Policy Areas - Sex and Gender

Church of England makes historic decision for women bishops

staff writers — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 00:34:07 +0100

Great emotion greeted the decision this evening by the General Synod of the Church of England, its governing body, to confirm the Church’s intention to consecrate women as bishops – a historic move following women's ordination in 1994.

Orthodox Church women welcome participation and seek more change

agency reporter — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:40:34 +0100

Women in the Orthodox Church have reached significant milestones regarding their participation in church life, but many of their concerns have not yet been fully addressed, an international gathering of Orthodox women has stated.

Tradition, change and the new Anglicanism

Savi Hensman — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:44:13 +0100

The global media are largely interpreting the current fissures within the worldwide Anglican Communion as a struggle between ‘traditionalists’ and ‘revisionists’, ‘conservatives’ and ‘liberals’, ‘evangelicals’ and modernists’. In this thoughtful paper, Savitri Hensman shows that these are unhelpful caricatures, and that what is at stake is something far larger than an argument within one denomination. It is about the nature of Christianity in a fast-changing contemporary world, the dangers of simplistic readings of the Bible, the historic threat of authoritarianism, the challenge of human rights, and the tension between the establishment instincts of many Christians institutions and its radical, transformative roots in the life-changing story and flesh of Jesus. This reading of the situation within Anglicanism and in a broader context will assist commentators, researchers, journalists, concerned observers of many stances, and all who are interested in how the relationship between religion and society is changing after Christendom. The paper complements the author’s contributions to the new book Fear or Freedom? Why a warring church must change, edited by Simon Barrow (Shoving Leopard / Ekklesia, 2008) – available in the UK from Metanoia Book Service, and elsewhere via Amazon.

The full document is available as a *.PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file here:

http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/files/newanglicanism.pdf

Savi Hensman

Catholics to come out at London Gay Pride

staff writers — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 08:38:32 +0100

Gay Catholics from all over the country will be parading behind a 'Proudly Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgendered & Proudly Catholic' banner in the impending Pride London Parade.

Women's rights and religious liberty

Simon Barrow — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:08:22 +0100

Rowan Williams' recent lecture on the religious grounding of universal human rights raised difficult questions about the status of women in relation to freedom for faith.

Black clergy in USA say gays face same rights struggle as black people

staff writers — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:51:29 +0100

Two senior black United Methodist clergy in the USA, also longtime civil-rights advocates, say there are parallels between the struggles of blacks in the 1960s and those of gays and lesbians working for full inclusion in the church today.

Gay Catholics urge Pope to enter dialogue

Agencies — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:37:24 +0100

In advance of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the US, three prominent gay Catholics have urged the pontiff to enter into a dialogue with lesbian and gay Catholics. They addressed the pontiff through open statements about their lives, loves, and hopes for the church at a press conference at the end of last week.

Living as an ordinary radical?: A dialogue with Shane Claiborne

Jordan Tchilingirian — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:36:58 +0100

Start: 30/04/2008 - 19:30

Faithworks, Livability Community Mission and Tearfund are hosting a free discussion evening with Shane Claiborne the founder of the Simple Way community and author of The Irresistible Revolution and J

Listening and learning in the sexuality debate

Savi Hensman — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 11:15:38 +0000

As part of the 'listening process' in the Anglican Communion over the extensive disagreements about human sexuality, Ekklesia associate Savitri Hensman has prepared a paper on Learning, Listening, Scripture and Sexuality which seeks both to take the conversation forward and to affirm the role of lesbian and gay Christians as active and baptised members in the church, in accordance with a faithful and interpretatively sensitive reading of its the texts and tradition.

Savi Hensman

Bible should liberate not enslave women, say theologians

Ecumenical News International — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:18:33 +0000

The Bible needs to be re-read from the viewpoint of women so as to shatter "institutionalised patriarchy", which is reinforced by "conservative" biblical interpretation, says a leader of a prominent group of women theologians.

Fulcrum Conference Islington: Conflict and Covenant

Jordan Tchilingirian — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:53:43 +0000

Start: 12/04/2008 - 10:00

End: 12/04/2008 - 16:00

Conference Speakers:

Dr Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham (Member of the Lambeth Commission which prepared The Windsor Report)

Being on the side of the crucified

Savi Hensman — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:25:47 +0000

In a reflection on faith and human rights for Easter, Savi Hensman argues that issues of life and death and the question about whether Christians are on the side of the powerful or the powerless go to the heart of the Gospel story.

United Reformed Church appoints first woman head

staff writers — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 09:24:54 +0000

The United Reformed Church has appointed the Rev Roberta Rominger as its general secretary. She becomes the first woman to hold the senior post in the Church, or in any of its predecessor denominations.

Holding up half the sky, at least

Simon Barrow — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:27:46 +0000

March 8th was International Women's day. New Testament professor Deirdre Good has a useful round up of related news on her blog.

Women to put UK justice system on trial over rape scandal

staff writers — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:50:40 +0000

A campaigning group that was formed 30 years ago to change law, attitudes and policy towards crime against women will mark the anniversary with a people's trial of Britain's justice system to highlight its failure to tackle rape.