The General Synod of the Church of England is drawing to a close as I write.
In fact, it officially came to an end last Saturday night but since then the majority of members have been cloistered in Shared Conversations about Sexuality, Mission and Scripture. I say the majority, because some have disappeared home and others, including myself, have been here but have refused to take part in the process because of the fundamental flaws in the way that they have been designed.
Attempted manipulation
It is unusual for me to quote The Guardian, and even more unusual for me to quote Andrew Brown, but I think he was on to something when he wrote: ‘The idea is not to reach agreement – 30 years of wrangling have established that this is quite impossible – but to try to bring people on both sides of the debate to see their opponents as fellow Christians. Conservative evangelicals have denounced the scheme as an attempt to manipulate opinion, which of course it is. The question is whether it will work.’
‘Power is a powerful drug and the detox process is hard’
One of the most insightful speeches at the Church of England's General Synod in July came from The Revd Lindsay …