenanting Statement, 1994

In 1994, we entered into a sacred Covenant with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress. In the Covenanting Statement we acknowledged our closure to the spirituality and wisdom of First Peoples. We also acknowledged the way we belittled and harmed the culture of First Peoples. We lamented the dispossession and violence of colonisation. We also committed to the request from Congress to transfer assets to Congress as both reparation and a means of supporting Congress in its mission and ministry.

“When a council of the church makes decisions, it is aiming to discern the guidance of the Spirit in response to the word of God.”

– Manual for Meetings, 2009

In 1994, we also adopted the first Manual for Meetings which incorporated consensus decision making into our life. In so doing we recognised the inherent dignity and worth of every person called by God to participate in a council of the church. We committed to taking time together in worship and building community so that we would make better decisions but listening to each other. We accepted that at times decisions would take longer because we believed it mattered that every voice was heard.

“On any Sunday, a variety of people will gather together to worship God. There will be women, men, young, old. Worship will be offered in a variety of tongues, and in a variety of styles.”

– ‘Ordered Liberty’, Uniting in Worship 2, 2005

In 2005, we published Uniting in Worship 2. In this we articulated the principles of ‘Ordered Liberty’ – an ecumenical framework which embraced both freedom and order in worship. We also continued to explore a rich diversity of names and images for God. We sought to make the language of worship more accessible and connected more of our words of worship to everyday life. We recovered some ancient practices such as prayers of lament and the Easter Vigil Service.

‘The First Peoples had already encountered the Creator God before the arrival of the colonisers; the Spirit was already in the land revealing God to the people through law, custom and ceremony.’

– Revised Preamble to the Constitution, 2009

In 2009, we adopted a Revised Preamble to the Uniting Church Constitution. In it, we confessed that many of us were complicit in injustice including paternalism and racism towards First Peoples. We denied that Australia was occupied by First Peoples. We also acknowledge that the same love and grace that was finally and fully revealed in Jesus Christ sustained First Peoples and gave them particular insights into God’s ways. We also celebrated that our Covenantal relationship is a foretaste of that coming reconciliation and renewal which is the end in view for the whole creation.

These are not isolated statements. They tell one unfolding story. Again and again, when the Uniting Church has faced moments of uncertainty, it has chosen openness over fear, covenant over control, reconciliation over exclusion, and hope over despair. These commitments are not peripheral to who we are; they are among the clearest expressions of our identity.

These words carry powerful meaning for our life as a Church; however, we have not always lived up to these words. Indeed, the phrase ‘All we say’ is drawn from Martin Luther King Jr’s final speech. In it, he says, “All we say to America is, ‘Be true to what you said on paper’”. As we enter into our 50th year this is a challenge to the Uniting Church too. Be true to what you said on paper.

Some have called the documents I have cited ‘Instruments of Unity’; however, they will only truly bind us together if we live them out in our lives. They will only bind us together if we do indeed combat racism, provide equitable access to the bounty God has given us, celebrate the variety of tongues of our worship, honour the ancient wisdom of our First Peoples and proclaim God’s grace for all as a foretaste of the coming reconciliation and renewal. Which narrative of our journey will you proclaim?

The question before us is not whether these words remain true. The question is whether we will live them. If we are true to what we have said on paper, then our 50th year will not simply celebrate our past – it will become the beginning of our future.

Andrew Johnson
General Secretary
Uniting Church in Australia Assembly