Monday, January 25, 2016

AS THE ANGLICAN WORLD TURNS CONTINUED- JUSTIN WELBY REFLECTS ON THE PRIMATES MEETING

The Anglican Communion is a family of churches with roots in Anglicanism and the Church of England.  Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is "first among equals" of the primates (chief bishops) of Anglican churches around the world.  He is also the leader of the Anglican Church in England. 

After a recent gathering of Anglican primates in Canterbury, England, Archbishop Welby published a reflection on the meeting.
As leaders of the family of Anglican churches in a world so racked by violence and fear, we gathered in Canterbury with much to share and discuss – from climate change to religiously motivated violence.  A significant part of the week was spent discussing how – or even if – we could remain together as the Anglican Communion in the light of changes made by our brothers and sisters in The Episcopal Church (the historic Anglican Communion church in the USA and some other countries) to their understanding of marriage. (My emphasis)
The present policy in the Episcopal Church is to welcome all members of the church to all the sacramental rites of the church, including Christian marriage for faithful, committed couples of the same sex.  The question as to whether Christian marriage always consists in the lifetime union of one man and one woman would seem to me to have been settled by acceptance of divorce by Anglican churches.  Jesus himself never spoke of same sex marriage, but he spoke clearly about divorce.  If it was possible for Anglicans to overcome their scruples about divorce, then why has the union of faithful couples of the same sex become so serious a matter as to provoke threats of schism before the primates gathering?  As it was, the primate of the Anglican Church in Uganda, Archbishop Stanley Ntagali, left the meeting early to protest the failure of a vote for a resolution asking the primates of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada to leave the meeting.  Later in the meeting, sanctions were imposed on the Episcopal Church. 
We remain committed to being together, albeit we asked that TEC, while attending and playing a full part in our meetings and all discussions, will not represent the Anglican Communion to other churches and should not be involved in standing committees for a period of three years. During this time we also asked that they not vote on matters of doctrine or how we organise ourselves.
So. The Episcopal Church was pushed to the margins of the Anglican Communion for instituting policies and practices that include justice and equality for all its members.  Archbishop Welby continues.
There will be wounds for each other, but we must repent of wounding others who are especially vulnerable, whether they are LGBTI people or those menaced by religiously-motivated violence, terrorism and exile. Some, of course, will fall in many categories.

But that unity is also joyful and astonishing, renewing and nourishing – because it is unity in love for Jesus Christ, whose single family we are, often argumentative, sometimes cruel (which is deeply wrong) but created by God and belonging to each other irrevocably.
From my vantage in the Episcopal Church, it's impossible for me to view the "unity" that came from the primates gathering as "joyful and astonishing, renewing and nourishing". What a strange way to comment on a policy which wounds and continues to discriminate against the Episcopal Church for practicing justice and equality.

Also, since marriages of couples of the same sex remain forbidden in the Church of England, how is it possible for Justin Welby to imagine that LGTB persons and their supporters in his own church take joy, renewal, or nourishment from the outcome of the primates meeting?  Pain and astonishment perhaps at the continuing injustice which wounds the members of the archbishop's own church, but there is no joy.  That's not to mention LGTB members of Anglican churches in other countries in Africa and the Global South, where persecution and discrimination are much more severe, who look to Christians in the West for help and support.

Does Justin Welby himself believe what he says? Does he expect LGTB Anglicans and members of TEC to believe what he says? The archbishop apologizes for marginalizing groups of people, but he does not change his ways.  How is his apology in any way sincere when he continues to wound and marginalize? The marginalized will believe him when he practices justice and equality.

In the end, church policies affect real people, which I wonder if Anglican church leaders forget, or, if they remember, they quickly put such thoughts out of their minds.  Since I have gay and lesbian friends in the Church of England, I care very much about policies and practices that not only hurt my friends and many others but also result in destructive, long-lasting consequences in their lives.

Photo of Justin Welby from Wikimedia Commons.

15 comments:

  1. June, this is an excellent critique of Welby's position, with which he exposes himself as delusional, to be at all charitable. How can any church which claims to follow Jesus even consider being "in communion" with churches which actively support the criminalization and, even, murder of LGBT persons? And, as you asked eloquently, was the joy to be found in this decision to sanction The Episcopal Church, unless it was the nasty little primates from Africa who were jumping up and down in joy that they had gotten their way?

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    1. Thanks, Gail. I simply do not understand that sort of apology, nor do I understand Justin's decision to side with homophobic bishops. Apparently, the mere presence of the Episcopal Church in the AC stands as an accusation against homophobia, as well it should.

      Imposing sanctions on TEC serves as a shot across the bow to warn other churches, such as the Anglican Church of Canada, which are considering allowing marriage equality.

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  2. I suspect that some especially those in Anglican churches that aren't supportive of them might take comfort in that Bishop Curry did not back down and that there are still voices in the Anglican Communion (even among the primates) who still speak in support. As long as the TEC is in the Anglican family, they can hope. And those churches who may be about to take the same steps can take courage from the TEC's example; they will not be alone.

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    1. Erp, I'm proud of the way Bishop Michael conducted himself in standing up to the bullies with great courage during the gathering, which he acknowledged was hurtful. I posted earlier quoting Michael's gracious and eloquence response. There will be no turning back for the Episcopal Church.

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  3. Very well said, June. I'm sorry to say I have no respect for Welby, who is the living definition of two-faced, it seems to me. I suspect he was fast-tracked into the archbishop's chair by the ultraconservatives in the CofE just because he is so good at being the smiling face of hypocrisy.

    Be that as it may, seems to me the long-awaited schism started last week, and all that follows is merely window dressing to hide the fact. TEC is not going to apologize or backtrack, so why bother to pretend from this point forward? It's 1776 all over again, don't you think?

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    1. Russ, I don't know what lies ahead, but I'm not letting what went on at the secret gathering bother me a great deal. I do want to have something of a record of what went on here on my blog for easily accessible future reference. I see no signs of panic in our presiding bishop or other bishops in the Episcopal Church, who have spoken out in support of Bishop Michael and the church's policy of marriage equality.

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  4. Good job June. There are many LGBT people here in Europe who feel very much left in the cold. Unfortunately, TEC has only a dozen or so churches on the continent. The CofE has over 300.

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    1. Jacobus, thank you. I'm so sorry there is no joy for the LGBT people in the 300 CoE churches in Europe. You, along with the people in the church in England, are held hostage to Justin's commitment to side with homophobic primates.

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  5. "But that unity is also joyful and astonishing, renewing and nourishing......"
    What world is the ABC living in?

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    1. Jim, when I post links to my blog on Facebook, I never know which of the quotes on my sidebar will show up with the title of the post. I had a good laugh when the quote from Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof appeared: "There ain't nothin' more powerful than the odor of mendacity...You can smell it. It smells like death."

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  6. Yes, the quote from Big Daddy is quite wonderful, June. I imagine Elizabeth Bennett is being highly diverted by Archbishop Welby, too.

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  7. I think the bigger is issue is that the communique reflects on Justin - that's the whole purpose of the ham-fisted "apology." He doesn't have quite the solid backing at home he thought he did, and is finding people wanting the CofE marginalized in government, as a response. He may even be thinking back to the sweaty-palms period that disestablishment was on the table, thanks to the Primates. He is a spin doctor of the most egregious sort, and I have no use for the man as a religious figure.

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    1. Mark, a number of Justin's statements reflect on him and make him appear hypocritical. The reflection on the meeting is on a par with his words, “You see gay relationships that are just stunning in the quality of the relationship.” Still, he digs in his heels and insists that gay relationships of stunning quality cannot be honored in the Church of England.

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  8. Tobias Haller's recent reposting of his previous essay reminds us that if St.Joseph had been a biblical literalist like most of the GAFCON group are (ABC??), the Virgin Mary would have been stoned to death along with her unborn child. Something those who want GLBT folk to "just slog along up the hill a bit more" should contemplate.

    Harvey

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    1. Harvey, how very true. Tobias left a comment to my post on Facebook that Justin Welby more and more resembles Basil Fawlty, because whenever he tries to solve a problem, he only makes it worse, which is also true.

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