Page 5 - Moravian Messenger February 2020
P. 5

One Plus One
(A United Reformed Church Publication)
Second article in a series on Understanding Marriage in the 21st Century
Being Human
Before examining the United Reformed Church (URC) booklet, One Plus One, any further in detail, in our thinking about human relationships, sexuality and marriage, we will begin by asking what it means to be a human being. The Bible tells us we are made in the image and likeness of God, and this has implications for how we find fulfilment in our lives. Let's look at some characteristics of God's nature and ask what is implied for us to be in God's image and likeness. God is love, God is Trinity, God is just, God is creative, and God is one.
God is love, so it follows that it is in giving and receiving love that we grow to become more fully ourselves. Jesus says that the greatest possible love lies in laying down your life for the other, giving yourself away. God is Trinity, so our fulfilment is rooted in being part of a community with our love focussed not on ourselves, nor our possessions, but on God and on other people. God is just, so our love must always show respect for the other, just as they are, without condition. It also means sharing what we have so that no-one goes without, especially keeping an eye out for the needs of the most vulnerable. God is creative, so our relationships should spur one another to dare and to achieve far more than we ever thought we could on our own, and to go on learning, growing and developing. This creativity will be expressed in our families and our homes, in our work and our leisure and social activities. God is one, so unity is the highest objective of human relationship. This doesn't mean all trying to be exactly the same, but recognising that difference and diversity are the constituents of unity.
Understandings of marriage and relationships have changed over time. There was a time when men had all the power and a woman's job was to do as she was told by her man, which was mainly cooking, cleaning and producing sons to inherit their power. Because wives were considered to be a man's property, it was not considered an unusual means of control to beat them. We will include an overview of the historical perspective in a future article.
For a long time, same-sex orientation was understood to be either a lifestyle choice which was sinful and could be repented of, or else a sickness which could be cured. Heterosexuals who considered themselves to be normal looked for social and psychological reasons to explain how someone had been 'turned' homosexual. Gradually over the last century, especially since 1967 when homosexuality was decriminalised, there has been an increasing understanding or belief that sexual orientation is a given, an intrinsic part of our fundamental make-up and cannot necessarily be changed.
Before we turn to the issues in the URC document, One Plus One, a little background might be helpful. Serious conversations
within the URC began in the early 1990s, facilitated by the church's Church and Society department. There were documents published both for and against the recognition of the value and dignity of same-sex relationships within the church. The General Assembly of 1996 called for formal conversations and set up working groups to produce reports. The outcome of this process of exploration was almost a split in the church because strong and emotively-held views were brought to the surface and many people on both sides of the argument felt vulnerable and threatened. The upshot was that the 2000 Assembly declared a moratorium of seven years in which it was agreed that no policy decisions would be made, but people with strong views were urged to listen respectfully to those with whom they disagreed. In 2007, General Assembly recognised that there was a great diversity of perspectives, of interpretation of scripture and of reflection on personal experience, and that the church might never come to a consensus viewpoint. That Assembly adopted what it called a Commitment on Human Sexuality which was basically a commitment to keep together, to keep orientated on God and to keep talking to each other. It recognised that the church would continue with a diversity of viewpoints, ways of interpreting the scriptures and of doctrinal, missional and ethical priorities, and that prayerfulness, respect and generosity were going to be the main ingredients for continuing conversations.
The first part of the One Plus One booklet refers extensively to this Commitment and concludes with three points. Firstly, in order to maintain its integrity, the church must look honestly at itself and face up to the extent of its internal diversity. Secondly the church's life is built on our relationships in Christ and with one another. It is vital to meet one another within the life of fellowship and common discipleship. It is also vital to be committed to exploration and dialogue together. Thirdly the unity of the church is a gospel priority and the divine gift, to be responded to in human terms through the struggle of living together.
The second part of the booklet gives seven personal reflections with viewpoints which illustrate the importance of this Commitment.
Brn Martin Smith & Philip Cooper Ministers at Royton, Salem and Fairfield Congregations
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