Our member, Iain Baxter, has decided to volunteer his time over the summer working with the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement as an attache to both the Lambeth and GAFCON conferences of Anglican Bishops being held in the near future. He writes:
“Press accreditation will mean I can attend most of the sessions and pilgrimages with the representatives and, of course, speak to many people. I would really like you and all at MCC to pray for me.”
The GAFCON – Global Anglican Futures Conference – has been called by conservative bishops who are opposed to what they see as growing liberal trends in the world-wide Anglican Communion as evidenced by the consecration of the openly gay Gene Robinson to the episcopate. Press speculation has been rife that these bishops wish to set up an alternative Anglican Communion which is more doctrinally conservative. The conference is meeting in the Middle East – at first it was supposed to be in Jordan but now seems to be meeting in Jerusalem – where the large Israeli gay pride march is also due to take place! One presumes their Lordships won’t be taking part in the march!
Iain asks us to pray for him, especially in the following areas:
- How much “reporting” should he do and where should this be sent?
- How should he seek to share his faith and life with those he meets over lunch and during the pilgrimages?
- Who should he seek an interview with? – maybe Bishop Nazir-Ali from Rochester in the UK and one of the Nigerian bishops, perhaps Archbishop Peter Akinola!
GAFCON starts today and is controversial within Anglicanism as it is widely seen as seeking to pressure the Anglican church in America to be less inclusive of our people, as well as urging a split in this worldwide Anglican denomination. Please pray for Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury as he seeks the best way forward to deal with this issue and for Iain Baxter as he reports on this conference.
Further news:
As an accredited member of the press on behalf of LGCM, Iain has got to work quickly and yesterday interviewed the Archbishops of Sydney (Peter Jensen) Nigeria (Peter Akinola) and Henry Orombi of Uganda.
Iain asked them to condemn homophobic beatings and killings of lesbian and gay people and, at first, they refused. Iain cited the case of Prossy Kakooza to them, focusing on the Primate of Uganda. Again he refused
to condemn.
Jensen from Australia, living in a liberal democracy, had the sense to unequivocally condemn such attacks but the other two refused to nod or agree with him! Riazat Butt, a journalist from the British liberal daily, The Guardian, took up the questioning telling the bishops they hadn’t answered Iain’s questions.
As a result the Guardian correspondent has filed a story on this lack of condemnation of homophobia. It is online now and we hope it will go into tomorrow’s print edition.
Iain has also been interviewed by Ruth Gledhill, the religious affairs correspondent of The Times, and she has written a very good piece – “the only Gay at Gafcon” – on her widely-read blog, clearly bringing out Iain’s MCC membership (he is a deacon here in MCC Manchester) and his powerful journey from his evangelical Methodism – he once spoke against lesbian and gay folks at a Methodist governing conference!
Both articles link to the MCC coverage on Prossy Kakooza so we hope these pieces will draw a wider audience to her campaign.
Please pray for Iain over the next week as he continues to be one of the few (out) gay folks at GAFCON and as he gently challenges the Bishops to think through the pastoral effects of their doctrinaire positions.
Ruth Gledhill’s piece in Times Online is at:
http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2008/06/the-only-gay-at.html
and Riazat Butt’s piece in the Guardian blog is at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jun/23/anglicanism.gayrights
The Thinking Anglicans site includes the transcript of the press conference at:
