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I do wonder about clergy and the gay issue. I was discussing the sexual orientation of a cool cat with a priest the other day and said that I have no problem one way or the other. Setting aside the glaringly obvious curiosity about why I was having such a conversation in the first place, I am puzzled by the priest’s reaction.
If I’m truthful, I was hoping that the priest would join in with me and say that he did not have a problem either. He said nothing. He was quite silent and quite still. He too is a cool cat, but I didn’t hear one hint of a purr. The subject changed and the morning carried on.
It is odd and maybe relevant to me in a particular way because of my age and the culture I grew up in, but I do feel the need to say that I’m okay with people being gay. It is perhaps more of a comment on me really. I mean why do we have to make any kind of issue of it in the first place, surely it is quite silly, and maybe rude, to make something of it. After all I don’t go around saying, I’m okay with heterosexuality.
Then I remember Jeffrey John, the gay priest: who Rowan and Mr Sentimoo are so eager to prevent being a Bishop because he is gay and that would divide the Anglican Communion, and this has happened elsewhere so they are trying to impose a set of rules to prevent it happening elsewhere without relational consequences: and I come to my senses.
I know it has all been said before, but every now and then I get a kick up the backside and remember how truly reactionary some parts of the Church are, and how interpretation of scripture, and tradition whilst were at it, can exclude and twist the human soul. But on this occasion, the priest and I got on, as I said, with the day.
Related articles
- Mr Sentamu does it to the Gay community. (mrcatolick.wordpress.com)
- Gay priest ‘considers suing Church of England for discrimination’ (guardian.co.uk)
- English Bishop Backs Gay Marriage: Queer Ferment in the Anglican Church. (queeringthechurch.com)
- Jeffrey John and the C.of E. – Chris Bryant (kiwianglo.wordpress.com)
But what it takes are precisely cool cats like you who simply and quietly state that there’s no problem and then get on with the rest of the day.
They’re the kind of cats that will eventually melt the whole issue away.
It is kind of you to say so Erica.
A woman testing her vocation for the priesthood told me that at one seminar with LGCM they were asked their sexuality. And she did not state it. Because it could interfere with her vocation being recognised. My gay priest would never have admitted he was gay, and he could not bear me transitioning, so I left his church. Not his fault.
Thanks Clare. Often an impertinent question deserves avoidance. Love your blog site http://clareflourish.wordpress.com/ MrC
“transitioning” ???
(With Mr Catolick’s permission to go off topic?) Transitioning from assigned sex at birth, male, to my True Self, expressing myself female. See my blog.
Thank you for explaining. It’s not an expression I had come across before.
I live my life ‘off topic’
“Like”
I am totally for LBGT equality in the Church as in society. An inclusive church is one where the Love of God and his Grace will flourish and sustain. A church which is exclusive will eventually dwindle and die.
Not sure that a committee of male, middleaged, hetrosexual churchmen will make any decisions that will move inclusiveness forward? I’ve had numerous conversations with both clergy and laity, who are supportive towards LBGT people and who pray for change. I’m hoping that the power of such prayer, along with the Holy Spirit will help the church to discern sooner, rather than later that the only answer is be inclusive.
What an immensely cool cat you are Mr Catolick. I often think that the problem with the C of E is less the increasingly small and absurd looking wing which demonise gay people, and more the mass of pew sitters who think it’s really got nothing to do with them, and that someone else will sort it out. Doesn’t exactly create the idea of a group of people on fire for justice… and to all of this you are an admirable exception.
By the way, as a fellow Twitterer (confession: I do much of CA’s tweeting) I wanted to say to you that you should check out Crowdbooster (www.crowdbooster.com) – among the other cunning things it’ll tell you is when your tweets are most read on the great river of Twitter, how much they have been retweeted on a little graph etc. It’s very enlightening stuff.
I’m sure the Gay issue puts a lot of people off trying out Christianity.
It’s finally got me reading the Bible closely. I want to know what the “Gay” texts are, what context they’re in and what social reason there could be for them being there.
Actually, we gathered some resources on this:
http://books.changingattitude.org.uk/tag/debates/
http://books.changingattitude.org.uk/tag/debates/page/2/
– bunch of books which give an analysis on the gay stuff from all shades of Christian opinion, and some which bring together liberals and conservatives to talk around the texts.
I’m not one for contributing to blogs, but I do want to say that it is important to stand by the gay community in every context. Like you, I wonder should I be making it an issue, but it already is an issue! So I am always ready to stand up and be counted as a supporter of what shouldn’t need my support in this day and age. If that makes sense!
Kathryn. Thank you so much for your support.
I would think that many straight people might wonder whether or not it is an issue. Things like this rarely are an issue to those in the majority. But for Jeffery John I think it’s probably quite an issue. And it is an issue — a big one — for me too. Every time an otherwise qualified man or woman is rejected for holy orders, it feels like a little rejection to me too. And, I’ll tell you, I don’t like living that way. I am proud of you and my other friends who are working for the time when it really isn’t an issue because we’re all equally valued. Way to go Mr. CatOLick,