At long last the official press release from the C of I House of Bishops was issued with information which has been public for some time – namely the dates and venue of the conference for General Synod members on “Human sexuality and Christian belief”.
Apart from announcing the equally predictable conditions that attendance would be confined to General Synod members, and that the press would not be admitted, the release was the most unsurpassable example of not declaring either the form or sources of input for the conference or the methodology of any subsequent debate or discussion process. Feel free to draw your own conclusions – the most likely being the lads and/or lordships are still working on it!
There was however one item of admirable clarity in the release, albeit equally predictable, namely that no decision can be taken at the conference, that being the role of General Synod.
It is open to conjecture whether or not the conference and the period leading up to this year’s General Synod will permit common sense and tolerance to prevail. At present there are two obvious points of view which readily cannot and will not embrace each other. There are two blocs of self-identifying groups – who chose to call themselves “Evangelicals” or “Changing Attitude” who would appear to have little common ground – other than – and this should not be underestimated or discounted – their allegiances to this Church of Ireland. And there are many other individuals and viewpoints in between.
The issue is one which raises matters of baptismal importance, of biblical scholarship and interpretation, medical and genetical findings and perceptions, concepts of ordained ministry and lay leadership, and indeed fundamentally of the very nature of membership of the church itself.
In other parts of the Anglican Communion and in other denominations, this issue has divided life-long friends and colleagues, and indeed some of the churches themselves.
At CNI we will continue to collate and share such information and views which are both central and tangential to this delicate debate, and to do so without either fear or favour, as well as expressing our own point of view
Please do feel free to e-mail to CNI at churchnewsireland@gmail.com
Houston McKelvey
Tomorrow – Can you pray away a gay? Core Issues and like-minded people.
Note:
The release from the archbishops and bishops included the following:
“The bishops believe that it will be helpful to the church for members of General Synod to explore and discuss issues of human sexuality in the informal setting of a conference”.
“The conference will examine the teaching of scripture, the current stance of the Church of Ireland, and contemporary understanding of the nature of human sexuality. These areas will be addressed in a way which will facilitate the conversations between members of General Synod on this important topic. No formal decisions will be taken at this conference as that business belongs properly to a meeting of the General Synod and not to a conference.”