An unprecedented meeting took place on Saturday (February 6 1999) of Gay and Lesbian Anglicans with Bishops and other official representatives of the Church of England, Church in Wales, and the Scottish Episcopal Church at the University of Derby. 270 people attended the conference and organisers had to turn others away. 32 of the Church of England's 44 dioceses sent representatives to the conference, including 12 serving Bishops.
The conference was organised by the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement [LGCM] as a way of beginning the dialogue called for by the Lambeth Conference resolution on sexuality in which the Bishops committed themselves to "listen to the experience of homosexual persons." The Resolution also also contained a restatement of traditional views on sexuality which caused widespread dismay amongst the lesbian and gay community in particular.
Keynote speaker, the Most Revd Richard Holloway, Bishop of Edinburgh and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, spoke about the 'Evangelical tragedy' that the Lambeth resolution represented in the Church's work with a younger generation, a generation who he said, held justice and inclusiveness at the heart of their ethics. He was damning of the Bishops at
Lambeth, "hatred is hatred in any culture or language." He said that he was proud to be an honorary gay and during his Address put on a badge saying, 'I'm straight - but not narrow.'
Other Bishops were asked to give both factual and personal accounts of the Lambeth Conference.
The Rt Revd Peter Selby, Bishop of Worcester, said that there was a "profound atmosphere of the sinister" at The Lambeth Conference and of how he felt after the plenary session and vote on homosexuality said, "I now know what a Nuremburg rally felt like." Not all the Bishops attending were able to be so openly supportive of Lesbian and Gay Christians. Some obviously felt uncomfortable and the atmosphere of the whole day was one of constructive tension between the hierarchy and those whose lives were directly affected by decisions made at the Lambeth Conference.
In small groups, Bishops and members of LGCM met together to hear the stories of Lesbian and Gay Anglicans. They heard from clergy who were on the dole after being kicked out of the church, lay people who had experienced prejudice and discrimination in their parishes and from those whose lives had been affected in profound ways by the Church's stance on issues of sexuality.
The second keynote speaker, the Revd Jan Nunley, Director of Communications for the American Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island (USA), spoke of the parallels between the rise of the religious right in the Baptist Church in America and what she saw as a creeping
fundamentalism among Anglican churches. She highlighted the naïve Biblicalism of the Lambeth resolution and its denial of the traditional threefold approach to ethics in Anglicanism which takes in tradition and reason, alongside the Bible. She ended her
address with a call to those present not to despair, "don't mourn, organise!"
The day ended with a wide ranging panel discussion although sadly only those Bishops already known to be pro-gay were prepared to take a place on the panel alongside the keynote speakers and other lesbian and gay Anglicans.
"Much pain and frustration was expressed at the Conference", said Rev Richard Kirker, the General Secretary of LGCM today, "but with official representation from over three quarters of the dioceses of the Church of England is was a very encouraging milestone event. I think that gay and lesbian Anglicans in this country have shown their Bishops that they are prepared to enter into a constructive and open discussion with them and hopefully an element of trust which has previously been lacking between the two groups may now have a chance to grow." ENDS
8/2/99
Note to Editors
The Lambeth Conference, a ten-yearly gathering of all bishops from the worldwide Anglican
Communion, was held last Summer in Canterbury.
Church of England Dioceses with official representation:
Bath & Wells Birmingham Blackburn Bradford Bristol Carlisle Chelmsford Chester Chichester Coventry Derby Durham Gloucester Guildford Hereford Leicester Lichfield Lincoln Liverpool London Manchester Oxford Porstmouth Ripon Rochester Salisbury Sheffield Southwark Southwell Wakefield Worcester York Provinces Scotland, Wales
Photos available: contact LGCM
Further details Richard Kirker 0171 739 1249