The Church of England is in full brouhaha mode today over gay bishops once again. Before saying anything about that, I think it is important to give a shout out to the Rt Rev Gene Robinson who is retiring today as Bishop of New Hampshire. It was obvious when he was elected and consecrated that the issues which excited people so much about him were going to be coming to churches all around the world. So it has proved.
I caught up with Bishop Gene in September in San Francisco. He was the preacher in Grace Cathedral whilst I was there on my sabbatical trip. I could see him trying to work out who I was from across the sanctuary. When I reminded him that I was the person who invited him to celebrate the eucharist in Glasgow during the Lambeth conference, a time when he was said to be banned from every altar in England, his face lit up. Indeed, he described the visit to Glasgow as a “lifesaver” at a very low time.
I’m grateful to him for his ministry here, one of the most electric Sunday mornings since I came here. I’m also grateful to him for keeping the faith, preaching the gospel and standing up to injustice. And yes, I’m proud of having known the first out gay man in a partnership (marriage now…) who became a bishop. So, here’s to you, Bishop Robinson, Jesus loves you more than you can know. And I’m thankful for what you shared about that love whilst Bishop of New Hampshire.
Bishop Gene seemed full of beans and pleased to be alive. He has good cause. When I stood next to him in 2008 in St Mary’s there were serious threats being made to his life and he couldn’t even distribute the communion elements because there was a fear that someone would stab him. Thank God things were more relaxed when I saw him recently. It was the Feast of St Francis in San Francisco itself and he and I got involved in blessing dogs, cats and a rather lively macaw.
It is abundantly clear today that it is not all about Gene Robinson any more. The compromise that has been announced in England in the last 24 hours only turns the clock back by about 18 months and I’m genuinely surprised by all the excitement in the media about it. Nothing has changed since yesterday. The key facts remain the same:
- The Church of England behaves badly to gay people in leadership
- The public discourse of the Church of England at major festivals is dominated by a prurient interest in Jeffrey John’s private life.
- The media don’t understand it but like the fuss and use any excuse to put nutters on the television
I see only two ways in which this could end. Either one side or the other will win or alternatively there will be an agreement within the church that different views about human sexuality may be held with integrity. I rather favour the latter. It would need some common understandings about sexual ethics that focused on fidelity, passion and love rather than this uninspiring display of public disagreement but I think that could be achieved.
I see no other options.
Here in Scotland, I think that it is quite likely that a majority of people in the church would agree with me though it has not been tested. Meanwhile, our College of Bishops and our Faith and Order Board continue to behave as though a winner takes all approach to these issues (whereby we are all supposed to have our actions limited by the opinions of some) is the answer to what is wrong.
The truth is, that attitude is not the answer, it is the problem. And somehow or another we need to move towards something more sensible, for our good and the good of all God’s holy church.
Amen.
What I find astounding in this whole “gay must be celibate” notion is the idea that they would expect same sex couples to give up one of the very things central to a loving committed relationship. Would they as “straight” men and women give it up? No, of course not. They why expect others to do so? The reasoning (?) behind it just baffles my mind.
Ah, how interesting. You presume that they are expecting gay people to give up sex. I presumed that they were expecting (and encouraging) people to lie. Neither is attractive or particularly holy.
I have to say, I too was expecting them to expect gay people – as the C of E now stands gay men – to give up sex … and that the more conservative would expect them to regret sex, an even harder undertaking. I can easily understand regretting bad sex and sex with the wrong person, but to regret sex with one’s dearest beloved – well, HOW?
What a lovely tribute to Bishop Gene, Kelvin. I met him only once, briefly, in an introduction, but he was quite gracious.
On Facebook, there’s quite a bit of mockery of the latest announcement from the Church of England by people who know nothing has changed, though from the headlines, you wouldn’t suspect. The media especially loves a story about sex, and the powers in the church seem ready to oblige with their obsession with who is doing what, where, when, and with whom?
Let’s talk about sex, baby…! The history of our faith is littered with an unhealthy obsession with sex. Instead of celebrating it as a God given grace, people try to contain and control it…and let’s be honest…that has never worked out as well for people will live their lives in spite of what the church states. Complience to such beliefs doesn’t mean holiness or transformation. The church confuses conformity to their doctrines to obedience to Christ. The church tries to control and regulate and the Holy Spirit liberates and sets people free.
I wonder if the church has arrived when the matchmakers of the church try to match the unmarried gay minister with an appropriate partner of the same sex (fun, good cook, can sing in the choir). (Admittedly I don’t know whether the church still has unofficial matchmakers.)
How charming of you, Erp, to think that this doesn’t already happen…
‘An agreement within the church that different views about human sexuality may be held with integrity’ already exists not a million miles from Canterbury, York or even Glasgow. If the hierarchy of the C of E paid a little more attention to what they could learn from ecumenical partners operating in the same geographical context as they do, rather than trying to adapt their insights to those of episcopalians in the very different worlds of Africa and South America, they might have noticed the URC’s 2007 Commitment on Human Sexuality. http://www.urc.org.uk/resources/human-sexuality-task-group.html
In any case, how are they going to check whether gay bishops or other clerics remain celibate? Video cameras under the duvet?