Heritage, Theology and Polity of the UCA (CH9742Z)

Content

This unit is designed to critically examine the heritage, theology and polity of the Uniting Church in Australia. We will explore the genesis of the Uniting Church in Australia, the struggles in moving towards union and subsequent challenges, and the nature of its beliefs and structures. We will examine the theology, distinctive characteristics and declared mission of the Uniting Church in Australia. And we will study the “Basis of Union” document, with a view to ascertaining its theological foundations, identifying the range of its missional activities, its place in the ecumenical movement, its interpretation of the relationship between gospel and justice, and the order of its various ministries.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

A Level 9 unit in postgraduate theology and ministry awards

Pedagogy

UCLT uses primary and secondary sources considered through different lenses to identify and explore the challenges of the unit material for the contemporary world. Through a praxis approach, students are engaged in a range of comparative, analytical and reflective practices.

Indicative Bibliography

• Bos, Robert. Theology for Pilgrims: Selected Theological Documents of the Uniting Church in Australia. Sydney, NSW: Uniting Church Press, 2008.
• Coghill, Cynthia, and Elenie Poulos, eds. For a World Reconciled: Justice Statements from the Uniting Church in Australia 1977-2015. Sydney, N.S.W.: Uniting Church Press, 2016.
• Dicker, Gordon. "The Reformed Heritage of the Uniting Church." Uniting Church Studies 9, no. 2 (2003): 11-23.
• Dutney, Andrew. Manifesto for Renewal: The Shaping of a New Church. 2nd Edition. Unley, SA: MediaCom Education Inc, 2016.
• JCCU. The Church: Its Nature, Function and Ordering. The 2nd Report of the Joint Commission on Church Union 1963. Melbourne: Uniting Church Press, 1984.
• ——— The Faith of the Church. The 1st Report of the Joint Commission on Church Union, 1959. Melbourne: JBCE, 1978.
• McCaughey, J Davis. The Basis of Union: A Commentary by J.Davis McCaughey. First Published 1971. Introduced and Edited by Andrew Dutney. Sydney: The Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia, 2016.
• Owen, Michael. Back to Basics: Studies on the Basis of Union of the Uniting Church, Melbourne: JBCE, 1996.
• Thompson, Geoff. Disturbing Much Disturbing Many: Theology Provoked by the Basis of Union. Northcote, Vic.: Uniting Academic Press, 2016.
• Thompson, Geoff, and Ji Zhang, eds. The Present and Future of the Basis of Union: Marking Fifty Years. Bayswater, Victoria: Uniting Academic Press, 2024.
• Uniting Church Studies, 26.2 (December 2024). The whole issue explores the Preamble to the UCA Constitution.
• Uniting Church in Australia Assembly, "Our Vision for a Just Australia." https://uniting.church/a-vision-for-a-just-australia/. Accessed 13 February 2025.
• Walker, Christopher C., Uniting Church in Australia Assembly, Uniting Church in Australia Assembly Working Groups on Doctrine and Worship, 2000-2011, and Uniting Church in Australia. Building on the Basis : Papers from the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly Working Groups on Doctrine and Worship 2000-2011. Sydney, N.S.W.: Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia, 2012.
• Young, Norman. "Wesleyan Heritage and the Uniting Church." Uniting Church Studies 8, no. 2 (2002): 57-64.

Assessment