In yet another sign of how much the tide has started to turn, a number of key leaders of Christian denominations throughout Australia have produced what they call The Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity.

Creeds have always played a major role in the church in helping to protect what they believe to be true. In the past, this has involved the person of Jesus Christ and his relationship to God the Father (The Nicene Creed) or more generally regarding the fundamentals of the faith (The Apostles’ Creed).

If you grew up in church or attended a church school then you have almost certainly said at least one of these creedal confessions at some point in your life. What’s unique about this latest creed is not only how ecumenical it is, but also the ethical nature of its focus.

Even though it’s a ‘creed’ that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be recited in a local congregation near you. Instead, it will be used in various forms to instruct people who follow Jesus as to what He actually taught.

As one can quickly see, while The Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity is not long, it sure draws a line in the sand as to what Christians have always believed:

We believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who designed sex as part of His loving plan for humanity, and whose will for sexual integrity is clearly revealed in Holy Scripture.

We believe God created each person in His image as male or female, and any person’s attempt to deny or change this distorts God’s good design.

We believe God blesses sexual intimacy solely between a man and a woman within the holy covenant of marriage, a life-giving mystery that reflects Christ’s love for His church.

We believe God calls a husband and wife to be fruitful and multiply, that every life is sacred, and that children are precious to God and must be protected from sexualisation.

We believe God calls all people to the joy of living a chaste life, by celibacy in singleness and faithfulness in marriage, and that His commands are given for the common good.

We believe sexual activities outside these bounds are sins which grieve God’s heart, injure others, and enslave people to idolatry.

We believe our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, that Christ calls and empowers us to repent from all sin, including sexual sin, that His mercy abounds to forgive and restore, and that by living with sexual integrity we glorify God and humbly embrace His wise and loving plan for human life.

Amen.

I spoke recently to one of the framers of the document, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Glenn Davies, former Anglican Archbishop of Sydney and currently Bishop of the Southern Cross, and he made the following justification for its production.

‘Over the past two decades, Australia has also witnessed a rise in gender dysphoria, an increased use of puberty blockers for children, and an upsurge in genital surgery to change one’s sex. The ground for pronouncing a person’s gender on the basis of their biological sex has dramatically shifted. Now a person is neither male nor female on the basis of their biology, but merely on the basis of their feelings. According to the libertarian politics of Australian society, people can now choose to be male, female, or neither, regardless of their chromosomal reality. Moreover, with the assistance of some State legislatures, a person can now apply for a new birth certificate, which will indicate their preferred sex (not merely their preferred “gender”). The options for identifying sex on birth certificates are no longer binary, but encompass male, female, and non-specific, thus allowing one to be neither male nor female.

‘The speed with which these changes have affected Australian society can be seen in the number of public and private institutions which have abandoned the long-held and God-designed distinctions of male and female, by introducing “other” as an alternative category when identifying a person’s sex or gender.’

Bishop Davies went on to say:

‘Sadly their commitment to uphold the teachings of Christ at their ordination. The Uniting Church of Australia embraced this progressive theology some years ago, by ordaining people in same-sex marriages and allowing clergy who have transitioned from one sex to another, to continue their ministry under their new identity. Similar practices have arisen in some jurisdictions of the Anglican Church of Australia, but most alarmingly, the removal of chastity as a requirement for clergy and church workers has become commonplace in many Anglican dioceses. Despite the General Synod’s endorsement of chastity as a requirement for godly living, in some dioceses, there is now no obstacle to those who are sexually active outside of marriage, including adultery, or those living in a same-sex relationship.

‘Such departures from the Judaeo-Christian ethic would have grieved the heart of the apostle Paul, as it no doubt grieves God’s heart (Genesis 6:6). Yet, God’s words remain constant and his desire for sex to be celebrated solely within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman continues to be his good design for all humanity, and especially those who are disciples of Christ.

‘It is therefore timely that an Australian Creed for sexual integrity be written. Many Christians are confused by society’s changing standards which have infiltrated the church. Pastors are reluctant to speak about these matters, young people are so easily influenced by social media, and even older Christians find their views being modified with the increasing pressure of the prevailing culture.’

Rarely does one find an ecclesiastical leader today with the courage and conviction such as someone like Bishop Davies. However, he is by no means alone, with signatories from every major denomination in Australia.

You may not be a Christian yourself, but I think we can all agree that it’s good to see people of faith standing up for what they believe in. All too often there has been theological compromise when there should have been faithful allegiance to the truth. The words of Jesus Christ Himself seem particularly apt: ‘Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’ (Luke 9:26)