The bishop has decreed that parishes which might be asked to bless same sex unions have to consult their congregations and send a report, reflecting the opinion in the parish, with special attention to the voices of those who may be in the minority.
Father Bill opened the proceedings by inviting questions. I piped up first and asked why they weren't talking about same sex marriages. I knew they are not legal in Oklahoma but I like to stir the pot.
Americans are extremely proud of the fact that - unlike us - their church and state are separate, but in reality our church and state is actually more separate, in practice if not in fact.
Emmanuel is more liberal than the other churches in Shawnee, and I think it was all the liberals who turned out for the forum. Trying to assess who was missing in the parish hall, I think they were mostly people who have come from the Baptist churches, who haven't yet got their heads round this shift in ideology. It was made clear however, in the original notice that those who didn't want to speak out, could send in their comments in written form, so quite a few may well have done that.
Instead of staying for the 10.30 service I went to Larry's non denominational church. I have missed him around the hospital and the chaplaincy and it was good to see and talk to him again. His wife loves talking to me because she's fascinated with my English accent, she watches all the late night British shows on the local Oklahoma channel - Last of the Summer Wine; Keeping Up Appearances; Doc Marten; the Vicar of Dibley.
The weather is getting cooler.
But then it warms up.
No comments:
Post a Comment