Splitters

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 16 June 2008 13:03:15

It seems that there is no end in sight to the current broohaha surrounding gay marriages and women priests in the Anglican Communion. For all believers these are thorny subjects that are more likely to divide, rather than unite the church.

Whatever decisions are made the church will split; there seems to be no other result. The subject of women bishops is an easy one for non-Anglicans/Catholics, as we already have female ministers and deacons in our churches and have done for some time. Yet biblical teaching tells us that such positions are a male only preserve.

There was no utterance from Jesus himself regarding this state of affairs, yet women played a very important role in his ministry and the early Christian church. They may not have been elected leaders but they were leaders none the less, especially in Gentile churches.

What is it about women priests/bishops that is so wrong? We are all equal and gender roles have changed in the past 2000 years. Is it really theologically wrong for the church to change as well? How does the ordination of women bishops destroy the structure of our faith?

For me the larger challenge is the role of gay people in the church.

Many people have very black and white stances on this issue - being gay is either a sin, or not. The problem for us is that the bible says very little about homosexuality and Jesus says nothing. Yes, the bible says that homosexuality is a sin both in the Old and New Testaments. To many that means that the argument is finished.

However in our modern world we are taught that we have to be more "liberal" in our outlook and to accept such people into the church. They are sinners and therefore have a right to salvation and inclusion in our congregations. We should always love the sinner but not the sin.

That is all well and good but many of the "traditionalists" will tell you that such people cannot be hold church office as they are leading a sinful life that makes any act of redemption null and void. Having such people as church leaders therefore goes against everything that we are taught about salvation.

I'll be honest and say that my own feelings are as confused as most other believers. I believe that homosexuality is a sin but that does not mean that I would ever stop gay people from joining the church. I do not have the right to deny redemption to anyone and neither does anyone else. We are told not to judge others because we do not see what is inside their heart - only God does. Likewise we are as sinful as anyone else, even if we are saved.

Salvation has not stopped us from sinning further. However we do know that we need to live a more Christian life and we therefore need to put our house in order before judging others. We do not know what God is doing in their lives to change them and do not know how God sees them.

I don't believe that being gay is necessarily a genetic thing, so far there has been no proof of this. If it is then it is not something that has been given by God but a part of our fall from grace. I can therefore accept that homosexuality is a sin, like anyother, and the people involved do have a choice. However, it is for them to resolve this with God, not for me to judge them.

Yet I do agree with the traditionalist element that says that they should not hold office in the church, while practising their lifestyle choice. I still feel able to resolve my own action of welcoming people into the church body but to say that something - whatever that may be - is sinful.

Being gay should, and does not, exclude anyone from salvation, after all it is a God given gift that is given to every individual. Yet we should all fight any declared sin by prayer and careful thought; we have a right to say something is sinful but no right to judge others ourselves.

History Today:

1487 : Henry VII defeats Lambert Simnel, the pretender, at Stoke. This was the final battle in the Wars of the Roses. Never before had so many people died because of their desire not to be left with the horrible chocolates.

1903 : The Ford Motor Company is founded. Pepsi-Cola is registered as a trade name with the US Patent Office.

1958 : The Soviet leadership have Imre Nagy, the Hungarian Prime Minister at the time of the 1956 uprising, secretly executed.

1963 : Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, aboard Vostock VI.

1977 : Wernher von Braun died in 1977. Best remembered as the designer of the German V1 & V2 rocket programme during WW2 and later a pioneer of NASA's space programme. Proof that killing a few thousand slave labourers doesn't stop you getting on in life.