Do you know what a woman is? If yes, you're way better off than the Church of England.
In the month's General Synod, the Senior Bishop, Robert Innes, was asked by lay member Adam Kendry to clear any doubt:
“What is the Church of England's definition of a woman?”
It appears that church officials used to make bogus assumptions. The question is no more straightforward.
Through The Telegraph, the bishop's written response to the request:
“There is no official definition, which reflects the fact that until fairly recently definitions of this kind were thought to be self-evident, as reflected in the marriage liturgy.”
He spoke of his attention to the new “complexities associated with gender identity.” In light of these, “additional care” must be provided.
The minister's comment isn't a surprise. The world of religion has made huge steps towards catching up with the world's most modern practices.
The cases in question:
“Christian Church will host Drag Show for Young People Ages 12-18”
“The Church of Scotland Approves Gay Marriage”
“Christian Church Offers Prayer to the God of Pronouns, the ‘Great Them One' who Breastfeeds”
“Christian Divinity School Recites Prayer to the ‘Great Queer One' who is a Drag Queen as well as Trans Man'”
“Lutheran Diocese Announces that the Church is Trans”
“Church Pastor claims Jesus “transgenders Himself” in the Bible”
Rejoining Rev. Robert, he received negative reviews within the Church.
According to The Telegraph, retired Rev Angela Berners Wilson — England's first female priest, wasn't exactly thrilled:
“I'm not entirely happy about the situation. In fact, I believe that certain things, like males can’t bear children for instance, to state that it's a fact.”
Even so:
“[I] think we need to be very sensitive, and maybe we need to reexamine our boundaries.”
The director of a biological-based company gave a more critical opinion:
Maya Forstater, executive director of the Sex Matters campaign group, explained the bishop's decision as “shocking,” saying that “the concepts of male and female did not need to have a formal official definition” because “they are older than human life itself”.
Calvin Robinson, political commentator and Free Church of England deacon had this to say:
“The definition of “woman” is not a complicated moral issue. It's a scientific and biblical fact. How can you believe in someone who can't speak the truth about this basic factual information?”
A greater amount of this type of trust may be required in the near future. The Church of England, after all, is changing. Indeed, an ex- leader recently fought for transgenderism.
Accessed from The Christian Institute in April:
The archbishop from Canterbury Rowan Williams has claimed that being transgender is “a sacred journey of becoming whole” in his call that the federal government take care of gender-related confusion when it imposes a prohibition on the practice of conversion therapy.
The government last week announced that it would scrap the ban it was proposing and then reversed course a few hours later, following protests from LGBT activists. It opted to stick with the “legislative approach” but said it wouldn't apply to people who are experiencing gender identity confusion.
Lord Williams, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 2003 to 2012 penned an open letter addressed in 2012 to the Prime Minister by LGBT activist Steve Chalke. They suggested that the prohibition on conversion therapy must not be limited to people who identify as lesbians or bisexual but should also be inclusive of those who declare themselves transgender.
What's the next step for the institution of Christianity? Maybe we just need to observe the evolution of society to be certain.
