In Praise Of The "Radical Fringe" And Those With The Courage To Admit A Mistake
Captain Sensible writes: As we eagerly await the opening of Amazing Grace in UK cinemas this Friday, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade on 25th March, a very interesting article appeared in the Faith section of The Times last Saturday.
The Rev Dr Nicholas Sagovsky reminded us that: "The mainstream Church accepted the slave trade as part of the way God had made the world with its natural hierarchy...At that time, criticism of the slave trade came largely from the Christian margins."
He goes on to explain that: "These conservative beliefs were challenged by the revolutionary dynamic of the Enlightenment and a radical fringe of Christians."
"So should the Church feel guilty?" asked the author of the article, Nick Wyke.
"It should feel very strongly guilty", replied Sagovsky.
A timely reminder that "the Church" does not always get it right and that sometimes a more "radical fringe" does.
Interesting then that Debbie Maken has today published a response to a comment on her blog of which the following is an extract: "I tend to agree that no theologian ever got everything right. But I do think most of the theologians I cite seemed to have a party line on singleness and marriage, and it would do us well to examine their rather uniform thoughts on this matter. Our modern party line is a deviation from historical belief regarding this subject, and I would suggest that our modern theologians got this one wrong."
A public injustice necessitates a public repentance, and that is exactly what happened when the Church of England last year voted to apologise to the descendants of victims of the slave trade. An amendment recognising "the damage done" was backed overwhelmingly by the General Synod, with the Rev Simon Bessant admitting that: "We were at the heart of it."
Now, slavery is one thing; singleness is quite another, and I am not saying the two are comparable.
My point is when, I wonder, will the public apology come with regard to the Church's modern, mainstream teaching on the imaginary "gift of singleness", which is encouraging Christian men to be self-appointed eunuchs (and not for the sake of the Kingdom!) and leaving the Christian women that are fearful of looking for a believing man outside of existing church circles, barren?
We're waiting...
But not on God, as singles are so frequently told to do.
No, we're waiting for strong and courageous male leaders that are unafraid to admit a mistake and apologise for "the damage done."
The Rev Dr Nicholas Sagovsky reminded us that: "The mainstream Church accepted the slave trade as part of the way God had made the world with its natural hierarchy...At that time, criticism of the slave trade came largely from the Christian margins."
He goes on to explain that: "These conservative beliefs were challenged by the revolutionary dynamic of the Enlightenment and a radical fringe of Christians."
"So should the Church feel guilty?" asked the author of the article, Nick Wyke.
"It should feel very strongly guilty", replied Sagovsky.
A timely reminder that "the Church" does not always get it right and that sometimes a more "radical fringe" does.
Interesting then that Debbie Maken has today published a response to a comment on her blog of which the following is an extract: "I tend to agree that no theologian ever got everything right. But I do think most of the theologians I cite seemed to have a party line on singleness and marriage, and it would do us well to examine their rather uniform thoughts on this matter. Our modern party line is a deviation from historical belief regarding this subject, and I would suggest that our modern theologians got this one wrong."
A public injustice necessitates a public repentance, and that is exactly what happened when the Church of England last year voted to apologise to the descendants of victims of the slave trade. An amendment recognising "the damage done" was backed overwhelmingly by the General Synod, with the Rev Simon Bessant admitting that: "We were at the heart of it."
Now, slavery is one thing; singleness is quite another, and I am not saying the two are comparable.
My point is when, I wonder, will the public apology come with regard to the Church's modern, mainstream teaching on the imaginary "gift of singleness", which is encouraging Christian men to be self-appointed eunuchs (and not for the sake of the Kingdom!) and leaving the Christian women that are fearful of looking for a believing man outside of existing church circles, barren?
We're waiting...
But not on God, as singles are so frequently told to do.
No, we're waiting for strong and courageous male leaders that are unafraid to admit a mistake and apologise for "the damage done."
posted by Captain Sensible at 5:40 PM
2 Comments:
Should not be the Gos be called the gift of selfishness or gift of secularism or maybe the gift of immaturity? Maybe that a bit harsh as there are many other valid reasons as to why people dont get married. Can anyone tell me how much of an issue money or lack of it is an issue for christians populating this earth?
Sorry goes a long way. I have two little girls who are daily made to say sorry to one another over unintended boo-boos and perhaps even some intentional hurts. It is amazing that when we grow up, our pride and self-defense mechanisms take over to the point that we forget the earliest lessons of childhood and seeking forgiveness from those we have wronged.
One time an associate pastor from my former church was reading a very early version of the manuscript, and I remember him saying to me that the GoS language I depicted was indeed "deceptive." But instead of dealing with the fact that people were being misled, he said he was more "worried about the condition of my heart," and the "anger." And I kept looking at him thinking why is anger not an appropriate reaction to deception? This conversation sums up the state of Christian pastorhood on this topic-- the recipient of the false information is the problem, not the disseminator. This is sad, and we need to pray for a spirit of repentance. When revivals break out, one of the first things that many of people do is reveal their need to seek forgiveness for something they have done wrong, and often sometimes things they have harbored.
Debbie Maken
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