In his much publicised Letter of 23rd June, in writing of the appointment of Jeffrey John as Suffragan Bishop of Reading, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, could have said:
1.It was a mistake because the man is obviously not wholeheartedly committed to the received doctrine of the Church of England on sexual relations. His true beliefs include the acceptability of same-sex partnerships for clergy and this doctrine is not that of the Church of England. Thus he should step down. OR
2. It was a mistake because the Church of England has not yet come to a common mind on whether or not it is right or wise to have as a Bishop an openly "gay man" living in a same-sex partnership. Thus at best it may be called a premature act and he should step down. OR
3. It was a good thing for it was prophetic and courageous act and it blazed a trail of toleration and inclusiveness in the Church of England. Thus he should stand firm and we should all support him. OR other possibilities.
But he chose instead to accept and affirm that each side (those who support and those who oppose the consecration of a gay priest as a bishop) has worthy principles and to call them both to set their minds and hearts and attention on BIGGER and more IMPORTANT things and to exercise understanding and charity with respect to this appointment and to those who support and oppose it.
The lead he gave was to ask us all to direct our attention to Greater and more Central Things and that when we do this the matter of sexuality will not be so absorbing. (One response is that this whole matter would never have been in the public attention if he, Rowan, had blocked it when it came upon his desk for approval weeks ago! At that stage he did not think sufficiently clearly & deeply of what the Bishop of Oxford was recommending and what would be the reaction in terms of this particular priest.)
We may note that each side certainly does have principled positions - the one is based on Scripture and the Tradition of the Church which is very clear on the matter of sexual relations; the other is based primarily on the modern doctrine of human rights and specifically that of a person having the right to live out in practice and with God's blessing his sexual orientation, as long he is in a faithful partnership. (These two positions it will be observed are miles apart!)
Regrettably, this issue will not go away (for it is a big issue to many people) and what it will probably herald is the beginning of vast changes in the Church of England as to how parishes and dioceses are funded. Evangelical parishes will probably lead the way in putting their money into self-supporting parishes and sending nothing to the diocese since they do not want it to be used for supporting what they believe to be wrong. The whole deployment and funding of the clergy will be affected by this matter and many parishes, in the inner-city and in the countryside, will suffer in the long term. Parishes of conviction and with money will survive and others will wither away or be joined with others......
Of course Jeffrey John, for whom we all feel most deeply, is under great pressure from various sides. He may decide to stand down voluntarily. This would be a most welcome thing for his own true good and that of everyone else; if he does then he will need much brotherly love and compassion shown to him. Let us pray for him that God will be gracious unto him and give him His peace.
The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon.)
No comments:
Post a Comment