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Letter: Campaigner who preached equality
I WAS appalled to read J Wood’s letter (YEP, January 28) about Denum Ellerby, the seven-year-old boy with Down’s Syndrome who was denied Holy Communion by a church.
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This really is an ignominious episode for a “Christian” church. The church should follow Christ’s example and be inclusive and welcoming to all, regardless of race, gender, sexuality-or disability. I am reminded of Christ’s words “suffer the little children to come unto me”. Incidents like this make me ashamed to be a Christian.
All I can say to Denum Ellerby’s parents is that there are many Christians (and churches) that recoil in horror at this kind of discrimination and welcome everyone.
I can think in particular of one holy man whose love and service to others was truly Christ-like. Bishop Derek Rawcliffe died a year ago, on February 2. Derek was Bishop of Glasgow from 1980-91. He was a man who loved and helped anyone in need. He lived out the gospel in every part of his life. In particular, he helped asylum seekers, the poor and, in particular, I have to say, myself. I will never forget his compassion and gentleness at times when life was too much for me.
Sadly, Derek was also a victim of the church’s lack of inclusivity, in his case, to gay people. He was forced to leave the church where he had served as a priest simply because he was the first bishop to be honest about his sexuality on television. He was also sacked by the then Bishop of Ripon simply for blessing gay couples in committed relationships. Sometimes those fighting for justice and equality have to pay a price.
Bishop Derek accomplished so much. His prophetic voice helped to change the hearts of many and got them to realise that gay people, like me, are committing no sin but simply fulfilling our basic human need for love. This love, so manifest in committed gay relationships, cannot, by definition, be a sin. God, after all, is pure love.
Gay people are created as we are and this is a given orientation, not a choice. There is, in fact, evidence this is caused by the hypothalamus in the brain.
There are now, fortunately, signs that our struggle for equality is being won. We can see this in The Episcopal Church in the USA (the Church of England’s American cousin) which is fully accepting of gay people – and ordained the world’s first serving openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson.
Derek contributed so much to changing attitudes towards gays in the church. He often went on radio to challenge (and defeat) the arguments of the fundamentalists who are so eager to condemn us. With his sharp intellect, he able to demonstrate that the Bible simply does not condemn homosexuality, because its writers had no conception of it as a given orientation.
St Paul certainly had no such conception as, in Letters To Romans 1, he thought those engaging in homosexual activity simply “give up” heterosexuality.
I only wish Derek were alive today to witness the House of Bishops’ debate allowing civil partnerships of same sex couples in churches. We will always remember you Derek, you did so much.
Keith Rogers, Leeds
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