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The Manchester Statement:
A theological reflection - Anglicans and Homosexuality
The Statement is underpinned by the belief that Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Trans gendered Christians are and always have been full
members of the Church and therefore full members of ‘The People of
God.’
This is a theological term which refers to the ongoing work of God
in gathering a people to God self. In Biblical terms this People
was, first of all, the Tribes of Israel and then the New Testament
Church. In latter days the term has been used by groups of oppressed
people. Black Christians in their struggle for freedom and civil
rights made a point of including themselves into the People of God.
It is a strong strand in Christian theology that it is through a
Christian person’s membership in this body, the Body of Christ, that
we attain our full humanity. This statement, in its demand for
recognition and for a voice, stands explicitly in that tradition. We
are the People of God, not just a troublesome minority but full
members, often holding authority in the church as lay people,
priests or bishops.
Until the Anglican Church as a whole acknowledges our presence as
members and leaders on an equal basis with all others, we are being
treated as sub-human; not capable of full human realisation within
the Body of Christ.
The Statement is rooted in the clear basis of Anglican belief which
has traditionally been formulated as rooted in Scripture, Tradition
and Reason. It goes further and considers that there is an ongoing
revelation of God in all noble fields of human endeavour. This is
indisputable, or else we limit the ability of God to speak in other
ways. The founders of Anglicanism recognised this and stated that
the Bible contained everything ‘sufficient’ for salvation; they
never claimed that it was the only way in which God spoke to
humanity.
The abuse of the Bible in condemning LGBT people comes close to
blasphemy when it refuses to take account of the many and varied
other ways in which God speaks: through science, the arts, the
humanities and through the lived experience of Christians, including
LGBT Christians.
The Statement is begun by an affirmation of belief in God the
Trinity. This is no glib recitation of a formula, for it is the
Trinity which defines everything that is good about human relating.
It is the life of the Trinity which breathes life into the People of
God. It is for this reason that the Statement calls for a
recognition of the goodness and grace which has come from LGBT
people in the life of the church. It recognizes the baptism of LGBT
people alongside every other act of baptism and prays for the church
to become open to the grace its LGBT members can provide for it.
The Trinity is also the consummate model for dialogue in love
between persons. The relationship between members of the Trinity is
revealed to us as on of ultimate openness and ultimate love, in such
a way that three persons become one. At the present time, because
the Anglican Church continues to treat LGBT people as sub-human, it
is unable to attain this unity. It will only be after there is a
full recognition of LGBT people that dialogue will become truly
possible on a Trinitarian model. This means, among other things the
Anglican Church
must drop forever its disingenuous and ultimately cruel distinction
between someone’s sexual orientation and their sexual practice. The
call for dialogue in this Statement is not to be taken lightly. The
Statement asks that all those involved in the Anglican Church’s life
become vulnerable so that their openness to one another may be
complete and, that they renounce hatred so that they are able to
love. In this way, the church can become a unity, made up of
diversity, like the God it worships.
We affirm
Our belief in one God: Creator, Eternal Word and Holy
Spirit.
Our belonging in the world wide Anglican Communion, a family
informed by Scripture, tradition and reason but not contained by
these.
God's ongoing revelation through the sciences, arts and humanities
that challenges, teaches and amazes us with new insights and
sometimes disturbing truths.
Our delight in our sexuality which, as a gift from God, enriches our
humanity and deepens our ability to know the love of God. At the
same time, we gladly affirm that for some, not all, celibacy is a
vocation within that gift.
We confess
That hurt, fear and rejection have often left us unable
to trust, cautious of
honest and open dialogue; and that none of us are free from
institutional sin.
We call for
The whole Church to recognise that all
baptised, believing and faithful
persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the
Body of
Christ, and to acknowledge the presence and integrity of LGBT
people as faithful
Anglicans serving God through a rich diversity of ministries at
all levels of
the Church, as we have done throughout history.
Those responsible for the institutional
life of the Church at all levels,
from local parish councils and committee members to national
judicatory
bodies, to recognise that homophobia permeates our societies and
cultures, and
carefully to study how it impacts on and is perpetuated in
personnel and
administrative policies and practices in the daily living out of
our working
relationships.
These individuals to live lives marked by
the same non-judgmental love
evinced by Jesus in the Gospels, and all God’s people to embrace
this as
foundational and fundamental.
The Church to reflect honestly on the
language, literature and behaviour
(individually and institutionally) that have unintentionally
inflicted hurt
and judgment and have caused untold numbers to seek healing and
acceptance
outside the Church.
The leaders of the Church to challenge the
often unspoken value judgements
used in evaluating candidates for ordained ministry, particularly
those used
to judge the capacity of a person to be a ‘wholesome example’ for
those
amongst whom they will minister. The requirement of statements or
assurances about
a candidate’s private sexual life is inappropriate, and the
focussing of these
requirements on LGBT people is unjust.
A special recollection of the evils of
homophobia to be incorporated into
prayers and services associated for instance with Holocaust
Remembrance Day,
remembering that, like Jews, Slavs, and disabled people, LGBT
people were also
targeted for the death camps.
The Bishops to honour their commitment made
at the Lambeth Conference 1998
to listen to the experience of homosexual persons as we tell our
own stories
with our own voices, and especially to ensure that we are
represented on the
Archbishop’s Commission (announced by the Primates’ Meeting in
October 2003)
as full members, involved in the decision making process, not just
as
interviewees to be listened to.
Biblical scholars to actively challenge and
expose the numerous homophobic
versions of the Bible that pose as authentic translations.
The entire Church, gay and straight, to
pray together, with hearts and
minds open to receive wisdom, that we might embrace God’s
unfolding revelation,
and engage in a dialogue that is respectful, ongoing and
non-judgmental.
The entire Church of God to work together
to build a community that is
open inclusive and grace-full, that each of us. Celebrating our
differences, may
feel we have a safe place in which to begin and continue the
journey to
being, belonging and becoming in Christ.
Issued by the 'Halfway To Lambeth' Conference Lesbian and Gay
Christian
Movement
25th October 2003
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