Australian Christian Voices today issued a media release rejecting statements by the Australian Christian Lobby threatening an “electoral backlash” over the issue of marriage equality.

Pointing out that there was a diversity of views on this and other issues within the Christian community, ACV said that while ACL spoke for people who agreed with their position, they did not speak for wider Christian opinion.

The release also pointed to growing concern that the voice of wider Christian opinion was being marginalised by the views of powerful lobby groups.

“ACV  strongly endorses the statement released earlier this week by the Victorian  Council of Churches (VCC) that no one view should be seen by politicians, the  media, and society as representative of the views of the wider Christian  community,” the statements says. ”The issue of marriage equality is a case in  point.  The ACL’s suggestion of an  “electoral backlash” by Christians is a wild overstatement.”

For the full text of the release is available here:
Media release 10.12.11

The push back against the Victorian Council of Churches (VCC) calling for the media and politicians to respect the diversity of Christian opinion has already begun.

Under pressure for distancing itself from the views of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) and describing the statements of the ACL as representative of only one segment of Christian opinion, the VCC has had to issue a follow-up statement clarifying its position.

The statement rightly notes that VCC has not issued a position statement on the issue of marriage, and acknowledges that it is up to each faith community to make its own determination on this (as well as any other) issue.  VCC re-states its commitment to the careful and prayerful discernment of views, and encourages discussion and debate on issues.

VCC’s full statement can be seen at this link:
vcc_statement2.doc

In a media release issued today, the Victorian Council of Churches (VCC) has distanced itself from the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL), stating that the ACL only represents one segment of Christian opinion.

VCC General Secretary Theo Mackay is quoted as saying:

“The community needs to know that there is a range of views held on many topics in the Christian tradition, just as there are numerous views in all areas of human endeavour. It is important that no one view captures the attention of the community, of the media and of government.”

ACV welcomes this statement as a timely reminder that ACL and other sectional interest groups do not represent the views of the wider Christian community.

VCC’s full statement can be read at this link:
VCC Statement