Ep110. Decolonisation and the Preamble to the UCA Constitution, Garry Deverell and Chris Budden

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Ep110. Decolonisation and the Preamble to the UCA Constitution, Garry Deverell and Chris Budden

Rev Dr Garry Deverell and Rev Dr Chris Budden join Rev. Tau’alofa Anga’aelangi, Rev Dr Katalina Tahaafe-Williams, and myself to discuss the preamble to the Uniting Church in Australia's constitution. Garry opens by discussing his critique of the document from an Indigenous perspective as one which rein-scribes colonial narratives, Chris then offers some insights into the motivation and process behind the production of the document, after which we all enter into a discussion on the lineage and impact of the document and ask where to from here for a church seeking to continue to engage in decolonisation, repair, and justice.

This episode is a re-post of most recent of the monthly Black Lives Matter and the Church in Australia panels hosted by the Uniting Church Chaplaincy at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie and the Social Justice Pilgrim Presbytery NT. This episode is a re-post of most recent of the monthly Black Lives Matter and the Church in Australia panels hosted by the Uniting Church Chaplaincy at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie and the Social Justice Pilgrim Presbytery NT. These panels happen on the final Sunday of the month at 3pm EST. To find out more contact Rev. Tau’alofa Anga’aelangi at ucc.csu[@]gmail.com

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Ep99. The State of the Union, President Rev Sharon Hollis

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Ep99. The State of the Union, President Rev Sharon Hollis

I sat down with newly inducted President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev Sharon Hollis. We discuss her call into a role such as this, what it means for the UCA that we're entering an era when those taking roles like President, Moderator, etc. have no memory of union or experience with the uniting churches. We also discuss the issues and challenges facing the church, the state of ecumenism, and Sharon's hopes for her time in this position.

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Ep52. A Changing Church, Charissa Suli

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Ep52. A Changing Church, Charissa Suli

Liam sat down with Rev Charissa Suli, a National Consultant with the Uniting Church in Australia's Assembly Resourcing Unit. They discuss resourcing the church for increasingly changing times, working with and in churches that are becoming increasingly multicultural, how the UCA has lived up to its 1985 declaration "we are a multicultural church. We also talk about her work with youth and young adults in the church, what she has learnt in those encounters, and how churches might think about 'growing young.' Finally we talk about church during COVID-19 and what she hopes might stick around once we are allowed to gather again. Hint: a key to all three of these discussions is relationships.

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Ep31. In His Own Strange Way, Geoff Thompson

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Ep31. In His Own Strange Way, Geoff Thompson

"These words remind us that God loves the world by doing something concrete for it..."

I sat down with Geoff Thompson to talk about his new book "In His Own Strange Way: a Post-Christendom, Sort-of Commentary on the Basis of Union." We talk about Jesus, the way the BoU wraps the story of the church in the much bigger story of Christ and cosmos, the importance of going 'back to basics' when asking questions of the Bible, and the purpose of Ordained ministers as ensuring "the church keeps its witness to Christ and participation in his mission at heart of why it exists”. Watch on YouTube // Listen in iTunes

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Ep18. A Genuinely Theological Church, Geoff Thompson

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Ep18. A Genuinely Theological Church, Geoff Thompson

"Theology does more than train people for ministry. It shapes the church's collective imagination."

 I interviewed Geoff Thompson about his new book, A Genuinely Theological Church: Ministry, Theology, and the Uniting Church. We dive into his robust and dynamic definition of theology (looking especially at the role of imagination in theology, and how theology is marked by puzzling proclamations, unexpected tangents and strangeness), we discuss the novel and particular nature of Christian confession, the post-Christendom church, the missional vocation of theology, and much, much more. Listen in iTunes

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