tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post7051524139260292219..comments2024-03-20T08:06:18.312+00:00Comments on Benny's Blog: Women's Ministry & Homosexuality - a response to Stephen Kuhrt.Benny Hazlehursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11106740133903626260noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post-84349808500614623042011-09-12T21:44:15.098+01:002011-09-12T21:44:15.098+01:00Dear Peter
Thank you for writing such a full comme...Dear Peter<br />Thank you for writing such a full comment on this post. I read it with interest.<br /><br />I suppose my sadness as an evangelical is that so many of my fellow evangelicals seem to tie themselves in knots (while alienating others who do not share their evangelical predispositions) trying to defend the indefensible.<br /><br />So my hope is that my contributions may do a something to loosen these knots so that the Spirit may flow a little more freely.<br /><br />You are right of course, that the world around us moves on, and there is the danger of finding oneself all alone. But then the one sheep in 100 who wandered off, found him/herself in the same situation, and I am glad that the good shepherd was there to bring him/her back.Benny Hazlehursthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11106740133903626260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post-57122355751139841722011-09-11T10:08:32.563+01:002011-09-11T10:08:32.563+01:00with Peterwith PeterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146780325302102876.post-81397211479275891222011-09-10T10:47:41.140+01:002011-09-10T10:47:41.140+01:00I remember having heated discussions of exactly th...I remember having heated discussions of exactly the same argument in the Mole Hole at Rydley Hall in the late 80s! (Whilst visiting a friend – two friends in fact, who were both at the college a year apart – I have never ventured down the road of ordination myself...). Thankfully, once I gravitated away from the extremes of the Anglican Church I found neither stance was a problem. The church I attended for many years in north London had a vicar (married with children) who was particularly forthright on both issues: gay clergy have been in the Church since Adam was a lad and we’ve a lot to thank them for; and the Church has been led by the Holy Spirit to ordain women to the priesthood – no need for further discussion!<br /><br />But I think the arguments will continue. In more Catholic parishes it can work the other way. A priest friend of mine at a recent PCC almost lost his temper with his flock because of the dogged refusal to allow female servers (let alone priests!) in the Sanctuary. As he noted ‘You’re happy to have gay men poncing around but won’t extend the same liberty to women...’. His passion on the subject was met with stony silence and a determination not to be moved on the issue...<br /><br />Saints Cassian, Benedict, Columba, Teresa of Jesus, John of the Cross and many more from antiquity, to Thomas Merton and others in the 20th Century all caution against a common fault in the monastic life. That is an over application to virtuous or even mundane tasks – a more pedestrian example might be the sudden, dazzling cleanliness of bathrooms and kitchens in student’ lodgings about a week before an essay deadline or during exam revision, as the student finds ‘virtuous occupation’ in cleaning the long neglected toilet bowl rather than reading long neglected tomes! In the monastic life ‘over application’ in the day to day life of the community is seen as a possible attempt to escape from the real demands of the Life – they being a deepening repentance, conversion of life, relationship and dependence on God. Occupation can seem ‘virtuous’ but it is not necessarily what is the fundamental purpose in the life of a Religious. (If you ever spend a retreat at a religious house, you’ll probably notice that it is the same brother or sister who slopes into offices and meals later than everyone else – it is these who are usually so ‘virtuously’ employed they can’t keep the less onerous demands of the Customary.)<br /><br />I am convinced a goodly portion of much of the heated and never ending debates and arguments on homosexuality and women’s ministry are examples of similar ‘virtuous’ occupations – the real causality in all this ‘virtuous occupation’ (or hot air) is the work of the Church itself. Moreover from the outside the Church is just seen as contemptible because of it blatant self-interest. As noted on my own blog regarding the subject of the recent riots – there was a great deal of hot air from many Christian blogs and commentators (particularly on the Right) basically saying what was wrong with society; yet there were very few ‘practical’ solutions offered that involved churches themselves (see: http://faithisnotthesameasreligion1.blogspot.com/2011/08/wouldnt-it-be-refreshing-to-hear.html). Again, more ‘virtuous occupation’ (finger pointing and blame mongering) but is this really the work of the Church?<br /><br />Of course these debates will continue - I presume the hope is that in the end only one voice will endure. I only hope the owner of that voice remembers to turn the lights off and lock the door of the empty church when s/he is finished...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com