24^th May 2017

Declaration on Marriage and Family.

Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the Uniting Church

This declaration is made in the context of heated debate in the Australian community and Christian churches, including the Uniting Church about the meaning of marriage; --- in particular, whether ‘Same Sex Marriage or ‘Marriage Equality’ should be approved and/or enacted in law.

In view of the strong push within the Uniting Church from groups like Uniting Justice and Uniting Network, to regard’ Marriage Equality’ as a matter of social justice, it is necessary to expose false arguments now being widely accepted as truth by many in the church and community in public debate.

Therefore, this paper addresses key theological issues at the heart of the debate within the UCA, disputes the way in which the debate is being framed, and affirms the ACC’s conviction about marriage in a series of concise positive statements which also reject alternatives not attested by the witness of Scripture.

It also responds to frequently asked questions (FAQ) and common assumptions about ‘Marriage Equality’

Since 2004, when there was bipartisan support to ‘man ‘and ‘woman’ in the Marriage Act, the binary nature of sexuality has been increasingly undermined. There has been a radical shift in the language used to speak about sexual relationships. While ‘sex’ still refers to human biology, ‘gender’

Refers to a vast array of alternative and flexible forms of sexual expression with which men and women may choose to identify. Thus, the time-honoured beliefs of Christianity, other religions and humanity are now said to be out-dated and bigoted.

This radical social agenda is prosecuted in the mainstream media and in politics, education, business, sport, religion etc. by advocates intent on destroying the so-called oppressive, hateful structures bequeathed by Western colonialism and Christianity particularity. Repressive middle-class attitudes to sex and the family must be displaced by libertarian values based, not on reason or faith, but on the desire of individuals and minorities to establish their own identities. Thus, modern marriages and families must be reconstructed to meet the multiple variety and fluidity of sexual relations.

The turn to ideals which have their origin in paganism, where natural desires are to be freely expressed, and nihilism, where human existence is not grounded in any reality external to the self and its collective forms, marks a deep hostility to Christian faith and reason. It also signifies a profound shift in the concepts of freedom, equality and discrimination. Largely stripped of their relation to universal moral norms, they are now widely asserted, granted and enforced as individual rights on the basis of strongly held opinions, beliefs and desires based on the absolute acceptance of relationships which are marked by difference and mutual consent.

Departure from this totalitarian creed is now regarded as heretical. Those who, until recently, upheld almost universally accepted views about sex, marriage, equality and human rights are now vilified as being unchristian, rightwing extremists, bigots and haters who must be publicly silenced and shamed by psychological and legislative means.

The current controversy over the anti-bulling campaign in public schools run by the Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCOA), where ‘the hetero-normative’ relationship between male and female is fiercely rejected and replaced by ‘self chosen orientation and gender identity (SOGI), is a sign of insanity which masquerades as tolerance, acceptance and love.

Underlying these rapid changes is an androgynous (1) concept of humanity which has its roots in ancient Gnosticism (2) where the specific structure and purpose of our bodies is treated as relatively unimportant in relation to the spiritual essence of each individual, whether male or female or multiply gendered. (3) This is matched by an antinomian concept of freedom in which love and law, contrary to their unity in Judaism and Christianity, are treated as polar opposites. (4)

The pace at which these social and ideological changes are taking place in Western societies, including Australia, has created a sense of historical inevitability. Nobody wants to be on ‘the wrong side of history’ least of all a church that considers itself to be non-judgmental.

(1) ‘Androgyny’ is from the Greek for man (aner) and woman (gyne). Today, it refers to a genderless concept of humankind in which ‘male’ and ‘female’ are thought to be interchangeable terms for describing out individual identity.

(2) Modern Gnostics believe that their higher spiritual nature entitles them, not to refrain from, but to indulge their bodily pleasures.

(3) The debate is no longer about two forms of humanity—heterosexual and homosexual. There are now said to be multiple genders with which people identify. A post on the Tumblr website lists 112 genders and 70 orientations. ‘This is an ongoing list of gender identities. If you see a gender identity with a confusing or wrong description, feel free to message us as soon as possible. Feel free to mix and match your own prefixes and suffixes to create the identity that best describes you. ‘ (emphasis added)

(4) Antinomians believe that, being saved by grace alone, they are free from the obligations of the moral law.