I had the joy of seeing the production of ‘Carousel’ at the Coliseum Theatre in London earlier this year – perhaps one of the darkest musicals around but it has some lovely tunes! Watching it though took me back to going to the fair when it arrived in town. You remember how it was. All of a sudden posters would appear in the shop windows on the local parade – the fair was coming. ‘Mum, Mum, can we go … please?’ and eventually we would go. To be honest, as a certified wimp, I’m no good at the scary rides but I did enjoy the dodgems. It was that mixture of the sparks and the smell and the invitation to crash into someone that was the real joy of the ride. The screams, the fun, the joy of bashing into each other.
What fun!
Whilst London hosted it’s biggest Pride March in this 50th anniversary year of the decriminalisation of homosexual practice, the General Synod of the Church of England settled down to debate whether it was right or not to try to ‘cure’ gay people of their sexual desires through what is known as ‘Conversion Therapy’. A Private Members Motion had been tabled by Jayne Ozanne, a lay member of the Synod who, through personal experience believed that such therapies are wrong, abusive and destructive.
There are some well meaning and sincere Christians who believe that offering healing to people with ‘same-sex attraction’ is exactly what we should be doing. One speaker, in an attempt to justify his position, quoted Paul at us from his First Letter to the Christians in Corinth
Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. (1 Corinthians 6.9-11)
This is the NIV version of the text which was the one the speaker read to us. Give him his due, Paul did not pull his punches; it is explicit and, he said, it shows the radical Christian inclusion of which we speak. These people were included in the local church, but their lives had been changed, for as Paul says, ‘that is what some of you were.’ Their former sinful nature which excluded them from salvation, from the Kingdom of God, had been transformed through the ministry of Christ through his church.
Fortunately we heard other speakers who saw things differently and especially two young members of the Synod who spoke from their own personal experience. One had himself been subject to these therapies, which had for him led to severe bouts of depression, the other told us that for most young people their impression was that the church is inhospitable to LGBTI+ people. Their contributions and others, such as that of the Bishop of Liverpool, were greeted with fulsome applause.
To be honest there wasn’t enough debate as we were faced with four complex amendments each of which was subject (at the will of Synod) to a vote by Houses. We ended up with a twice amended Motion. The final voting, by Houses was as follows
Bishops For 36 Against 1 Abstentions 0
Clergy For 135 Against 25 Abstentions 13
Laity For 127 Against 48 Abstentions 13
So it was passed in all three houses. The car crash was avoided and for a second time this year the Synod has spoken strongly to the nation and to the church that those who view LGBTI+ people as disordered and needing healing or exclusion are in a minority. I had such pride in the Synod, in the tone of the debate and the care that was taken.
The rest of the day had been taken up with a good debate on ‘Presence and Engagement’ at which I was called to speak about our own engagement with the Muslim community in the light of the attack on London Bridge and the Borough Market; in legislative business; and with a presentation, workshops and a debate on the ‘National Support for Local Churches’.
So what could have been a disaster became a sign that, perhaps, we are turning a corner. But there are a few more corners to negotiate before we see gay people finding the same welcome in the church as they already find in the ever embracing arms of the God who created, without distinction, each one of us, his rainbow and beautiful people.
Stay with us, O God, this night,
so that by your strength
we may rise with the new day
to rejoice in the resurrection of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.
Andrew Nunn's reflections from General Synod 
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