31 August 2009
The Uniting Church in Australia National Assembly will be hosting a session at the upcoming Parliament of the World’s Religions (3-9 December, Melbourne) entitled Neighbourhoods of Difference: The Uniting Church in Australia and Interfaith Relations.
The program will explore the topic of how migration to Australia has brought together people of different cultures and religions. This has raised new challenges for the Uniting Church in terms of how it lives and expresses its faith in both a multicultural and multi-religious context. One challenge faced by the Uniting Church on the topic of interfaith relations is that church membership includes a range of people with different life experiences, cultural backgrounds, and perspectives. For example, some migrant members who have been persecuted by another faith group in their home of origin often wonder how and why the Uniting Church engages with people of other faiths, while other members openly embrace people of other faiths.
The theme of the program, “neighbourhoods of difference,” expresses the simple but integral message that “loving the neighbour who is different” is part of the Uniting Church’s identity and mission. In extending its welcome and hospitality both within and beyond its church boundaries, the Uniting Church holds together and values “neighbourhoods of difference” within the Australian context and in our international relationships. The theme will be explored through a DVD presentation and a panel of key Uniting Church leaders. The session will demonstrate how the Uniting Church learns, struggles, embraces and lives with diversity and difference.
For more information and to register for the Parliament of the World's Religions, visit their website.