TOGETHER IN FAITH; ONE IN CHRIST, April 12, 2008

TOGETHER IN FAITH; ONE IN CHRIST
SASKATCHEWAN ANGLICANS BREAK THE SILENCE
by Jim Komar and Peter Coolen, Integrity/Saskatoon
Published in the Saskatchewan Anglican, June 2008. p. 11.

For two millennia, the Christian faith has been a lamp of love to the feet of those who follow Jesus, the Light of the World. At times, some of the faithful strayed into the darkness; but the Light was steady and set them right again. In this tradition, on Saturday April 12 the Anglican Diocese of Saskatoon lit another lamp in the corridor of hope for humanity as it searched for faith-based answers to the wrenching issues surrounding GLBTT people (e.g., gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or two-spirit people). Hope abounded in the Queen’s House of Retreats at a workshop offered by Integrity/Saskatoon, the local chapter of an international Anglican advocacy organization committed to the full and equal inclusion of GLBTT people in the life of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Full and equal inclusion of GLBTT people raises issues which probe our deepest understanding of the Christian faith, indeed all the world’s major faiths (including those which do not posit a Supreme Being). Such issues are unlikely to be resolved if you are inadequately informed. The labels “homophobe” or “homosexual” are often unmerited caricatures of prejudice. A reluctance to become involved in your neighbour’s problems arises, especially if your children, siblings, or anyone else you love is not gay. You forget Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan. And taboo, in the guise of sin or some other self-imposed infallible authority, seals the lips, disconnects the brain, and closes the heart. In the ensuing conspiracy of silence, or reign of terror, a culture of us and them prevails; and the apostle Paul’s words about being one in Christ are forgotten.

Yet silence has proved ineffective for resolving these divisive issues. The continuation and growth of the resultant discord has reached the point where it threatens the very structure of the Church. Resolution of these issues would allow healing to begin, so the Church could get on with its witness to the Gospel of the love and justice which Jesus preached. But resolution would require the development of informed opinion among those faithful who were open to the possibility of change, which was most likely to occur in an atmosphere of mutually-respectful dialogue that sought the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

And so the workshop began with a celebration of the Eucharist by Rev. Rodney Andrews, Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Saskatoon, who had endorsed the workshop in his pastoral letter to the diocese and, along with Anglican Primate Fred Hiltz, at the diocesan synod a week earlier, had encouraged its support. Past Diocesan Bishop Tom Morgan and the rectors of several Anglican parishes, as well as Integrity Chaplain Rev. Anne Marie Nicklin, sat down among the laity to work through the day together. While the laity was mostly from Anglican parishes in Saskatoon and Prince Albert, it included ecumenically-minded Christians from Roman Catholic and United Church congregations in the city. Rev. Laura Fouhse, Diaconal Minister at McClure United, presented the workshop, assisted by Kaye Williams, President of PFLAG Saskatoon. Tom and Rose Rogers of St. Mark’s did most of the organizing and publicity.

Following worship, the group retired to a private lounge for a day of listening, questioning, and self-evaluation, in small groups and plenary sessions, where all were free to participate at the level of personal comfort in a friendly, sometimes light-hearted, non-confrontational atmosphere which fostered candour and serious inquiry. First guidelines were addressed, such as respecting differences of opinion and experience, speaking from personal experience, honouring confidentiality, and being open to the Holy Spirit of God, with inspiration from the Scriptures and the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Definitions of the vocabulary used in intelligent GLBTT expression promoted confidence in the discussions as the participants explored their personal comfort zones for GLBTT issues and were enlightened about the myths and facts regarding them.

A challenging time ensued when the participants were asked to imagine a society in which heterosexuals were the minority. While this was most improbable, it did show how much some basic freedoms are simply taken for granted, while conveying a good impression of what it felt like to be a GLBTT Christian. This led up to case studies of GLBTT people facilitated by members of Integrity/Saskatoon, whose members comprise GLBTT and heterosexual people, lay and clergy. Next came an evaluation of the faith community of each participant regarding GLBTT and other issues of their choice.

The day concluded with an evaluation of the workshop itself, and an overview of the workshop reference handouts, which the participants were encouraged to use for follow-up study, such as humorous hints on how to act if you are heterosexual and encounter GLBTT people, information on how homophobia hurts everyone, the meaning of heterosexual privilege, mental health issues, the resources which PFLAG brings to the table, and the contributions of famous GLBTT people to our world (including several GLBTT Christian saints, some celibate and others married to each other). A bibliography of suggested collateral readings was supplemented with a display of books available from the United Church Life Lines in Saskatoon, arrangedby Lynne Clay.

The workshop, perhaps the first of its kind in the Anglican Church of Canada, was an unqualified success. It engaged the audience it was designed for; and, to judge by their active participation, it would help their Church develop faith-based responses to the GLBTT crisis with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Hopefully, the good news would spread and Anglicans in outlying parishes would be inspired to set aside a Saturday or so to undertake training from Integrity/Saskatoon to help them facilitate the presentation of similar workshops in their faith communities. As it was put so powerfully in the First Epistle of John during the very beautiful opening liturgy prepared by Barbara Clay, “God is Love!”