An Open and Charitable Dialogue...

Colossians 4:5–6 “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

The Heart of Our Vision

When we planted Merri Creek Anglican, one of the first things we did was write a vision. It’s probably better to think of it less as a “vision statement” and more as a kind of rule of life—a picture of the kind of community we hope to be, much like how the Benedictines had a rule to shape their shared spiritual life.

Our first line says:

“Imagine a church community that cultivates an open and charitable dialogue about Jesus with the ‘no religion’ tribes of Melbourne’s inner north.”

This vision still captures something deeply countercultural and profoundly Christian: it invites us to become a people whose lives, conversations, and relationships embody grace, humility, and curiosity—especially in a world where religion and belief are often seen as divisive.

Who Are the “No Religion” Tribes?

In the Australian census, there’s a box you can tick that says “No Religion.” Across the country, this group is growing rapidly—about 38.4% in the last census (2021) identified this way. But here in Melbourne’s inner city, the numbers are much higher at 50.2%, and if you include those who ticked "Secular Beliefs," "Other Spiritual Beliefs," and "No Religious Affiliation", the percentage rises to 54.8.

Sociologists sometimes call these people the “nones.” But this is not one single group of people. Many “nones” are not as distant from faith as we might assume. They may have attended religious schools, grown up in Christian households, or had Christian friends. They might describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” Some are curious about faith and open to exploring questions of meaning, belonging, and hope.

So when we imagine connecting with the “no religion” tribes, we’re not talking about some distant or hostile demographic. We’re talking about our neighbours, colleagues, parents at school, the barista at the café, the friend we share a table with at a gig. These are people we already love and live alongside.

After twelve years of living out this part of our vision, we’ve seen the “no religion” tribe not only continue to grow, but also diversify and fragment into an even wider array of worldviews and spiritualities. What seems like a simple census option is, in fact, a complex mosaic of personal meaning-making. Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor describes this as the Nova Effect—the explosion of new spiritual options that occurs when a society steps away from shared belief. In this “spiritual marketplace,” people mix mindfulness with astrology, social activism with mysticism, or science with spirituality, all in an attempt to find resonance and meaning. Far from making our vision obsolete, this cultural shift makes it more vital than ever. Our call to cultivate an open and charitable dialogue about Jesus remains profoundly relevant—because amid this swirl of beliefs and longings, people still need a gracious community that listens well, speaks truthfully, and bears witness to the living God with humility and love.

Why “Open” and “Charitable”?

When Paul tells the Colossian church to let their conversation “be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,” he’s describing a way of engaging the world that’s both wise and winsome (Col. 4:5–6). He’s not telling us to be pushy or defensive, but to be responsive—ready to answer when people ask about our hope in Christ, with gentleness and respect.

An open dialogue means we approach others with a willingness to listen, to learn, and to be genuinely curious. It’s what philosophers call epistemic humility, recognising that we don’t have all the answers, and that truth can’t be forced but must be witnessed to with grace. It’s about having what Martin Luther King Jr. called a non-anxious presence, not fearful or combative, but confident in God’s love and truth.

A charitable dialogue means we assume the best about others. The word charity comes from caritas (love). It means giving people the benefit of the doubt, seeking to understand before judging, and responding to hostility (when it arises) with kindness. It means trusting that God is already at work in people’s lives long before we arrive.

Resisting Fear and the Culture Wars

We live in a time when public conversation is increasingly shaped by outrage and tribalism. On social media, political discourse, and even within the church, people are quick to “other” those who think differently. Some Christians have responded to the rise of secularism with fear, seeing the “no religion” tribe as a threat, or lumping them together as “the Left” or “the enemy of faith.” But this posture is both inaccurate and un-Christian.

As Jesus said, “Love your neighbour” and “Do not judge.” Our call is not to win a culture war but to bear witness to a living God who meets people in love, not in fear. Jesus didn’t reserve his compassion for the religiously observant. He met with tax collectors, prostitutes, Roman soldiers, and the curious seekers of his day. He listened, loved, and spoke truth in ways that disarmed and dignified.

To be “open and charitable” is to resist the anxiety that drives culture wars. It is to cultivate the patience and courage to engage with difference, not from a place of defensiveness, but from deep gospel confidence. It’s to trust that God’s Spirit is already at work in every human heart.

The Posture of Grace

Paul’s call to speak “with grace, seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6) paints a picture of attractive faith. Salt makes things taste better. It enhances flavour. In the same way, our words and actions should make faith more compelling, not less. Grace should flow naturally through our speech, our hospitality, our humour, and our humility.

This doesn’t mean being bland or evasive. It means being genuinely Christlike, bold in conviction yet gentle in tone. It means learning how to share the hope we have without turning every conversation into an argument or a sales pitch. It’s about cultivating wisdom and presence, not performance.

Lifting Burdens, Not Adding Them

In one of his most scathing critiques of religious hypocrisy, Jesus said of the Pharisees:

“They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” (Matt. 23:4)

An open and charitable church must be the opposite of that. We are called to lift burdens, not pile them on. We are not here to shame people or to make them feel like they have to clean up their lives before God can love them. Instead, we point to Jesus, whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light (Matt. 11:28–30).

Magnificence

The phrase “open and charitable” is not about being “nice” or avoiding disagreement. It’s about a whole way of life marked by humble service and Christlike generosity. As Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be your servant” (Matt. 23:11).

When Christians lower themselves to serve others, rather than elevate themselves for attention or influence, something magnificent happens. The light of Christ shines through our humility. It’s similar to what Aristotle called “magnificence”, a kind of beauty that takes your breath away when someone radically uses their resources to bless others.

That’s what we long for our church to embody: a magnificence born of grace. When we quietly and consistently serve others, without self-promotion, without fear, and without needing to win. Only then do we become radiant witnesses to God’s kingdom breaking into the world.

Practicing the Vision

So what might it look like for Merri Creek Anglican to live this out?

• In our conversations: being curious listeners who ask good questions and speak truth with gentleness.

• In our community groups: creating spaces where both believers and seekers can explore faith safely.

• In our neighbourhood presence: being the kind of people who contribute to the common good—lifting burdens, volunteering, showing hospitality, creating beauty, and seeking justice.

• In our tone: being confident in Christ, but never arrogant; joyful, but never naïve; humble, but never ashamed.

  
  

The Gospel Is Open and Charitable

At its core, this vision isn’t a communication strategy; it’s a reflection of the gospel itself. The good news of Jesus is open and charitable.

It is open, because God’s grace is offered freely to all who will receive it. It is charitable because that grace comes as an undeserved gift of love.

Jesus stands at the door and knocks (Rev. 3:20). He doesn’t force his way in; he invites. He lifts burdens rather than adding them. He meets us with compassion, forgiveness, and hope. To follow him is to live in the same way: open-handed, open-hearted, and confident that the Spirit is already at work in the lives of our neighbours long before we begin the conversation.