40 Years of UCA Multiculturalism

Pilgrim alumnus, Sunny Chen, presented a paper at a national event to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Uniting Church declaring itself a multicultural church where he compared the UCA’s declaration to harms done by past mistranslations. In his presentation, Sunny explored how, since the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) declared itself a multicultural church in 1985, it has been on a journey toward deeper multicultural, cross-cultural, and intercultural engagement. The presentation reflected on that journey by examining two historical events that offer critical insights. The first is the translation of the Hebrew Bible (specifically the Torah) into Greek in the third century BCE. This translation introduced Greek terms like ἁμαρτία (“missing the target”) and ἀδικία (“unrighteousness”), which shifted the understanding of sin toward rule-based thinking, neglecting its relational and covenantal aspects. This distortion has influenced Christian views on mission and ministry, often reducing them to task-oriented efforts rather than relationship-centered engagements. The second event is a tragic cross-cultural incident in 1792 CE Europe, where cultural and racial misunderstandings led to harm—offering a cautionary lesson about the importance of humility and respect in intercultural encounters. The misuse of Matthew 28 and William Carey’s thesis to justify colonisation illustrates how scripture, when misinterpreted, can support domination rather than grace. Ultimately, the presentation argued that the UCA’s journey has been marked by small yet meaningful steps toward healing and justice. It challenges the Church to continue embodying God’s redemptive grace by prioritising relationships and confronting past injustices.