Mark CornfordIf I had been asked this question ten years ago I would have answered with something like “the Uniting Church is no better or worse than any other church”. I had a general agreement with most of the theology of the Uniting Church, historically it was where I had grown up, and I had a vague sense that this ...

It may not be the most important thing that will happen in the Uniting Church in Queensland in 2006, but the 11th Assembly to be held in Brisbane 5th-11th July will certainly dominate the attention of the popular media and probably the energy of many of our leaders and members. There have been many anxiously waiting since the 10th Assembly ...

“The Bible is product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times…” So declares Sir Leigh Teabing, the villain of Dan Brown’s gripping novel, The DaVinci Code. Like any fictional character, Teabing can play fast and loose with the truth. Yet some ...

I guess subtle thinking is not much in vogue at present. Quick grabs and slogans are the order of the day. At worst, we resort to stereotyping or labelling those we disagree with, or those we presume may be in a different faction. Sometimes, we even misuse Scripture as a weapon. I think Christ’s church deserves better. I hope that ...

Now that the Queensland Synod has passed resolutions asking the Assembly to consider amending how matters of vital importance are brought before the whole church and to clarify how we determine doctrinal matters, it seems appropriate to address some important matters raised in the debate about the nature of the church and how the church should work and to get ...

As he welcomes a large group of multicultural congregation visitors, the Moderator Rev Dr David Pitman reminded the Synod that in 1985 the Uniting Church made a commitment to be a multi-cultural church. He explained that we see this in many ways in the Queensland Synod in congregations which worship in other language groups, and in congregations which are made ...

The 25th Synod of the Uniting Church in Queensland will be held at Emmanuel College, Birmingham Road, Carrara from Friday, 9 to Wednesday, 14 September 2005. The Synod will be attended by 400 ministers and lay leaders from across Queensland. You are invited to attend any of the sessions and celebrations during the synod. A copy of the Order of Business ...

Introduction Contentious issues arising from Assembly Resolution 84 are not confined to biblical, theological and ethical domains. The UCA publication – Sexuality and Leadership in the Uniting Church – contains a range of thoughtful searching material which should not be minimized or downplayed. However, I am aware of a dimension to the debate which, so far as I can tell, ...

Another founding father of the Uniting Church died on 3 July. Rev Dr Ian Gillman, aged 78, was an eminent scholar, author, teacher, preacher and liturgist. Well known for his wicked sense of humour, Dr Gillman came to Brisbane in 1962 to the Presbyterian Church’s Emmanuel College Theological Hall, having accepted the position of Professor of Theology and Lecturer in ...

Meet Uniting Church artist Cees Sliedrecht, who was born and educated in The Netherlands. Cees moved from a career in business management and education about ten years ago to focus on the visual arts, including art tutoring Australia-wide and in Europe. In the beginning I mainly work in watercolour, using a detailed pen drawing as a basis. My style is ...