The nineteen organisations and networks listed on this blog share, in my mind, a common interest, purpose and vision. They/We, are working towards the formulation of an answer to the existential question that haunts me – What kind of God do we believe in?
I have for a long time believed that working together, inclusively, is the best way of creating the change we wish to see. More recently, I have come to understand that those involved in pursuing this vision extend beyond the obvious commitment of those actively campaigning for change. Equally important are the groups, networks, places, websites, people, committed to theological exploration, spiritual depth, philosophy and ecclesiology.
We too easily and habitually live in silos for obvious reasons of practicality and sanity. We might belong to three or four different groups, but nineteen? They are not all relevant to our immediate personal concerns. But I believe all the groups listed here do have a role to play, together, in pursuing a vision of God embodied in a broad community of the faithful, risking the adventure of resurrection, the transformation of our lives as individuals and as members of a Christian community in a complex, unstable, dramatically changing global environment on a planet in crisis. A common, shared vision emerges from the statements of each group – one people in Christ, in creation, in shared experience and the pursuit of love, truth and justice, a vision that understands the universal, cosmic essence of the sacred, holy, divine presence in creation and in all of life and every human body, heart and soul.
Some groups and people campaign, some seek to influence, some to provide support, some to gather the like-minded, some to focus on theology, spirituality, and the deep presence of God in all creation. My personal focus is in the vitality and health of reflective, contemplative spiritual life and practice.
Anglican Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence
I continue to be inspired by the phrase that was the theme of the Toronto Anglican Congress of 1963 – the mutual responsibility and interdependence in the Body of Christ. This recollection prompted me to revisit the record of that Congress:
We have spent two weeks considering the present needs and duties of our churches in every part of the world. We have spoken to each other deeply, of our situation, of what God has done and is doing in our world and our church, and of the unexplored frontiers which we now face.
We might measure all this in terms of emergency, of the critical needs for money and manpower needed even to keep the Church alive in many areas. These needs are absolute, measurable and commanding. What those needs prove is not our poverty. They prove that the ideas, the pictures we have of one another and of our common life in Christ, are utterly obsolete and irrelevant to our actual situation.
It is a platitude to say that in our time, areas of the world which have been thought of as dependent and secondary are suddenly striding to the center of the stage, in a new and breath-taking independence and self-reliance. Equally has this happened to the Church. In our time the Anglican Communion has come of age. Our professed nature as a world-wide fellowship of national and regional churches has suddenly become a reality--all but ten of the 350 Anglican dioceses are now included in self-governing churches, of one blood with their own self-governing regions and peoples. The full communion in Christ which has been our traditional tie has suddenly taken on a totally new dimension. It is now irrelevant to talk of "giving" and "receiving" churches. The keynotes of our time are equality, interdependence, mutual responsibility.
Kuala Lumpur 1997 and Lambeth 1998
That was 1963. The Kuala Lumpur Conference of 1997 that resourced conservative dominance at Lambeth 1998 resulting in Lambeth 1.10 utterly transformed the earlier convictions of mutual responsibility and interdependence. It had a Trumpian effect, much as the 1963 vision was a defence built in response to a chaotic world.
We members of the Church of England don’t all believe in the same God, post-1998 and Lambeth 1.10. Notionally, we do. We believe in the God revealed in the Bible, the Father of Jesus, believed in by Jews for four millennia and Christians for two millennia. We engage with each other and talk as if we share a theology, spirituality, ethics, morals, biblical foundation, a ‘God’ in common, but in truth, we don’t believe in the ‘same’ God. We have a range of dramatically different ideas about God, ways of worshipping God, ways in which we pray to God, praise God, imagine God to ourselves.
The spectrum of beliefs, theologies, worship styles, morality, ethics, dogma and doctrine encompassed by the multitude of organisations within the Church of England is huge and is close to becoming unsustainable. Some groups are unwilling to continue to live under the same broad umbrella unless they are permitted to have self-selected authority figures – bishops and overseers.
Conservative evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics don’t want to leave the Church of England but are unable to accept leaders, bishops, who fail to adhere to the “traditional, orthodox, Biblical” beliefs as defined by conservatives. The differences between the kind of God resulting from their definitions and the God resulting from open, inclusive, progressive, radical beliefs effectively creates incompatible versions of God.
Radical, progressive, campaigning, visionary groups, networks and organisations within the Church of England
It is for the reasons I’ve rehearsed above that I offer this list of open, inclusive, progressive, radical groups, organisations, websites and individuals. I believe we are living into a newly critical era, a new paradigm. I believe that by recognising each other and valuing the multiple areas of work – campaigns for equality and justice, movements exploring theology, spirituality, personal development, we can develop a confidence and coherence that is currently lacking.
Inclusive Church
We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.
Christians for LGBTQIA+ Equality
Christians for LGBTQIA+ Equality is a public Facebook group which supports campaigns for equity and justice for LGBTQIA+ people in the church and society. We are a collection of people who believe that access to churches and Christian rites should be equal for LGBTQIA+ people. This includes marriage for LGBTQIA+ couples, an end to religious exemptions from equality legislation, an end to Christian discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people and radical new alternatives to the binary theology which leads to marginalisation of, and violence against, trans and non-binary people. We also believe that churches and Christians have a role in LGBTQIA+ equity and justice outside the church.
OneBodyOneFaith
It is the conviction of the members of OneBodyOneFaith that human sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity in all their richness are gifts of God gladly to be accepted, enjoyed and honoured as a way of both expressing and growing in love, in accordance with the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Therefore it is their conviction that it is entirely compatible with the Christian faith not only to love another person of the same sex, but also to express that love fully in a personal sexual relationship.
Together has been formed by members of General Synod who are aware of the need to organise for greater equality and inclusion in the life of the Church.
Women and the Church (WATCH)
Women and the Church (WATCH) is a national organisation working actively to promote equality for women in the Church of England and lift the lid on sexism and discrimination. We believe that God is calling the Church of England to be a church where all people are treated equally.
Sibyls
Sibyls is a voluntary UK group for Christian transgender, non-binary and intersex people, partners and allies. Sibyls offer companionship along your journey. Sibyls supports advocacy work with churches and faith groups on behalf of trans people. Sibyls seek to fulfil the two great commandments of Jesus: to love God, and to love each other as ourselves. The spirit of the Sibyls is loving support of each other. We are all different, we are all at different stages of self-acceptance and social acceptance, but we share common experiences of family and church.
Equal
Equal, the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England, is campaigning for a change in the teaching and practice of the Church of England to allow all couples to marry in church, regardless of their gender, sex or sexuality. Nothing about God
Together
We hope to see full inclusion and equality in the Church of England. We recognise that we all understand the unconditional love of God for all people in different ways, but seek to grow a church which gathers all who profess faith in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Changing Attitude England
Changing Attitude England is a movement campaigning for full equality for LGBTIQ+ people in ministry and relationship in the Church of England. Changing Attitude England is committed to international relationships with our LGBTIQ+ brothers, sisters and siblings in other Anglican Provinces.
Inclusive Evangelicals
We are Evangelical Anglicans who believe that human sexuality is a gift from God. We joyfully proclaim the biblical affirmation of equality and inclusivity. We believe an open and including welcome of same-sex relationships can be held with biblical integrity.
The Clergy Consultation
The Clergy Consultation is a confidential support organisation for male and female lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender clergy, religious, ordinands, seminarians and their partners within the Anglican Church.
Open Table Network
We find God and each other in our gatherings, and that gives us time and peace to grow together.
Student Christian Movement
Our vision is of SCM as a generous community, expressing a lived faith in Jesus Christ where social action meets prayerful devotion. We seek to be both a radical voice for equality and justice, and a safe home for progressive Christian students.
Modern Church
Modern Church is the main advocate for liberal theology in the British churches. By ‘liberal theology’ we mean that religious beliefs can and should develop in the light of new insights. Divine revelation has not come to an end. God invites us to believe in ways appropriate to 21st Century. New ideas should be judged on their merits. They may be true today even if they have not been officially accepted by church leaders in the past.
Sea of Faith Network
We are a network of groups and individuals who share the understanding that religion and worldviews are creations of the human imagination. We explore together the implications of such an understanding for our moral, spiritual, and social values. The Network has no creed. It welcomes people from all religious and humanist traditions. At the heart of the Sea of Faith network is an open, uninhibited conversation.
The Progressive Christianity Network Britain
PCN works to promote and support open and contemporary Christian understanding. The Network recognises the value and significance of tradition and the scriptures in the shaping of Christian faith. But faith must be of today, not just the past. We value the Eight Points first formulated by the Center for Progressive Christianity in America and adapted for the UK by PCN Britain, not as a creed or a statement of faith, but as an expression of how we live as Christians.
We are people who seek God, however understood, guided by the life and teachings of Jesus. Affirm that there are many ways to experience the Sacred and that we can draw on diverse sources of wisdom on our spiritual journeys. Recognise that following Jesus leads us to act with compassion and to confront evil. Seek to build communities that accept all who wish to share companionship without insisting on conformity. Know that the way we behave towards others is the fullest expression of our faith.
Contemplative Fire
Contemplative Fire is a dispersed community of Christ at the edge, inviting us into transformative awareness. We have a simple rhythm of life, which each Companion on the Way adjusts to their own life pattern. Travelling Light, Dwelling Deep. Drawing from the well of wisdom across the centuries, Contemplative Fire is an exploration of a great spiritual tradition as it impacts life in the 21st century. This is a path of unknowing and knowing, of being loved and loving, of letting go and taking hold. The fire is the energy and vitality of God’s Holy Spirit as we open ourselves to the creative and re-shaping power of God’s life in us.
Unadulterated Love
Unadulterated Love doesn't have a programme and is not an organisation. I offer my dreams and thoughts as a resource in the hope that the energy and conviction that enthuses me will be channelled by others to create change in individual lives and corporate Church life, and that we will engage with the paradigm shift is taking place in the Church of England.
Holy Rood House
Holy Rood House is an ecumenical, inclusive, residential community, rooted in a gentle Christian ethos, open to people of all faiths and none, dedicated to wellbeing and healing, providing a space where people can breathe more easily, find encouragement and feel supported. Holy Rood offers friendship and hospitality creating opportunities for reflection, learning and healing, a theological community, accompanying people to explore their own understanding of religious texts and teaching, encouraging fresh ways of thinking and being. It is a restful space which can include therapeutic and spiritual support, empowering people to live life well, valuing the beauty of the world we are part of.
Hilda House Community
Hilda House is like a tapestry woven with threads of hospitality, healing, spirituality, ecology and the arts. This is held tenderly by a strong inclusive, feminist thread. ‘Hilda House’ welcomes those who are looking for fresh and engaging ways to express and discover our own wisdom and spiritual pathway. This community is also educational and seeks to work towards combating misogyny and patriarchal injustices in society and in faith communities.
And Finally
There is one serious omission from this list – a group or organization representing the experience and goals and campaigning zeal of black and brown and yellow people - people of colour. I have many black and brown friends and know of people who, as individuals, advocate passionately and actively for their communities, but I’m not aware of a primary campaign group. Other organisations have fully inclusive agendas and board members, so their voice is present in other ways.
This is a list of groups large and small known to me who in my experience are working for, imagining, campaigning for a fully inclusive church regardless of people’s sexuality, gender, race, physical ability, age, or self-identification. This immediately excludes particular groups. I already have strong connections with many of these groups, sometimes going back over forty years, and I am already in conversation with others who share my convictions. If anything is to come of this blog, it will be an organic process that happens because people share a common vision and passion for full inclusion in the kingdom of God and identify with a desire for transformation and change within the church.