As Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28, “you are all one in Christ Jesus”.

This truth is at the very heart of the Christian Gospel.

It’s the truth behind Baptist minister Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s famous dream, of a nation in which his children would “not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character”.

And it is a truth that would be denied if we allow the Voice to change our Constitution so some Australians have an extra say in our democracy because of their race.

Three Reasons Christians Should Vote No:

1. A Nation Should Be United, Not Divided

   We all have a vote, we all have a say. We are all brothers and sisters created equal in the image of God. It is against God’s law for a nation to insert division based on ancestry into its rulebook. In fact, it’s the opposite: a nation should be ordered towards unity and community where we solve our problems together.

2. It’s Not Real Reconciliation

   We all know the devastating impact colonisation has had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. We understand the need for reconciliation. But you cannot have reconciliation by placing the wrongs of the past at the centre of the decision making of today. Christ teaches us that saying sorry goes hand in hand with forgiveness. Where we can make things right, we do, but a nation divided against itself cannot stand.

3. It’s About Politics And Power, Not Recognition

   Many Australians support constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians. However, by tying recognition to a new extra-parliamentary body, the goal of recognition has been compromised by politics. There is no justice in elevating one group of Australians over another. There is no compassion in treating our Indigenous brothers and sisters as different. And we cannot be a united country with division in the Constitution.