The ‘100 Revs’ Statement
Saturday, February 2, 2008
As ministers of various churches and denominations we recognise that the churches we belong to, and the church in general, have not been places of welcome for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people. Indeed the church has often been profoundly unloving toward the GLBT community. For these things we apologise, whatever the distinctive of our Christian position on human sexuality – to which we remain committed. We are deeply sorry and ask for the forgiveness of the GLBT community. We long that the church would be a place of welcome for all people and commit ourselves to pursuing this goal.
We ARE a group of Christian ministers who voluntarily and individually bring this apology.
We ARE NOT official representatives of our churches or denominations.
We ARE NOT making a statement on the biblical position on gay and lesbian relationships.
We ARE recognising the lack of hospitality, care and welcome that the churches have offered the gay and lesbian community.
Here are the 100 Ministers who signed the apology
- Brother Andrew Blair EFO
- Brother Jon Owen
- Captain Janet Staines
- Captain Phil Staines
- Dr Les Fussell
- Father Bill G
- Father Dave Smith
- Father Iain Radvan s.j
- Father Tony Joseph Newman
- Pastor Adam Smits
- Pastor Andrew Park
- Pastor Anthea Smits
- Pastor Cameron Burgess
- Pastor David Ayliffe
- Pastor Digby Hannah
- Pastor Doug Faircloth
- Pastor Graeme Frauenfelder
- Pastor Jarrod McKenna
- Pastor John Bond
- Pastor Joseph Thomas-Kerr
- Pastor Julie Brackenreg
- Pastor Michael Hercock
- Pastor Mike Hardy
- Pastor Neal Taylor
- Pastor Neil Jansons
- Pastor Penny Davis
- Pastor Randy Edwards
- Pastor Rick Lewis
- Pastor Rick Viede
- Pastor Robert Clark
- Pastor Tony Crossett
- Pastor Tracey Wright
- Pastor Wayne Jeffrey
- Rev Andrew Collis
- Rev Andrew Woff
- Rev Andy Collins
- Rev Ann Lock
- Rev Anne Mallaby
- Rev Anne Wilkinson-Hayes
- Rev Anthony McCarthy
- Rev Barrie Sutton
- Rev Beryl Turner
- Rev Bill Lawton
- Rev Blair Cameron
- Rev Brent Lyons Lee
- Rev Bryan McClelland
- Rev Carolyn J. Francis
- Rev Chris Bedding
- Rev Clive Norton
- Rev Clive Watkins
- Rev Daryl Gardiner
- Rev Don Wright
- Rev Dr Christopher Page
- Rev Dr Colin Hunter
- Rev Dr Garry J. Deverell
- Rev Dr Ian Tozer
- Rev Dr Jason John
- Rev Dr Rowland Croucher
- Rev Eileen Ray
- Rev Emma Walsh
- Rev Francis Chalwell
- Rev Gerry Ball
- Rev Glen Powell
- Rev Graham Long
- Rev Heather McClelland
- Rev Ian Pearson
- Rev Jim Barr
- Rev John Connor
- Rev Judy Redman
- Rev Karl Hand
- Rev Kevin D Crinks
- Rev Lance Lawton
- Rev Les Chatwin
- Rev Linda Anchell
- Rev Linda Young
- Rev Mark Dunn
- Rev Meewon Yang
- Rev Melissa Baker
- Rev Nathan Nettleton
- Rev Newton Daddow
- Rev Nick Jensen
- Rev Paul Emerson Teusner
- Rev Peter Breen
- Rev Peter Holden
- Rev Peter Los
- Rev Peter Maher
- Rev Rainer Schack
- Rev Rex Hackett
- Rev Richard Mallaby
- Rev Robert Holland
- Rev Robyn Richardson
- Rev Ron Ham
- Rev Rowena Curtis
- Rev Scott Combridge
- Rev Scott Higgins
- Rev Simon Moyle
- Rev Steve Warren
- Rev Sue Emeleus
- Rev Tom Pardy
- Sister Meg Britton
The Christian Church and all hierarchical religious organisations are, like child abuse, about power wielded by those who have a need to feel in control of others – social control through manipulation of basic human nature and needs for acceptance, attention, approval, purpose, a sense of belonging and community. Getting people to accept a religious organisation’s authority in return for some satisfaction of those needs is manipulation and emotional blackmail pure and simple – or rather morally corrupt and very complex.
The acknowledgement of the church’-of-whichever-brand’s authority is not so simple as “Obey us or you’re out and condemned” but is disguised as faith in a particular definition of some overarching divine being and reality, as narrowly defined by that religious body ie still about obedience and conformity. It is patently false to promise acceptance of those outside those beliefs and the attached strictures about sexual practices and identity, when your dogma says they are not permitted in your community of faith. Really aren’t you just trying to make yourselves feel better and your religious “persuasion” less evil? Jesus demanded no religious conformity before stating the Samaritan who helped a stranger out of kindness with no conditions was closer to God than the religiously correct and proudly self-righteous. (Note for you biblical scholars: an often overlooked fact behind this parable is that the Samaritans were denounced by the Jews as apostates and heretics for having turned their back on their Jewish faith while in Babylonian captivity, from which they, like the Jews, were released, I think with state assistance, by a more tolerant regime in Babylon. So Jesus was preaching unconditional religious tolerance and the practice of unconditional kindness – not a characteristic of religious bodies and their doctrinal experts, though it is a characteristic of many people regardless of their religion.)