Christians in Australia Have Forged a New Creed to Combat ‘Sexual Heresies’ — Read It Here

New Christian creeds don’t come along very often.

The Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian creeds were written in the 2nd, 4th and 5th centuries respectively. Today, almost every Christian denomination affirms these timeless statements of faith.

In recent months, a group of Australian Christians from a broad array of denominations have forged a new creed they’ve called the Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity — or the Australian Creed for short.

Among the high profile Christians involved in the drafting process were Glenn Davies, Bishop of the Diocese of the Southern Cross (Anglican), and Julian Porteous, the Archbishop of Hobart (Catholic), along with scores more contributors from evangelical, Pentecostal, and a variety of other backgrounds.

The team’s working premise was that the church and Western culture are now awash in “sexual heresies” that none of the prior creeds address.

By “sexual heresies”, they mean the belief that male and female are fluid or interchangeable, that marriage is open to any pairing, that sexual sin is a mere lifestyle choice, and that children should be encouraged to explore sexuality.

In short, a Christian today might endorse the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds but have compromised on same-sex marriage, transgenderism or so-called “gender affirming care”. The ancient creeds excelled at correcting Gnosticism, Arianism and other early heresies but never foresaw the madness that has emerged in our day.

The Australian Creed fills that breach with a work of prose rich in both truth and beauty. At 225 words, it is slightly longer than the Nicene Creed but far briefer than the Nashville Statement, which addressed similar issues masterfully but runs upwards of 800 words.

The drafters Down Under aimed for a creed that could simultaneously be recited in a worship service, used to catechise young believers, and — in perilous days like ours — offer legal protection for Christian employees, churches and organisations.

The drafting team hastens to add that, like the Nicene Creed, their statement was named for its place of origin, not the limit of its reach. Their hope and prayer is for the Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity to go global, becoming an emblem for Christian orthodoxy worldwide.

To that end, the Australian Creed comes complete with its own flag, designed to be visibly conversant with the many pride flags regularly displayed in public places — but that instead gives glory to Christ.

“Flags are powerful symbols of unity, visibility and common conviction,” the flag’s description reads. “The cross of Christ, being the most recognisable Christian symbol on the planet, serves in this logo both to clearly differentiate male and female, and to unite them. It is from His cross that Christ reaches out in love to a diverse world in need of redemption.”

There is a suite of other resources at the Australian Creed’s official website, aimed at equipping believers — including an Explanatory Guide, Bible studies and poster print-outs. The creed and the website are also fully accessible in the world’s 14 most widely spoken languages, covering approximately 70% of the global population.

Christians are encouraged to sign the Australian Creed, both as a personal declaration of faith and as a means of fostering unity and forging consensus on topics that have sadly sparked division in many churches.

The drafters wager that, if the creed achieves widespread endorsement, it could ultimately act as a legal bulwark for Christians, churches and religious non-profits facing lawfare for their stated views on sex and gender.

Over recent years, a number of prominent Australians — in the sporting arena particularly — have lost jobs and reputations for their biblical convictions on matters of sexuality.

In 2019, one of Australia’s most talented rugby players Israel Folau had contracts torn up by corporate sponsors, his state club the NSW Waratahs, and even the Australian national rugby team, after he paraphrased 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 on Instagram.

Several years later, the CEO of the Essendon Football Club, Andrew Thorburn, was fired just days into his new role. His crime was sitting on the management board of his home church which held biblically orthodox views on marriage.

Margaret Court, still widely recognised as one of the greatest tennis player in history, has faced immense public backlash for statements she has made about homosexuality in her capacity as a Pentecostal minister.

Legally speaking, belief in the Bible has become a weak defence for those facing legal strife, since even “progressive Christians” claim to believe the Scriptures. Being a distillation of biblical doctrines, a creed provides much stronger legal protection — and might even have helped an Israel Folau or Andrew Thorburn to keep his job.

In the years since, Folau and Thorburn’s stories have been multiplied across the Western world as the walls close in on sexual sanity. Signing the Australian Creed on Sexual Integrity is a tangible way of standing with persecuted believers — and possibly even create a better world for the generations of Christians to come.

To read more about the Australian Creed and to add your signature, visit australiancreed.org.

The Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity: Full Text

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.