Right Direction - Wrong Turn
The Archbishop's Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion has grabbed the headlines for its call for the Episcopal
Church to step down from 2 committees of the Anglican Communion, following the consecration of the Communion's first openly
lesbian Bishop, Mary Glasspool.
But the bulk of Rowan Williams' letter builds a good theological argument for continuing dialogue in the search for mutual
understanding , while recognising our diversity. The following are direct quotes from his letter, showing a very different
approach to the exclusion he has called for.
He begins by recognising that no one group of Christians have a monopoly on the truth of the Christian Gospel. The
fullness of the Gospel belongs to God and God alone and we respond to Him within the story and culture of our lives and
that of our society.
He then goes on to recognise the diversity of Christians and the Church as we seek to follow Christ, unified not by our
understanding of doctrine, but by our baptism and faith in Christ.
"We know, in the Spirit, that we who are baptised into Jesus Christ share one life; so that all the diversity of
gifting and service in the Church can be seen as the work of one Spirit" (I Cor. 12.4).
When the Church is living by the Spirit, what the world will see is a community of people who joyfully and gratefully hear
the prayer of Jesus being offered in each other’s words and lives, and are able to recognise the one Christ working through
human diversity.
This response to Christ in our different cultures and societies will inevitably result in different priorities and
expressions in the way in which seek to make Christ known. These differing perspectives can be a cause of friction between
Christians.
But the challenges that this brings, and even our failure to understand each other sufficiently, do not absolve us of God's
call for us to continue to work towards the goal of mutual understanding, respect, and thankfulness.
We have not, in other words, found a way of shaping our consciences and convictions as a worldwide body... yet we are
called to seek for mutual harmony and common purpose, and not to lose heart. If the truth of Christ is indeed ultimately
one as we all believe, there should be a path of mutual respect and thankfulness that will hold us in union and help us
grow in that truth.
Finally, the Archbishop reminds us that in times of change (such as now) we need to work all the harder in our conversation
and fellowship.
A time of transition, by definition, does not allow quick solutions to such questions, and it is a time when, ideally,
we need more than ever to stay in conversation. As I have said many times before, whatever happens to our structures, we
still need to preserve both working relationships and places for exchange and discussion.
All of the above speak profoundly to the situation in which the Anglican Communion finds itself.
Anglican Christians in California, (and elsewhere) seeking to understand the Gospel at work in their lives, and making
Christ known in their context and culture have come to a point where they have discerned the will of God in consecrating
Mary Glasspool. Anglican Christians in Canada (and elsewhere) feel that God has called them to make provision for the
blessing of same-sex partnerships. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Christians everywhere are experiencing the
love, grace and blessing of God in exactly the same way as their heterosexual brothers and sisters in Christ, and want to
be fully included in the life of God's Church, just as God includes them fully in the life of His Kingdom.
This is, of course deeply disturbing to Anglican Christians in other cultures where even the thought of homosexuality can
produce an almost physical revulsion. This can be true in Africa, and indeed in conservative homes in America and
elsewhere, but the gospel calls us to continue to be open to one another in love.
When it comes to the practical outworking of this, however the Archbishop then breaks totally with this argument and calls
for members of TEC and Canada to step down from a number of the Communion's official bodies, for which he offers no
theological justification - only pragmatism.
I am therefore proposing that, while these tensions remain unresolved, members of such provinces – provinces that have
formally, through their Synod or House of Bishops, adopted policies that breach any of the moratoria ...should not be
participants in the ecumenical dialogues in which the Communion is formally engaged.
Leaving aside the fact that these "things being done" should also include the continuing statements made by some
conservative Anglicans which de-humanise and scapegoat homosexuals, this proposal comes as a stark contrast to the argument
he has just developed, and is not theologically justified in any way. The intention seems simply to appease the voices of
objection - to show that something has been done in response to Mary Glasspool's consecration.
This internal contradiction is further highlighted by his final paragraph referring back to the Pentecost theme.
We are praying for a new Pentecost for our Communion. That means above all a vast deepening of our capacity to receive
the gift of being adopted sons and daughters of the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It means a deepened capacity to speak
of Jesus Christ in the language of our context so that we are heard and the Gospel is made compelling and credible. And it
also means a deepened capacity to love and nourish each other within Christ’s Body – especially to love and nourish, as
well as to challenge, those whom Christ has given us as neighbours with whom we are in deep and painful dispute.
The key part of this last paragraph encourage us to deepen our capacity to recognise the gift we receive from God in being
adopted sons and daughters of God - and therefore recognising each other - gay, straight, African, American, conservative
or progressive - as brothers and sisters in Christ.
It also encourages us to speak the Gospel in the language of our own context - which he has already acknowledged is very
different in different places.
And finally it encourages us to love and nourish, as well as challenge each other - which is always harder to do when people
are asked not to come!
It is not at all clear what practical effect the exclusion will have in the workings of the Communion, except to further
erode the part which the Episcopal Church in the USA and in Canada is allowed to play in Communion discussions. But it
does seek to marginalise a part of the Anglican Communion which has a proven track record of being a prophetic voice of
inclusion in the Anglican Church - the first to ordain women to the priesthood, the first to have women Bishops, and more
recently the first to have openly gay and lesbian Bishops. Such exclusion will leave us all the poorer as a worldwide
church if the erosion is allowed to continue.
The Archbishop is right in his letter when he reminds us of the need to walk together in the way of Christ from our
differing cultures and contexts. He is right in saying we need to deepen our capacity to love, nourish and challenge each
other in our discipleship of Christ. He is right in reminding us that this path is not an easy one. His letter gives us
the right direction.
So it is such a pity that the only practical outworking of the letter is so at odds with what he has written.
Right direction - wrong turn.
Benny Hazlehurst
You can read the Archbishop's Letter in Full at
http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org
You can also read a Pastoral Letter in response by the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the USA at
www.episcopalchurch.org
What about Bi and Trans People?
Dear
Accepting Evangelicals
When I looked at the
home page I saw this was a group, mainly for lesbian & gay people &
Evangelicals that are accepting of L&G people. I am left with a question where
is the mention of Bi people/evangelicals or Trans people/evangelicals?
Have you thought of how being not mentioned could leave the 2 groups asking if
we are accepted in this group or asking if we are once again conspicuous by
absence of mention?
I can see how & why the group was started up & why the 2 main (if you like)
groups with-in the LGBT community are more prominent or mentioned because I
feel this group is aimed mainly for G&L evangelicals & People who support or
accept L&G evangelicals.
But as a trans man I am left asking where is the acceptance or indeed support
for the bi & trans evangelicals?
I am not claiming that I would not be allowed to join or indeed not be barred
from contributing in some way. But one of my concerns is......would adding or
including the words bi & trans feel to others to complicate things?
This is not a criticism or all the work you do nor all the good things that
people have contributed and are putting into Accepting Evangelicals, but I am
asking because I walk in the shows/live my life as a T.man & I beleive that bi
& t. people are 2 groups of people in the LGBT community including Christian
community who often have a lesser voice, some times no mention.
With peace & Hope to all,
from,Robin.
Benny Hazlehurst
reply:
Dear Robin
Thank you for your
email, and I do accept all that you are saying. When we set up Accepting
Evangelicals we had a long discussion about whether we should use the
traditional 'LGBT' terminology in our material, and decided not to at that
stage. This was because we wanted to reach out to evangelicals who were
uncomfortable with the hard-line conservative approach but who, equally might
also be uncomfortable with much of the LGBT jargon which is also out there –
so we decided to keep it simple.
The problem with
that, or course is the one which you have identified, and I would be grateful
if you would help us to open up this area on our web site. All of us who set
up AE are fully supportive of Bi and Trans people, and including something on
the website would start to demonstrate this without falling into jargon.
As a first step could
we publish your letter on the website, with the opportunity for a fuller
article in due course?
A
Word of Encouragement
Dear Accepting Evangelicals
Thanks for a really interesting 'Accepting
Evangelicals' News-sheet. We do hope and pray that the discussions with the
AofC will prove fruitful, and Wycliffe College declare their openness to homosexual and female Christians.
Benny's story shows yet again that
meeting/knowing gay Christians is a powerful way that God shows we who were
once homophobic were wrong. Faith in Jesus is the arbiter, nothing else, not
even the scriptures which is idolatry (or bibliolatry). Jesus is the Living
Word. Please wish Benny and Mel, and all in AE God's blessing from us.
George and Julie
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