As recent Royal Commissions have highlighted, the conscience of the church is an unreliable spirit level when it comes to human rights. because of the human casualties, now is the time for ordinary Christian people to give courage to their MPs to make a difference when Christian leaders fail to do so.

Archbishop Philip Freier’s suggestion of a compromise of dividing the civil and religious matrimonial spheres of recognition has the comforting ring of a curator of a religious institution but this is exactly the time for present deliberate engagement to address discrimination for which the church is partly responsible.

His suggestion of religious exclusions guarantees a series of safe havens of prejudice and bigotry that compromise our whole society and threaten young lives with the message of qualified acceptance.

The traditional understanding of social order have permitted the church to preside over situations of grave inequality and abuse without challenging them.

The real heroes of the Christian tradition such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, authentic liberating voices such as Jeffrey John Dean of St Albans.

Down to earth courageous lone voices such as John McIntyre, the late Bishop of Gippsland and Anglican layman and Tasmanian of the year Rodney Croome point to a present opportunity for the church to jump off the fence, and if Australian Christian leaders lack courage then perhaps it is time for the rest of us to jump in regardless of how deep or hot the water.

— PETER MACLEOD-MILLER,

St Matthew’s Church, Albury