The news that recently the Church of Ireland bishops and their Roman Catholic counterparts had met and discussed baptism left me with mixed thoughts.
The first was questioning what is there new to be said, mutually understood or accomplished? Is this Lima for slow learners? And in case the news hasn’t got though to your part of the world, as recently as 1982 at a meeting of the WCC’s Faith and Order Commission, one of the most major Faith and Order Papers – No 111 to be precise – was accepted as a statement which “explores the growing agreement – and remaining differences – in fundamental areas of the churches’ faith and life.” It begs the question – can we expect an Irish update?
In 1982 the paper on BEM – Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry – was by far the most widely-distributed and studied ecumenical document. Indeed, BEM has been a basis for many “mutual recognition” agreements among churches and remains a reference today. So, we look forward to hear what is newer and more relevant almost 30 years on.
Closer to home, within the C of I, as the discussion (?) progresses about same sex marriages, clergy in civil partnerships, and sexuality by the bishops and no doubt others, it will be interesting to see what emerges. The inter-church bishops’ discussions may be more relevant to the issue of sexuality than maybe they themselves have so far realised – or maybe not. But, for certain, it is not a “safe” topic.
The relationship of baptism to sexuality has been one I have travelled with for well over two decades. It was a focus of further professional study with one of the leading academic advisers to the Episcopal Church. This received a more basic focus some time later in a discussion group on children’s ministry at a conference organised by the Episcopal Church in Chicago at which there were representatives of all its dioceses. A fairly mature lady asked simply, “How would you like your church to treat your child if he or she was gay?”.
I happen to know a C of I family in which there are three sons, two of whom are twins. One is gay. The other is not. I have listened also to a female C of E cleric who also has twin sons and who described to me what is was to travel with her son who is gay to the point where he and she could recognise his sexuality. All five of these young men were baptised and confirmed as teenagers.
That really is the church’s “starter for ten”. Is baptism conditional regarding the individual’s sexuality? Who is ‘in’ the church? Who is not?
The debate may well irretrievably fracture the C of I. However, if it has any depth and integrity, it will not be able to avoid exposing deep differences which people may have pretended were not there, namely, what in fact is the nature of baptism, what constitutes scripture and what is the nature of salvation?
Houston McKelvey