The Bishop of Sodormy?

I have to confess to being slightly surprised at the recent Church of England announcement that the Bishop of Sodor and Man has been appointed to chair the review of Civil Partnerships.

It’s not that there is anything wrong with Bishop Robert Paterson.  I am sure that he is a fair and open person with a wealth of experience that can be brought to bear on the issues that the church needs to face.

My surprise came from the part of the UK where he serves  as Bishop – The Isle of Man.

The diocese of Sodor and Man is the smallest in the Church of England, covering the 28 parishes of this beautiful island in the Irish Sea.  I first became aware of it when researching the implications of a proposed Clergy Discipline Measure on Doctrine.  The measure would have enabled doctrinal complaints to be made against clergy and bishops, initiating a kind of Spanish Inquisition to investigate alleged doctrinal impurity!  Under the terms of the proposed legislation, I discovered that a mere 10 people in the Isle of Man Synod could force a formal disciplinary investigation into the beliefs and practise of the Archbishop of Canterbury or York with all the ramifications that such formal proceedings entail!  Thankfully, I was part of a group of clergy in General Synod who succeeded in getting the legislation thrown out, and to this day it has not returned.

But it is the reputation of the Isle of Man that raised my eyebrows when I learned that their Bishop would chair the review into Civil Partnerships, because historically, the Isle of Man is famous for 3 things – liberal tax laws, motorbike racing, and homophobia.

Armed with its own parliament and legal system, it was the last part of the British Isles to de-criminalise same sex acts in 1992 – a full 25 years after the mainland.  Its attitudes were so well known that actress Emma Thompson famously joked that it was a place that ‘stones gays’ – although she got it wrong and accused the Isle of Wight instead!  When Civil Partnerships were introduced in the UK, the Isle of Man stood out against them, only changing its mind amidst much controversy in April of this year. 



Douglas harbour

Then there are the jokes (which date from pre 1992) about homosexuality being illegal which is ironic when you can only get there by entering Douglas – jokes which are still repeated today.   And finally there was a friend of mine who misheard when I said that the review of Civil Partnerships would be led by the Bishop of Sodor and Man – he thought I said the ‘Bishop of Sodomy’!

So was this a wise choice on the part of the House of Bishops?  Surely it would have been better to choose a bishop from a more neutral diocese, or at least one without the antigay reputation of the Isle of Man?

But then again, perhaps there is more than a little wisdom in this choice – after all, the Isle of Man has a lot in common with the Church of England.

Both represent relatively small communities in the UK, enshrined in historic law, each with their own law making bodies.   Both are instinctively conservative in outlook and slow to embrace change.  Both have sections of their communities who would much prefer to pull up the drawbridge and keep themselves to themselves, rather than deal with the realities of a changing world.

And yet the Isle of Man has found a way to embrace change in the area of sexuality.  Despite its history and the internal controversies which Civil Partnerships has brought, it has found a way to move forward and embrace new understandings and new ways of living.  Despite its cultural instincts, it has and is making changes.

Perhaps there is a parable here for the Church of England.  Perhaps its leaders and its parliament can show the House of Bishops and the General Synod how to embrace a more open approach to people of all sexualities.  Perhaps they can show us that when change comes, the sky does not fall in as a result.

So perhaps the Bishop of Sodor and Man is exactly the right person to chair the Church of England’s Civil Partnership review – and many same-sex couples in the Church of England will certainly be hoping he is.

And now for the good news...

One of the things I struggle with sometimes is finding positive things to say about the church.   All too often it is the negative stories which make an impression on me and prompt me to write - and the church is a rich source for such stories!

But tonight on Radio 4 I heard not one, but two good news stories coming from very different parts of the Christian church.  So this blog post is a celebration of these good news stories - after all, that is what the word 'Gospel' is supposed to be about.

First up was the news that the chief executive of the FSA is to meet representatives from Occupy London in a tent to discuss reconnecting finance and ethics.

After the disastrous start which St Paul's made in responding to the Occupy London protest, the Bishop of London has retaken much of the lost ground by bringing together members of the protest with powerful players in the City.   The tent is pitched at St Ethelburga's Church which is now a centre of reconciliation and peace after being devastated by an IRA bomb in the 1990's. And the meeting was arranged by Ken Costa, an accomplished investment banker and committed Christian.

At last the established church is playing the part which it alone can perform - bringing together establishment and ordinary people to discuss real issues.   If there is a path to be found which addresses the concerns of protesters, economists and financiers, it will be this kind of dialogue which creates the seeds of change.

The second good news story was about a Christian charity called 'His Church' which is recycling counterfeit designer clothes which have been seized by UK Customs & Trading Standards.

Previously all such clothes were destroyed or buried in land-fill sites, but now His Church is using sewing machines (which were also confiscated from counterfeiters) to re-label these fake Armani, Gucci, and D&G  clothes (to name but a few) and distribute them for free to homeless centres and women's shelters.  The clothes are high quality and new, not second hand - and they are given as gifts, not charity.

The clothes are relabelled with the 'HIS' logo as a reminder that ultimately everything belongs to  God - everything is His.  (This would also be a useful reminder to those who make the wheels of the City go round).

So today I celebrate two news stories which show the church doing what we should be doing - bringing people together, challenging those in power, redeeming that which was lost, and clothing the poor.

Today, I am proud to be a Christian.

Shhh - Don't ask!

On Monday 5th December the law which prohibits Civil Partnerships being registered in religious buildings ceases to be.

Following an amendment to the Equalities Act in the House of Lords, the Government has now relaxed the rules and churches will soon be able to apply to offer Civil Partnerships.

The Government has been careful not to force churches or denominations to conduct Civil Partnerships and has produced 'opt in' legislation which leave it entirely up to churches to decide if they want to apply.

This both extends equalities legislation and preserves religious freedom of belief.

But the Church of England is not being so even handed in its response.  All Anglican churches will need to get permission from the Church of England's governing body to be registered.  The CofE has told the Government that the relevant governing body is General Synod.  So far this  seems reasonable until we learn that the Church of England has no plans to ask General Synod if it would grant such permission or not.  In the absence of such a vote, the answer will remain 'No'.

The paper sent  to General Synod members today (1st December) makes this clear:

"an application for the approval of a church or chapel of the Church of England cannot be validly made unless the application is accompanied by the consent in writing of the General Synod. That means that it will not be legally possible for any church or chapel of the Church of England (irrespective of who owns or controls the building in question) to become approved premises for the registration of civil partnerships without the consent of the Church of England as a whole expressed by way of a resolution of the General Synod. In the absence of such a resolution the Synod would not have given its consent for the purpose of the regulations."

And that goes with the recent statement from a spokesperson at Church House who told the press that "The Church of England has no intention of allowing Civil Partnerships to be registered in its churches."

So that's that then.  If Synod isn't asked - then Synod can't say 'yes' - so the easiest way of avoiding the whole issue is  'Don't ask'.

This is, of course an interesting variation on the 'Don't ask - don't tell'  policy which has kept gay and lesbian priests quiet for years.  Under this unofficial policy, gay priests have been allowed to continue in ministry as long as they haven't put their Bishops in a 'difficult position' by being honest with them.

Now we have a new variation - "Don't ask - don't know" - which will enable the Church of England to continue to evade the in inconvenience of having to face up the fact the there are gay Christians, gay Clergy, even gay Bishops - many of whom are in fulfilled loving same-sex relationships.

But shhh - don't ask.

Church Shown Up

“The church is in danger - and its connection with the state, and the corruptions thence arising, is the cause of that danger;   its connection with the state has increased its wealth and worldly-mindedness, which is dangerous to a Christian community;  its connexion with the state has a tendency to beget a spirit of bigotry and intolerance in its sons and daughters.”

The resignation of Canon Giles Fraser – Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral – has shown up this key establishment in the Church of England in the worst possible light.

After the initial welcome which it gave to the ‘Occupy London Stock Exchange’ protesters it has reverted to type with increasing clarity.  Principles have given way to politics – solidarity with people has given way to fears over finance – the individual has been overtaken by the institution – and peaceful co-existence has been replaced by the threat of violence.

And in the eye of the storm was Giles Fraser, asking the police, not the protesters, to move on, preaching last Sunday on the dangers of corporate financial greed – but eventually overruled by an institution more concerned with its own survival than with the immorality of selfish greed which drives the City around it.

Such actions by the Church are nothing new.

The quote at the top of this page is not from Giles Fraser, or from one of the protesters – but from an ordinary working man from the 1830’s who rose to notoriety around the same issues that motivate those camping around St Paul’s Cathedral – issues of inequality, injustice and greed.  His name was George Loveless – one of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, whose letter “The Church Shown Up” is an deeply incisive attack on the Established Church which in his day sided with the landowners against the ordinary working man & woman – a Church which sided with the rich to keep the poor in their place.  Sound familiar?

To those who know anything of Trades Union History, the story of George Loveless and the Tolpuddle Martyrs will be well known.  Forced to act by landowners and employers who slashed their wages, they formed the first Union, and were promptly arrested and sentenced to Deportation for their impudence.  The case caused a national outcry and after some years they were pardoned.  Yet on their return to this sleepy Dorset village they continued to be denounced by the establishment and the church – to the extent that all but one had to move again to places where their ‘crimes’ were not known.

Like St Paul’s Cathedral, the church in Tolpuddle had its part to play in the story, and like St Paul’s it chose to turn against those who were protesting at inequality and greed.

For 5 years I was vicar of Tolpuddle, and even then, 175 years after those events, I have experienced the cold shoulder of disapproval from some at the Annual TUC Festival, because of the part my predecessor played.   The collective memory of such betrayal runs deep in the folk memory of the disenfranchised.

Initially the vicar of Tolpuddle, Rev Thomas Warren,  tried to act as honest arbiter in the dispute, and brokered a deal between the farm workers and the landowners, acting as witness to the agreement.   But when the landowners reneged on what they had promised, he was pressured into betraying the labourers by the institutions which the church relied on.  He denied ever witnessing such an agreement and soon afterwards the Tolpuddle Martyrs were arrested, tried and sentenced.  The church had chosen to side with the powerful against the powerless while it continued to recite the Magnificat each Evensong, which speaks of a God who

"... hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble and meek.

He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away."

Today, even though the same words are recited each evening at St Paul’s Cathedral, they appear to have as little impact on the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral as they did on the Vicar of Tolpuddle.

The irony is that George Loveless was not just a founder of Trades Unionism – he was also a Christian – a Methodist lay preacher who saw clear dangers for a church which has become so dependent on its relationship with earthly power and authority that it had lost its soul.

He cites the Church’s treatment of ‘Dissenters’ in his day as a prime example of this.  The Dissenters of the 1800’s were religious dissenters who would not follow the established church, but are they so distant from the economic dissenters who have camped around St Pauls?   

He warns of the dangers of selling out the Gospel of Christ for one of greed and earthly power, reflecting on the contrast between the early church and the present,

“And they went forth and proclaimed " liberty to the captives and the opening of the prisons to them that were bound:”  they rallied round the standard of their master… and although they had to contend with the selfishness of kings, the persecutions of governments, the craftiness of priests…  it grew and increased, and neither the study of cabinets, nor the policy of states, has been able to suppress or retard it…  How different is this from that which assumes the name of religion in our day; mixed with all the glitter of the world, with all the power and pomp of earthly grandeur.”

He also reflects on the dwindling influence that the church has among ordinary people as a result:

How often has it been observed that the clergy are ever foremost in opposing any popular measure that is likely to be carried for the good of the people…  The undue influence, however, of the clergy over various degrees and orders of society, is greatly on the decline; the working classes are beginning to question their value and utility, and to think that they can do without their assistance.

In his resignation today, Giles Fraser has refused to follow the path of my predecessor at Tolpuddle, and yet St Paul’s Cathedral has chosen to follow the well-worn paths of an Established Church.  They have ensured that yet another a nail has been hammered into the coffin that George Loveless observed as the Church once again chooses to align itself with earthly power rather than a crucified Lord.

I will end this post with a few more words from George Loveless – this time on the economics of riches for the few at the expense of the many.   Perhaps they will also resonate with those who are protesting in the camp around St Paul’s.

The poor are rapidly becoming their own teachers, and it is in vain you try to hoodwink and keep them in darkness;  light is appearing around them…They see that labour is the source of wealth… that they are kept in poverty and degradation by those who, living in luxury and idleness upon the fruits of their labour, tell the working man his portion is to labour, to suffer, and to die.

Notwithstanding all the efforts of the clergy to impress this upon their minds, as a command from God, the labouring classes have learnt that, living in a country which overflows with the abundance of the fruits of their labour, the tenth part of which they never enjoy, the first great object they ought to have in view is their own emancipation from mental and political slavery…. that all governments and laws should exist for the common benefit, protection, and security of all the people, and not for the emolument or aggrandizement of any particular family, single man, or set of men.