The WCC Assembly in Porto Alegre invited the churches to continue their journey together, as a further step towards full visible unity. The purpose of this invitation was two-fold: (a) to reflect what the churches, at this point on their ecumenical journey, can say together about some important aspects of the Church; and (b) to invite the churches into a renewed conversation - mutually supportive, yet open and searching - about the quality and degree of their fellowship and communion, and about the issues which still divide them.

Papers on local dialogues have been made available.
Churches of Christ Dialogues
Australian Lutherans in Dialogue
Christian Unity Working Group (UCA)
Anglican Dialogues

 

Contemporary Gnostic Religion
The western world in recent years has witnessed increasing popular speculation about the origins of the Christian religion. Media interest in archaeology and religious history, as well as popular culture phenomena (e.g. Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code novel and movie, or National Geographic's documentary on The Gospel of Judas), have prompted many people to ask:

Is the New Testament portrait of Jesus reliable?
Are there secret traditions about Jesus that have been suppressed by the 'established church'?
What about all these 'gnostic' religious groups that existed in the first centuries of the Christian era?
Are there new discoveries that discredit Christianity as it has been taught and practised for 2000 years?

Such questions deserve a clear response. Christian churches must ask: what are the foundational sources of the Christian faith, and do traditional accounts of Christian origins stand up to historical scrutiny? The following notes on Gnostic Religion have been prepared by the VCC Faith and Order Commission to answer some of these questions. If you have any comments or further questions on this issue, please email: vcc@vcc.org.au.

 

Terry Eagleton, Professor of English Literature at Manchester University, reviews Richard Dawkins' controversial book 'The God Delusion'.

Eagleton's Review has been widely cited. It explains the intellectural heritage out of which Dawkins writes. Eagleton calls this 'a very English brand of common sense that believes mostly in what it can touch, weigh and taste, and 'The God Delusion' springs from, among other places, that particular stable.' One of the limitations of Dawkins position, as shown in his recent appearances on the ABC, is that he makes no distinction between religion and its associated theological inquiry and fundamentalism.

Frank Brennan revue in 'Eureka Street' of God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchens, Twelve, New York, 305pp

The Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism and Islam, Michel Onfray, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2007, 219pp

Against Religion, Tamas Pataki, Scribe, Melbourne, 2007, 136pp
is also worth reading.

 

 

Click here to read the Faith and Order Commission publication 'One Faith Multifaith: a theological guide to multifaith gatherings'.

Read Bishop Christopher Prowse's speech which he gave in the presence of the Dalai Lama in Canberra.

Useful Resources on the Intelligent Design issue

http://cathlink.acu.edu.au/Ethics_Education_v11_i2_2005.pdf

 

Resources for Ecumenical Worship
This is a very large file to download. Printed copies are available at the office for $12.50 including postage.