lesbian bishop
The Archbishop is worried.
A new bishop has been elected (though not yet confirmed) in Los Angeles, and she’s “married” to another woman. This will undoubtedly cause another round of bitter rows in the Anglican communion, and there is no solution to the endless disagreement. Andrew Brown says that “Rowan Williams has been forced into an impossible corner by his own diplomacy”; while Ekklesia suggests that the Archbishop making comments that the election of Mary Glasspool is problematic, while refusing to condemn the extreme measures of the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill, makes it seem that he is taking sides.
I think he can’t win whatever he says, and in a problem without a solution he has become the symbolic person that takes the flak from all sides. I don’t know what the answer is either. Do you?
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Maggi has kept a blog since September 2003, writing about theology and faith, the arts and literature, and a little about life and random nonsense...
This title focuses on the importance of understanding who God is - and who he is not. It explores the core Lenten idea of 'giving up', taking it beyond the traditional idea of simply abstaining from something.
This book compares and contrasts the different Gospel narratives of Christ's coming. It is designed specifically for use in 2007, highlighting links to the Church calendar. It is intended for those wanting daily Bible readings for Advent.
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I read in ‘Beginnings and Endings’ yesterday about your description of returning WW1 soldiers finding it difficult to relate to the Anglican church because of their experience in the trenches. From that came The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. I don’t have any answer to the question you pose (and I’ve got to the stage in life that no answer is better than a bad answer!) but it strikes me that increasingly our society has no where to retreat from the trenches. No where peaceful, no where completely different, no where that runs in a different direction. They find the same standards, the same friction and fracture and the same solutions to resolving the same issues. Where are seekers to find the community of believers living in harmony, serving one another, living selflessly in communion and worship? I’m encouraged that out of the returning WW1 soldiers came a fresh expression of the simple gospel message and optimistic that these troubles will birth the same creative and beautiful expression of God’s love for us, such as is seen in the Nine Lessons. Sorry Maggi, that didn’t answer your question!
Sorry Maggi but I can’t come up with an answer from my place outside the Anglican Communion. I am still unsure about the place of homosexuality within Christianity but what I won’t do is indulge in infantile name calling and condemnation; instead I will accept as a brother and sister anyone who names Jesus as Lord – the rest is up to Him.
I notice Ekklesia says “Williams is likely to be accused of speaking out against the extreme on one side but not the other.”. In the world of the Church, giving a lesbian a job is “extremism” it seems. Doesn’t that say it all?
I think we may be failing to see that at many junctures in the history of the church there has been transformation through pain. It’s part of the deal when you follow a wounded healer I guess. Even in Acts there were diputes and ‘extreme’ actions – you don’t get much more extreme than reshaping a Jewish sect still focused on law in tension with grace into a multicultural movement focussed on grace and not ritualism or law. We forget that the church was born in tension as we try to idealise what we imagine we read in Acts – it was tough right from the start and it hasn’t ceased to be tough – we live in tension and as such we run to hide in our own little corners thinking that we have the truth or else we roll over and give up because it’s all to hard (I have done both on numerous occasions on my jagged journey of faith). I guess I am more inclined to feel less comfortable with groups gathering to demonize and fabricate bills that are ‘anti’ anything really. I’ve just finished writing some thoughts for an Advent Study on the theme of the continual coming of the Christ – this week it is the Affirming Christ – God’s “Yes” to humanity. Speaking about Christ Paul says in Corinthians 1 that “his nature is all YES. For in him is found the YES to all God’s promises . . .” We no longer stone people for being adulterers, we no longer believe that liars will burn in hell forever (do we?), so why should we believe that sexuality is the defining characteristic of what is orthodox or not about serving Christ?
I think Rowan Williams should meditate before the cross and ask the dying Christ ” What is your will in this matter for the Church?”
It worked for me when I asked God what He thought about me being gay. I was affirmed and strengthened.
Practically , I had to leave the “Church” as I just could not face the prejudice and cruelty.
Frankly, the “Church” is not worthy of me and my LGBT friends.
I am tempted to advise Rowan: “Shut it all down and start again”
or ” Schism isn’t all bad..it was how the Cof E started anyway”