“The true richness of diversity is its capacity to build a new depth of understanding, a sensitivity to our neighbours, and an ability to hold sometimes painfully conflicting thoughts and feelings simultaneously in mind which helps us navigate a complex world. A politics that fuels division and hate leads ultimately only to fragmentation but in our flexibility, our fluidity, lies our strength.”
Unless spiritually and mentally and conceptually we are drawn towards and become immersed in an open-minded, open-souled, open-hearted, unconditionally loving presence, the dream of God will not come to be. People will reject Christianity and walk away from the Church. They will find healing and truth wherever men and women recklessly, generously pour ointment on feet, where tears and love flow and the broken hearted are healed.
Perhaps not every member of CEEC and EGGS is as abusive and arrogant as Ian Paul and Sam Margrave, but they seem to do nothing about asserting a different Christian vision. I have been unable to settle all week. The sheer invasion of spaces that are in theory healthy spiritual Christian spaces for those following the path of Jesus towards a Kingdom of God in which justice and unconditional love, beauty and goodness are primary qualities is deeply disturbing. How is it that neither of these two men understand the damage they cause?
After the General Synod debate following completion of the Living in Love and Faith process I began to realise that I am being seen, that we progressives seeking justice and equality are seen, as agents contaminating the Church. I subsequently began to see that we are actually the active ingredients necessary to cleanse the Church from those advocating misogyny, homophobia, transphobia and racism, fuelling the systemic prejudice and abuse that contaminates the Christian Church.
The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches issued a press statement on February 20, 2023 regarding the Church of England’s decision regarding the blessing of same-sex unions. The more the homophobic Anglican Primates, bishops and leaders pontificate about the un-Biblical horrors of equal marriage, the more LGBTQIA+ Africans are targeted within their churches and societies, abused from the pulpit, physically and emotionally attacked, denounced, humiliated, arrested, imprisoned and murdered. The GSFA leaders and their allies in other Provinces including England are directly responsible for this evil, wicked state of affairs. There is nothing in the Bible or in the Christian tradition of my youth on which prejudice against and abuse of LGBTQIA+ people can be justified.
I am more angry today about the Church of England’s more than sixty years of attempting to sort out its attitude to LGBTIQ+ people than I have been in thirty years of active involvement. Today Christian Concern has posted a video on YouTube using clips from the official Living in Love and Faith Introductory video, pausing after each section to allow comments attacking and abusing some of those who appear in the LLF video. It is disgusting, possibly actionable, and has already been reported as a hate crime.
