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Open Door Policy 365 Days a Year |
Fakenham Churches Together had an excellent ‘Question Time’
with the 5 candidates seeking election as MP for our new
constituency of Broadland. It was a well organised and well
tempered debate in the grand Victorian setting of the local
Methodist Church.
Question after question teased out of the candidates their
thoughts on the economy, local employment and EEC issues. As
we came to the end of the meeting members of the audience at
the back of the church were obviously slightly frustrated
that their questions had not been used, and so decided to
add extra questions.
One of these questions was the Christian attitude to
abortion and gay relationships which has so divided the
church. It was a good question but sadly the questioner gave
his own answer before anyone could say anything.
I can remember being at King’s College London in the early
1970’s when the country was preparing for the legalisation
of both abortion and homosexual acts. Gradually police were
relaxing their strict policing of gay people and there were
few arrests in London. Also the back street abortionists
were preparing to close.
I came away from the Thursday debate slightly angry that
with a blanket statement one person could say that abortion
was always wrong. My wife had personal experience of having
to have an abortion for medical reasons so as to save any
problems which might have endangered her life. Other people
would have similar experiences and how can you judge a young
woman wanting an abortion when she has been raped, or
carrying a deformed child?
Likewise the blanket rejection of everyone who is gay in our
community would cut out a significant section of the
community. From the secretive actions of gay people before
1972 we have grown as a nation and I am honoured to have gay
people in my own congregation. One of my first acts as a
parish priest here was to take a service for a beautiful and
lovely gay man called David who had committed suicide. He
will always be missed by Fakenham. The knowledge that some
of my fellow priests are gay has been knowledge in the
church ever since I was ordained. I once heard by Mervin
Stockwood former Bishop of Southwark say at dinner party
full of young ordinands, that if he lost every gay priest in
his Diocese then it could not operate. That may have been an
exaggeration of a large glass of wine, but certainly the
church has benefited from the care and counsel of many gay
clergy. Over the years many of my dear friends have been
gay.
So I would ask those who make swift judgements about
abortion and homosexuality to go back to the Bible and see
how Jesus ministered to people. I would love to have over my
Church door, ’Come in- we are not a perfect church– we
accept you as you are’.
Mathew 11.28 says it all. ‘Come to me all of you who are
weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.’
Adrian Bell |
