ABOUT CLACCA ULC

CLACCA ULCs name came from the bible because "The gospels were written to inspire their audience of poverty-stricken farmers, urban proletarians and slaves in their resistance. If you can’t picture what those people looked like, just think of the Aboriginal people who fought the police in Redfern after T.J. Hickey’s murder in February 2004. [A young Aboriginal boy killed by cops.]" (Healy, 27 Sept 2006) 

• Crave means:- Psalm 78:18, Psalm 78:29, Proverbs 13:4, 4 Maccabees 1:34 
• Liberation means:- 2 Corinthians 3:17, 1 Maccabees 5:9
• Alliance means:- Judges 3:13, 1 Kings 3:1, 1 Kings 15:16, 1 Kings 15:19, 2 Chronicles 2:3, 2 Chronicles 16:1, 2 Chronicles 16:3, 2 Chronicles 18:1, Isaiah 30:1, Isaiah 31:1, Daniel 11:6, Daniel 11:23, 1 Maccabees 8:1, 1 Maccabees 8:17, 1 Maccabees 8:20, 1 Maccabees 8:22, 1 Maccabees 12:1, 1 Maccabees 12:3, 1 Maccabees 12:8, 1 Maccabees 12:16, 1 Maccabees 14:18, 1 Maccabees 14:24, 1 Maccabees 15:17, 1 Maccabees 15:19, 2 Maccabees 4:11, 3 Maccabees 3:14, 3 Maccabees 3:21.
• Community means:-  Hebrews 10:24-25, Deuteronomy 1:16, Deuteronomy 15:2, Deuteronomy 15:3, Deuteronomy 15:7, Deuteronomy 15:12, Deuteronomy 17:15, Deuteronomy 17:20, Deuteronomy 18:2, John 21:23, Acts 6:2, Acts 6:5, Acts 25:24, Ephesians 6:23, 1 Maccabees 1:25, 2 Maccabees 12:7, 3 Maccabees 2:27, 3 Maccabees 3:9, 3 Maccabees 6:36.
• Churches means:-  1 Corinthians 16:19, Acts 15:41, Acts 16:5, Romans 16:4, Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 7:17, 1 Corinthians 11:16, 1 Corinthians 14:33, 1 Corinthians 14:34, 1 Corinthians 16:1, 1 Corinthians 16:19, 2 Corinthians 8:1, 2 Corinthians 8:18, 2 Corinthians 8:19, 2 Corinthians 8:23, 2 Corinthians 8:24, 2 Corinthians 11:8, 2 Corinthians 11:28, 2 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 1:2, Galatians 1:22, 1 Thessalonians 2:14, 2 Thessalonians 1:4, Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 1:20, Revelation 2:7, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 2:17, Revelation 2:23, Revelation 2:29, Revelation 3:6, Revelation 3:13, Revelation 3:22, Revelation 22:16, Tobit 1:1, 1 Esdras 1:1.
• Australia means:- The name of the invaded stolen indigenous country of our church ministry location. The name Australia comes from the Latin name "Terra Australis" meaning "South Land" from "classical Greek geographers, who knew that the earth was spherical, to balance the landmass which was known to exist north of the equator." (Oxford Reference, 2021) "The earliest printing of this name is in an astronomical treatise published in 1545." (NLA, n.d.) 
• Universal means:- Psalm 117:1, Psalm 148:1, Acts 3:21, 4 Maccabees 15:31.
• Life means:- 742 bible verses

Church means:- 118 Bible verses

CLACCA ULC theology is a combination of Crave Theology, Liberation Theology and ULC Theology which reflects CLACCA ULCs theology of 21 core values. We are a not for profit Dynamic, Inclusive, Progressive, Biblical, Sacramental, Worship, Marriage Equality, Ministry Equality, Freedom, Scholarship, Self-Esteem, Safety, Gifts, Comrades, Alliance, Humanity, Community, Justice, Compassion, Reconciliation, Liberation interfaith human rights church. 

1. DYNAMIC: 

"For us, Dynamic means that we value the relationship with Jesus and each other, and we believe that relationships are living and active by God’s spirit." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013) CLACCA ULC "stands in relationship with the historical Christian Church by affirming the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds as the basis of our faith: The Apostles’ Creed speaks about belief in God, and in the life death and resurrection of Jesus. It describes the Christian life as one of forgiveness, community and hope in the resurrection and eternal life. The Nicene Creed affirms belief in two crucial aspects of the Christian faith: the Trinity (One God who is three persons: God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit), and the Incarnation (Jesus is God, and in Jesus, God became authentically human in every way)." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013) We identify as liberators who crave God and God's Word, because: 

• "Following (the Triune) Jesus as master and saviour is the absolute bedrock of our faith" (Crave Theology, 2005-2013) without exclusion of God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit. 
• We believe Jesus said, "Follow me" in 17 bible verses and didn't say follow Christians.
• "We know (the Triune) Jesus through the Bible, so we place great importance on the Bible." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013)
• We have an open canon because we know  "there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."  (John 21:25)
• "We believe God is present and powerful in daily life." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013) 
• "We uphold that the Holy Spirit and Spiritual gifts are available to" (Crave Theology, 2005-2013) anyone who craves's God without prejudice and not just contemporary Christians. 

2. INCLUSIVE:  

"Means that we are not interested in setting ourselves aside as holy, and condemning or excluding people who are different to us." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013) 

• "We believe all are worthy of the Gospel and welcome in the arms of God." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013) 
• "We’re not a ‘single-issue church’, nor are we targetting any one generation, or a particular group of people. Our message is for all people."  (Crave Theology, 2005-2013)
• "We don’t just say the words ‘everyone is welcome’ – we really accept everyone wholeheartedly."  (Crave Theology, 2005-2013)
• We believe in a second chance in life for those who have been denied an equal go in life for being born different. While we believe religion is not to blame for injustice and inequality, we have zero tolerance for TERF or any other prejudice, bullying, institutionalised abuse and denial of human rights in any religion.

3. PROGRESSIVE:

"Means that we are not interested in upholding traditional values, old-fashioned forms of worship or the institutions of the organised church. We think God has a message and a mission that is appropriate for this time, this person, and this culture." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013)

• "We think faith without action is dead, and we are therefore socially and politically active, and forward-thinking in our dreams for this world." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013)
• "We recognise that everyone is on a journey and that their journey might not be to agree with us in every way." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013) 
• "So, we encourage independent thought on the journey of spiritual growth." (Crave Theology, 2005-2013) 

4. BIBLICAL:

Means having a liberation hermeneutical understanding of the behind, within and in front of the text. Liberation Hermeneutics is a school of Christian Marxist dialectical interpretation of scripture. Yet at the same time, it means John 21:25 NRSV. That is having an open canon of scripture to understand that the bible is a never-ending story of people's lives of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in struggle for heaven on earth that does not end at 24 books or 66 books or 67 books or 73 books or 79 books or 86 books or any other number of books in any religious canon. Yet an open canon is infinite without discrimination because God's story is not set in stone at birth, today or tomorrow or set in stone by prejudiced binaries because "there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." John 21:25 NSW

5. SACRAMENTAL:

Means Mark 10:14; Mathew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:13 NRSV. We are a sacramental people who believe in the sacredness of, the triune God Word, relationship, comradeship and the sacraments of baptism and communion. “We believe in the sacredness of relationship. Therefore, we commit to building authentic and healthy relationships. In a world full of surface, shallow, and purely sexual relationships, we strive to be a community where people can be themselves, share their weaknesses and strengths, and build true intimacy. We want each liberator to be known, and to deeply know the other."(Mark 10:14 NRSV), (LCC, 2007-2008)

6. WORSHIP:

Means John 4:24 NRSV “God is spirit, and those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth.” We reject exclusive Christology as we believe advocating for inclusive worship without exemption is vital for a healthy relationship with the Triune God and the Church. We actively crave, expect and welcome the presence of the triune God the liberator through inclusive sharing of the Word throughout the liturgical year liberation worship called an order of liberation worship service. We believe that it is “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit” 1 Corinthians 13:13 NRSV that can empower us to transform ourselves as we transform the Church and the world. There are 289 Bible verses which define how worship is expressed in many forms through the Word, liturgy, sacraments, music and social justice and do not believe in excluding a good bible preacher or a good musician from worship leading simply because they might not be perfect.

7. MARRIAGE EQUALITY: 

Means a matter of civil equal human rights before God of Galatians 3:28 NRSV because “They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”1 Timothy 4:3 NRSV. We remember the injustices of denied equality that LGBTIQPNSDGA+ and other equality struggles have experienced in the church and the world since the 1788 invasion in the struggle for Marriage Equality. We advocate for gender neutral liturgy, bible reading and to call God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and people by name. We support Marriage Equality, LGBTIQPNSGDA+ Funerals, Ministry Equality and LGBTIQPNSGDA+ rights without exploitation and call on the Church to stand with Marriage Equality and LGBTIQPNSGDA+ community as part of the ongoing struggle for Equality and rainbow liberation of the Church and the World. There are 62 bible verses which define what marriage is and none of them define the sexuality and gender of marriage.

8. MINISTRY EQUALITY:

Means all religious rights and privileges of ordained ministry called by the Word of the triune God and the triune God as a matter of civil equal human religious rights because “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 NRSV.” There are 34 bible verses which define what is ministry “in ministering; the teacher, in teaching;” Romans 12:7 NRSV. We believe that ordained ministry is a calling from the Word of the Triune God and that it is not our job to deny anyone’s equality and calling to ordained ministry. We believe in sharing ministry from baptism to ordainment where there is maximum liturgical and biblical freedom of an equal voice for all to organise and discern together the crucified and risen Triune God Word’s liberating ministry and mission calling in our lives.

9. FREEDOM:

Means Romans 8:21 NRSV. CLACCA ULC stands with Universal Life Church Universal Freedom of Belief “Do that which is right. We as an organisation believe in that which is right. Each individual has the privilege and responsibility to determine what is right for them – as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others. We do not stand between you and God. We are active advocates of" (ULCHQ, 1959) (ULCM, 1977) “Section 116 of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act that “Commonwealth not to legislate in respect of religion. The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the Commonwealth (AusLII, 2010).” We believe in providing a shared worship space from baptism to ordainment where there is maximum liturgical and biblical Word freedom and an equal voice for all to organise and discern together the crucified and risen triune God Word’s liberating ministry and mission calling in our lives.

10. SCHOLARSHIP: 

“We believe that Christ commanded us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. Therefore we commit to be thinking people of faith. We critically study the Bible and the traditions of Christian faith with illumination of the Holy Spirit." (Mark 12:29, Mark 7:13, Romans 12:2 NRSV) (LCC, 2007-2008)

11. SELF-ESTEEM:

“We affirm that all people are made in the image of God. God commanded us to love ourselves so that we may love our neighbour. We strive to be a diverse community celebrating differences in race, age, gender, class, and sexual orientation." (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:14, Colossians 1:16 NRSV) (LCC, 2007-2008)

12. SAFETY:

Means “We affirm that our church will be a place of safety emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally. Our environment will be non-judgmental and open to all who treat each other with respect." (Matthew 7:1 NRSV) (LCC, 2007-2008)

13. GIFTS:

Means 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 NRSV.

14. COMRADES:

Means Deuteronomy 20:8; Judges 7:13; Judges 7:14; Judges 18:14; Ezekiel 38:21; Haggai 2:22; Revelation 12:10; Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:9; 3 Maccabees 2:25 NRSV. Simply put people who are in common struggle for the common good and who testify the prophetic words of the crucified and risen Triune God.

15. ALLIANCE:

Means 3 Maccabees 3:21 NRSV. “We stand in solidarity with the poor, marginalized, and oppressed in our community. We are called to organize for justice and social action when institutions resist God’s reign." (Deuteronomy 27:19, Micah 6:8 NRSV) (LCC, 2007-2008)

16. COMMUNITY:

Means 3 Maccabees 6:36 and Deuteronomy 1:16 NRSV “Offering a safe and open community for people to worship, learn, and grow in their faith is our deep desire. We are committed to equipping ourselves and each other to do the work that God has called us to do in the world." (MCC, 1968)

17. HUMANITY:

Means Genesis 1:27 and Ephesians 2:15 NRSV. We are an interfaith human rights Church and through Jesus Christ God becomes authentically human. Therefore both God and humanity are the heart and soul of the truth and love of our gospel because we don’t believe in separating God from humanity. Emmanuel “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23 NRSV)

18. JUSTICE:

“Working to talk less and do more, we are committed to resisting the structures that oppress people and standing with those who suffer under the weight of oppressive systems, being guided always by our commitment to Global Human Rights." (MCC, 1968)

19. COMPASSION:

Means Sirach 18:13 NRSV.

20. RECONCILIATION: 

Means 2 Corinthians 5:19 NRSV. We are not interested in cheap grace. We are interested in recovery from injustices that oppress us, seeking solutions to stop these injustices oppressing us to help in our recovery and reconciliation in a broken world. While we seek solutions to resolve conflict and miscommunication issues through face to face conflict resolution. Yet at the same time without justice there can be no reconciliation. 

21. LIBERATION:

Means 2 Corinthians 3:17 NRSV. Liberation seeks to break the chains of brokenness for a resurrection by linking our lives and our faiths in Triune God-centred community with all faiths. “Liberation Theology is a school of Christian Marxism founded in the 1960s by Peruvian Catholic priest Gustavo Gutiérrez. This radical kind of Christian theology draws heavily on the critique of hegemony by Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci, but more so on the radical teaching of Jesus and the Hebrew prophets, as well as the traditions of Christian Theology, and the experiences of Gutiérrez as an indigenous American in the poor neo-colony of Peru. Liberation Theology had been an extremely powerful school of thought as it has radicalised Christian bishops throughout Latin America. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez was able to start a socialist revolution in Venezuela because of the popularity of Marxist ideas within a Latin American context, and that was only possible because of Liberation Theology." (Hand, K, 2/1/2012)

While we recognise there are more core values than this in the Christian faith, we don’t ask you to agree with everything about CLACCA ULC. Yet we do ask you to keep an open mind and an open heart in the CLACCA ULC story.

CLACCA ULC politically is a rainbow liberation Church that stands with https://socialist-alliance.org/.  Yet CLACCA ULC doesn't claim political affiliation with any left-wing political organisation and welcomes all left-wing activists to the table from all walks of life without prejudice who believes in the cause regardless of anyone's left-wing political tendency. 

CLACCA ULC and The Universal Life Church has a neverending library of historical accounts of the history of our church.  Yet this is a summary of the history of CLACCA ULC that was born out of the struggle for equality in the church without exemption since 1959. When the CLACCA ministry got ordained with the Universal Life Church in America between 28th September 2013 and 21st July 2017 this was also to plant a local church in Australia when return home to the former beloved church was not possible. So CLACCA ULC with The Universal Life Church was God's backup plan to change the church and the world to save our lives and give us hope of a future in the Australian churches. At the time the Universal Life Church told us that God and God's Word was in charge of CLACCA ULC and no other authority that rejected us or abused us or denied who we are because our ministry whatever that may be had been called by God and God's Word since before the foundation of the earth according to the bible and John 15:16-17 NRSV. This was because "The gospels were written to inspire their audience of poverty-stricken farmers, urban proletarians and slaves in their resistance. If you can’t picture what those people looked like, just think of the Aboriginal people who fought the police in Redfern after T.J. Hickey’s murder in February 2004. [A young Aboriginal boy killed by cops.]" (Healy, 27 Sept 2006) While "there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25 NRSV)

 See CLACCA ULC Sydney's church copyright disclaimer at the bottom of our website and ULC ordination for further information.