God is a revisionist

God is a revisionist

Prejudice, abuse, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, racism, are not and can never be Christian fundamentals. Life in all its fulness and God’s unconditional, infinite, intimate love have become fundamentals for me – revisionist fundamentals – for the formation of a healthy personal spirituality and faith and for the evolution of a non-abusive Church. They underpin all progressive movements towards justice, equality and full inclusion, the contemporary foundations of a movement rooted in God who is ontologically, in essence, a revisionist. Revision is integral to the nature of that which we name God.

Vile Bodies - Christian prejudice and abuse

Vile Bodies - Christian prejudice and abuse

There are, within specific cultural and social frameworks, specific bodies that have been regarded as particularly vile: those of a particular sex, race, religion, tribe, sexual orientation, disability or age. “Powerful Christians have regarded as abhorrent not merely the bodies of women but the bodies of many other perceived ‘others’, for example Jews, Muslims, homosexuals, people of colour, heretics.”

Where have we arrived after General Synod?

Where have we arrived after General Synod?

We live in a culture where prejudice, fundamentalism, abuse, and discrimination, although still prevalent, are less and less acceptable or tolerated as healthy attitudes towards other members of the human race. It becomes more and more difficult for people to maintain their commitment to and involvement with an institution, a Church, that continues to be so ambivalent about justice and equality for every member of the human race, a Church that is still so hostile to me and people like me, to my LGBTQIA+ brothers and sisters, people with integrity and faith and a deep spirituality regardless of their gender or sexuality or who they sleep with and make love to.

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.