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Rebuilding Communion Introduction
Rebuilding Communion Introduction
By Way of Introduction… [i]
Dear Bishop,
Thank you for your comments and concerns about the Rebuilding Communion conference and book. Let me reassure you about what we hope to achieve.
No one can deny that homosexuality is a key issue in contemporary Anglicanism; it is one of the causes of the present fracture in the worldwide Communion. St Deiniol’s has a tradition of providing a space for the discussion of issues confronting church and society. On one level, that is all we are doing. I hope we can approach the issue in new ways. For instance, the final section of the book looks at the issue from the perspective of human rights legislation, the African concept of ubuntu, conflict resolution in Bosnia and pastoral need in Canada.
All the contributors to the book are committed Anglicans, not all of us are gay. We all want to see Anglicanism renewed and revived - we are passionate about this. Most of us are Anglicans because we are attracted to its inclusive nature and its careful sifting of scripture, tradition and reason. For many of us, the ‘untidiness’ of the Anglican Communion is part of its attraction. We know that the health of our planet depends on the maintenance of our biodiversity. The same may well be true of Anglicanism. Our tradition is one of expressing faith through the cultures of our people. Consequently, our theology and ethics have often been shaped by pastoral care and concern. In a worldwide Communion, this is bound to lead to diversity and to suppress this diversity is to inflict a high cost on the freedom of the human spirit [ii].
At the Lambeth Conference of 1998, the Resolution on sexuality committed Anglicans to participate in a process of listening to the experiences of gay and lesbian people. A key aim of Rebuilding Communion is to give voice to gay and lesbian people from around the Communion. The central chapters detail their experiences of Anglicanism over the last ten years. Most of these chapters tell of real and existential distress and even, in one case, of life-threatening danger inflicted on gay and lesbian Christians.
The book does not underestimate the difficulties involved and indeed urges shared restraint from those who hold widely divergent views. There remains a great deal of what can be termed homonegativity even amongst supposedly liberal Christians. The solution to this issue might be difficult to negotiate but in a spirit of Christian love and understanding it must be achieved. It is a matter of justice.
You suggest that Anglicans should be discussing more important issues like world poverty, HIV-AIDS, climate change, issues of conflict and justice. The reply is obvious - in the eyes of many outside the Church, the Church’s right to speak out on issues of justice is negated by the lack of justice shown by the Church to a significant proportion of its adherents who are gay (perhaps 5% of clergy and laity). It is a justice issue because sexual orientation is biological in nature; it is not a choice. Gay and lesbian people “have exactly the same rights and responsibilities concerning the expression of their sexuality as heterosexual people [iii].” Surely Christians believe that God calls us to fullness of life – and that fullness must include our sexuality.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Francis St Valentine’s Day
Warden of St Deiniol's Library 14th February 2008
[1] This letter is to some extent a template for letters I have written to concerned parties including bishops.
[2] Much of this paragraph is a paraphrase of some words of Robert Runcie in a lecture to the Scottish Episcopal Church on the nature of Anglicanism. Aberdeen, September 1st 1991.
[3] Michael King: report prepared by the Special Interest Group in Gay and Lesbian Mental Health of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. 31st October 2007.
