Foundational Anglican Christian theology with its reliance on scripture, tradition and reason is responsible for creating and justifying a core theology, an edifice on which and within which abuse has been built. The edifice supports conservative Christian homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism, prejudice against other religions and cultures and particular categories of people.gy and culture that underpins abuse in the Church. Abuse has become systemic.
Jesus was processing his life of human experience and emotions and relationships with exactly the same resources as you and I process our lives and experience. One difference between us (not the difference between divine and human nature) is that our experience, if we are Christians, is processed through the constructs of theology and faith that evolved following Jesus’ death and have been evolving ever since. We are programmed in a way Jesus wasn’t.
Perhaps not every member of CEEC and EGGS is as abusive and arrogant as Ian Paul and Sam Margrave, but they seem to do nothing about asserting a different Christian vision. I have been unable to settle all week. The sheer invasion of spaces that are in theory healthy spiritual Christian spaces for those following the path of Jesus towards a Kingdom of God in which justice and unconditional love, beauty and goodness are primary qualities is deeply disturbing. How is it that neither of these two men understand the damage they cause?
The Iwerne Trust produced many of the most prominent Evangelical Christian leaders, people associated with Reformed theology in the Church of England over the past 40 years. At the heart of the Iwerne philosophy was a brand of wholehearted, sacrificial, masculine Christianity maintained by a detailed programme of supervision. Its origins lie in the toxic culture created by the founder of the Iwerne network, Eric Nash. John Smyth’s regime of abuse continues to affect the culture of today’s Church of England. The powerful theology and culture of the movement is being leveraged in contemporary debates on gender and sexuality. It is abusive.
Changing Attitude England believes a moment of crisis has been reached in the sixty year period in which the Church of England has been addressing homosexuality, lesbian and gay sexuality, trans issues and LGBTIQ+ issues. The Church is confronted with a moment when it is either able to engage fully with the presence of LGBTIQ+ people and create a healthy environment in which we are treated as adults and equals or it is unable to do so and continues to abuse us.
Tim Guymer, a gay lay member of the Church of England has emailed the Bishop of Norwich having completed the Living in Love and Faith course identifying some of the key failings of the course. His email letter is a powerful testimony to the effect the LLF course material has on LGBTIQ+ people and allies who are increasingly alienated by the Church’s systemic prejudice towards us. Tim says the films made it abundantly clear that the Church believes that it is its institutional privilege to perpetuate spiritual abuse indefinitely, especially in and through those who attempt to serve the Kingdom of God through it. The violence done to people’s lives was evident, clear and vibrant, and in massive contrast to the weak and feeble teaching offered from the chair of authority. If the Church cannot change this it will die.
I have written a letter to Graham Tilby, the National Safeguarding Adviser, asking the Safeguarding Team to investigate the Bishop of Maidstone, Reform, the Church Society, and Christian Concern as key instigators of abusive and homophobic teaching and practice in the Church of England. Spiritual abuse is now recognised as one of the most serious manifestations of homophobia and prejudice against LGBTI people. The letter is copied to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the bishops of Newcastle (Pastoral Advisory Group) and Bath and Wells (the lead bishop for safeguarding).
