As if the drama taking place in the Catholic Church wasn't enough, there is another on-going situation boiling over. This is taking place in the Anglican Church as a whole.
For what seems like years now there has been an perpetual struggle over the issue of female and homosexual bishops. Those in favour can be found predominantly in North America, with a particular following in the state of California. Meanwhile, the Anglicans of the UK and the African continent are strongly in favour of the conservative status quo. The Church is facing arguably its greatest challenge since its establishment by Henry VIII in his break away from Rome in the 1530's. It must use diplomacy and co-operation to come out of this in one piece. However, Saturday (15th May) saw an event which just may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
In front of 3,000 supporting Anglicans, Canon Mary Glasspool was ordained as an assistant bishop (Suffragen) within the Los Angeles diocese. However, the issue raised in this appointment may not be solely her gender, but also her sexuality. Bishop Glasspool is in fact an open lesbian with a partner of 19 years. For many outwith the Anglican Church this may not sound like something overly concerning. Within the UK alone the position of homosexuality has moved forward a great deal over the past five decades. The opportunities available to those with different sexual orientations is wide and varied. Never the less, within a secular state the roles of religion and society/politics can be very different. This is evident in the attitude taken by a number of Church members. For them it is bad enough that homosexuals have the write to 'marry', but to place them in a position of relative power within the hierarchy is a completely different matter.
It is well documented the distane which Christians have been known to feel towards to notion of homosexuality. Leviticus 18: 22 states, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.". In more contemporary translations of this, it has been reinterpreted using phrases such as 'detestable sin' and 'absolutely forbidden'. There is a note of irony for a progressive faith to rely upon the words of an unknown individual from thousands of years ago. No individual or organisation, with whatever degree of 'divine authority', should be permitted to condemn someone for what they do behind closed doors. Perhaps another point to raise of that passage is that it does not prohibit lesbians. It was directed towards men, and this in turn could be as a get out of jail free card for Bishop Glasspool. It is irrefutably evident that the days of persecution and torture of homosexuals by churches has mostly passed, but within the clergy they are being down trodden. Meanwhile, Dr Rowan Williams (Archbishop of Canterbury) is facing attack from both sides. He remains damned if he does anything, and damned if he remains silent. Dr Williams would be safer to go into a bunker and weather the storm. He has failed to challenge or accommodate a true solution to this situation, thus leading to its monotonous continuation. The Archbishop's feet have been dragging when facing down escalation, leading to some to be waiting for the appropriate time to trip him over.
It would seem then that Ruth Gledhill of The Times has it correct when she points out that the 77 million Anglicans of the world are more concerned with an individuals private life than their own doctrinal principals. The Church must stop allowing a schism from forming between the liberal and conservative camps. Those who claim to be so anti-gay/ lesbian must pull their heads out of the sand. If someones heart is dedicated to the ideology of the faith, then it should not matter what their gender or sexuality is. As the new British Government could claim pride for creating a pulpit from which a mixture of opinions and ideas can be expressed; so too should the Anglican Church embrace the wide variety of people they have in their flock. They only face breaking point because they fail to see their similarities and focus on the minor differences. When an Anglican reaches the Gates of Heaven, they will all be judged on their sins equally. The Almighty will see people who ostracised others who wished to express their love for Him. Bishop Glasspool should not be seen as a component in the creation of a schism, but rather a step forward in the Anglican Church. Those of us on the outside can only wish her the best of luck, knowing that she will need all the support she can get in the face of perpetual conservative attack. In turn then, should it be the nature of the sexual orientation which we should know her for, or the bravery which Mary is showing in the face of many negative attitudes toward progression.
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