Adam Becket reports for Church Times:
A draft open letter that has attracted more than 1500 signatures calls on the House of Bishops to “revise, postpone or withdraw” its guidance on adapting the liturgy for the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith to mark a person’s gender transition.
Last month, the House of Bishops Delegation Committee published guidance that said that churches could use existing liturgy for baptism “in a creative and sensitive way” to mark a person’s gender transition (News, 14 December, Letters 21 December). The Bishops had decided that special liturgical provision on gender transition was not needed, after the General Synod requested that it consider the matter (News, 26 January 2018).
The open letter, which has been signed online by members of the clergy and laity, is being circulated by critics of the guidance, including the conservative Evangelical organisation the Church Society. It is understood that the letter was intended to be made public in the week before the General Synod’s sessions next month.
The letter and list of signatories are available at Response to the House of Bishops
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
