millstones

So the Church of England Bishops have decided what their 'offering' to General Synod will be - distrust.

Following their meeting yesterday, news has leaked of their discussions and this morning the BBC carried this story: 

'BBC News spoke to several bishops present at the meeting who said the Church's teaching that Holy Matrimony is only between one man and one woman would not change and would not be put to a vote.'

It goes on:

'The refusal to propose a vote on allowing same-sex marriage is likely to anger campaigners for change within the Church.

And:

'English bishops will recommend that some "prayers for God's blessing" for gay couples in civil marriages be adopted, the BBC expects.'

The full detail is due to be released on Friday - but following the BBC story, the CofE has panicked and issued a place-holding article to try to make this good news. 

It begins:

'For the first time, under historic plans outlined today, same-sex couples will be able to come to church to give thanks for their civil marriage or civil partnership and receive God’s blessing.'

Slight fact check - there are already churches that allow rather more than this. Just not Anglican ones. So, it's a bit of a blinkered overreach of a statement to say 'for the first time...'. Apologies to those in other denominations or in other parts of the UK who feel the galling injustice of this. That's Anglican Bishops for you.

It goes on:

'The Bishops of the Church of England will be issuing an apology later this week to LGBTQI+ people for the “rejection, exclusion and hostility” they have faced in churches and the impact this has had on their lives.'

Well, that's nice. So good of them to tell me I can look forward to this. Glad they have scheduled in an apology to fit their timetable. Not entirely sure why "rejection, exclusion and hostility" have quotation marks around them. Perhaps "apology" does too.

For goodness' sake - if you are going to try and change the news story, change it.

Don't tell me you're going to apologise. Apologise. Or don't. 

Don't tell me:

'There will be a commitment to produce new pastoral guidance in relation to the discernment of vocation, replacing the 1991 statement “Issues in Human Sexuality”, to which all clergy currently are asked to assent.'

What you are actually telling me is that Issues remains in force. You are telling me that, rather like a Tory Government, you'll ban conversion therapy mañana. Maybe. And you are giving no clue as to what the new pastoral guidance will be. Don't expect me to jump for joy when all you are saying is - 

Smoke and mirrors! Words tomorrow! Actions later, well, you know, maybe...

And it actually gets worse:

'Once the proposals have been debated by Synod, the House of Bishops will refine the prayers and then commend them for use.'

So there will be no vote at Synod. The House of Bishops distrust Synod and are putting nothing in front of Synod that actually requires a vote. But the smoke-and-mirrors fudge they have come up with will still be debated, taking up time and effort and energy and emotion.

And then -

And then it gets kicked back to the long grass of the House of Bishops, who are all already fed up with having spent three meetings in the last three months discussing all this. Still it all goes back to them, for this super-energised bunch of indecisive bodgers to 'refine the prayers and commend them for use'. 

One expects this to be finalised by when? 2032?

I expected more of men and women who have supposedly given their lives to serve God and his people. But instead they are scared of politics and and failure. Well, they've played a lot of politics and scored high on the failure front. 

Well done, your graces. Well done. 

We're all applauding from the cheap seats.

Go back to your episcopal palaces and enjoy your gin.

It's not that they haven't offered us full equality this week. I didn't really expect that. And (honestly) I totally expected them to avoid anything that needed a Synod vote. But good grief - 

Have some courage.

Treat us as people.

Stop pandering to those who don't treat us as people.

Write services that allow us to have full blessings in church and which pave the way for full marriage equality. Put forward something that has some meat on the bone. We are either human beings or we are not - and right now, your actions, dear Bishops, suggest that you genuinely aren't sure about the answer to that question. Let me be helpful:

The verse you put in bold type in today's press release is a platitude. I'm going to offer back the beginning of Luke 17:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves.