Photo: Sue Careless

A Changing Church

By Sharon Dewey Hetke

THIS CHRISTMAS issue finds us halfway through the 2019-2022 triennium of the Anglican Church of Canada, which will be bookended by meetings of its General Synod. “A Changing Church, A Searching World, A Faithful God” is the current triennial theme.

But how and why is the Church changing, and who is making these changes? And will those who don’t adapt be left out?

On Nov. 18, Anglican Church of Canada Primate Linda Nicholls wrote a letter to the Hon. David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, in support of federal Bill C-6 to “ban conversion therapy in Canada.” She wrote: “Conversion therapy seeks to change core elements of individuals by attempting to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. The ACC does not support this dangerous and abusive practice.” The Letter cites a 2010 General Synod Resolution for the church to “embrace the outcast and stand against the abuse and torment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons.”

Now there are aspects of the Bill, and the Letter, that are uncontroversial, such as banning any form of torture, or abusive or coercive practice. It should also be clear enough that whether or not the Bill passes, there are more subtle questions to consider within the Church. Do we hold out a promise of complete and permanent change, possibly leaving a man or woman with feelings of failure and rejection if they continue to experience some same-sex attraction in the long term? Or do we commit to walking in perseverance, prayer and grace, recognizing that all of us are, in our natures, distorted from God’s good plan? 

Nonetheless, Bill C-6, in not restricting itself to specific practices of torture, abuse or coercion, is dangerously vague and constitutes a massive over-reach into religious and parental freedom. And the Letter, in not pointing out these flaws, is deeply troubling – not because the Prime Minister is likely to concern himself unduly with the opinions of religious leaders, but because of what it says about and to the Church. 

To be sure, the Primate is entitled – indeed expected – to make statements that express a general consensus within the Anglican Church of Canada, and it is fair to say that a majority of Canadian Anglicans would likely agree with the points made in the Letter. But is there a consensus on the issues around what Bill C-6 calls “conversion therapy”?  And if not, is it wise for the Primate to speak on behalf of those who disagree with her?

Many Anglicans and other Christians have expressed concerns about the Bill. And MPs in the House of Commons (some progressive on the issues of the day, some not) have called for amendments, concerned that the Bill could capture pastoral conversations, and lead to harsh interventions based on parent-child conversations, particularly around the issue of gender transitioning in minors. Perhaps most crucial of all: The Bill’s definition of conversion therapy includes not only efforts to change sexual orientation, but any “practice, treatment or service designed to change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender, or to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviour.” Is it conversion therapy to say to a young teenager that God’s good plan is expressed in how Jesus defined marriage (in Matthew 19:4-6)?

While it has long been clear that the Primate holds less traditional views on some matters of sexuality, what catches my attention is that the Letter does not acknowledge the serious concerns raised above, or that those of a traditional viewpoint still find a home in the Church she represents. Nor does the Letter engage with the relevant theological questions around identity, conversion and the doctrine of Creation. As TAP’s last editor texted me (from his very charming but locked-down British church): “It is really quite a radical statement given the diversity of opinion within the church.”  To my knowledge, there has been no consultation with the House of Bishops or COGS on this matter. Further, the Church is committed to Indigenous self-determination, and among Indigenous Anglicans there is a broad range of opinion on these matters.

Here are some comments by Anglicans in response to the Primate’s Letter. 

  Is sexual preference really a ‘core element’ of an individual? I thought a Christian leader would believe our identity in Christ is the core to who we are?

  I feel sad as I have been contemplating this, that if our faith is not about the transforming work of Jesus on the cross and His Spirit indwelling and changing us, then we might as well not be praying for anyone to be changed, whether that is from alcoholism, addictions to drugs, to porn, or to anything else…

  If a priest counsels a bisexual person towards anything other than alternating at will, is that “conversion therapy”?

  One of the issues is that Canadian Anglicans have a very fuzzy notion of the doctrine of conversion. In my almost 60 years of rattling around the ACC the word hardly ever comes up…

  I agree many ‘conversion therapies’ have done significant harm, but I’m cautioned by my immense need to be transformed, socially, sexually, and relationally.

This “changing Church,” in its efforts to keep in step with the culture, can be an inhospitable place for those who hold to traditional Anglican teaching, discipline and theology. But on a hopeful note, I do see, in my circles of orthodox Anglican fellowship, a desire to dig more deeply into Scripture, and to re-commit ourselves to prayer and fellowship. We often speak of Anglicanism as a gift, a particular way of knowing Christ. As receivers of this gift, we don’t tend to think that we have been called to remake it – and thanks be to God for that because whether conservative, liberal or in between, we are all beset by sin and prone to deception, error and manipulation. Instead, we endeavour to plumb its depths and offer its riches back in service to the Giver. 

As we begin to move through the second half of this triennium, let us point not to ourselves, not to our strategies for change, not to our Resolutions and counter-Resolutions, but to the only One who can meet us, his broken Church, and bind us up with His love. 

On behalf of the TAP team, I wish you a blessed Christmas season as we welcome the Christ Child, who will lead each of us, and his Church, in his holy and humble ways, and fill us with his amazing grace.  TAP