Meta tags:
description= Reflecting on sexuality and gender identity in the Church of England;
Headings (most frequently used words):
share, this, synod, at, home, and, the, monday, to, love, questions, archives, blog, sharedconversations, rest, from, our, labours, long, sunday, into, learning, be, loved, bishops, bodies, my, private, member, motion, going, quiet, working, towards, new, bishop, five, guiding, principles, two, key, issues, for, church, recognising, wiggle, room, consider, lilies, on, changing, one, mind, february, 2026, raised, by, concluding, without, ending, what, happens, next, with, living, in, faith, recent, posts, categories, stats, subscribe, via, email,
Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (1027), and (413), that (285), for (196), this (168), was (155), synod (126), are (120), which (109), not (103), but (97), about (92), with (89), from (87), church (76), what (75), there (75), new (69), have (67), one (66), some (64), has (61), motion (59), people (59), can (57), all (57), who (57), #bishops (56), more (50), they (49), those (49), how (48), you (48), our (47), been (47), #bishop (47), had (47), like (43), share (43), faoc (43), will (41), their (41), opens (40), window (40), were (40), women (39), july (38), them (37), when (37), february (36), debate (36), work (36), being (34), other (33), 2026 (33), just (33), faith (32), house (32), very (32), because (32), also (32), here (31), general (30), time (30), may (29), love (29), now (28), january (28), 2018 (28), would (28), first (28), sex (27), another (27), ministry (27), out (27), email (26), group (26), after (26), same (26), clergy (26), these (25), 2022 (24), llf (24), many (24), 2023 (23), going (23), 2025 (22), posted (22), even (22), part (22), facebook (21), process (21), flowers (21), back (21), archbishop (21), 2016 (20), england (20), reddit (20), than (20), meeting (20), see (20), 2024 (19), commission (19), member (19), its (19), before (19), where (19), any (19), then (19), living (18), against (18), don (18), could (18), question (18), make (18), members (18), statement (18), theological (18), think (18), york (18), already (17), november (17), june (17), 2021 (17), document (17), home (17), into (17), two (17), working (17), sexuality (17), well (17), doing (17), five (17), years (17), august (16), vote (16), questions (16), only (16), good (16), made (16), paper (16), such (16), favour (16), blog (15), october (15), long (15), gay (15), way (15), point (15), much (15), although (15), heard (15), rather (15), she (15), put (15), others (15), intimate (15), 2017 (14), 2020 (14), far (14), why (14), should (14), diocesan (14), while (14), diocese (14), does (14), course (14), ordination (14), gps (14), use (13), person (13), needs (13), life (13), day (13), asked (13), support (13), speak (13), her (13), over (13), abstentions (13), rest (12), whether (12), churches (12), still (12), doesn (12), since (12), get (12), thing (12), used (12), need (12), nothing (12), always (12), room (12), relationship (12), comment (11), loading (11), april (11), september (11), friend (11), service (11), relationships (11), yet (11), end (11), through (11), agenda (11), around (11), did (11), voted (11), committee (11), chair (11), said (11), guidelines (11), ordained (11), cnc (11), report (10), december (10), marriage (10), tagged (10), link (10), space (10), set (10), sexual (10), civil (10), within (10), archbishops (10), something (10), misc (10), various (10), zoom (10), full (10), coming (10), last (10), week (10), fluff35 (10), clear (10), during (10), supporting (10), excellent (10), each (10), present (10), three (10), together (10), online (10), march (9), 2019 (9), episcopal (9), bodies (9), monday (9), happen (9), too (9), pastoral (9), answer (9), next (9), marriages (9), seem (9), towards (9), again (9), came (9), thinking (9), meetings (9), pain (9), without (9), issues (9), come (9), yes (9), his (9), things (9), meant (9), priests (9), canterbury (9), committed (9), means (9), local (9), morning (9), intimacy (9), comments (8), safeguarding (8), crown (8), nominations (8), gender (8), private (8), leave (8), move (8), reference (8), dioceses (8), asking (8), say (8), interesting (8), usual (8), needed (8), really (8), post (8), mean (8), ended (8), given (8), nor (8), changed (8), happened (8), passed (8), groups (8), including (8), membership (8), know (8), 1431 (8), lgbtqia (8), business (8), parts (8), called (8), discernment (8), best (8), parish (8), environment (8), debates (8), amendment (8), voting (8), experience (8), both (8), principles (8), felt (8), elected (8), national (8), fundamental (8), faithful (8), laity (8), prayers (7), own (7), believe (7), different (7), lesbian (7), comes (7), using (7), sustainable (7), important (7), having (7), told (7), trust (7), focus (7), date (7), wider (7), sense (7), list (7), theology (7), read (7), word (7), order (7), documents (7), scheduled (7), however (7), between (7), resource (7), reading (7), range (7), whole (7), book (7), particular (7), inclusion (7), taking (7), wondering (7), conduct (7), parishes (7), guiding (7), common (7), objections (7), visc (7), found (7), entirely (7), children (7), christian (7), sharedconversations (6), 2015 (6), posts (6), programme (6), sunday (6), certain (6), isn (6), amended (6), change (6), includes (6), plf (6), ask (6), ever (6), short (6), talking (6), advice (6), identity (6), moved (6), talk (6), canon (6), reasons (6), large (6), wrote (6), days (6), response (6), pages (6), papers (6), until (6), find (6), indeed (6), anglican (6), wasn (6), didn (6), help (6), knowledge (6), item (6), houses (6), care (6), chamber (6), sarah (6), trying (6), conservatives (6), case (6), piece (6), involved (6), published (6), relevant (6), vacancy (6), odd (6), outside (6), considered (6), least (6), body (6), god (6), pmm (6), christ (6), acting (6), publication (6), views (6), website (5), subscribe (5), month (5), address (5), enter (5), your (5), shared (5), older (5), place (5), presentation (5), couple (5), described (5), 2426 (5), analysis (5), maybe (5), services (5), consider (5), board (5), meet (5), year (5), partnerships (5), apparently (5), feel (5), look (5), minutes (5), most (5), across (5), despite (5), delayed (5), standing (5), better (5), done (5), close (5), saying (5), context (5), synodical (5), human (5), quinquennium (5), looking (5), further (5), appointment (5), several (5), processes (5), men (5), raised (5), few (5), training (5), professional (5), themselves (5), discipline (5), development (5), money (5), hours (5), particularly (5), once (5), power (5), display (5), silence (5), discussion (5), speech (5), problem (5), anti (5), majority (5), little (5), eucharist (5), every (5), fringe (5), final (5), difference (5), useful (5), current (5), cannot (5), opposed (5), consecration (5), speeches (5), world (5), offer (5), key (5), down (5), result (5), event (5), oxford (5), took (5), went (5), lots (5), example (5), abuse (5), objection (5), christians (5), saw (5), stage (5), minster (5), meaning (5), manage (4), reader (4), content (4), teaching (4), learning (4), loved (4), ending (4), established (4), ongoing (4), under (4), anything (4), finding (4), longer (4), immediately (4), seeing (4), wonder (4), someone (4), possible (4), simply (4), seems (4), picture (4), times (4), areas (4), received (4), less (4), message (4), fine (4), learned (4), alongside (4), challenged (4), regular (4), mentioned (4), sent (4), ahead (4), probably (4), practice (4), originally (4), independent (4), allowed (4), add (4), easy (4), months (4), unless (4), feeling (4), able (4), europe (4), episcopacy (4), decided (4), 100 (4), law (4), continue (4), attention (4), difficult (4), level (4), representation (4), discussed (4), opposite (4), readers (4), happening (4), decision (4), primary (4), measure (4), candidate (4), candidates (4), asks (4), offered (4), flower (4), straight (4), thought (4), deanery (4), jesus (4), conversion (4), arrangements (4), words (4), light (4), information (4), based (4), water (4), enough (4), amendments (4), call (4), overall (4), funding (4), seemed (4), watching (4), recognise (4), included (4), great (4), hot (4), mission (4), choice (4), spaces (4), never (4), woman (4), earlier (4), conservative (4), let (4), regardless (4), recognition (4), believing (4), small (4), celibacy (4), accepting (4), mutual (4), flourishing (4), communion (4), noted (4), reject (4), held (4), issued (4), official (4), written (4), 2014 (4), theme (4), votes (4), everything (4), reps (4), attend (4), amount (4), antibiotics (4), bit (4), weeks (4), started (4), learn (4), shall (4), compatible (4), tried (4), 1975 (4), lunch (4), hip (4), friday (4), spoke (4), whatsapp (4), miss (4), breakfast (4), land (4), palestinian (4), required (3), view (3), site (3), sign (3), wordpress (3), com (3), archives (3), follow (3), via (3), conversations (3), movement (3), labours (3), recent (3), concluding (3), resources (3), want (3), expression (3), guidance (3), following (3), anyone (3), married (3), consultations (3), helpful (3), shows (3), weren (3), available (3), note (3), clause (3), explore (3), unlikely (3), temporary (3), title (3), decisions (3), teams (3), 2028 (3), details (3), consultation (3), four (3), making (3), progress (3), society (3), sure (3), says (3), changes (3), perhaps (3), take (3), steps (3), legislation (3), remember (3), addressed (3), neil (3), seen (3), delegated (3), suggests (3), lessons (3), period (3), continued (3), include (3), painful (3), defined (3), summary (3), contains (3), motions (3), somehow (3), holy (3), points (3), shortly (3), media (3), orientation (3), suppose (3), later (3), extra (3), london (3), structures (3), review (3), tiny (3), existing (3), attempts (3), homilies (3), lead (3), dem (3), ready (3), specifically (3), sacramental (3), won (3), 2027 (3), rejected (3), beyond (3), along (3), diversity (3), voices (3), cited (3), informed (3), scholarship (3), area (3), recognises (3), certainly (3), partner (3), revd (3), favourite (3), supposed (3), whose (3), supplementary (3), aspect (3), though (3), unlawful (3), reflect (3), norwich (3), personal (3), costs (3), staff (3), answers (3), normal (3), reflecting (3), priesthood (3), ago (3), notes (3), pointed (3), reduce (3), funeral (3), armed (3), forces (3), family (3), friends (3), run (3), lilies (3), tradition (3), experiences (3), age (3), damaging (3), treated (3), session (3), hoping (3), followed (3), previous (3), system (3), seats (3), quiet (3), failed (3), attending (3), tea (3), due (3), authority (3), false (3), debating (3), mind (3), mullally (3), misogyny (3), martyn (3), judith (3), maltby (3), homosexuality (3), posed (3), early (3), honest (3), become (3), worse (3), apart (3), major (3), concern (3), tempting (3), open (3), describes (3), writing (3), chosen (3), stated (3), sad (3), agree (3), supported (3), reduced (3), number (3), lack (3), getting (3), position (3), fall (3), access (3), respect (3), gp4 (3), either (3), conviction (3), tension (3), similar (3), language (3), remains (3), giving (3), seeking (3), creation (3), challenge (3), topic (3), matter (3), social (3), recognising (3), public (3), cncs (3), confidentiality (3), sort (3), calendar (3), subgroup (3), brought (3), commented (3), prayer (3), rcpe (3), pneumonia (3), cold (3), college (3), williams (3), wording (3), engage (3), apply (3), submitted (3), bringing (3), soon (3), hope (3), affirm (3), discipleship (3), missing (3), met (3), among (3), unity (3), practices (3), speakers (3), ordinary (3), contact (3), nation (3), rules (3), neurodivergent (3), pray (3), complete (3), food (3), palestine (3), lives (3), eco (3), left (3), usage (3), name (2), write (2), log (2), subscribed (2), join (2), subscribers (2), select (2), receive (2), equal (2), ecumenical (2), watch (2), currently (2), respond (2), heavily (2), falls (2), material (2), latter (2), importance (2), wedding (2), version (2), decide (2), cathedral (2), pretty (2), dodgy (2), activity (2), reality (2), results (2), surprise (2), participation (2), annex (2), standalone (2), couples (2), interestingly (2), stuff (2), begins (2), tells (2), term (2), resourcing (2), issue (2), gives (2), designed (2), recipe (2), culture (2), main (2), proposal (2), makes (2), legal (2), necessary (2), aren (2), fun (2), patterson (2), referring (2), necessarily (2), states (2), second (2), letter (2), indescribably (2), conclude (2), hint (2), spirit (2), offers (2), framework (2), section (2), critiques (2), instead (2), tomorrow (2), signed (2), turn (2), panel (2), monitoring (2), data (2), save (2), willing (2), near (2), involves (2), nearly (2), upon (2), starting (2), happens (2), inevitably (2), terms (2), expect (2), feature (2), agreed (2), reflections (2), ecclesiological (2), italics (2), addition (2), 254 (2), waiting (2), haven (2), careful (2), impressed (2), seek (2), engagement (2), incorporates (2), sources (2), quoted (2), considerable (2), moreover (2), backgrounds (2), scholars (2), related (2), accepts (2), specific (2), connected (2), carried (2), theologians (2), greater (2), responsibility (2), ensure (2), perspectives (2), sometimes (2), grateful (2), gibraltar (2), north (2), attracted (2), affirming (2), please (2), anglicans (2), calls (2), produced (2), lot (2), avoiding (2), article (2), knows (2), adultery (2), acts (2), 228 (2), emphasised (2), understanding (2), provide (2), reflects (2), standard (2), grounds (2), proposed (2), qualities (2), ordinands (2), definition (2), regarding (2), warning (2), generation (2), taken (2), understand (2), scope (2), euphemisms (2), replacing (2), ones (2), cost (2), million (2), spent (2), appropriate (2), mary (2), tanner (2), partly (2), wrong (2), dahlia (2), widely (2), enthusiasm (2), secretary (2), priest (2), altar (2), request (2), vicar (2), mostly (2), baptist (2), signs (2), bartholomew (2), harpley (2), huge (2), precisely (2), celebrated (2), largely (2), buildings (2), floral (2), foam (2), angered (2), gaza (2), defeated (2), convert (2), seas (2), beauty (2), itself (2), off (2), hour (2), speaking (2), urgency (2), significant (2), smaller (2), discussions (2), mental (2), health (2), recommended (2), rejecting (2), communities (2), plans (2), class (2), unaware (2), empty (2), commenting (2), exception (2), middle (2), table (2), respecting (2), teachers (2), faces (2), snow (2), homophobia (2), charlie (2), bell (2), marks (2), principle (2), live (2), urgently (2), minority (2), energy (2), secure (2), separation (2), doctrine (2), assume (2), participate (2), non (2), traditionalist (2), apparent (2), start (2), microaggressions (2), male (2), apostasy (2), cry (2), serious (2), feelings (2), describing (2), none (2), accept (2), catholic (2), sounds (2), alone (2), impression (2), applied (2), nowhere (2), modern (2), situation (2), chief (2), role (2), hands (2), pandemic (2), attempt (2), extended (2), entitled (2), choosing (2), today (2), realise (2), choose (2), strongly (2), marry (2), options (2), insist (2), telling (2), counts (2), central (2), convictions (2), caving (2), fashions (2), supporters (2), discrimination (2), injustice (2), accuse (2), calling (2), spectrum (2), simple (2), relevance (2), suggested (2), kind (2), forward (2), remove (2), bad (2), observe (2), orders (2), hooray (2), unable (2), flourish (2), holding (2), study (2), enable (2), potential (2), hereafter (2), sheffield (2), reviewer (2), noting (2), variety (2), bible (2), act (2), hatred (2), office (2), wiggle (2), confidential (2), domain (2), election (2), proceedings (2), source (2), afterwards (2), copies (2), appointments (2), bring (2), academic (2), discerning (2), diagnosis (2), attended (2), remotely (2), commissioning (2), screen (2), appearing (2), option (2), challenging (2), fixed (2), starts (2), cancelled (2), began (2), draft (2), sections (2), education (2), figures (2), third (2), focused (2), medical (2), increasingly (2), uneasy (2), meanwhile (2), away (2), sore (2), throat (2), stop (2), alive (2), exhibition (2), sorts (2), terry (2), louden (2), southwark (2), rowan (2), higton (2), happy (2), badly (2), amazing (2), quote (2), lifelong (2), journey (2), formal (2), officially (2), idea (2), whatever (2), addresses (2), names (2), actions (2), right (2), spell (2), opportunity (2), disciples (2), running (2), briefings (2), 1987 (2), air (2), mri (2), show (2), precious (2), sitting (2), 111 (2), doctor (2), technical (2), hear (2), side (2), remain (2), assured (2), silent (2), dyslexia (2), communication (2), music (2), welfare (2), hearing (2), stories (2), loss (2), institutions (2), clubs (2), halls (2), gave (2), sharing (2), kingdom (2), saturday (2), acny (2), misconduct (2), transparent (2), everyone (2), summing (2), neurodiversity (2), led (2), items (2), lived (2), successfully (2), revisions (2), publishing (2), lord (2), teach (2), stand (2), fringes (2), pre (2), bearing (2), saving (2), ice (2), managed (2), replicate (2), round (2), give (2), mum (2), holiday (2), eiffel (2), tower (2), french (2), goodie (2), whom (2), eventually (2), territory (2), investment (2), justice (2), net (2), 2030 (2), liturgy (2), positive (2), suddenly (2), opened (2), reminder (2), baptised (2), persons (2), reliance (2), spiritual (2), direction (2), professor (2), assuming (2), pass (2), original (2), chris (2), dalliston (2), jamie (2), harrison (2), security (2), got (2), anna (2), pointing (2), graham (2), lay (2), ministries (2), aimed (2), else (2), devoted (2), mine (2), usually (2), belong (2), val (2), commissioners (2), 30by30 (2), target (2), nature (2), looks (2), gift (2), reason (2), dearly (2), looked (2), collapse, bar, subscriptions, privacy, account, notifications, 135, 473, hits, stats, uncategorized, renewal, reform, preaching, categories, search, expensive, dedicated, weight, patch, grass, deposit, trans, instalments, worship, welcome, irony, traditions, 2433b, finally, updated, chaplaincy, presuppose, minister, regards, distasteful, covenanted, friendship, introduction, feedback, synods, conclusions, anyway, analysed, emails, couldn, consists, closing, setting, rsgwg, agrees, proportionate, reassurance, measures, accompany, dragging, snazzy, driving, marshalling, workstreams, heavy, picked, spotlight, falling, singleness, transgender, technology, sexualisation, purity, alternative, universe, takes, reports, delaying, tactic, dead, lesson, passes, imperfect, untidy, leaves, unresolved, repeats, late, negative, moments, load, discovering, dissected, sinful, plan, conclusion, pause, afraid, convenient, excuse, fact, intro, permanent, structural, appeared, blogs, promised, webinar, prior, sessions, flagged, actual, notice, briefing, code, planned, nugget, exploring, blessing, tag, latest, comprises, moment, restricting, thoughts, obvious, envisage, summarises, implement, traces, otherwise, referenced, quotations, exploration, clauses, lament, repent, repeated, bruised, unsafe, wish, terminology, thoroughly, debased, repetition, failures, abandoned, timetable, slip, tasks, batch, leicester, undergirding, asserting, contrary, agreeing, impairment, answering, autumn, casting, doubt, added, publish, timely, 140, scoping, 119, himself, welcomes, representativeness, broad, balanced, diverse, paid, trusts, advisers, refers, occasions, amongst, background, reflection, explicitly, reflected, cites, derives, focussed, closely, canons, disciplinary, limited, achieve, desirable, direct, argument, arguing, engages, connection, indicates, detailed, questioner, provides, reply, behalf, white, american, identifying, evangelicals, commit, ensuring, broader, base, receives, seriously, simon, talbott, ely, absolute, 144, legible, eyebrows, goodness, cite, recall, underpin, wisely, sixteenth, century, observes, quotation, homily, whoredom, commends, godly, societies, punished, mutilation, death, confirm, supports, punishments, replace, requested, ethical, matters, relating, refer, vocational, establish, extend, behaviour, highest, aspire, statutory, formation, replacement, references, create, obligations, chester, serve, consideration, intercourse, therein, understood, narrow, biological, coitus, recently, argued, https, viamedia, news, sexanyway, assessment, authoritative, committing, notoriously, coy, fond, collective, clutching, pearls, binning, patrick, richmond, contenders, award, 258, attracting, project, spire, opportunities, supplementaries, financial, excludes, 42¼, feb, 238, fell, send, answered, circulated, meets, yesterday, 106, churchwardens, wonderful, arrangers, enhanced, converted, initial, gut, reactions, versus, pictures, bluesky, hashtag, bloomscrolling, photos, galantophile, seasons, hadn, implications, knew, represents, humanity, maleness, instant, stood, wanted, mantra, reuse, recycle, husband, benefice, reused, florist, train, rapidly, rethought, wove, mortality, celebration, delighted, parishioners, field, interested, showing, forced, season, origin, easter, memo, seasonal, methods, demonstrated, amplify, concerns, invisible, decorate, arranged, recovers, lost, honours, afresh, damage, mutually, exclusive, procedural, originated, worcestershire, dimensions, pesticides, unnecessary, plastic, release, microplastics, planet, drought, affected, countries, grow, export, conditions, grows, fragility, enemy, chicken, wire, environmentally, friendly, ways, keeping, worcester, substantial, schedule, merit, anticipated, criticising, joined, applause, priorities, top, arrived, amend, pro, split, stagnation, injecting, ownership, oppose, unamended, brand, conversation, action, covered, affect, poverty, fees, burials, raise, significantly, lowest, incomes, update, encourage, city, relates, entails, irritated, feed, expressing, crossness, commonly, pee, breaks, break, thursday, stations, drink, cup, keep, hydrated, wednesday, celebrant, lily, bear, enjoy, familiar, stuffy, comfortable, sound, vision, distraction, often, hosting, lunchtimes, accounted, changing, churchy, numerals, punchline, demands, sixth, stone, rolled, legacy, hangs, discussing, decade, reigned, pressing, identify, disappear, existence, resolved, unfortunately, liberated, productive, endeavours, separate, insulate, influence, survival, solution, absolutely, undecided, confused, preferred, practical, lines, advocacy, single, hold, distinct, collegial, institutionalised, sacrament, accepted, sacraments, extends, experienced, leadership, podium, visibly, upset, recalled, author, talks, rule, accuses, ideological, delusion, evidence, weakness, emotional, manipulation, shocking, maturity, express, tears, count, sentimentality, offensive, unexpected, bonus, devotes, page, herself, crediton, mentions, invited, preach, colleagues, anglo, evangelical, polite, elsewhere, recommending, abolition, encouraging, consequences, strengthened, justin, welby, announced, norm, shift, consecrator, laying, covid, presented, arrangement, awareness, upholding, providing, rationale, returned, roles, consecrators, consecrating, minimum, similarly, stark, contrast, mass, laid, traditional, begun, consecrated, stepped, aside, preside, appears, establishing, pure, line, succession, credentials, effects, winter, edition, creep, curious, incident, vanishing, consecrations, segregation, increasing, surely, frankly, equivalences, concession, organisation, shouldn, free, unevenly, distributed, stable, decades, recognised, honour, cause, nobody, abandon, beloved, unequal, distribution, thinks, causing, harm, argues, fair, restricted, loyal, funds, integrity, characterize, stigmatise, orthodox, inclusive, former, binaries, reasserted, orthodoxy, binary, spot, contradiction, rochester, introduced, preference, custom, prejudice, prove, reconciled, eames, resolution, 1988, lambeth, conference, combine, provinces, behind, examples, australian, man, deacon, conditionally
Text of the page (random words):
urch flowers motion demonstrated precisely the way that we can amplify the voices of our parishes their concerns and their experiences it celebrated the work of the largely invisible people who week by week decorate our church buildings many of them women many of them in the older age groups by asking how we arranged flowers before floral foam it also recovers lost knowledge and honours older people who can share this knowledge afresh and as was pointed out in the debate we can be angered by silence on gaza as well as angered by the damage we are doing to the environment they are not mutually exclusive there was a procedural motion to move to next business during the debate but it was defeated i wasn t the only convert in the room more than once in the debate people quoted jesus words consider the lilies of the field i was interested to see that the sustainable church flowers site has an excellent analysis of the origin of lilies as an easter flower showing how forced flowers out of season have huge costs for the environment there s something there about tradition and how it needs to be challenged in the light of new information i even stood to speak i wasn t called it probably didn t help that i had not put in a request to do so ahead of the debate i wanted to share a further flower related point from the mantra reduce reuse recycle when i married my husband in another church in our benefice there had been a funeral of a member of the armed forces a couple of days before his family asked if the flowers from that funeral could be reused in any way so our vicar called me i said yes of course my friends mostly from the baptist church one of them a professional florist using our wedding to train some other people new to this work rapidly rethought and wove those funeral flowers into their arrangements flowers can move from signs of mortality to signs of celebration it s just one aspect of flower power i was delighted to run into a group of parishioners from st bartholomew s harpley after the debate and to share my new enthusiasm with them i ve been reflecting on why i was converted to the importance of this motion it s partly about initial gut reactions versus learning more don t get me wrong i love flowers to the point where i post pictures on them on bluesky using the hashtag bloomscrolling my dahlia photos are particularly widely shared i m also a galantophile so this is one of my favourite seasons but i hadn t thought through the implications of this debate once i knew more i moved towards enthusiasm in that sense it s like my instant conversion to supporting the ordination of women to the priesthood many years ago when i was a deanery synod secretary taking notes as mary tanner addressed us and pointed out that the priest at the altar represents jesus s humanity not his maleness and i m just back from church talking to one of our churchwardens about the flowers in our church because she d seen this debate was coming up and had told our wonderful flower arrangers about it so from the parish to synod and from synod straight back to the parish normal church life has been informed and enhanced for me this debate was synod at its best share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on reddit opens in new window reddit like loading posted in general synod living in love and faith tagged environment house of bishops mary tanner ordination of women parish synod leave a comment february 2026 questions raised by synod questions posted on february 7 2026 by fluff35 the questions synod members are allowed to send in are answered by appropriate staff members and then circulated with those answers shortly before synod meets we meet on monday for a week so the answers came out yesterday another 106 pages of reading of the 258 questions this time around the ones attracting attention are those on project spire which are first in the list so there will be opportunities for supplementaries on them and those around the costs in money and time of the living in love and faith process i was one of two members asking about the financial cost of this the answer qs 94 95 is that from 2017 2025 llf cost 1 6 million that of course excludes those of us who offered our time to the work as for synodical time 42¼ hours have been spent on llf in synod since feb 2019 q 96 see also q 238 34 hours of those fell in this quinquennium and more hours to come next week there are two contenders for my personal award for the best question answer unlawful use of those parts ordained for generation the first is one of those what is sex questions synod is notoriously coy fond of euphemisms and of collective clutching of pearls here s q 228 following up on last july s synod binning of issues in human sexuality and replacing it with the guidelines for the professional conduct for the clergy revd dr patrick richmond norwich asks given that the guidelines for the professional conduct of the clergy now serve as a primary document for discernment and discipline what consideration has been given to the definition of sexual intercourse used therein specifically if the term is understood in the narrow sense of biological coitus as recently argued by the revd canon neil patterson https viamedia news 2026 01 24 what is anglican sexanyway what assessment has been made regarding how the guidelines reflect the church s wider authoritative teaching such as that in the book of homilies warning against all unlawful use of those parts ordained for generation and what steps are being taken to ensure that candidates and clergy understand the wider scope of the conduct to which they are committing unlawful use of your parts eh and the answer from the bishop of chester as the chair of the ministry development board the replacement of references to issues in human sexuality issues with the guidelines for the professional conduct for the clergy the guidelines in the discernment process does not create new obligations for candidates and clergy and nor does it make the guidelines a primary document for discernment and discipline the primary documents for discernment are the qualities for discernment used before a candidate comes to a discernment panel and the qualities for formation using during training for ordinands reference is made to the guidelines within these processes the primary documents for discipline are set out in the statutory grounds within the clergy discipline measure and the proposed clergy conduct measure as was emphasised by synod in july 2025 when they called upon the house to replace issues with the guidelines and emphasised again by the house when they decided to make the requested change no aspect of the church of england s theological or ethical understanding of matters relating to sexuality has been changed by the decision to refer to the guidelines in the process of vocational discernment and training for ordained ministry moreover the guidelines for the professional conduct of the clergy do not in themselves establish or extend the law though they do point to the law they seek to provide a framework for behaviour that reflects the highest standard to which all clergy should aspire wisely avoiding any reference to those parts however neil whose via media article is cited knows his book of homilies a sixteenth century document and observes that the quotation comes from the homily against whoredom and adultery which also commends the godly acts of societies where adultery was punished by mutilation or death it is rather unlikely that we will make it to q 228 in the time available but he suggests that a good supplementary would be can the bishop confirm that the church of england no longer supports such punishments doing the theology even more of it but my absolute favourite question this time around has to be q 144 with the legible raised eyebrows in the answer goodness someone is reading these documents and wondering about why they cite certain scholars readers will recall that the last few years of synodical business have heard many calls for more theology and that s why the faith and order commission faoc has produced a lot of pages of it which are supposed to underpin what is happening or not happening now on llf one is gs misc 1431 here s the question the revd canon simon talbott ely to ask the chair of the house of bishops of the theologians cited in gs misc 1431 100 are white 96 are men 83 are in opposite sex marriages 46 are north american 12 are ex gay same sex attracted identifying evangelicals and only one 4 of the whole is an affirming gay anglican with a partner will the house of bishops please commit to ensuring a broader theological base in the advice it receives including taking seriously the scholarship of women and lgbtqia anglicans the bishop of gibraltar in europe to reply on behalf of the chair of the house of bishops the question indicates a careful reading of gs misc 1431 the house is grateful for this engagement with faoc s work on gs misc 1431 and the detailed analysis of sources that the questioner provides faoc recognises it has a responsibility to ensure representation across a range of backgrounds and perspectives in the scholarship with which it engages certainly including gender and sexuality indeed faoc has discussed this responsibility at various times during this quinquennium sometimes in connection with its work on llf gs misc 1431 derives from a particular context faoc was asked to address a specific set of process focussed questions closely connected to the canons and disciplinary processes of the church of england existing scholarship in this area is very limited and it was difficult to achieve the desirable level of direct representation at some points the argument is carried by theologians arguing for greater inclusion of lgbtqia people gs misc 1431 refers the reader on several occasions to the living in love and faith book 2020 which contains a wider range of backgrounds amongst the scholars cited this wider background has informed faoc s theological reflection on all its llf related work although faoc accepts this is not explicitly reflected in the work that gs misc 1431 cites advice given to the house of bishops incorporates more than the sources quoted always including the wider theological reflections of faoc s members where considerable attention has been paid to issues of diversity moreover the house trusts its advisers to support the whole church in their work faoc welcomes analysis of the diversity and representativeness of its work the commission will continue to seek broad balanced engagement with a diverse range of theological voices we know from another question q 119 that the house of bishops only had a week to read gs misc 1431 along with the legal advice and another faoc paper so it seems unlikely that they could come up with such a careful reading as this after all they d just had 100 pages of theology and law sent out to them you can see why the bishop who is the chair of faoc comes across as rather impressed although of course we don t know if he wrote this answer himself this reference to faoc is timely because it is clear that the house of bishops are waiting for yet another faoc paper on episcopacy and specifically on delegated episcopal ministry yes dem which the house has already rejected see q 140 we find out from q 254 that the house of bishops standing committee decided such a paper was needed in february 2025 but faoc haven t had time to go beyond scoping it yet why did they want it we don t get the minutes of this standing committee but we can see where this is coming from by looking at the minutes of the january 2025 house of bishops these feature the bishop of leicester at that point lead bishop for llf saying that the theological undergirding for dem would be ready for may 5 2 but also have the bishop in europe remember he s the chair of faoc saying that faoc had agreed who asked them not clear to do further work on episcopacy including ecumenical reflections 4 3 and specifically asserting apparently contrary to what the lead bishop for llf said at the same meeting that the house would not have the ecclesiological thinking on dem by may my italics minutes 5 10 and see also 5 7 8 there s also a reference to the house agreeing to commission more theological work on the appointment of diocesan bishops with some sacramental impairment 4 4 1 more in addition to the other episcopacy work answering a question on the episcopacy work q 254 the bishop in europe says that it won t be ready until well into 2027 probably not until autumn casting some doubt even on that date the bishop added that faoc changes its membership on 1 april 2027 and it s the new membership who will decide if the document is ready to publish so when we are told in another paper for this synod that a new working group will be set up and that it will report back to general synod within the first two years of the new general synod quinquennium from its terms of reference how does that work with the faoc tasks the last batch of faoc papers did not come out when we d been told to expect them even after synod had voted extra resource to make that happen is this yet another timetable which will inevitably slip and if so can we trust this new working group to be able to do any work share this share on x opens in new window x share on facebook opens in new window facebook email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on reddit opens in new window reddit like loading posted in general synod living in love and faith tagged faith and order commission homilies issues in human sexuality sex synodical process theology working groups leave a comment concluding without ending what happens next with living in love and faith posted on january 25 2026 by fluff35 february 2026 s meeting of general synod is nearly upon us the papers came out last week and i am starting to make my way through them there s a very full agenda but for the moment restricting my thoughts to living in love and faith llf what do we have this time around it s been obvious for months that llf is somehow coming to a close now although what s interesting is how we envisage a close gs 2426 summarises the attempts of the bishops to explore their word how to implement the motions synod passed in and since february 2023 and it traces what happened between then and the january 2026 house of bishops letter to the church of england unless otherwise referenced all quotations in this blog post are from gs 2426 the bishops exploration involves going through the various clauses of all these motions while saying nothing we ve not heard before the lament and repent clause of the february 2023 motion is repeated with more focus on the pain it has been indescribably painful apparently while many are feeling bruised and unsafe we have learned lessons i really wish that terminolo...
|
