September 2009

Services

Housegroup: We plan to start a regular housegroup in September. Would those interested in joining please contact Stephen Davies on 242636.

Gothic Eucharists: Tuesdays at 8.30 pm. Rich liturgy, contemporary music and challenging sermons. Malcolm will complete his Colours of Love series. September 22nd: Red; October 6th: Purple.

Sunday 8.00 am Holy Communion: September 6th: Trinity 13; September 13th: Trinity 14; September 20th: Trinity 15; September 27th: Trinity 16

Readers at 11.00 am: September 6th F Woodhead and J Fowles; 13th M Lee and D Redhead; 20th: J Oliver; 27th: A Finn and S Mastin

Chaplain's Letter (Fraser Watts)

Recent months have been a difficult time for the Church in America as the division between conservative and liberal Anglicans has become more entrenched. A separate conservative Anglican Church has been formed with its own Bishops. On the other hand, the more mainstream ECUSA (Episcopal Church of the USA) has reaffirmed its liberal approach to homosexuality, which has accentuated the division.

This is all regrettable in many ways. In our own time, the division between conservative and liberal Anglican has replaced the old division between high and low church as the main fault line in Anglicanism, the place where cracks are most likely to open up. However, the division between high-church and low-church never led to an actual split, to either forming a separate church exclusively for like-minded Anglicans. I deeply regret that has now occurred in America, and hope that Anglicans in England do not go in the same direction. It is part of the richness of Anglicanism that we have diverse ways of living out our inheritance. I very much hope that we will continue to do so within a single church, and under the same Bishops. After all, it is the essence of the role of Bishop to be a centre of unity.

If Anglicans in England are not to split over the vexed issue of homosexuality in the way that our American cousins have done, we all need to recognize that there are different defensible positions. There is a very helpful pointer in this direction in the report of the Church of England Doctrine Commission, 'Being Human' (there will shortly be a copy in our church library). The chapter on sexuality sets out a broad Christian approach to sexuality. Then it points out how Christians can legitimately reach different conclusions about homosexuality from the same general premises. It is a subject on which there are 'two integrities'.

There are some encouraging things along these lines in Rowan Williams' comments on recent American developments (see here). He says that 'there is at least the possibility of a twofold ecclesial reality in view in the middle distance... ...perhaps we are faced with the possibility rather of a 'two-track' model, two ways of witnessing to the Anglican heritage... ...It helps to be clear about these possible futures, however much we think them less than ideal, and to speak about them not in apocalpytic terms of schism and excommunication but plainly as what they are - two styles of being Anglican, whose mutual relation will certainly need working out but which would not exclude co-operation in mission and service of the kind now shared in the Communion'.

All of us, whatever our views on this issue, need to recognize that other Christians can legitimately and sincerely come to different conclusions, and be prepared to have Christian fellowship with them in the same Church of England, under the same Bishops. However, if we are to hold together, we need to allow diversity of practice. There need to be some churches that have services to mark a Christian covenant between people of the same sex, and others that do not. There will be some churches that are happy to have openly homosexual clergy, and others that are not. That ought to be no more difficult than high-church and low-church Anglians coexisting. Unfortunately, the Church of England is not currently making enough provision for diversity on the issue of homosexuality. That is not a sustainable situation. Uniformity cannot be imposed indefinitely where ther is no common mind.

In some ways it is rather like holding together, within the same church, Anglicans who are prepared to accept women priests and others who are not. I very much regret that parishes opposed to women priests where allowed to have their own Bishops. That set a bad precedent, and one that is being carried even further on homosexuality where, in America, there are now quite separate churches. I don't want Anglicans in England to split over homosexuality.

At St Edward's, for some years now, we have explicitly welcomed Christians of same-sex orientation. That has enabled some such people to hold on to their faith, when they might otherwise have left the church. It has also enabled people of same-sex orientation to find at St Edward's the support of a sympathetic Christian community, and that has brought enormous pastoral benefits to some people.

I am passionately convinced that in this we are doing Christ's work. He came to break down barriers, not to build them. As St Paul says in a memorable passage, 'in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for all are one in Christ' (Gal 3.28). Had he been writing today, I think he could properly have added that in Christ there is neither 'gay' nor 'straight'.

That is the Christian conviction of many of us at St Edward's. However, I recognize that there are Christians at St Edward's and elsewhere who take a different view, and do so with integrity and conviction. The only satisfactory way forward is for us to respect each other's Christian convictions, and for all of us to live out the gospel as we understand it. Uniformity is not an option, and splitting is not the right way forward. Mutual tolerance and understanding is the only other way - and the right way.

Clergy: Revd. Dr. Fraser Watts (19, Grantchester Road, CB3 9ED; 359223, fnw1001@cam.ac.uk); Revd Dr Malcolm Guite (694249, mg320@cam.ac.uk); Canon Alan Cole (892286, alan73@waitrose.com). Churchwardens: Mr Steven Mastin (361041, stevenjamesmastin@yahoo.co.uk); Mrs Judith Tonry (892160, judith@tonry.co.uk). Treasurer: Mr Geoffrey Barnes. Chapter Clerk: Mr Stephen Davies (242636, stephdvs@btinernet.com). Church phone: 362004