Comments on: Sermon for Advent 3 2007 http://www.thurible.net/20071216/sermon-for-advent-3-2008/ The Blog of the Provost of St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:21:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Eamonn http://www.thurible.net/20071216/sermon-for-advent-3-2008/#comment-4832 Eamonn Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:10:38 +0000 http://www.thurible.net/20071216/sermon-for-advent-3-2008/#comment-4832 I agree with Kimberly. It's time the hetero majority found their voices and demanded an end to discrimination and the blanking out of those who are different. I would go further. Having advocated caution in the interests of not compounding divisions within the Church, I've been persuaded by a recent lecture by Marilyn McCord Adams: find it on 'Thinking Anglicans' for 12 Dec. Her point is that, as with women's ordination, we should just do it: a significant shift of attitude will come AFTER the removal of discriminatory legislation, as people come to realise that their fellow-humans are just that, and don't have cloven feet. By the way, I'm quite happy to forego the description 'straight', as I don't want to imply that other people are crooked. On the model of LGBT, why don't we just call ourselves H? I agree with Kimberly. It’s time the hetero majority found their voices and demanded an end to discrimination and the blanking out of those who are different. I would go further. Having advocated caution in the interests of not compounding divisions within the Church, I’ve been persuaded by a recent lecture by Marilyn McCord Adams: find it on ‘Thinking Anglicans’ for 12 Dec. Her point is that, as with women’s ordination, we should just do it: a significant shift of attitude will come AFTER the removal of discriminatory legislation, as people come to realise that their fellow-humans are just that, and don’t have cloven feet.

By the way, I’m quite happy to forego the description ‘straight’, as I don’t want to imply that other people are crooked. On the model of LGBT, why don’t we just call ourselves H?

]]> By: Marion Conn http://www.thurible.net/20071216/sermon-for-advent-3-2008/#comment-4826 Marion Conn Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:00:04 +0000 http://www.thurible.net/20071216/sermon-for-advent-3-2008/#comment-4826 Hi, whilst ignoring the gay issue of all children of the church is really wrong, I also think we need to concentrate on the issues surrounding our priests such as the issue of employment law. Why should these special people, for that's what they are, who care for us not only spiritually but in many was physically, not be given the same protection in law in the empolyment as the rest of us? Hi, whilst ignoring the gay issue of all children of the church is really wrong, I also think we need to concentrate on the issues surrounding our priests such as the issue of employment law. Why should these special people, for that’s what they are, who care for us not only spiritually but in many was physically, not be given the same protection in law in the empolyment as the rest of us?

]]> By: Kimberly http://www.thurible.net/20071216/sermon-for-advent-3-2008/#comment-4825 Kimberly Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:46:12 +0000 http://www.thurible.net/20071216/sermon-for-advent-3-2008/#comment-4825 Duncan, I think we all need to act where we can-- either for those issues that are most pressing, or for those issues that for whatever reason we find ourselves bound up with. But in relation to what is so unfortunately known as 'the gay issue', I suspect that it will take as many straight people as gay people to challenge injustice, in the same way that the acceptance of women needed the advocacy of both women and men, and the end of black slavery demanded a change in the hearts of white people. Duncan, I think we all need to act where we can– either for those issues that are most pressing, or for those issues that for whatever reason we find ourselves bound up with. But in relation to what is so unfortunately known as ‘the gay issue’, I suspect that it will take as many straight people as gay people to challenge injustice, in the same way that the acceptance of women needed the advocacy of both women and men, and the end of black slavery demanded a change in the hearts of white people.

]]> By: Duncan http://www.thurible.net/20071216/sermon-for-advent-3-2008/#comment-4824 Duncan Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:09:49 +0000 http://www.thurible.net/20071216/sermon-for-advent-3-2008/#comment-4824 I don’t know if you heard Tutu being interviewed by Michael Buerk for Radio 4, 10 days ago. He was commenting on the madness of the church being obsessed with sexual ethics when the world is wrestling with huge problems of poverty, AIDS, conflict etc.

It’s something I feel too, but then, it’s easy for me to ignore the gay debates. So you mention John the Baptist, and his preaching for justice, and you also mention Lambeth’s inability “to recognise the common humanity and dignity of God’s gay and straight children.”

So, I wonder, where does the balance lie? There surely is an ethical responsibility a) to take sincerely held views seriously on all sides b) to work for justice and emancipation for those (gay people in the church) who are oppressed; but also, c) to keep these concerns in right proportion to other ethical issues that face the world.

As I say, I can comfortably ignore the raging debates of the Anglican Communion. And in fact, I’m a whole lot more interested in climate change, inequality, and the bankruptcy of western lifestyles than I am in the debate surrounding Windsor etc. But I have a niggle: am I selling my gay colleagues short by failing to engage; and must it come from my gay colleagues to ‘release’ me and others to work for the Kingdom where we feel the issues to be most pressing?

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