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Cornerstone Presbyterian Church minister Mark Powell speaks about why he believes Indigenous protocols such as Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country are “fundamentally incompatible” with Christian doctrine.
This comes after the 2023 Presbyterian Federal Assembly concluded the wording of these practices “almost invariably carries overtones of an Indigenous spirituality consistent with Christian belief”.
Mr Powell says fundamentally at the heart of the Christian message is a “gospel of reconciliation”.
“And it’s vertical, as in it reconciles individuals to God but it’s also horizontal in that it reconciles people to one another,” he told Englishheadline host Andrew Bolt.
Mr Powell said Welcome to Country and Acknowledgment of Country “integrate an Indigenous pantheistic worldview” and the Presbyterian Church’s general assembly resolved this was “incompatible with the worship of Christ”.
