The Archbishop of Canterbury meets thirty four representatives of progressive organisations

The Archbishop of Canterbury meets thirty four representatives of progressive organisations

On Friday afternoon, 3rd November, thirty four representatives of progressive organisations seeking the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England met with the Archbishop of Canterbury on the top floor of the Lambeth Palace library. It was the most significant meeting I have yet attended in England representing a turning point in the decades-long movement towards achieving the full and equal inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in our church  – all of us passionate about the Church of England, its life and health, and the damaging effect of continuing conservative homophobic prejudice and abuse.

Are we heading for decisive Anglican indecision?

Are we heading for decisive Anglican indecision?

Can the hierarchy of the Church of England take us deep into the black hole, with courage deep enough to lead us into the unimaginable white hole through and beyond into an experience and reality named resurrection? I wish Synod would bring coherence and finality to a process that began with a profound vision, a radical new Christian inclusion, and with a trust that bringing people together would gradually transform and melt differences in the context of Christian love and prayer.

Did Jesus root his proclamation of the kingdom in orthodoxy and tradition?

Did Jesus root his proclamation of the kingdom in orthodoxy and tradition?

The Christian Church needs to engage with the question: “In what ways did Jesus rely on the contemporary orthodox, traditional Jewish teaching and doctrine contained in the Hebrew scriptures and worship and in what ways did he challenge them?” More importantly, it needs to understand what “life in all its fullness” means in reality for every human being and learn how to live and communicate this transformational truth.

The Gospel according to Brian and Gaby or GS 2328 – you choose

The Gospel according to Brian and Gaby or GS 2328 – you choose

“The true richness of diversity is its capacity to build a new depth of understanding, a sensitivity to our neighbours, and an ability to hold sometimes painfully conflicting thoughts and feelings simultaneously in mind which helps us navigate a complex world. A politics that fuels division and hate leads ultimately only to fragmentation but in our flexibility, our fluidity, lies our strength.”

Disturbing the Foundations: LLF, the Sexual Revolution and General Synod

Disturbing the Foundations: LLF, the Sexual Revolution and General Synod

What has become increasingly apparent in the two and a half decades since Lambeth 1998 in the Church of England and other parts of the Anglican Communion is that they have become unhealthy ecclesial bodies. They are unhealthy because their teaching and practice results in prejudice against and the abuse of women and LGBTQIA+ people. The support given to anti-gay bills by some Anglican churches and the homophobia and prejudice manifest in other Provinces demonstrates how dominant, abusive, prejudiced and unhealthy many parts of the Anglican Communion are. Only when Anglican churches recognise this will they move a step closer to manifesting Jesus’ understanding of the kingdom.

Why is it so difficult to talk honestly about the humanity of Jesus?

Why is it so difficult to talk honestly about the humanity of Jesus?

The development of the person of Jesus of Nazareth as a symbol that is used to dominate and manipulate, a development warned about thirty five years ago, wasn’t heeded. It has continued to expand until it dominates the Church of England’s life today. It is one of the reasons why abuse and discrimination are common within the Church. Historical and contemporary reports of abuse and the failings of the safeguarding regime are manifestations of this unhealthy conception and caricature of Jesus.

A conversation about Christianity today in the Church of England

A conversation about Christianity today in the Church of England

In the Church of England I believe we urgently need a far more open and widespread conversation about what are the essences of Christianity for today. Without this conversation we are never going to find ourselves living either in agreement or with good disagreement. This is what I and some of my friends and followers of Changing Attitude England are longing for – open conversation about ideas, practices, teachings and theologies that underpin prejudice and abuse in the Church for some and inspire faith for others.

Neanderthal Christianity – what does it mean to be human?

Neanderthal Christianity – what does it mean to be human?

There is a strong “Neanderthal” dimension to the beliefs, values and truths that constitute Christian faith today. I am part of the movement seeking to create a post-Neanderthal faith. The divine, sacred presence that began to dawn in Neanderthal and Homo sapiens consciousness 40,000 years ago is a seamless reality, a continuously evolving awareness. Our awareness continues to evolve and we can, when we awaken to this truth, open to and give ourselves to the evolving process of consciousness. Meanwhile, General Synod will be presented with LLF proposals intended to prioritise unity by ignoring and suppressing human consciousness.

Mired in Love and Faith

Mired in Love and Faith

If the Church of England is unable to recognise God as manifested in the life of Jesus to be the presence of unconditional, infinite, intimate love in creation and evolution, a presence that all human beings are able to experience through the presence woven into creation of what Christianity identifies as the Holy Spirit, then the Church needs to reflect on what, from the Biblical witness to the life and teaching of Jesus in a twenty-first century understanding of reality, God might look like and where the Church has got God wrong.