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Accepting Evangelicals

Letters to the Media

'Walking the Walk’ of Tribal Religion!

Published in the Church of England Newspaper – 5th October 2007

I honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry when I read Chris Sugden’s quote in the article “Row over Archbishop’s Communion service with gay priests” (21st Sept).  It was not so much that he was reacting to it – that was to be expected – but that he accused the Archbishop of beginning to ”take us down the road of tribal religion”.  This seemed a little rich coming from Anglican Mainstream who have been quite openly doing exactly that for some years now.

I remember attending a meeting of Anglican Mainstream at General Synod in York in 2004 in which a succession of speakers from parts of Africa and the USA were wheeled out with the clear message “The time is coming – we are preparing to leave  – you will have to choose – are you with us or against us?”

If this isn’t ‘tribal religion’, I have to say that I wonder what is.

The Archbishop on the other hand has been patiently working with all sides in this dispute to keep people talking, not driving people apart, as he clearly demonstrated this past week in the United States.  He as also been continuing the ‘listening process’ with those directly affected by the gay issue in the church, and it is that listening process is taking him - quite rightly -  to meet with gay clergy next month.

The problem is, of course, that groups like Anglican Mainstream and Reform do not want people to talk or listen.  Rod Thomas of Reform says exactly that in this week’s CEN (28th Sept) in his reaction to the US House of Bishops’ surprise statement.  “What we needed was leadership, and not conversation” was his comment on the Archbishop’s work in the US.

The real sting of the ‘tribal religion’ accusation is, of course, that Tribalism is by very nature the opposite of Communion.  But Communion which is not based on conversation – of talking and listening – of walking together in the Way of Christ – is not Communion at all. 

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:29 “For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself” – a verse which evangelicals have always understood to refer not to the controversial issue of ‘real presence’ but to recognising the Body of Christ in the fellowship of believers.  The Archbishop will indeed be recognising “the Body of Christ” when he celebrates Communion, and listens, and talks with gay clergy next month.  It is a shame that there will be those in the wider Body of Christ who will not.

Rev Benny Hazlehurst

Accepting Evangelicals

Communion

Published in the Church of England Newspaper – 12th October 2007

Sir, The news that Archbishop Rowan Williams is to meet with gay priests and celebrate communion with them is to be welcomed (CEN Sep 21). As a lay gay evangelical, I consider this to be an important part of the listening process that the church is committed to undertaking. I fail to see how anybody can criticise the Archbishop for sharing communion with his priests. Gay Anglicans would not criticise Archbishop Rowan if he celebrated communion with conservative evangelical priests.

Sadly, the comments from Anglican Mainstream and the Church Society are very predictable. They seem to imagine that nobody has a right to their convictions except them and those who agree with them. I find it deeply ironic that the sort of evangelicals who are condemning Archbishop Rowan are the same people who have defended Richard Wood of Dagenham for refusing communion from his Bishop, John Gladwin. Richard Wood and they would do well to learn from the example of gay priests who joyfully receive communion from their bishops and archbishops.

Mike Dark

London, N4

 

Wycliffe Hall, Oxford

Letter Published in the Church of England Newspaper May 2007

Dear Sir

I read with concern the article on Wycliffe College on your front page.

The accusation that Wycliffe is becoming a place that is ‘not a safe place for women or gays’ is bad enough, but the implication of the anonymous statement is that it is not safe for anyone with a more open theology as well.

At Accepting Evangelicals, we had reports some time ago that one of our members was refused an appointment at an Anglican Theological College because he was a member of this pro-gay Evangelical network.

I am sure that this could not have been Wycliffe College, but the allegations which are now emerging will do nothing to allay the suspicions of many.  Yet again it would seem, the Gay issue has become the litmus test of whether you are a true evangelical or not, or even worse, whether you are a true Christian or not.

 My salvation has always depended on my relationship to one person – Jesus Christ – and his place as Lord and Saviour of my life.  My desire in life is to share this faith with others so that they too may experience a personal relationship with Christ.  Yet I along with hundreds of others do not interpret Scripture on this issue in the same way as our more conservative brothers and sisters.  That does not stop us being Evangelical Christians.

I would hope that colleges such as Wycliffe would welcome such openness and exploration within the core faith that we share, and the present controversy presents them with a clear opportunity to demonstrate this.  I would invite Dr Turnbull and the college to state clearly that membership of Accepting Evangelicals would not prevent someone from being appointed to the staff, or indeed accepted as a student.

Such a statement would reassure many moderate evangelicals and would be very welcome in this current climate of polarisation. 

Yours in Christ

Rev Benny Hazlehurst,

Founder Member of Accepting Evangelicals

 

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