On July 29-August 1, I was blessed to be able to attend the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada, this time hosted in Louisville. Kirk Shepherd, Annette Hayden, Betty Martin, and my children also attended. It was an absolute blessing from beginning to end, as we worshipped together, attended workshops and programs, and did the business of the church.
The business is what I want to update you all on today. You can find out more about the business sessions at General Assembly and read all the reports and business items by going to ga.disciples.org/business. We had six Sense-of-the-Assembly resolutions (one of which you can read about in Green News). I want to tell you about two of the resolutions.
One resolution was titled “Calling the Church to Oppose Christian Nationalism.” Christianity Today says, “Christian nationalism is the belief that the American nation is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Popularly, Christian nationalists assert that America is and must remain a ‘Christian nation’ – not merely as an observation about American history, but as a prescriptive program for what America must continue to be in the future.” Also, according to the resolution, “Christian Nationalism misrepresents our faith to our neighbors, thereby, turning people away from the life-giving love of God, by identifying Christianity with hate, social hierarchy, fear of the ‘other,’ and violence.” Christian Nationalism promotes division and is counter to the heart of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in our call for unity and welcome at the Lord’s Table. This resolution called for our denomination to oppose Christian Nationalism, educate ourselves about Christian Nationalism and its dangers, and speak out against it. For more information about this resolution and Christian Nationalism, please read the following article: https://publicwitness.wordandway.org/p/disciples-confronting-christian-nationalism?utm_medium=ios&fbclid=IwAR3jXtv00PZepST4zknRbMzG4hjA_b7U3OKfDAve2Vdhz2ccU7t5wvSx9Fc
Another resolution that was discussed and passed, with no dissenting votes, was called “Invitation to Oppose Anti-Trans Legislation and Affirm the Dignity of Transgender and Gender-Diverse People.” According to translegislation.com, across the United States, 83 anti-trans bills have passed this year so far, including two in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This resolution states that, as a denomination, we “reaffirm the historic commitment of this movement to recognize and affirm the sacred dignity of all peoples as all are made in the sacred image of God and deserving of respect and honor.” The resolution called on our denomination, ministers, ministries, and members to stand up against this kind of harm and to become “safe spaces” for those who are gender-diverse and transgender. We have also been encouraged to learn more about using pronouns through the Pronoun Language Lab Resources, which can be found at https://parkavenuechristian.com/resources/
All the work we do at General Assembly is important. Watch for more opportunities to gather and learn from the resources available from General Assembly. There is a lot of work to do. Let us strive to do the work of the kindom of God that is both within us and among us.