Gay Bishop?

Does this mean we can have a gay Bishop then?  Hurrah!

Gay minister and 1 in 6 threaten to quit

Now this is weird. There is a gay Church of Scotland minister – well I’m sure there are many, many more than one but he is the one who is open and living with his partner. He goes for a job to a church in Aberdeen and is all open and above board about his situation. The church are fine about it and everyone lives happily ever after.

But no! Other ministers start to complain. The Presbytery complained. A poll done by The Times shows that 1 in 6 of the ministers they asked say they may resign if he stays.

Let’s go back a minute… the congregation are fine about it. OK? They have no problem. So what on earth does it have to do with all these others?

My heart goes out to this minister who is being villified for being honest and open. Tell me where you find that in Scripture.

Was James Bond gay?

I have been a fan of James Bond since I was a young impressionable teenager. My friend Joey and I used to spend a lovely Saturday afternoon at the Playhouse watching a Bond double-bill. (Remember when you used to get double-bills?)  Of course the problem with that was that one of the films was always Thunderball so I reckon I knew the script off by heart. It was Sean Connery that we were really in love with (pause to sigh) but I did enjoy all the books too. And I don’t think anyone can touch him for the part of Bond, although some of them are cute to look at.  However, it certainly never occurred to me that he may be gay.

In an old Sunday Times magazine I found the following comment:

‘The novels were written in the era of the famous homosexual traitors Burgess, Maclean and Blunt, when so many MI5 agents were gay that most people must have thought it a condition of employment. Note that Bond regularly drinks pink champagne.  And how come he has an instinctive ‘gaydar’, and is always picking up signs of homosexuality in other men, including the otherwise blameless jewel expert, Mr Snowman, in Property of a Lady? Psychologists maintain this is a sure sign of a closet case.’

Do hetero men not drink pink champagne? Hmm, I’m not convinced. What about you?

Sign the petition please

Fr Kelvin has drawn my attention to the petition which is being presented to the Scottish Parliament which urges the Scottish Government to amend the Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 to allow two people of the same sex to register a civil marriage and a religious marriage if the relevant religious body consents.

I was a Deacon of only one week when I had a phone call asking if I would perform a marriage between two women. All I could do was give a blessing then but I know that they really wanted to get married in church before God. Of course things have moved on and now they could have a Civil Partnership – and may well have done. However, it is not the same as standing up in the church community to which you belong and making the same vows that your heterosexual friends can.

It is really about Equality and Justice. And that is important to me, and to you I hope.

Anyone can sign it and can do so here. (It is a little temperamental and it took me two attempts so stick with it.)

Bishop Gene Robinson is welcome in Scotland

You may have heard of Bishop Gene Robinson. He is a good and caring priest but that’s not why he is famous. Bishop Gene is famous (and ostracised) because he is a gay man in a loving and committed relationship. For those outwith church circles, like my children and their friends, this is not a big deal. “So what?” they say. But for some in the church it is a big deal and for his honesty he has been at the centre of a furore about sexuality and religion for some time now. And as a result of his honesty he has been not been invited to the forthcoming Lambeth Conference.

There have been gay priest and gay bishops for a long time in the church. But for many years the only way they could continue in their vocation was to live a lie. Times have changed and now more and more of these pastoral caring men and women have come out of their priestly closets. After all, living a lie can’t be good for your soul or the souls of those in your pastoral care, can it? In Scotland we are fortunate that most gay clergy are able to live open and full lives with the support of their bishops. This is not the case, however, in all of the Anglican Communion.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has not invited Bishop Gene to Lambeth and has forbidden any church in the CofE to even have him preach. Thankfully, in Scotland we are more enlightened. There will be two opportunities to hear Bishop Gene in August in Scotland. First, he will preach at St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow on 3 August – check out Kelvin’s blog here for his announcement. And then he will be in conversation with Rev John Armes at the Festival of Spirituality and Peace on 4 August.

Our sincere prayers and thanks to the bishops and clergy who have made these invitations possible.

Bishop Joe Divine

If you have been perturbed by some of the sayings of Bishop Joe Divine then you are not alone. Check out Kelvin’s Blog for a response and the funniest video I’ve seen in ages.

The cost of exploring sexuality in the Church

You see, there’s this thing called the Listening Process which our Bishops all agreed to do with those on both sides of the sexuality debate. On one side we have many gay clergy in our Church – some out and some too scared to be out – and on the other side we have those who believe that homosexuality is not good in the Church and especially not good in clergy if they have a partner. And of course there are many others in the middle who just don’t give a stuff.

After the Windsor Report came out our Bishops made a promise to listen to the stories of both sides in the debate. That was some time ago. We kept hearing that there was going to be a day when this would all happen but it was taking time to arrange speakers etc. Well we have a date, we have a venue, we have a speaker and I have to tell you, dear reader, it’s not good news.

First, let’s look at the venue: Stirling Baptist Centre. Nice and central you might think. But the Baptists are not renowned for their love of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters. So perhaps not the best choice of venue for a peaceful, non-threatening location.

Second, let’s look at the organisers of the event : the College of Bishops. Not many gay or lesbian people there. In fact, I think I can safely say they are all heterosexual. It might have been an idea to ask for the opinions of those involved when organising the event. Oh maybe they have balanced that with the main speaker….?

Thirdly, the main speaker : the Most Rev Dr Richard Clarke, Bishop of Meath and Kildare. Not very gay at all. Lovely man, don’t get me wrong. He ordained me after all, along with +Michael. But not exactly renowned in these parts for his LGBT expertise.

Fourthly, we have been told participants will have 5 minutes to tell their story. 5 minutes. Well if I was going to feel comfortable enough to tell my journey (‘in an atmosphere of respectful listening’) 5 minutes ain’t even going to scratch the surface. I can’t imagine those who are living in secret are going to be comforted by that.

Fifthly, the poster has a rather poor grainy photo of two men’s arms holding hands. No women then.

Finally, after all of that you have to pay to be listened to. £15 should cover it apparently.  You have to pay!

Why oh why didn’t they involve some gay people in the planning of this?  Could they add any more insults to injury? Over to you folks.

‘God hates fags’ church gets their comeuppance

BALTIMORE, Maryland (AP) — A grieving father won a nearly $11 million verdict Wednesday against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals in the belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.

Albert Snyder of York, Pennsylvania., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified damages after members demonstrated at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq.

The jury first awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages. It returned later in the afternoon with its decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress.

U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett noted the size of the award for compensating damages “far exceeds the net worth of the defendants,” according to financial statements filed with the court.

Church members routinely picket funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying signs such as “Thank God for dead soldiers” and “God hates fags.”

A number of states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at federal cemeteries.

But the Maryland lawsuit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.

The church and three of its leaders — the Rev. Fred Phelps and his two daughters, Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, 46 — were found liable for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress.

Snyder claimed the protests intruded upon what should have been a private ceremony and sullied his memory of the event.

The church members testified they are following their religious beliefs by spreading the message that the deaths of soldiers are due to the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.

Their attorneys argued in closing statements Tuesday that the burial was a public event and that even abhorrent points of view are protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and religion.

The judge said the church’s financial statements, sealed earlier, could be released to the plaintiffs.

Earlier, church members staged a demonstration outside the federal courthouse.

Church founder Fred Phelps held a sign reading “God is your enemy,” while Shirley Phelps-Roper stood on an American flag and carried a sign that read “God hates fag enablers.”

Members of the group sang “God Hates America” to the tune of “God Bless America.”

Snyder sobbed when he heard the verdict, while members of the church greeted the news with tightlipped smiles.

I watched a programme about this group and they were truly vile. I don’t know the God they worship and I’m glad.

Primates communique

You can check out The Communique of the Primates’ meeting in Dar es Salaam here :
http://www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/

You have to read to almost the last page before you will find out what we really wanted to know and it is not good news for our homosexual sisters and brothers.

It reads :
‘…the House of Bishops … make an unequivocal common covenant that the bishops will not authorise any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in their dioceses or through General Convention’
and
‘…a candidate for episcopal orders living in a same-sex union shall not receive the necessary consent’
‘unless some new consensus on these matters emerges across the Communion.’

There is also to be provision for some sort of alternative primatial ministry in ECUSA.

There is also a lot of concern expressed for “those groups alienated,” which is clearly intended to be a reference to the extreme conservatives, yet not one note of concern for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.

So it would seem that the conservatives must be rejoicing this morning. Those who shouted loudest have had their voices heard and obeyed.

We who thought that attitudes could be changed by listening and caring and praying without being militant and aggressive have been cast aside. Gay people will once more be forced underground into a community of lies and half-truths. Is that right?

Gay couples can have a Civil Partnership (or Marriage in Canada) but the Church cannot officially offer a blessing for them. That is really going to encourage people to come to Church! So it seems like an inclusive church is a long way off. However, I believe that blessings will happen in secret and at great risk to sympathetic clergy trying to be pastoral.

God help us.