Bishops' support for transgender reverends
Transgender people in Shropshire are being encouraged to become leaders and wardens in the Church of England.
It is a letter that runs to more than 1,400 words, a heartfelt appeal to church leaders to embrace change.
And the message from the Diocese of Lichfield bishops is that transgender people should be welcomed in, and eventually accepted as ministers.
Bishop of Shrewsbury, the Right Reverend Mark Rylands, has put his name to the letter offering guidance to churchgoers and clergy across the diocese, which includes most of Shropshire.
The letter is also signed by Bishop of Lichfield Dr Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of Stafford Geoff Annas and Bishop of Wolverhampton Clive Gregory.
They accept the issue is a complex one and that church-goers and leaders have a wide variety of views.
But they remind church members that homosexual, bisexual and transgender people ‘can be called to roles of leadership and service in the local church’.
Reputation
The guidance, titled ‘Welcoming and Honouring LGBT+ People’, warns that the Church’s reputation as being unwelcoming towards gay and transgender people is causing young people to stay away.
But the stance is not supported by all, with the Church Society voicing some concerns about the statement, saying that transgenderism is a “problematic” issue.
In their letter, the bishops said: “We very much hope that they, like everyone else, feel encouraged to serve on parochial church councils, or as churchwardens and worship leaders, for instance, and are supported in exploring vocations to licensed lay and ordained ministries.
"Nobody should be told that their sexual or gender identity in itself makes them an unsuitable candidate for leadership in the Church.”
They also warn against “intrusive questioning about someone’s sexual practices or desires, or their experience of gender”, saying it is “almost always inappropriate”.
Dr Ipgrave, who is part of a group exploring problems faced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender in churches, today explained why the letter was released.
He said: “This is not about determining a position on the theological and ethical issues, this is about welcoming people and making sure they have a place at the table. This is not political correctness, that is Christianity.
“From the group we have heard both good and bad experiences, I’ve learned we need to make people from all backgrounds feel welcome.”
Encouraging
OneBodyOneFaith, which works to promote lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusion, called the guidance ‘encouraging’.
Chief executive Tracey Byrne said: “The kind of intrusive and abusive questioning of individuals condemned in the letter does happen.
"Only this week we heard from a gay couple in another part of the country whose vicar told them they can’t serve on any church committee.
"People feel ashamed, hurt and confused when they encounter this kind of behaviour.”
Fuzzy
But Reverend Dr Lee Gatiss, chairman of the Church Society, said while the bishops’ letter had been written with pastoral sensitivity and thoughtfulness, it also revealed some “fuzzy thinking”.
He said: “Transgender people deserve dignity, respect, care, and unconditional welcome in our churches as human beings created by God.
"Transgenderism, however, is problematic from a Christian perspective because it involves violating the biblical teaching that we should live as members of the sex that God has given to us.”
