Part 184. Love God, love others.

I came upon the following on the Facebook page Clergy Coaching Network.

Love God, love others. Everything else in the Bible flows from these two commandments. Jesus brilliantly simplified and explained what we are to do. Everything else is just commentary on how we can love God and love those around us. That is what we are to do. These are our marching orders.

I might quibble at what may be  limiting words on those we are to love - humanity is our neighbour.  Apart from that the thrust of the passage accords with my theological position.

The Salvation Army uses the words Love God, love others in its logo.  Sadly it discriminates against anyone who is not heterosexual who wishes to become an officer. Rampant homophobia was on display at the recent Church of England General Synod.  The Roman Catholic Church has major of issues of discrimination with which to contend.

We read the mantra love the sinner, hate the sin. Love must be unconditional. No buts.

Part 183. Salvation Army. Full inclusion a pipedream?

A senior officer at Territorial Headquarters of the UK & Ireland Territory has written recently:

The Army in the UK is influenced by the CofE- and particularly their evangelical/charismatic wing.

One wonders what form this influence takes. Should it be theological then the hope of full inclusion for LBGTQ+ individuals will disappear over the horizon. Conservative Evangelicals attending the CofE General Synod displayed rampant homophobia and sought to block any progress within the CofE towards further inclusion.  The Church of England Evangelical Council is organising a new pastoral structure for those opposed to inclusion and also funding arrangements to steer finances away from dioceses towards churches opposed to inclusion. It all smacks of schism, although it may result in a very shaky unity in diversity.

If The Salvation Army is influenced by CofE conservative Evangelicals and their fundamentalist theology then what is happening currently in the CofE will be of no comfort to those in the Army seeking full inclusion. It is to be hoped fervently that the recent membership survey undertaken by TSA will lead to recommendations for inclusion followed by implementation. I am not holding my breath in expectation of any changes but live in hope.

Part 182. Roman Catholic Church stirs.

The recent Roman Catholic Church Synod of Bishops' 16th General Assembly in the Vatican is a good indication of the impact Pope Francis has had on social justice issues. Easy to find details from a search engine.

One of the major points related to poverty. The Church should refrain from an "us and them" approach and should not regard the poor as the objects of charity. The Church must uphold the dignity of those living in poverty, putting them at the centre and learning from them.

Shades of Liberation Theology!

Part 181. Social Justice and The Salvation Army.

The Salvationist last week carried an article on the vicissitudes of The Salvation Army's approach to campaigning on social justice issues: issues concerning poverty, deprivation, discrimination and marginalisation. In many areas TSA provides support in a variety of forms and settings. In some cases the Army acts alone but increasingly it is working in collaboration or even in formal partnerships with other faith groups, the voluntary sector, commercial organisations and the public sector. All commendable and much needed provision, but not without its problems.

A major problem for partnerships can be the unequal strength of the parties. This is the case particularly when one party is totally reliant on another party to supply funding. Local authorities are under great financial stress and are ending discretionary activities to concentrate on statutory obligations. From their position local authorities can dictate the terms of agreements and will use tendering to drive down costs.  The voluntary sector in its chase for funding has permitted statutory organisations to determine the structure and cost of organisations it contracts with.  A further problem is that such relationships make it very difficult to campaign for change. You cannot go around biting the hand that feeds you.

The major issue with ambulance work as supporting the needy is called often is that there is a never-ending conveyor belt of individuals requiring assistance.  As Desmond Tutu said we must stop fishing people out of the water by going upstream, finding out why they are falling in and putting a stop to it.  TSA knows only too well why it has to assist individuals, it is well versed in understanding the causes of poverty, deprivation, marginalisation and discrimination. It does not have the structure or skills to mount effective campaigns. Hopefully TSA in my home Territory will seek to remedy this although I am not confident it will.  The shambles surrounding my application to become a Social Justice Champion doubtless colours my opinion.

The Army must look at its position regarding gay individuals becoming officers. Currently they cannot, based on discredited fundamentalist theology. It is a disgrace that this discrimination exists.

Part 180. A close run vote.

It was a close. General Synod approved an amendment to permit a two year temporary period for holding self-standing services of blessing for couples in same same-sex marriages.  It scraped though the House of Laity by one vote. The duly amended substantive motion, inviting Synod to note progress on implementing decisions taken by the February 2023 meeting of Synod in connection with Living in Love and Faith and inviting support for continuation of the process, was approved, but in the House of Laity the majority was 4.  Phew.

The two days of debate emphasised the stark division between conservative and liberal groups within Synod. The former want no concessions whereas the latter consider what is on offer is too little. 

In two years time there will have to be a further vote on the blessings to authorise them permanently under canon law and this requires a two-thirds majority in each House. This is unlikely thus adding to the tension and division within the Church of England.  Can a structure be created to accommodate both sides as happened when ordination of women was agreed?  

There will be much posturing and manoeuvring in the next two years. Conservative literalist bible fundamentalists will dig their heels in whilst liberals press on for the ultimate goal of same-sex marriage services.

Part 179. Not much love on display.

The General Synod of the Church of England meets this week in London.  The major item of business is a motion tabled by the House of Bishops concerning how to progress the issues surrounding Living in love and faith.

A divisive issue, this could have consequences more far-reaching than those concerning the ordination of women. Already, there are amendments, some tabled by bishops, and a group of conservative evangelical bishops  published a letter which is effect was a Pontius Pilate act decrying the whole process and in effect demanding the preservation of the status quo.

A number of matters are under consideration including the prayers to be used to bless married single sex couples, the process to be adopted for authorising stand-alone services of blessing, and pastoral guidance for clergy in a same sex relationship. For those seeking change the motion is proposing a far too slow process whilst the evangelicals seek to derail the whole thing.  Battles loom and down the line the evangelicals may well be able to block proposals from reaching fruition through their support from at least one third of the membership of any of the three Houses of Synod. 

It should be noted that none of the above relates to marriage of single sex couples by the Church of England but to blessings of individuals in single sex civil marriages, but the marriage itself.

Part 178. A sombre note.

The Church of England parish where I live has a tradition of being liberal in outlook, indeed an oasis in a desert of evangelical churches and a lone smells & bells outpost in the 'flying bishops' orbit. You might have expected liberals to gravitate to 'my' parish.  Sadly this is not the case. The church is in serious decline.  

The latest manifestation of this is the decision to close the Parish Fellowship. Once there were separate fellowships for men and women. They merged and now the combined fellowship will disappear.

There was a time when the parish employed a curate. No more: the curate's house has been sold to meet budgetary pressures. Pressures which continue.

Once the parish had five Readers, now a lone individual. The number of deputy churchwardens has reduced to two.

There was a time when the two church schools (voluntary aided infants and voluntary controlled juniors) had governing bodies ruled over by the incumbent.  The schools merged to become a primary school. More recently the incumbent and all the governors resigned en bloc.  The current school governors are all outsiders.

A sorry picture.  Rochester diocese is lumbered with a conservative evangelical bishop who is opposed to blessings of gay married couples and has paraded his antipathy in published letters.

Part 177. Uncertain, provisional, fluid

When I commenced my law degree course my lecturers encouraged me to read law reports. Law reports contain details of cases and judgments in full.  The more I studied reports it brought home to me how uncertain the law, certainly case law, is. As you read a judgment it becomes clear that opinions are being formed concerning the relevance or weight to be given to earlier decisions. Conclusions are arrived at through this process and these inform the decision reached.  It is all subjective.  I do wonder if some judges decide at the outset the decision they wish to make and work backwards, as it were, to find earlier decisions which can be embraced or shaped to justify the decision?  Surely not....

The body of law known as the Common Law is far from being certain. The system of binding precedent is worked around with consumate ease by the judiciary.  The law is not certain, final and inflexible.  It is uncertain, provisional and fluid.

Turning to the bible, i start from the premis that it is not the inerrant word of God to be read literally. Nor is it God inspired. It is written by individuals inspired by their human understanding of God.  The bible is a body of text written over many years and is a record of how understanding has developed.  A bible may sit on a shelf, but open its pages and read from it the uncertainty and fluidity in the text. Read it and draw your own inferences and conclusions. Ignore the gatekeepers who seek to censor your thinking. 

Just as the Common Law has developed over the centuries so has our understanding of God. We refer to the past for guidance but are not controlled by it. Our faith is not based on a literal interpretation of words in a book but on our interpretation of their import set in the context of the present. Our faith is  defined by the author of the Letter to the Hebrews 11.1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Part 176. Conversion therapy ban off the agenda?

There was no mention of a full or partial ban on conversion therapy in the King's Speech today setting out the government's legislative proposals for the forthcoming parliamentary session.  No doubt fundamentalist conservative evangelicals are delighted. However the LBGTQ+ communities are outraged at the failure of government to fulfill its promises.

A junior minister appeared on television and claimed there are  legislative proposals not listed in the King's Speech and left open the question if a conversion therapy ban was one of them.  I have my doubts that there will be legislation this side of the next General Election.

My hope is organisations, including churches, opposed to conversion therapy will campaign vigorously for a ban. What the government has done is a disgrace and must be called out

Part 175. A lull before the storm.

As I write the UK is awaiting a severe storm likely to be the cause of serious flooding and damage to property. It will pass quickly.

Severe storms of a theological nature are anticipated this month as the Church of England General Synod meets to consider inter alia a motion by the House of Bishops which effectively kicks the can down the road in respect of single sex marriages and blessings and the position of clergy in a single sex relationship.  The outcome of the debate is uncertain but the consequences for the Church of England will be severe.

It is only a few days to the King's Speech to Parliament setting out the programme of proposed government legislation for the next session.  Proponents of a complete ban on conversion therapy fear there will be either no proposals or a set of watered down proposals. Should either scenario arise then the fury and anger of LBGTQ+ communities will be directed at yet another reneging on manifesto promises. 

The new General of The Salvation Army has been in post for three months.  Little sign or any move towards full inclusion. Patience will soon  begin to wear thin.