UCC MemberWhat it means

The United Church of Christ (UCC) has been in the news a lot lately. Partly, this is because of the God is Still Speaking campaign that many UCC churches have chosen to participate in nationally. What does that theology mean, anyway? And how does it relate to us?

Basically, this phrase reflects a shared view of the Bible as an open book with more to say—God has more to say—if we ask questions, listen to the answers, and learn together on our own faith journey.

• If we listen, we can hear the voice of Jesus, telling us that he didn’t turn people away, even those rejected by others, and neither should we. Everyone is valued and loved and deserves an open welcome.
• If we listen, we can hear the voices of biblical archeologists, discovering more about how words were used at the times that the books of the Bible were written, giving us greater insights into what the words of the Bible were intended to mean. Believing in the Bible doesn’t mean closing our minds to changes and new understandings in the world around us.
• If we listen, we can hear the voices of those around us who need our compassion and our action, not our conversion. Jesus took his courageous stance as a religious leader to confront injustice and misuse of power, not to convert the Samaritans, build a religious army, or direct God’s wrath toward specific demographic groups. A passion for compassion should still be our primary focus.
• If we listen, we can hear grateful voices all around us sharing the continuing blessings of God’s creation, from the birth of a new child to the sudden discovery of hidden talents in a teenager to the seemingly impossible task that was achieved by a loving community working together. The wonder of God’s miracles didn’t stop just because the Bible was finished.
• If we listen, we can hear the voices of God’s creations around the world, from polluted and disappearing wetlands to depleted oceans to the atmosphere itself, crying out for better stewardship, not more of Man’s dominion over the earth. We can’t sit idly and wait for each other to start leading; someone has to be first.

Look, listen all around; God’s trying to tell us something. Are you listening?

Other interesting reading about the UCC:

• 16 reasons UCC members love their church
• Top 10 reasons to check out the UCC
• History of the UCC Church
• UCC News feed. Get UCC news automatically, as it happens.