Church of England - same sex liturgy

Below is a one side of A4 summary of a longish post on the Psephizo blog about the Church of England and its current debate/directions on a same sex liturgy

Photo by Grant Whitty on Unsplash

one side of A4 Summary

1)    There are differences within the church on what our approach should be to same sex relationships.
 
2)    Across those differences there is commitment to the church being a holy community that:
 
a)    expresses God’s love to the world;
b)    welcomes everybody;
c)     calls people to turn to God in faith and to grow in relationship with one another and with God;
d)    believes God speaks through the Bible, guiding, challenging, correcting and encouraging us;
e)    enables people to recognize their sin, repent and receive forgiveness;
f)      calls people to a costly journey of discipleship involving self-denial, discipline and restraint.
 
3)    On same sex relationships our disagreement is about what:
 
a)      we hear God saying to us about the pattern of a holy life;
b)      we recognise as sin and so repent of and be forgiven for;
c)      the disciplines and forms of self-denial and restraint THAT we are called to.
 
4)    So, what is the national church currently saying as regards loving, committed relationships and sexual conduct?  From February 2023’s General Synod it appears to be:
 
a)    No sex outside marriage between a man and a woman;
b)    Committed same-sex relationships (for example a civil partnership) are permitted but they are not marriage and therefore should not be sexual;
c)     Committed same-sex relationships should not claim to be marriage
 
Since at least 1991’s Issues in Human Sexuality the above teaching:
 
d)    has not been enforced by disciplinary means on lay people;
e)    has expected that clergy (and in places also licensed lay ministers and other lay leaders) order their lives according to the above teaching given the nature of their calling and vows at ordination.
 
5)    So, the options facing the church are:
 
a)    stick with 4a-c);
b)    develop something different within the current doctrine (of marriage and, for the pastoral guidance, of ordination);
c)     develop something different detached from the current doctrine (explicity or implicitly);
d)    develop a new ethic out of a new doctrine that replaces 4a-c) or can be held alongside such.
 
6)    It appears our church disagrees what developments, if any, there should be in our doctrine or ethic or liturgy or pastoral guidance.  And the dilemma is whether the church should proceed on the basis of a majority however small and however unhappy and large the dissenting minority proves to be.
 
7)    Even if there were further and stronger consensus, existing structures and orderly processes would need to be developed for those who conscientiously and passionately convinced the current doctrine, ethics, liturgy and pastoral guidance should remain the same OR are in need of development.  Options for such developments might be:
 
a)      diocese develop their own approach if their synod strongly agrees to such;
b)      a separate religious society is formed for those who do want change;
c)      develop a new province within the CofE for those who want change.
 
(Obviously options a) to c) might alternatively be used for those who don’t want any developments)
 
8)    And taking text directly from Andrew Goddard’s post on Psephizo “Such options might also allow a period of orderly ongoing discernment within the wider church. This would include in part – on the Gamaliel principle (“if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God”, Acts 5:38-39) – gaining greater clarity over time as to the mind of the church and the work of the Spirit both on the substantive issues and also on how our structures best evolve to enable the highest degree of communion in the face of our disagreements and divergences.  “

How modern PR & Comms works - object lesson using the news reporting on the coronation people's oath litrugy

Conjecture - as the reaction to the oath liturgy in the coronation service becomes adverse, a friend of the King is persuaded/decides to intervene publically by claiming the King had nothing to do with the oath liturgy, thus silently passing the blame to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Fact - 29/4/23 Lambeth Palace publishes the Liturgy for the Coronation of HM King Charles III, commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury and "produced in close consultation with His Majesty The King". The Liturgy includes "The homage of peers has been replaced by a Homage of the People: those watching and listening at home and elsewhere will be invited to make their homage by sharing in the same words – a chorus of millions of voices enabled for the first time in history to participate in this solemn and joyful moment."

Fact - 30/4/23 The news of the Homage of the People draws some negative comments, (e.g. as reported via the Express UK newspaper website) with the Express reporting that "The Palace said it was hoped the new addition to the service will result in a 'great cry around the nation and around the world of support for the King' "

Fact 3/5/23 The BBC reports that "While reading out the oath, the archbishop will call upon 'all persons of goodwill in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of the other realms and the territories to make their homage, in heart and voice, to their undoubted King, defender of all'.  The order of service will read: 'All who so desire, in the abbey, and elsewhere, say together: "I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.' The oath will be followed by the sound of a fanfare. The Archbishop of Canterbury will then proclaim: 'God Save The King', and those willing will be asked to respond: 'God Save King Charles. Long live King Charles. May the King live forever.'  The same BBC article says that speaking to BBC News,that the oath was "an invitation; it's not a command. In every Anglican service, every Christian service, it is normal for congregations to participate.  It's an invitation - so if you want to join in at this point, by all means do so. If you don't want to, that's fine. There's no drama to it."

Fact 5/5/23 The Telegraph newspaper website reports that Jonathan Dimbleby, the king's friend and biographer, commenting on the pledge of allegiance would likely be considered "abhorrent", by the King and that the king had "never wanted to be revered. I can think of nothing that he would find more abhorrent.  He has never wanted to be revered. He has never wanted, so far as I know, to have anyone paying homage to him except in mock terms as a joke." 

6/5/23 Fact - Post post update - According to the ITVX website there has been a change to the wording of the people's oath.  The wording was as immediately below, so

"All who so desire, in the Abbey, and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God."

Now the wording is "I now invite those who wish to offer their support to do so, with a moment of private reflection, by joining in saying ‘God save King Charles’ at the end, or for those with the words before them, to recite them in full.”  

10 useful links (no. 7) - social media guide for researchers, free big data, educational technology, facebook & twitter tips, stations of the cross, church for everyone, the examen, church growth, CofE creeds, articles, law and liturgy, mothering sunday

Social media: A guide for researchers - found via @jess1ecat and #NSMNSS

The free big data sources you should know about - found via @wef

Overview of educational technology - found via  @LSEImpactBlog

Facebook & Twitter tip sheets from the anglican diocese of toronto

youtube stations of the cross by bustedhalo

why you need to stop thinking your church is for everyone - found via @jakebelder

The Art of Examen - Lent Vidcasts 2015

Church Growth Resources

Church of England - the various creeds of belief it uses Apostles' Creed, the Athanasian Creed, the Nicene Creed, statements of doctrines - the 39 articles, (and the 2nd Book of Homilies mentioned in the 39 articles), its laws called Canons, and the authorised liturgy it uses Common Worship and the Book of Common Prayer 

mothering sunday resources on pinterest - found via @SKskersys


Previous 10 Useful Links posts 

No.'s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

history of #christianity in 15 #objects - no. 4 the #bcp - book of common prayer

by Rev'd Canon Dr Judith Maltby

in summary

- 1662 book of common prayer - still in use in church of england and one that has being a key reference point for liturgies around the world in anglican circles

- before it there were 3 major versions of the book of common prayer - stretching over the cofe 1st century after the break from rome

- the 2 prayer books - 1549 and 1552 - were produced in the short reign of edward the 6th but were surppressed by his roman catholic sister - mary the 1st

- in 1559 - 1 year into elizabeth the 1st's reign - a 3rd version of cramner's prayer book received the authorisation of parliament and crown in an act of uniformity - and was the prayer book used till 1662 - so the 1559 version was thye prayer book of shakespeare

- what is the impact of these texts? - the 1st fully vernacular forms for worship for the english people

- the book of common prayer has a social history as well as a spiritual one - as does the church

- although resisted initially the 1662 came to be a touchstone - a symbol of a church and a people's religious identity - so a story of continuity as well as discontinuity

- religious change takes time to take root - as did the reformation

- 1549 book of prayer caused rebellion in cornwall as they rejected it - and some puritans thought the 1662 version had to much "popery" in it

- a dynamic and contested text - yet it became a common text  - shared by priests and people  - owned by neither 

liturgy for studies & other rooms of labour

this post by the vernacular curate is wonderful 


read the whole thing




but by way of a taster


 Let us pray.

A period of silence follows.

O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people;
in the multitude of your mercies look with compassion
     upon the untidy and all who turn to you for alphabetised shelves;
for you are gracious, O lover of dust free spaces,
and to you we give Mr Sheen, a duster, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
now and for ever.

All                Amen.

build a service tool

can be found on the bettergatherings site


basically you can build a service on line then download it to a no. of file types


found via the liturgy blog

sci-fi & fantasy service liturgy

is here on the avrilatromsey blog


anybody have mattins in yoda?




















found via hold this space  

celtic

inspired prayers and liturgy are available on John Birch's faithandworship.com site

1662 liturgy

from the 1662 church of england book of common prayer has some great stuff that is a gift from generations past