tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65740481347826040932024-03-13T03:21:30.783-07:00Bishop David's AfterwordsMusings and Reflections from retirement in NorfolkDavid Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574048134782604093.post-58857222717103994842018-07-28T00:36:00.000-07:002018-07-28T00:36:36.928-07:00A short piece I wrote to explain to folk at Norwich Pride why Christians at Pride are celebrating - both LGBT+ and allies.<br />
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 16pt; font-weight: bold;"> Why we are here</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 13pt;">Some of us are here because we are LGBT+ Christians and we want to enjoy the day along with everyone else - and to show that there are many who are both gay and Christian!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 13pt;">Others of us are here with our LGBT+ fellow Christians because we wish to celebrate with them and thank God for the great and colourful diversity of all creation!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 13pt;">We also want to say ‘Sorry’ to all LGBT+ because the Church has often been very unfriendly, openly hostile and homophobic. Sadly there is still far too much of that around. We are offended by all this negative and hostile stuff. We want to shout loudly that God loves all humanity, male and female, gay and straight, trans and intersex - and all of us who are still trying to work it all out. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 13pt;">Traditionally the Church has said that to be gay is not what God intends for anybody. We strongly disagree! God made us all in our rich diversity and loves us all equally. God wants us all to be able to rejoice in who we are and how we are made.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 13pt;">Jesus never said anything against being gay or trans etc ... Rather, he came to show God’s love to all - and was drawn particularly to those in his day who were marginalised. Today we are sad (and angry) that so many LGBT+ people, are marginalised, and much worse. Like Jesus we want to include and embrace all equally. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 13pt;">We are sad, as noted in a recent survey, that many LGBT+ are afraid to hold hands in public. We are glad that today in Norwich holding hands is fully OK - as a sign of friendship, acceptance, and love!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 13pt;">Let’s celebrate!</span></div>
David Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574048134782604093.post-8327698144469764982017-07-14T03:40:00.001-07:002017-07-14T03:40:59.826-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Press Release</div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;">Looking Forward to Norwich Pride July 29th - with glances back to London Pride</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;">There will be Christians supporting and marching
in The Norwich Pride March on July 29th. It’s an opportunity for us to rejoice
that God creates all people equal and with enormous variety - rainbow variety! It
is a time for LGBT folk to celebrate their presence and contribution to
society, and increasingly it’s becoming an opportunity for other Christians to
say, ‘We love you and celebrate with you!’</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;">A few weeks ago, at the London Pride March I was
part of the large group of Christians who were there to show that we welcome
the LGBT community as a valuable part of both church and society. There were
hundreds of LGBT Christians walking in the march, and many more with banners of
welcome in the crowd.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;">Last year I walked, as an Anglican bishop on the
London march and was overwhelmed by the numbers in the watching crowds who
beckoned me over and asked me to bless them or pray for them. That doesn’t
usually happen on the streets of London! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;">This year, as I stood along the route in London
with many other Christians, people on the march would see my bishop’s purple
shirt & cross and come over to hug me - with enormous gratitude that here
was the church saying, ‘We love you and welcome you!’ Because sadly the church has
often said, ‘No!’ to the gay community. Now many of us want to be at Pride to
say that God loves all equally, whether you are gay or straight. We are also
there to apologise for the church’s negative attitude towards the gay community
over the years.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;">Thankfully things are changing, and with
increasing speed. Now, fifty years since the partial decriminalisation of
homosexuality, most in our country accept that marriage is open to all, gay or
straight. The last marriage I attended was a family wedding between my nephew
and his male partner - and, as it happens, the next one I attend this summer is
between two gay men who are friends of mine. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px;">Sadly there are still far too many times when
LGBT people are abused and sidelined - but Pride is an opportunity to share and
rejoice in God’s good creation with our gay friends - and help to make a
difference! That’s why I and other Christians will be there at Norwich Pride.</span></div>
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David Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574048134782604093.post-63582657349825857782016-08-02T08:17:00.000-07:002016-08-02T22:49:23.183-07:00Positive about Scripture: Positive about Equal Marriage<br />
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Many of the discussions I have been involved in
about ‘Equal Marriage’ have come up against the assumption that those who
believe that same sex relationships can be part of God’s purpose for gay men
and women have abandoned their belief in the Bible’s authority.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Of course that can be the way some have developed
in their theology but I believe that a fresh understanding of the breadth of
marriage can also arise from a deeper view of the Bible’s authority over our lives.
This blog summarises the approach I have taken when speaking in various
contexts on this issue.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Many evangelicals, in particular, base their
approach on an understanding of propositional revelation; in short, that the
Bible has one meaning and that the will of God can be read off from the pages
of Scripture so that there is a correct answer to all major questions of
ethics. Over the years many of us add a deeper and more nuanced understanding
to this starting point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">For me a major influence has been the approach of
the American theologian, Stanley Hauerwas, and his championing of Narrative
Theology. This reminds us that the Bible is first and foremost a story, the
story of God’s involvement with humanity. It is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the</i></b> story which provides
the framework for the whole of our understanding and way of life. Its authority
is transformative, not just in the truths it reveals at first glance, but in
the way it invites us to inhabit the story and discover its life transforming
power in our daily lives. As God’s story it has the power to change and direct
all that we are and do. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Narrative theology asks that we take time to inhabit the
story; to leave the story as story as it does its work with the people of God
today. We will not too quickly form ethical conclusions and moral rules which
apply to all people for all time. We are prepared to stand back awhile and see
how God’s story is inviting us to live now. It is clear to us from the story
that God deals with the followers of Christ in different ways and provides
appropriately for the forgiveness, wellbeing and flourishing of humanity at
different times and in different places. And when by God’s Spirit we recognize
and accept our place in the story we act on the truth it has given us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I am also indebted to the approach of Walter Brueggemman who counsels
us to believe that there is often more than one appropriate answer to an issue
when we consider a particular verse or passage of the Bible. He criticizes ‘the
pervasive Western, Christian propensity to flatten, to refuse ambiguity, to
lose density, and to give universalizing closure… Classical Western theological
discourse, wants to overcome all ambiguity and give closure in the interest of
certitude (‘Theology of the Old Testament’ 1997, page 81 & 82). </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">To consider a passage broadly before asserting the definitive
position and to live with the various possibilities of the story adds a greater
degree of humility to our theology. We believe in the authority and power of
the scriptures no less, and we are cautious not to use an all-too-certain
interpretation of a Bible verse or passage as a way of exercising power over
others. Many people, and in particular our LGBT brothers and sisters have often
experienced being silenced and excluded by a lack of such an approach. The use
of the six or so verses in the Bible, which in some way or another refer to
same-sex activity, can be experienced as one group of Christians exercising
power over them and forbidding to them what God wills for the whole of
humanity.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Embracing this narrative approach as part of the
transformative power of the Bible means that we notice many of our fellow human
beings inhabiting God’s story differently from ourselves. I am therefore
careful not too quickly to censor or criticize another Christian who has
arrived at a different way of following Christ. At any given time, I may be
wrong, or they may be wrong, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but</i> </b>we may <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">both</i></b> be right! This
approach fosters a more generous approach - in line with our all generous God</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Application to Equal Marriage</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Is there some way in which
we can understand how an LGBT person may inhabit the bible’s stories and hear God
slightly differently from the rest of us? Is it possible that there are several
contrasting stories, or different interpretations of the same story – rather
than a point blank, ‘Thou shalt not…’? As one indication of how I have
approached the question of equal marriage I reflect on the creation story in
Genesis 2.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some words written by a
gay friend of mine set the context of how he may well read this particular bible
story: ‘</span><span style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
are all created by God to be who we are, including gays and lesbians. It’s just
as natural and spiritually correct to be gay as it is to be left-handed.’ Such
a statement abbreviates all the debates about ‘nature or nurture’ and the
respective balance between the two - probably different in different people.
But most churches will have some, maybe quite a few LGBT individuals or couples
who live in a society where it is fully legal for them to be married to one of
their own sex. Some of these will feel called to remain single as their way of
following Christ, but some will wish to live in a faithful loving intimate
relationship as part of how they live out their Christian discipleship. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My gay friends and I both read the same bible and are called
to inhabit the same stories. As we approach the paradigmatic story in Genesis 2
which describes the wonder of discovering our life’s partner, we both feel
drawn to the divine announcement, ‘It is not good that the man should be
alone.’ Central to the story is the need to find a life partner who will be
fully suitable to the needs of both and sustain them as they leave the parental
home and launch out on life together. At first there comes the almost comical
process of looking around at different possible partners -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and for some of us that can take a long time
in reality, though all the ‘possibles’ in our list will be human! Then as I
walk in the garden and am presented with this range of possible partners – as
was Adam – I am unsatisfied until I see the other human being – the one who
became my wife – and I exclaim, ‘this at last is bone of my bones and flesh of
my flesh!’ As von Rad writes of this moment, ‘Now God himself, like the father
of the bride, leads the woman to the man. The man in supreme joy at once
recognizes the new creature as one belonging completely to him.’ (Genesis.
London.1972. p.84) For me, and for most others I know this encounter has been
one of the most thrilling of all life’s discoveries.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The main point of this story is finding someone who is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">equal</i></b>
to our needs, the same as me, not someone who is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">different</i></b> (like the
animals) but of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">same</i></b> stuff as Adam. The animals will not do - because they are
different. For most of us this deepest fulfilment will be in a human being of
the opposite sex – but that is not so for all….</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Furthermore, this portion of scripture is such an important
and powerful story that it must not merely be reduced into a universal moral code
or an immutable set of ethical rules. It must also be allowed to speak afresh
to us as story. However, the uncomfortable truth is that LGBT people usually hear
interpretations of this story that say – ‘This is not for you; this is
forbidden’</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But for a moment allow a gay Christian man to inhabit the
story. In terms of narrative theology, a gay person is there in the garden
asking God to find a partner for him who is fully equal to his needs. He wishes
to discover mutual support that will sustain them both as a couple through the
whole of their life’s journey together and with God. As God presents various
possible partners to him – as in the original drama - he sees all of these as
inadequate for his deepest needs. He does not recognize one who will be a soul
mate in whom depths of sexual intimacy can be found. Various young women are presented
to him and, though he wants to be friends they do not awaken in him that deep
recognition that here is one who is his partner for life. Then after a while a
man is presented to him. There is a different level of recognition and
response. This for him is the beginnings of what he has been longing for and he
exclaims, 'This at last is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh!’ They can
become one. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My hope and prayer is that more and more people will see that
there is more than one way to inhabit God’s story in the Bible. As this happens
many more will be asking the church to interpret its understanding of marriage
in a fully inclusive way - or at the very least hoping that others who disagree
will allow blessings of same sex marriages. They will hope that the church will
accept a diversity of practice - leaving two contrasting stories/interpretations
on the table to allow the dialogue to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "century gothic" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I see this approach as ‘generous orthodoxy’. It enables the
Church to offer God’s blessing to all couples who wish to make a faithful
life-long commitment in love to one another. It gives us a gospel that
proclaims God’s love equally to all.</span></div>
<br />David Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574048134782604093.post-50795360241893387132016-07-03T07:12:00.000-07:002016-07-03T15:09:54.430-07:00A bishop marching with Gay Pride, London<br />
I felt compelled ... I wanted to ... I was glad I did!<br />
<br />
This year I marched in London Pride with the group, Christians at Pride. My LGBT friends have been unanimously supportive of this, welcoming the fellowship of a few of us 'allies' who walked with them. A good number of my other friends have been supportive. When I preached about it in my very ordinary local parish church in conservative Norfolk this morning there was a wide and joyful acceptance of what I had done. Yet some of my Christian friends elsewhere, some but not all, evangelicals like me, cannot understand why I did it.<br />
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Here's why ...<br />
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A week before I had the enormous privilege of speaking at the Two23 service in London for LGBT Christians and their families - most of them, though not all, from evangelical churches. My address had included the assurances - 'God loves you, God has made you as you are, and God wants you to know that he blesses your relationships.' It was a wonderful occasion with lots of good conversations afterwards - with both singles and couples.<br />
<br />
Several of them, lay and ordained asked me if I would be walking in the Pride march the following Saturday. Returning on the train I thought, 'Why, not? Here are a whole group of Christians who often have had a rough time of it from the church. Perhaps my being with them would say something more positive.' Yet when I spoke with one of my non-gay evangelical friends he urged me not to march.<br />
<br />
The next day we heard the dreadful news about the slaughter of 49 people in the gay club in Orlando, killed solely because of their sexual orientation. Thinking of all my gay friends I was deeply affected by this outrage.<br />
<br />
I thought of the old wrist band I had - WWJD? What would Jesus do? As I prayed about the tragedy of Orlando and phoned and messaged some of my LGBT friends to support them, I was very clear of the answer - 'Jesus would have gone on the Gay Pride March, and so must I.'<br />
<br />
There was a real sense of compulsion. I must go ... and what's more, I wanted to go!<br />
<br />
I was hesitant about asking for one of the limited number of places allotted to Christians at Pride and so I approached the leader and asked if it would be appropriate for me as a bishop to join them. I wondered whether some would think, 'This is our day … Just for us'. I couldn't have been more wrong! I was assured that I would be warmly welcomed - and preferably dressed in clerical collar.<br />
<br />
As it happened my resolve and desire was strengthened even more the next day when I attended the Vigil for Orlando on the City Hall steps in Norwich organised by Norwich Pride. Sadly there were only a very few of us there from the church.<br />
<br />
After the Vigil I was speaking with a young gay married couple who, though they were totally nonChurch were grateful that I had attended the vigil. These two had no idea that the Church of England have so far refused to marry or bless the marriage of gay couples, and neither had they ever met a priest, let alone a bishop before. Yet they were surprised that I was supportive of them. They began to tell me of the deep impact the massacre of Orlando had on them and their LGBT friends. 'Gay bars and clubs are our sanctuary. It's where we can feel safe and be ourselves. Where we can show affection like non-gay couples are allowed to do in public without fear or embarrassment. Now that very idea of sanctuary has been threatened!'<br />
<br />
In the days that followed I was exercised by this idea of sanctuary. I thought of the Old Testament idea of cities of refuge and the centuries long idea of churches as places of refuge and sanctuary.<br />
<br />
Safe places. We all need them. And yet for many gay Christians churches are not safe places for them, though thankfully many are becoming more inclusive. I began to see the London Pride March as a safe place, a sanctuary for LGBT people where they could be themselves without fear.<br />
<br />
And so it turned out. Not a sanctuary because there were lots of police along the route - most of them joined in the fun of the whole thing!<br />
<br />
It was a Sanctuary because the million lining the route cheered us all along the way. It was a day where gay couples could hold hands walking down the street and be cheered! It was a day of unadulterated joy that temporarily overlaid the sense of disappointment most of us there had because of the Brexit vote of two days before. Never before had I experienced such a sense of the wonderful diversity and delight in humanity which God has created - 'he saw all that he had made and behold it was very good!'<br />
<br />
On numerous occasions I was hugged by people in the crowds lining the route and asked by others to bless them! It was the most wonderful witness imaginable of the all inclusive love of God on the streets of the greatest city in the world - including the presence of the mayor of London on the March, and walking for a time with the group of LGBT Muslims.<br />
<br />
Afterwards we had a communion service together in Bloomsbury Central Baptist church where I had spoken the week before at the Two23 service. This time Kate Bottley (of Gogglebox fame) gave a great address at the end of a wonderful day.<br />
<br />
I am deeply grateful to God and for the LGBT brothers and sisters in Christ with whom I shared fellowship both at the Two23 service and at London Pride. And now, a week on I would still say that 'Christians at Pride' was one of the most powerful testimonies I have experienced that 'we are all one in Christ... ,'<br />
<br />
<br />David Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574048134782604093.post-46759109532471048692014-03-25T01:45:00.000-07:002014-03-25T01:45:16.424-07:00Psalm 23: Shepherds, Bishops, and my Gay and Lesbian Friends
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Each day throughout Lent my early morning meditation is
focusing on a verse or two from the Psalms, linking this in with a photo I have
taken, or one taken of me, over the past decades - and then sharing it on
Facebook. This morning I found my praying impelled in a very specific direction
as I meditated on two familiar verses from Psalm 23. This is how I shared it on
Facebook-</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><em>He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me
beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's
sake. Psalm 23:2,3</em></span></div>
<em>
</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Strange you may think, but as I meditated on these two
verses I was led to pray for my many clergy friends who are gay or lesbian. My
meditation developed along these lines ....</span></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3xWTTjzxjCI/UzFA6-iaxeI/AAAAAAAAADw/Ms2LIa2gQ4k/s1600/Shepherd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3xWTTjzxjCI/UzFA6-iaxeI/AAAAAAAAADw/Ms2LIa2gQ4k/s1600/Shepherd.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a> <span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">When I was privileged to spend a day with a hill farmer
in South Lancashire shadowing him throughout his long and demanding day's work,
I saw something of the close bonding between shepherd and sheep: the
relationship of trust and confidence that the shepherd would not fail the lamb
who stuck close to his side.</span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">They speak to me, as to many, of the calling to be a
shepherd, a guide, a confidante for others. To be the one who will not fail or
lead astray. Yet, at times we struggle to find those green pastures for those
who look to us for sustenance and support.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">I see that at the moment particularly with my gay and
lesbian clergy friends. How can their shepherds (or bishops) help them find
still waters in the rough seas developing between and within our Church of
England and the law of the land on equal marriage.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">There are green pastures and still waters ahead, of that
I am confident, though the terrain is pretty rocky at the moment, and the
waters are decidedly choppy! But I find it a privilege to stand alongside my
brothers and sisters and search for that right path for them in the
relationships that God has given them.</span></div>
<br />
************<br />
<br />
... <span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"> and two further thoughts</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">... the thought to which I return again and again is that the Church is in the business of blessing and promoting lifelong faithful love. My wife
and I were richly blessed by God, the church, and all our friends and
neighbours without exception throughout our married life - and I am convinced
that God desires similar for those who are born for union with one of the same
sex. With the first same sex marriages taking place this Friday the Church must find ways of supporting, blessing and celebrating with those who chose a life of faithful committed love with their partner.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">... and I know that many bishops are conflicted as to how to be a shepherd to their LGBT clergy (and lay people as well) so I pray for them too.</span><br />
David Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574048134782604093.post-9065026187416363652014-03-24T04:45:00.000-07:002014-03-24T04:48:56.505-07:00<div style="text-align: left;">
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<b><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Christians and Jews in Norwich: a turbulent history<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">On Wednesday 26<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
March we are holding a study day for members of the Christian and Jewish
communities in Norwich to consider together our shared history from medieval
times and into the present day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Norwich
is the home of the first accusation of Blood Libel against the Jewish
community. In 1144 a young boy, William was murdered and the Jews falsely
blamed. The Christian community at the time accepted the falsehood that William
was murdered and his blood used by the Jews; his story was wildly exaggerated and
he became a saint with his own shrine in the newly built Cathedral.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Today, this early
example of anti-Semitism is remembered in the Cathedral. Our study day will
hopefully help us to commemorate this event more fittingly for today’s citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"></span></span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">It is also just over
a year ago that we buried the remains of 17 bodies which were found down a
medieval well-shaft during the construction of a new shopping centre in the
city in 2004. A television programme, Cold Case suggested these may have been
Jewish so they were buried in the Norwich Jewish ceremony and I was privileged
to give the eulogy on that occasion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
referred back to the William of Norwich incident in my talk which I reproduce
here - <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CUWU4buCrP4/UzAZLgptyAI/AAAAAAAAADg/kGAE9vGFdkg/s1600/Medieval+remains+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CUWU4buCrP4/UzAZLgptyAI/AAAAAAAAADg/kGAE9vGFdkg/s1600/Medieval+remains+2.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Address at </i></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">the Burial of Medieval Citizens of Norwich </span></i></b></span><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">19.03. 2013<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">As we meet
in solemn remembrance of the six adults and eleven children whose lives were so
brutally ended in this city of ours about 8 centuries ago I want to express the
thanks of the Christian community that we have been invited to share with you
in this sacred occasion. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As I have
pondered what to say I have found myself drawn to images of some of the tombs
in the Commonwealth War Grave cemeteries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many, as with all of these 17 whom we remember today, have no name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stone simply says, </span>‘<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A soldier of the Great War.</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’ </span>There's a poignancy in those
words – <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">for they forever
remain an anonymous person to us </span>– <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">but then at the bottom of the stone, </span>are <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">the words, <i>Known unto God</i></span>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In medieval
Norwich these 17 were brutally disposed of down a well shaft. Today we meet to
honour them and mourn for them, conscious that they are </span>– <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">and always have been - known to God.
And we lay to rest their bodies in repentance and hope for the eternal rest of
their souls.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For 150
years or so in medieval England the Christian and Jewish communities lived
together in this city. They did business together, at times relations were
respectful and cordial but as we all know there was a much darker side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, as our two communities are met here in
prayer, I have the opportunity as a Christian bishop in the 21</span><sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> century to offer words of
repentance and apology for the suffering meted out to the Jewish community by
my community in this city all those centuries ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmjSBiWiPu4/UzAXd3hl88I/AAAAAAAAADU/_JhaEdBOcZU/s1600/Medieval+remains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WmjSBiWiPu4/UzAXd3hl88I/AAAAAAAAADU/_JhaEdBOcZU/s1600/Medieval+remains.jpg" height="314" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Today is
not the time to go into details but we are all aware of the pain and agony
often caused for the Jewish community following the false accusations of blood
libel with the murder of the young boy William in 1144 </span>– <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">not, of course by a member of the Jewish
community as the majority were encouraged to believe at the time. In the 150
years following that there were sporadic periods of suffering and danger for
the Jewish community of this city leading up to the expulsion of all Jewish
communities by order of the King in 1290.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Then, of
course, we could not have met together like this and acknowledged our common
spiritual commitment to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully today we can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both our communities share the fundamental
commitment so clearly expressed at the very beginning of the Torah </span>– <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">that each and every one of us is
made in the image of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of us has
equal dignity and honour before God </span>– <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">or as the psalmist says, humanity is just a little lower than the
angels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly these and many others
through the centuries </span>– <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">including
our own time </span>– <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">have
been treated in death as less than human. We will all have our own thoughts as
we stand here today </span>– <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">for
me they are ones of repentance and sorrow for how my community of faith has </span>at
times <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">failed to live up to
this central vocation of humanity created in the image of God.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">Hopefully
as we gather together today as representatives of the present Jewish and
Christian communities of this city we give witness to our own mutual compassion
and friendship as we provide a prayerful burial for these people whose memory
has been so long abused through unwitting neglect over the past centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">As we give
them this final resting place on earth I trust that we pledge ourselves to live
and work in our generation for supportive and respectful relationships between
our two communities. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As these
men, women and children finally find rest here, our intention as the Christian
community is that they will also be later commemorated in a memorial in St
Stephen</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">s churchyard, the parish in which
their mortal remains have lain, unremembered for so many centuries.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic;">We intend to <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">put
words from the Hebrew scriptures on that plaque which I trust both now and
forever will be true for these 17 former inhabitants of our city - they are the
profound words of trust and hope uttered by the psalmist, </span>‘<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Return, O my soul to your rest.</span><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">’</span></span></div>
David Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574048134782604093.post-72577254926336902752014-03-22T02:34:00.000-07:002014-03-22T02:34:24.892-07:00Celebrating Unadulterated Love with a Mixed Bunch of Christians
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<span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><em>I wrote this for Accepting Evangelicals a couple of weeks ago but forgot to put it up here -</em></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></b> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">My Catholic
friends tell me that I should always do something special and memorable on my
Naming Day which, for me is March 1st, St David's Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And this year I did; I attended the celebration,
'Unadulterated Love' arranged by Changing Attitude in London.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It was the first
of their events I had attended and I went mainly because It was suggested to me
that as a bishop and an evangelical who had formerly been principal of Trinity
College Bristol it would show support and bring encouragement to many LGBT
people. Well, I am always sceptical about how my being at something can be much
of </span>an <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">encouragement,
but events certainly proved me wrong!</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">I was one of two
bishops there and, being soon after the House of Bishops guidelines on same sex
marriage had been issued, our presence was seen as significant - even though
neither of us are members of the House (me because I am retired). I was asked
to facilitate a couple of group sessions where there would be opportunity for
both straight and LGBT folk to share their stories and challenges etc.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Pervading the
occasion was a note of celebration and mutual support, some touches of
confusion and sadness, but to my surprise very little anger about how the
church was handling the issue of same sex relationships. Rather I detected a
sense of compassion for a church that would soon hopefully embrace a wider
understanding of the all-encompassing love of our gracious and welcoming God.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There were other
evangelicals there who, like me had<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>come
to an understanding of scripture and the gospel which impels us to support
those who are, by their God</span>-<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">given nature attracted to people of the same sex, both those who are
single and those in a relationship. We exchanged some experiences of how our
theological and pastoral position meant we were suspect by a number of our
evangelical friends, but also how many more of them were also seeing the gospel
and scripture in a more inclusive and accepting light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My personal concern in the group sessions was
to share how important it is for me to celebrate together with my LGBT friends
the acceptance of God and his blessing upon all committed faithful
relationships, such as my wife and myself had known throughout the whole of our
married life together.</span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">But for those
who shared with me, the main talking point was how a good number of them had
found it difficult as gay and lesbian Christians to be accepted and comfortable
within their own evangelical churches, whether they were single or in a
relationship. Some spoke of years during which members of their own fellowship
ignored them and never spoke to them once they had been open about their
sexuality. Others told of similar cold shouldering at evangelical theological
colleges. For some there was a determination to continue in the spiritual
tradition which had nurtured them, but others spoke of how they felt forced out
by the coldness to look for a fellowship which would be more supportive and
accepting even though that meant them leaving behind some close Christian
friends and the spirituality they had long valued.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">However there
were indications that the tide was turning. Some were determined to stay within
their fellowships and were gradually seeing a dawning of a new sense of acceptance
and joy in their relationships with straight Christians in their local church.
This sense of acceptance was clearly more marked in the younger age group but
it was also evident that many lay folk in evangelical churches were more open
than some clergy. Was this, some wondered, because the close ties within the
evangelical clergy</span>-<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">world
meant that a good number hesitated to embrace a fresh understanding because
their friends and colleagues would cold shoulder them too?</span></span></div>
<br />
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">But I did not
leave the day despondent about the place of LGBT folk within evangelical
churches. It is still clearly very hard for many, but the tide is turning and I
am confident that the facilitated discussions which are being set up in the
wake of the Pilling report will be one means through which many evangelicals
will reevaluate their position. I believe also that Accepting Evangelicals will
have an increasingly important role to play in accompanying many, particularly
clergy as they take a closer look at their understanding of scripture, the
gospel and our mission in a society where equal marriage will soon be seen as
part of the natural landscape. I know of some evangelical clergy who already
offer services of blessing for those in civil partnerships and are also looking
for greater freedom to celebrate with those who enter into same sex married
relationships as the law allows. Clearly we are in the midst of considerable
turmoil over this issue within the Church, but I believe, to quote a phrase
that several of us used during the day, 'the dam is about to burst!'</span></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></o:p></div>
David Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574048134782604093.post-64655642448215111232014-01-28T06:37:00.000-08:002014-01-28T06:37:27.292-08:00Antisemitism, Blood Libel and Norwich ...
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">As
in many other towns and cities across the UK, Norwich held its annual event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, the
anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp at </span><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">Auschwitz-Birkenau</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">. </span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">T</span>he city of Norwich has its own particular
event in the past that echoes down the centuries as we remember such cruel acts of brutality and
discrimination. We recall how in 1144 the first recorded case of blood libel
anywhere in the world took place in our city: the libel that a child was
murdered and their blood used by the Jewish community in the making of
unleavened bread for their Passover commemoration. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";"></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">At the time when this happened
medieval Norwich was the second city in the country after London and it saw
several outbursts of anti-Jewish persecution. On this particular occasion, a
young lad, William was murdered and his death was wrongly blamed on the Jews of
the city. Over the next few years a cult grew up at the newly built Cathedral
which venerated William as a Christian martyr, and pilgrims, bringing
prosperity in their wake flocked to his shrine for several centuries, until it
was abolished at the time of the Protestant Reformation. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">This
notion of blood libel was exported from our city, first to other places in the
UK, and then across Europe. It became one of the themes in Der Sturmer, the
Nazi magazine of the 1930s which was used to<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a> stir up
antisemitism within Germany and prepare the way for the slaughter of 6,000,000
Jews in the decade that followed. This wrongful slander against the Jews is not
an event much marked in Norwich’s own account of its history but it <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i></b>
remembered in the Chapel of the Holy Innocents in Norwich Cathedral; a memorial
that places the victims of the Nazi Holocaust alongside the children murdered
by King Herod in Bethlehem. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">To help ourselves deal better with this event in
the history of our city, we are holding a study day on March 26th where Jews
and Christians together will be able to reflect on the issue of such antisemitism
and work out ways of remembering it more effectively, as well as devising programmes
to educate today’s tourists and pilgrims about all forms of discrimination and
hate crimes against those who are different from ourselves.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">In preparation for this day I have been looking at some contemporary incidents of anti-Semitism of
which there are still too many in the UK. The definition of an anti-Semitic
incident used by the authorities is ‘any malicious act aimed at Jewish people
or property where there is evidence that the act has anti-Semitic motivation or
content, or that the victim was targeted because they are Jewish.’ Thankfully
such incidents have recently been decreasing in the UK, but there is no room
for complacency. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">In 2012, the last year for which figures are available, there
were still 640 confirmed antisemitic incidents, the majority occurring in
London and Manchester where the largest Jewish communities are to be found.
These incidents range from violent assaults against people to desecration of
buildings and monuments. Although the overall figures show a downward trend the
reverse has been true in schools and colleges where there has been an increase.
An example of this kind of incident occurred when two Jewish schoolboys boarded
a bus and went to sit upstairs. There were two white males sitting near the
back of the bus, one of whom addressed them with the words, ‘a f**king Jew. I
hate f**king Jews, they really p**s me off… What are you looking at? Keep
looking and I’ll push your f**king head through the window.’ We can all
immediately sense the horror of such an experience in the life of a teenager.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">Over
the years various world events have produced spikes in such antisemitic
incidents, e.g. the conflict in Gaza in 2009 led to the highest recorded total
in the UK. The pattern of a rise in antisemitism as a result of such events is paralleled
also by an increase in Islamophobia when terrorist attacks by Islamist
extremists hit the headlines. At such times fear and anger too readily look for
a victim to punish for events with which they have no personal connection.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">At
the same time, the ongoing and near-intractable situation in Israel Palestine
has led to confusion in the minds of many about what constitutes antisemitism.
To some, any robust criticism of the policies or actions of the government of
the State of Israel is seen as antisemitism. While to those, both Christian and
Jew who are committed to particular Zionist convictions, any criticism of the
state of Israel may offend their strongly held beliefs, fair criticism on the
grounds of justice is not rightly to be judged as anti-Semitic. If such criticism
is given in a manner that recognizes the right of Israel to exist within secure
borders, it must surely be accepted as valid opinion and conviction. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">The Jewish
organization particularly concerned with the protection of their community (the
CST) acknowledges the validity of the distinction between anti-Semitic
incidents and anti-Israel activity. They often reject reporting certain
incidents because they are the latter rather than anti-Semitic, though they
sometimes find it difficult to decide in a given case. To quote from their most
recent report, ‘Graffiti reading ‘F**k Israel’ would probably be classified as
an anti-Semitic incident if it appears to be targeted at an area known for
having a large Jewish community but would probably not be counted as anti-Semitic
if it appears in an area where few Jews live.’ </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Century Gothic","sans-serif";">Naturally
Christians have a particular affinity with our fellow Christians in Israel
Palestine and feel an obligation to protest at the injustices they suffer as a
result of certain actions and policies of the Israeli government. We also, of
course, have a natural affinity in religion with our siblings within Judaism - as
well as those within the Muslim community, our other Abrahamic near neighbours.
With these different relationships often pulling us in different directions, even the
most caring among us, must take care that as we seek justice for one group we also exhibit care for those who may also become innocent victims
themselves of others’ prejudices.</span></div>
David Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6574048134782604093.post-24684157772083347742013-12-02T04:04:00.001-08:002013-12-02T04:04:56.809-08:00My reflections on the Pilling report have taken a somewhat different turn than I thought they would do. I welcome the thought that the Church of England is edging its way towards making it possible for us to celebrate publicly in church with those in faithful same sex unions. Even when we get there much more travelling will be needed before we can fully claim to be offering the love and acceptance of God freely and equally to all.<br />
<br />
In the light of this I have been reflecting on my own experience of marriage and how others have blessed that in so many ways which can never so far be the experience of those in same-sex relationships. On our wedding day and throughout the whole of our married life Val and myself knew the wonderful blessing and celebration before God in which all our friends and family shared. We were always aware of how rich was the support, enjoyment and unfeigned love of so many with whom our lives have been intertwined over the years. There was never any context in which we had to hide the fact of our relationship, and never did we feel avoided and shunned because of our commitment to one another. There was full acceptance of us from start to finish! And since Val died in April of this year, the support and love I have received - through periods of grief and loss which have been far more devastating than I could have imagined - has been immense, freely and often quite sacrificially given. And some of my gay friends, two in particular, have been at the centre of that support and love which has helped me to cope, to grow and hopefully to flourish.<br />
<br />
Yet, as I have been speaking recently with some of my friends, both lay and ordained, who are in same-sex relationships, it has struck me powerfully how they have had nothing as supportive as we have received so richly over the years. They have often encountered suspicion, rejection, humiliation - and worse - all because they are in love with someone who meets their deepest needs in line with how they have been created and gifted by God.<br />
<br />
Throughout my ministry I believe I have tried to support my gay friends, parishioners, colleagues and students. Especially when I was Principal of Trinity College, Bristol it was important to me that those ordinands whom I knew to be gay should receive the same encouragement and support as all others.<br />
<br />
At the time I still held the view that same-sex relationships were somehow unwelcome in the light of certain verses in the bible. However over the past 12 years I have come to see that the kind of faithful same-sex relationships I am meeting are not at all the same as the illicit activity rightly decried in the 7 verses in the scriptures to which reference is made when looking at this subject. It is clear that some are gay and lesbian by the very creation and gifting of God who makes us to live in relationship with the one who meets our needs, as pictured in the Adam and Eve story. There God brings Eve to Adam who recognises with joy that he has been given the one who is a perfect partner for him. For those created with a same-sex orientation the principle of God's gift is the same, but their love and joy is completed in a partnership with one of the same sex.<br />
<br />
I find this discrepancy between how the Church and our fellow Christians have blessed myself, my wife and many millions of others, and how grudging, condemning and rejecting the Church usually is to those in same-sex relationships, is a denial of the gospel of grace. For many, we make the good news into bad news! David Gilletthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08993743504212380971noreply@blogger.com9