Staff prayers this morning got off on a discussion about the current state of the Church of England, and I think I said that we need to have a way of informing the local Churches of what is going on without some of the media hyperbole that they probably see and read.
At the start of the discussion was the sad news that somebody with local historic connections appears to have resigned from the Priesthood and I am assuming this has some connection with the recent offer from Rome to those who are unhappy with issues on the agenda at the moment in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
So I am going to stick my neck on the block in a couple of areas as I try to communicate something locally. First of all we have the question of Women Bishops. I am satisfied in terms of Scripture and the history of the interpretation of Scripture based primarily on the names of people listed as Apostles in Romans 16:7 and the discussion concerning the mention of a woman called Junia, and the subsequent substitution of her name with that of Junias, the male form, but this being a name which was exceptionally uncommon. Women were, I believe, treated as equals by Jesus and as Apostles and substantive church leaders by Paul. The Church seems to have tried to cover this up somewhat by changing a name to suit its own reading of history. I know some women priests and don't doubt their vocation or gifts. Does God do glass ceilings?
If I periodically pull a face whilst there is mention of women Bishops this is not meant to be a rejection of the idea. I am simply extremely allergic to Christians (and Clergy in particular) jockeying for position.
The second issue causing great concern is that of gay Clergy, which is hugely more complicated. The debate continues to be highly polarised (a situation which again rarely does God's name any great service). For what its worth I do not feel that the arguments against the Biblical passages condemning homosexuality have been anywhere near as conclusive as some of their proponents seem to think. I read recently that Bishop Spong no longer discusses homosexuality because the case is made (in his view) and the Bible passages have been contextualised and examined and explained away, so there is nothing else to discuss, whereas I believe there is an awful lot to discuss. I would not reject a gay Priest, just as I would not reject a gossiping Priest (or a Priest who committed any of the other things which Sodom was accused of doing - can you guess them?). I would like to be able to discuss openly a new way of working with these issues which sought to bring Grace and a true picture of all of us ministering from our weaknesses into the equation.
Into this heady mix of questions we have the recent offer from the Pope for a special category within Catholicism for Anglicans to move to his jurisdiction but maintaining some of their Anglican identity. There are quite a few jokes doing the rounds about this, as well as some apologies from Catholics somewhat embarrassed by the perceived insensitivity of the Papacy. Quite how this offer will work out in the longer term will have to remain to be seen - as somebody said in a different context 'the grass may be greener on the other side of the hill, but it still needs mowing'.
Quite a lot of heat was generated in this move by the apparent snub of Archbishop Rowan, but he seemed to be hugely impressive when he went to Rome and delivered a gentle but challenging lecture.
But this is not the time for Exit Strategies. The Church (and I think this is broader than simply Church of England) is being forced (I would argue by circumstances but with God's hand behind them) to reconsider seriously and urgently how it engages with the world around. For me a move to Rome is a step back from this challenge to one seeking reassurance of the status of Priests in Church and Society, and a ducking of the challenge to have to think about some difficult questions. Just so that I am not seen as being un-Ecumenical I ought to say that big gathered styles of Church (usually inhabited by middle class people in middle class parts of town) duck the same issue as well - they just make their mass critical enough that they don't have to answer it...yet.
Now, therefore, is the time for Exciting Strategies! How do we grow Church in today's society? How do we make mature disciples? How do we live outside Church as if we were still in it? How do we worship inside Church as if we really belonged to the world outside it?
Difficult Questions and Exciting Strategies indeed.
Recent Comments