Humourous approach to Same-Sex issues and the Anglican Church

Hi everyone,

Here are a couple of interesting articles from Tim Smart e-letter from the Montreal Diocesan Centre for Lay Education - see http://www.montreal.anglican.ca/cle/newsletter.htm

Tim is a very independent thinker, as you will see from the below. His e-letter is always prefaced that these are his views, not the Diocese's, etc.

Yet underneath the humour are some very pointed questions about church policy.

Any thoughts?

Nicole

Visually Impaired Primates

“At the next meeting of the Primates in February 2007 some of us will not be able to recognize Katharine Jefferts Schori as a Primate at the table with us…” 
      …this in a communique from the Global South Primates Meeting held in beautiful downtown Kigali, Rwanda, in September 2006.   Read ACNS 4193.

Is it that hard to recognize a woman?  You would think that there would be a few obvious physical clues one could look for to determine that Katharine, the new Primate of the Episcopal Church in the USA, was physically present in the room.  But I suppose their problem is not that she's a woman (of course not) but that she represents that part of the Anglican Church which has allowed a honest gay person to be a bishop in one of their dioceses.  For this reason, she has been served notice that she will be given the cold shoulder at the next meeting of the Primates.  Now, you can argue all you want that their reasons are theological, ecclesiological and biblical.  But let's just call this proposed action what it really is - immature.

For all their pompous condemnations of the Anglican Churches in Canada and the United States, Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola and his buddies seem to have forgotten that Anglicans, for the most part, have tried to keep meeting, talking, and breaking bread together despite their differences.  Our unity is in Christ and in communion with him our disagreements and differences can be held in creative tension.  We don't have to shout communiques at one another from across the sandbox like disgruntled little boys who don't get our way.  You don't have to pick up your marbles and leave just because the girl knows a guy who is gay.

When we refuse to meet, talk together and break bread together, we divide the body of Christ and the church bears witness to the disintegration of the world instead of the integration and the holy communion of all God's people.

A more mature response came from Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane of Cape Town as he responded to the Kigali communique…

“As a general point, I want to comment that whereas I fully endorse the rationale for a body such as the Global South, which can help us address some of the power imbalances between North and South that exist within the Church and more generally, I am surprised that we allow our agenda to be so dominated and driven by an inordinate influence from the United States. This flies in the face of the experience of those of us who are steeped in black and post-colonial theology, the theology of liberation, and black consciousness. It is hard to understand why we continue to act in response to the North to such a great extent, rather than making use of our freedom to concentrate our energies on the priorities of our own people and Provinces…”

The full text of this excellent letter can be found here.

Meanwhile, back here in Canada, we've been having our own little bit of fun.  Turns out that retired clergy seem to find the time and the freedom to do things they couldn't (or wouldn't) do while they were in office. Like say, participate in a lesbian summer wedding.

Outing retired Archbishop Terence Finlay of Toronto has been most enlightening for all concerned.  In 1992 while he was still in office, Finlay fired the Rev. Jim Ferry after he told the Archbishop that he was in a relationship with another man.  Since then, Finlay must have done some soul-searching, because this summer he found himself assisting at the marriage of two dear friends who “just happen to be gay”.

Of course, this put current Bishop of Toronto, Colin Johnson, in a sticky bind.  Johnson felt he had to reprimand his former boss and friend and suspend his licence to do marriages until the end of 2006.  It must have been extremely embarrassing and awkward for all concerned.  Of course, Finlay understands only too well that Bishops must follow the rules, even stupid rules, if the church is to maintain its facade of integrity.

“He was quite right to call me on the carpet and to admonish me. I officiated at the wedding of a same-sex couple even though the wedding took place in a United Church and the United Church minister signed the licence.”

Maybe being reprimanded and slapped on the hand feels good.  Maybe it feels a little bit like doing penance for something you regret doing back in the past.  But what do I know, I'm no psychologist.