Ahead of this week’s Synod debate there has been a lot of conversation about what isn’t in the House of Bishop’s statement about human sexuality.
There isn’t a clear roadmap for the future. There isn’t a dramatic change of direction. There isn’t the hoped-for new beginning that many Christians, especially LGBT Christians, craved. And to this list I might add, this isn’t the report I would have written if I were doing it on my own.
But this isn’t really the point.
We cannot do our theology on our own. We belong to one another. We are one Church of England, which is also part of the Anglican communion, and also part a much wider church.
But it doesn’t mean that we can’t do anything; so let me focus briefly on what is in the report, rather than what isn’t; and let me apologise if anything here or in the report comes over as appearing insensitive to the very deep hurt and frustration that is felt by so many.
There is an unequivocal assurance and promise that there is no place for homophobia in the church. There is the prospect of new teaching documents on these issues. There is the determination that we work much harder at making sure LGBT people are welcome in the church. There is the opportunity of finding local and pastoral ways of expressing that welcome, even though at the moment this falls short of any sort of formal blessing or same-sex marriage.
The House of Bishops’ report is not a conclusion to a conversation, but a voice from within it expressing where consensus might lie at the moment about what is feasible and what is not, and where there is still considerable disagreement.
Some are threatening to ‘not take note’ of the take note debate that will happen at General Synod this week. I understand why this might seem a good way of expressing the hurt and frustration that is felt, but I would urge people to look again at what is in the report and not only what isn’t.
To take note of this report is not to agree with everything in it, but to see it as a step on the journey, bearing in mind that for many the step is far too small and for others is already in danger of looking like a step too far; but the phrase 'maximum freedom within the current legislation’ does not mean nothing has changed: on the contrary, it opens up a space where LGBT Christians can better be welcomed into our churches and where prayer and hospitality can be offered. We can move away from seeing all this as a problem. We can delight in the presence of all the God given varieties of humanity that God is calling into his church and stop conducting the whole discussion as if these 'others’ we all too easily talk about were not already in the room; and following the wise counsel of Gamaliel, and guided by the Holy Spirit we will see whether all this is of God or not.
The Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell is the Bishop of Chelmsford