Anglican Mainstream

The following quotation from Bishop Gene is on Ruth Gledhill’s blog, ‘Articles of Faith’, 27 July and relates to her shorter, more formal article, ‘Without gay priests Church would be lost claims Bishop Gene’, 27 July, the Times Online. Given the present heightened state of interest in the interplay of theology and sexuality for Anglicans around the globe, I found its omission rather odd, to be sure.

In order that my readers may hear exactly what Gene believes, I will simply quote his own words as well as the theological document, the content over which he was ‘ranting and raving’, the Nicene Creed. Though he may be less circumspect than others – and may irritate fellow-sympathizers with his indiscretion! – Gene is simply articulating the not-uncommon morphing of theological doctrine and sexual ethics for the Brave New World of Post-Orthodoxy which is slowly coming out of its closet, along with other hitherto closeted entities. TEC leads the way, but others are not far behind.

I admire this man for his courage – he is real, if nothing else! I believe he is profoundly wrong on the essentials of the Christian faith and views such as his will help finish off TEC – just watch it shrink! – but he will go down fighting with the heart-felt conviction that he is right. And if you imagine that he is a theological ‘radical’, rest assured that he sees himself in quite another light -’as a matter of fact I’m more evangelical than almost anyone you would run into in the Episcopal Church’. Comforting, isn’t it?

Let’s listen to Gene now

‘Yes. I go off to college, which quite coincidentally happened to be owned by the southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church and met an assistant chaplain there. When I raised my questions again, instead of telling me that I shouldn’t be asking, instead he congratulated me on asking all the right questions and said he didn’t have all the answers, but I was welcome to come in and let’s look for those answers together. I remember being struck at how undefensive he was about his religion – that Anglicanism seemed to be big enough and broad enough to allow and even encourage those kinds of questions. It had its own answers, but it existed to help me come to my own answers. I remember thinking “gosh, that seems to me to be the way religion ought to be”. So I was very encouraged by that. One day when I was ranting and raving about how much of the Nicene Creed I didn’t believe, he said “well, when you’re in church, just say the parts of the creed you do agree with. Be silent for the others. (emphasis mine) We’re not asking you do so something against your integrity”. And again I thought whew, that’s what one would hope for from a religion – honesty and integrity. And I guess that’s a theme that has carried throughout my life in Ministry – that God wants us to be honest and full of integrity.’

http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2007/07/cofe-would-shut.html#more for the complete interview.

(And in case any are wondering if Gene has since changed his mind in relation to doctrinal issues – he was recounting this incident from years ago – he did not give any indication that such was the case. This was the only time the Nicene Creed was mentioned in the interview, and it obviously appalled him then. As he has not stated otherwise, I assume it appals him still.)

And so my readers can correlate Gene’s emotional reactions with the theological formulations which elicited them, here is the text of the Nicene Creed.

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Amen

See ‘Heresy Precedes Homosexuality’, www.albertmohler.com
http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=990 for more.

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