Dear Friends,
The Same Sex Marriage Plebiscite has arrived – not as many had hoped through compulsory means conducted by Australian Electoral Commission but as a non-compulsory ‘poll’ through the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
This is not new news! My Facebook feed is almost solely devoted to the issue and every form of media is littered with polls, stories and opinions.
How as Christians do we dissect this whole thing? Here are my six thoughts:
- As Christians, God urges us to be courteous and respectful of all views, to listen well and speak kindly. We must be those who exemplify love of others, thoughtfulness in speech, care for the vulnerable and respect for those with whom we disagree. James 1:19 comes to mind. If you cannot do that, please don’t enter debates online or in person. Pray for yourself.
- Pray for our nation and for the grace and wisdom to accept whatever decision is made. Know that God’s mission will carry on no matter what happens: he will work through the gospel witness of Christ’s church, calling people out of darkness and into the light of his kingdom.
- Read widely to understand what is at stake in this decision. The issues are so much bigger than Marriage and run to self-identity, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and Christian education. These are massive issues for me and strongly inform my decision on how to vote.
- Grab a copy of the Diocese booklet “What God has put together” from the Welcome Table at your congregation. Consider following the Coalition for Marriage on Facebook. Our diocese is one of the four partners supporting this organisation.
- Talk together at church and in your GG about this with eager ears and careful tongues. There will be a variety of opinions among church members.
- We won’t be preaching on this in church over the next month but we may arrange for an evening on which the key issues are canvassed and discussed. We will hand out a variety of helpful articles over the next month for you to read, think over and pass on.
If you’d like to talk through the whole thing or think about how to answer questions people ask, make an arrangement to come and have a cuppa and a chat with one of the staff. We’d only be too pleased – as always – to help.
God bless.
Nigel