The Lead

Peter Owen of Thinking Anglicans brings us news of a recent speech by Bishop Michael Perham of Gloucester, another English bishop who seems to understand that neither God nor history are on Rowan Williams' side when he attempts to hold the Anglican Communion together at the expense of gay and lesbian Christians:

I think there are some things here we need to explore sensitively together. In doing so I want to acknowledge the honesty and courage of my friend, James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool, who has publicly told his own story of moving his position on the issue of homosexuality over recent years and urged the Church not to allow this issue to divide us in a way that breaks communion. And I also need to acknowledge that I have long been in a different place and so have not had to travel as difficult a path as he has to be in the place where I now am. My own understanding has long been that the Church of England’s current stance is not tenable long term, but that, while we engage, struggle, with these issues, it must be task of the bishop to uphold our agreed policy, with all its weaknesses, and to try to hold the Church together while we tackle the things that divide us. I don’t believe I can move away from that position, though I need to share with you some of my discomfort.
It is difficult to know where to begin, but I think the best place is with the categorising of first and second order issues. I am quite clear that the issues on which the creeds make a firm statement - God as trinity, the divinity of Christ, the death and the resurrection of the Lord, the role of the Spirit and more - are first order issues on which there can be no change in what the Church teaches. They are fundamental to the Christian faith. I am equally clear that there are second order issues, which are important, and where interpretation of the tradition needs to be careful and prayerful, but where nevertheless individual churches and provinces need to be free to define doctrine in the way that seems to them to be in accordance with the mind of Christ.

Peter provides a link to the entire speech.

(Meanwhile, Ruth Gledhill is talking sense, too: In a world facing the well-documented consequences of consumer and materialist greed the Church’s spiritual message is potentially of benefit to millions. If the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives can do it in Britain, surely the liberals and conservatives in the Christian world can form some sort of coalition to bring new leadership to the Anglican morass. They must put their differences behind them, for the sake of God, themselves and the common good.)

Comments (4)

You need to read the entire speech: it's not nearly as affirming as the take-away. :-/ [He's bothered by this past weekend's consecration of +Glasspool. He's of the "Wait for the Slowest" (which, as MLK skewered in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, "wait till later" means "NEVER")]

It's perhaps sadly a measure of the condition of the CofE, that +Gloucester counts as a "bishop talking sense". Yes, he is . . . compared to xRochester and xDurham . . . and +++Canterbury. Those are WOEFULLY low standards. :-(

JC Fisher

Posted by tgflux | May 18, 2010 12:22 AM

If Rowan Williams is supposed to be a spiritual leader then he needs to do just that. True trust in God should render him willing to stand up for what is right rather than caving in like the example we've recently seen. The comments about Glasspool are benighted and inappropriate. This is exactly the kind of thing that sends Generation X running to find authentic spirituality rather than this political garbage. He needs to step down if he somehow lost his balls in Rome's purse. If we keep digging our collective heels in on stupid things like who people sleep with then we will never get to the truths and the things that actually matter. How about looking at what Glasspool can bring to the people she is with... the Love of God, perhaps? There are huge and significant things that we do wrong that will never be addressed as long as we keep screwing around with such garbage as meddling into people's beds and private business. And, there will be no "we" left if it keeps on like this. This is the shame that leaders such as Williams bring upon modern Christians. I am ashamed to be identified with him at all. This is not true faith. This is not true Christianity.

Stephanie J. Hall, Lansing, MI

Posted by Stephanie Hall | May 18, 2010 1:06 PM

You will also find that he states that the reason that the Rt. Revd Mary Gray-Reeves, of the Diocese of El Camino Real, the next previous woman consecrated as a bishop by TEC, did not attend the Los Angeles consecrations was per his request along with the request of the bishop of the Diocese of Western Tanganyika. The three dioceses are Communion Partner dioceses.

+El Camino Real has a pretty lousy batting average when it comes to GLBT inclusivity.

Posted by Däˈvēd Äyān | May 18, 2010 2:15 PM

For the record, the Rt. Rev'd Mary Gray-Reeves was home in bed recovering from a serious surgery on 14 May. Read about it at www.threelegedstool.blogspot.com.

James Holloway

Posted by polysloguy | May 19, 2010 11:43 AM

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