Church of England faces openly gay bishop, meeting of the church governing body

by Rob Howard
Associate Editor

A week after a Church of England Bishop revealed he is gay and in a relationship, 131 members of the College of Bishops – the Church’s governing body - have signed a letter urging the bishops to unequivocally welcome lesbian and gay Christians into the church.

At Monday’s meeting [September 12], Bishops will discuss what the church should do following two years of internal debate about sexuality. Last week, Nicholas Chamberlain became the first Church of England bishop to openly declare he is gay and in a relationship, according to Towleroad.com.

According to San Francisco’s Bay Area Reporter, “It is believed that Chamberlain is the first to publicly come out while serving the church.

“Rumors about gay bishops in the church have surfaced for decades. In 1995, the former archbishop of York, Lord David Hope, stated that his sexuality was a ‘gray area,’ after being threatened, like Chamberlain, to be outed. The Guardian reported that there have been claims of former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey consecrating two celibate gay men as bishops in the 1990s.

“In 2003, two U.K. reverends – Right Reverend Peter Wheatley and Jeffrey John – openly served the church while being in same-sex relationships. That same year in the U.S., Gene Robinson's election as bishop of New Hampshire split the Episcopal Church.”

The US branch of the Anglican Church, The Episcopal Church (TEC), is under de facto sanctions for embracing same-sex marriage last year, according to the Reporter.

Chamberlain, the bishop of Grantham, told The Guardian that “there had been no secret about his long-term – albeit celibate – relationship with his partner.”

The Guardian’s website revealed that a threat to out Chamberlain had pushed him to speak publicly. “He acknowledged that the revelation would cause ‘ripples’ within the church. ‘It was not my decision to make a big thing about coming out,’ he told The Guardian in an exclusive interview. ‘People know I’m gay, but it’s not the first thing I’d say to anyone. Sexuality is part of who I am, but it’s my ministry that I want to focus on.’”

That sets the stage for Monday’s meeting. Towleroadreports, “The letter urges bishops to ‘help lead us forward’ and to be ‘unequivocal in its acknowledgement that all, including those who identify as LGBTI, are essential to the health and future of our church and mission to the wider world.’

“Lay synod member Jayne Ozanne, who helped organize the letter, told The Guardian the response had been overwhelming:

“’It definitely seems that the tide is now finally turning. From conversations I have had it would appear that many synod members were deeply challenged and moved by the [internal] discussions in July, and it seems that there is a growing consensus for the church to take active steps towards ensuring it is welcoming and inclusive of all.’

“Paul Bayes, the bishop of Liverpool, said ‘It was especially good to recognize the signatures of synod colleagues from many of the different traditions that make up our richly diverse church.’”

Towleroadreports that, “Last month 72 conservatives warned Bishops against ‘any proposals that could leave the church “adrift from her apostolic inheritance” and lead to an “unwanted fracture” within the C of E and global Anglican church.

“A church spokesperson said that ‘deep convictions have been shared and profound differences better understood. That process will inform discussions at the meeting of the college of bishops and further meetings in the months ahead.’

“No final decisions are expected to be made at next week’s meeting.”

The Gayly – September 9, 2016 @ 4:15 p.m.