I spent Saturday and Sunday afternoons of the Forge Grassroots Festival based at the UCA Hub in Little Collins Street, Melbourne. Cheryl Lawrie (of [hold :: this space]) (right below), Sam Charlesworth (middle) and Blythe Toll (left below) worked with a team to transform a corporate car park into Holy Ground : : Holy City. I was there to talk with interested people about alternatives to standard models of worship - a conversation deeply enhanced by the environment in which we met.
The burning bush/sacred ground experience of Moses was juxtaposed with the glimpses of God’s redeeming, transforming, hope-giving presence in the cities. iPods hanging from the ceiling showed video clips of the Tianenmen Square protester, the monks protests in Burma, and the destruction of the Berlin Wall. Around the walls and ceilings were projected films and photographs of pedestrian traffic in Melbourne. This was an invitation to explore the small clues to life, including the nature of concrete, cigarette butts and shoes.
In the middle was a space surrounded by security tape, with the words “Do Not Enter”, alongside phrases connecting the sacred ground experience of Moses with our experience.
Out on the wall outside was a chalk outline of the cityscape, with the words “New Earth”, and the invitation to dream of a future life for the city.
Colin Scott, an ordained Baptist Minister in Sydney, is developing a network of Christian ministers to apologise to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community for the way they have been treated by the Christian churches in Australia. Representatives of 100Revs joined in the Mardi Gras march in Sydney over the weekend.
Regardless of any position on Biblical teaching or policy on leadership, we need to acknowledge the impact of exclusion on people who don’t fit the ‘normal’ framework expected by congregations and their leaders. I’ve found some inspiration in the work done by the United Church of Christ in the United States (to which Barack Obama belongs), in their Still Speaking and Rejected by Religion campaigns.
The Apology
As ministers of various churches and denominations we recognise that the churches we belong to, and the church in general, have not been places of welcome for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people. Indeed the church has often been profoundly unloving toward the GLBT community. For these things we apologise, whatever the distinctive of our Christian position on human sexuality – to which we remain committed. We are deeply sorry and ask for the forgiveness of the GLBT community. We long that the church would be a place of welcome for all people and commit ourselves to pursuing this goal.
We ARE a group of Christian ministers who voluntarily and individually bring this apology.
We ARE NOT official representatives of our churches or denominations.
We ARE recognising the lack of hospitality, care and welcome that the churches have offered the gay and lesbian community.
We ARE NOT making a statement on the biblical position on gay and lesbian relationships.
Colin is a chaplain at University of Sydney, and director of HOPESTREET, a ministry of the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT working amongst the most marginalised groups in the inner city of Sydney, including sex workers, the homeless, public housing tenants, Aboriginal people, problem gamblers and the unemployed.
Brian McLaren’s new book, Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Change and Revolution of Hope, is coming out in October. He’s provided a few samples from the book on YouTube.
The first video comes from the introduction. Be aware that the last 50 seconds of the video allow you time to reflect on what you’ve just heard…
A reading from chapter 24, reflecting on materialistic culture and the pressure to keep up with the latest.
An explanation of the title of the new book…
Brian talks about some of the examples of deep shift he’s been looking for…
From Brian McLaren’s Deep Shift site, he explains the background to the book and the speaking tour he’s doing around its publication…
We Are In Deep Shift.
A time of transition
rethinking
re-imagining
and re-envisioning
A time for asking new questions
and seeking answers
that are both new and old
fresh and seasoned
surprising and familiar
What does it mean, in today’s world, to be a follower of God in the way of Jesus?
What does it mean to be a faith community engaged in the holistic, integral mission of God in our world today?
How do we, as individuals and faith communities, respond faithfully to the crises facing our world?
What is our duty to God, ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our enemies, and our planet in light of Jesus’ radical message of the kingdom of God?
How can we engage in personal formation and theological reformulation for global transformation?
