Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham, one of my heroes, says in the video:
“It all comes down to how we see gay people and how we see God. We don’t actually believe gay people are sick or stunted or criminal. We don’t believe God is an angry old man out to get us.Condemnation of the statement comes quickly.
“Let’s stop behaving as though we did. Recognising gay people are equal means they won’t dilute or spoil marriage but potentially enrich it.”
Duncan Boyd, chairman of Keep Marriage Special, said: “The bishop’s statement is a disgraceful and disingenuous distortion of biblical teaching by someone who ought to know better."Keep Marriage Special" sounds like a club for teenage girls organized by a clueless adult. I pray Alan does not entertain the thought of resigning for one second. What nonsense. Thank God for a bishop in the Church of England with the courage to speak out.
“Scripture, the Church of England’s doctrinal foundation, makes clear that homosexual desire and practice are sinful.” He called it “a gross distortion of biblical teaching” to suggest such behaviour could be practised freely, adding: “The Government should not change the law and the bishop should teach what the Bible says or resign.”
Then comes the voice of negativity from the church:
A Church of England spokesman contradicted Dr Wilson. “Our Church is committed to marriage as being between a man and woman,” he said.The people of the country are far ahead of the church, which needs to catch up or the institution will be left further behind than it is already.
UPDATE: Bishop Nick Holtham of Salisbury has also spoken out in favor of gay marriage.
Marriage is Special??? I love your reaction to that name. . .
ReplyDeleteMarriage is hard work, and as far as I am concerned(but who's asking?)anyone who is willing to take on the work of Marriage should be able to reap the rewards.
Good on the good bishop!!!
Agreed regarding kudos for the BIshop. Sadly, the C of E has been left behind and the only reason it is not completely irrelevant is that it is still established. I believe that Establishment is increasingly untenable for a modern democracy, given the Church's misogyny and heterosexism. The church is increasingly the UK version of the Angry Old White People [tea] party.
ReplyDeleteSo far as I know, Alan stands alone amongst Church of England bishops. He's very brave. When will another bishop stand with him?
ReplyDeleteThere's Nick Holtham of Salisbury who is the other serving bishop who has spoken out in favour of same sex marriage.
DeleteI agree with IT that the CoE is increasingly looking like the Tea Party at prayer. But I think/hope that this is only true for the hierarchy. Opinion poll after opinion poll shows that this negative anti-gay obsession is not shared by the vast majority of its rank and file.
Thanks for the correction, Erika. Yay Nick! The hierarchy of the CofE are increasingly out of touch and remind me more and more of the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church. If Their Graces don't wise up soon, they will have no church to rule.
DeleteDid you see Alan's comment on the report of this on Thinking Anglicans?
Delete"All I would add to the comment from Mr/Mrs/Ms Sockpuppet at Church House is (1) I am, of course, entirely committed to marriage between a man and a woman, but that does not exhaust the subject or the possibilities of marriage in the light of reality as we experience it. (2) This is about relationships and not simply law. The Church, of all bodies, should not be cynical enough to reduce marriage to a merely legal arrangement."
What an inspiration hat man is!
Erika, I saw the comment. Excellent.
DeleteAck! Erika beat me to it, in reporting Bishop Alan's (dead on!) retort!
Delete"Mr/Mrs/Ms Sockpuppet at Church House": ROFL!!!
I could take a guess, but that wouldn't be right. Anyway, "Mr/Mrs/Ms Sockpuppet at Church House" is so much better.
DeleteYes, that was an excellent description!
DeleteMarriage is special reminds me of every sperm is sacred.
ReplyDeleteDaniel, yes indeed! We could probably make a list.
DeleteIt's really "Keep Marriage Special"??? How Monty Pythonesque!
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to naming, some folks are challenged far beyond their capabilities. I think of FOCA...
DeleteWhy are straight people always demanding special rights, like marriage? Why can't they just do their tawdry little sex acts in private and leave the rest of us alone? Why do they have to rub it in our faces and shove their lifestyle down our throats??
DeleteWink.
DeleteWhy can't everyone have the same rights? What is the problem?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteRobert Hagedorn, you will be deleted today. Bye.
DeleteOooh, got on Mimi's bad side: you's in TROUBLE now! ;-p
Delete{{{Mimi, troll-bother'd}}}
I won't have that kind of trollish trash on my blog.
DeleteDuncan Boyd appears to be one of the still large numbers of people who think that what was written and collected into the Bible, two or more thousand years ago, has relevance in a world unimaginably changed, in 2012. Is he so addicted to the idolatry of Bible worship (in the Bible, so it must be true forever), that he also thinks gay people should be, as instructed, stoned to death, similarly with adulterers? Does he agree with St. Paul, who expected the world was to end in his followers' lifetimes, and that they would be raptured up, as Paul writes, into the clouds? Does he refrain from eating pork and shellfish because of ancient taboos? Does he agree with the apocaplyptic message for the Jews of his time that Jesus gave? If the pews grow emptier and emptier and people turn away from Christian mythology and church either into materialism or other spritualties, is he surprised? How about waking up and seeing, as psychology, anthropology, biology, now recongnise, that homosexuality is a perfectly common and normal variant of human sexuality, grains of which are in everyone? Who is he to say that even gay desire is "sinful"? What about the history of Christianity, mostly power, corruption, wars, witch hunts against "heretics", endless quarrels about doctrines and so on? Boyd is I fear an ignorant bigot all too usual with so many religious people and religions. "Judge not, lest you be yourself judged". Perhaps he reads only the bits of the Bible which suit his bigotry? Has he ever heard of twwo human beings of any gender being committed for life in a bond of love? Does he know what love means?
ReplyDeleteHas he ever heard of twwo human beings of any gender being committed for life in a bond of love? Does he know what love means?
DeleteAnonymous, I'm sure Boyd has heard of faithful same sex couples, but he thinks the relationships are wrong. Unfortunately, he does not stand alone. I agree with what you say. All of us who have written here except Robert, who left the comment that I deleted, stand for equality for LGTB persons, and none of us are literalists in our reading of the Bible. I did not delete because Robert disagreed with me, but rather because he left a trollish, nasty comment about gay sex.
Thank you for your comment. Please, if you write again, sign a name, any name.
Russ, the younger generations are doing better than their elders, some of whom will never change their minds. By a process of attrition, the bigots will be fewer in numbers in the future. I realize that's not much consolation to LGTB people now, but things will get better.
DeleteI watched part of the Savage/Brown video at your blog, but not much once Brown started talking. I tried to leave a comment, but the fuzzy letters defeated me.
DeleteBishop Wilson is a breath of fresh air! Good on him.
ReplyDeleteI just love it when people see the message through the lens of, "Love one another as I have loved you." Compassion, justice, mercy, equity and love.
Yes to all you say, Bonnie.
DeleteBishop Alan and Bishop Nick Holtom of Salisbury are the two who have spoken openly. Bishop James Jones of Liverpool has in the past spoken in favour of opening up the discussion and being open to the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteIt's time that our Church opened the eyes and ears of it's heart and got of the high horse of 'we've always done it that way - so why change' and on to an acceptance of people as and who they are, meeting them with love and welcome.
Than it will truly be the Church of England.
The comment from "Mr/Mrs/Ms Sockpuppet at Church House" does not at move the discussion forward in a helpful direction. "Our church" obviously includes Bishops Alan Wilson and Nick Holtham, along with thousands of members of the Church of England, so the claim by anonymous to speak for the church is bogus.
Delete