The origin of Cross Purposes was in a regular Melbourne-based seminar called The Theology and Culture Project where participants would gather to share a drink, listen to the work of a creative theological thinker, and discuss that work with each other.  The emphasis was always on a genuinely theological dialogue across the wide intellectual and cultural space the church traverses today.  The project was born of a passionate belief that the church is called to think as well as to act.

After a few years it became clear that gathering together was becoming more and more difficult.  After much deliberation, we decided to migrate the project toward a more portable format, a subcription-based journal called Cross Purposes that would be published by the Doctrine and Liturgy Committee of the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.  Following the dismissal of that Committee in early 2007, the Auburn congregation of the Uniting Church, in Melbourne, was kind enough to take over as our publisher.  As of July 2013, the publishing batton was passed to the Hotham Parish in North Melbourne.

Cross Purposes was published three to four times per year in a 12-14 page A5 format until 2016. For various reasons, we were unable to continue beyond that.