The Bishop of London, chair of the Next Steps Group, has replied to our letter asking the NSG to define radical new Christian inclusion. She says it is not something that can be achieved by a top-down process of publishing a definition of ‘radical new Christian inclusion’ but something that the whole church needs to discover and live out together and that is what LLF is trying to achieve. The LLF Course does not mention of radical new Christian inclusion. Apart from seven pages in the LLF Book, the bishops have provided no guidance to help people think about, let alone respond to, the vision presented by the Archbishops in 2017 and taken as a sign of hope for LGBTIQ+ people.
Changing Attitude England’s campaign for equality
Changing Attitude England proposes to encourage those who support equality in relationship and ministry for LGBTIQ+ people in the Church of England to communicate their commitment to equality to the LLF hub by the end of April. We want to disrupt the complacency of the House of Bishops by organising a ‘write in’, getting the huge middle of the Church not just engaged but responding and letting the bishops know, which is exactly what the Bishop of London has pleaded for in a recent Church Times article.
Radical New Christian Inclusion - Changing Attitude England writes to the Bishop of London
Changing Attitude England has written to the Bishop of London, chair of the LLF Next Steps Group, copied to the Archbishops and each member of the Next Steps Group, replying to a letter received from her on 26 August. We pose three questions at the end of our letter. Firstly, exactly how will the final discernment and decision making process be made totally “transparent”, a commitment made to the House and College of Bishops? Secondly, given that bishop Sarah says that “Transformation ... requires a more dialogical, inclusive approach that enables people to assimilate, process and articulate ideas and convictions for themselves,” referencing Alex Clare-Young’s paper and blog about the importance of dialogical and not monological process, how will the Archbishops, the Next Steps Group and Dr Eeva John achieve this? Thirdly, we ask again the Archbishops and every member of the Next Steps Group to set out their understanding of what radical Christian inclusion is for LGBTIQ+ people.
Campaigning for radical LGBTIQ+ inclusion
Why do we, LGBTIQ+ people become so quickly disputatious and defensive among ourselves? Because we have been living in an incredibly unhealthy, abusive, toxic environment in Church and Society for centuries for starters. We don’t seem to recognise that this unhealthy, toxic, abusive environment continues to dominate nationally, however much our local church seems to be welcoming and valued. There is a reluctance to organise ourselves to campaign actively for an ambition far greater than the Archbishops’ understanding of what radical inclusion means - a really radically inclusive outcome for LGBTIQ+ people.
Bishop to the Archbishops opposed to equality of LGBTIQ+ people
On Monday the Rt Revd Dr Emma Ineson’s appointment as the Bishop to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York was announced. In October 2016 Revd Dr Emma Ineson was among evangelicals who signed a letter to all members of the College of Bishops. The letter said the Bible is clear that God has given the marriage of one man with one woman as the only context in which physical expression is to be given to our sexuality and any change in the Church’s teaching or practice – such as the blessing of sexual relationships outside of heterosexual marriage - would represent a significant departure from the authority of the Bible. Where does her appointment leave the Archbishops’ commitment to a new radical inclusion? Bishop Emma will be in a powerful position, able to influence the outcome of the Living in Love and Faith process and having huge influence over the content and culture of the next Lambeth Conference.
Sex, Power, Control – Changing Attitude, LLF and the House of Bishops
Sex, Power, Control: Responding to Abuse in the Institutional Church by Fiona Gardner has valuable lessons for those involved in the Changing Attitude England Campaign to challenge the bishops, the people who are ultimately solely responsible for the LLF process and its outcome. The steering group for CA England believes we must reclaim our narrative for the full equality of LGBTIQ+ people in ministry and relationships, taking back the narrative from the Bishops, clear that we are not objects to be analysed but people with explicit demands and expectations. We will spell out for the bishops and the Next Steps process exactly what equality means for us, saying explicitly what we want and do not want when bishops present LLF to Synod. LLF is a distraction - the now is the time for radical challenge.
Campaigning to create a Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community
In A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community, John Pavlovitz argues for a Church that manifests the characteristics of radical hospitality, total authenticity, true diversity, and agenda-free community, a Church seeking the Bigger Table. Pavlovitz grew up in Central New York, a white, middle-class, suburban, Italian, Roman Catholic boy, raised on gluten and guilt. Later, living among artists, musicians, dancers, and actors, a decidedly bohemian alternative congregation in Philadelphia, he worked out that people’s gender identity and sexual orientation made them no less image bearers of the Divine; their love was a reflection of the heart of God, not because of who they loved but because of how they loved – deeply, truthfully, and sacrificially.
Changing Attitude resumes campaign for full equality of LGBTIQ+ people
Changing Attitude England has revived our campaign for the absolute equality of LGBTIQ+ people in the Church of England meaning equality for those in lay and ordained ministry in selection, training and appointments and also in relationships, civil partnerships, marriage and sexual activity. We have concluded that it is time to launch a public campaign to convince the bishops that nothing less than a commitment to the equal status of LGBTIQ+ people will be acceptable when the House of Bishops brings proposals to a meeting of the General Synod anticipated to be in November 2022.