The Rev Dr Keith Mascord has sent a letter to the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Sydney.
It is on the agenda for debate for its meeting this Monday, December 11.
In his letter Dr Mascord outlines his own personal vision for the Diocese.
Margaret Rodgers, Archbishop Peter Jensen’s Media Officer, says:
“Dr Mascord calls on the Diocese to create a culture where everyone can be more gracious, loving and humble, as indeed all Christians should be. He also calls for open and respectful debate where all points of view are heard amongst members of the Diocese. It is a call that should be prayerfully heeded and welcomed,” she says.
Bishop Robert Forsyth, Bishop of South Sydney says that he doesn’t think dissenting ideas are suppressed in the Diocese of Sydney.
“It often takes courage to disagree,” he says. “That's what the issue is about, how to have loving confidence to engage in the debates that we have to have together as we Christians seek to serve God."
Margaret Rodgers’ full comment follows
After discussion with the South Sydney Regional Council, the Rev Dr Keith Mascord has sent a letter to the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Sydney. In his letter Dr Mascord outlines his own personal vision for the Diocese.
The next meeting of the Standing Committee will be held in the evening of Monday 11th December. Dr Mascord's letter is listed as an agenda item for discussion.
Dr Mascord calls on the Diocese to create a culture where everyone can be more gracious, loving and humble, as indeed all Christians should be. He also calls for open and respectful debate where all points of view are heard amongst members of the Diocese. It is a call that should be prayerfully heeded and welcomed.
Synodical debate is always the guarantee that Anglicans in Sydney don't exist in a cultish, sect-like community where debate and difference of opinion is suppressed and silenced. In the Diocese it is believed that Biblical teaching must undergird the validity of Christian people's understanding, but even so, there is still a comfortable diversity of opinion on many things, apart from a unanimity of understanding of certain credal, biblical teaching such as the Doctrine of the Trinity; justification by faith only; salvation for sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Lord and Saviour; and the uniqueness of Christ as the way of salvation.
In commenting on Dr Mascord's letter to the Standing Committee, Bishop Robert Forsyth, Bishop of South Sydney said, "I don't think that ideas are suppressed in the Diocese of Sydney. But I do know there are strongly held views. It often takes courage to disagree. That's what the issue is about, how to have loving confidence to engage in the debates that we have to have together as we Christians seek to serve God."
Unfortunately, in illustrating his point of view, Dr Mascord seems to rely on information that is one-sided or based on misunderstandings. A number of his comments are not beyond dispute and many of them may appear quite different from other points of view. Some of this concerns the current operation of the Ministry Training and Development department that is headed by the Dean of Sydney.
It is clear in this area that he did not consult Dean Jensen prior to preparing and sending his letter. Had he done so a number of his issues would have been explained and resolved. For example the so-called questionnaire was really an experimental "conversation starter" that involved several possible answers on a number of issues. It was designed to see whether students are able to think through issues theologically. It was always planned that the documents would be shredded immediately after the interview, and this is in fact what occurred. The Dean never saw student answers to the questionnaire, did not take part in the student interviews, and has no say in the recommendations of the Boards to the Archbishop.
The issue of women preaching is a long-held matter of debate in the Diocese. The Dean's views are well-known and have been canvassed widely. However it must be recognised that women church workers, especially ordained women deacons, are given permission to preach in the licence to minister given them by the Archbishop, and there are those who preach regularly in the congregations in which they serve.
As an example of the opportunity for open debate in Sydney, there is a community forum [url=http://sydneyanglicans.net/community/]http://sydneyanglicans.net/community/[/url] on the diocesan website, where women's ministry and women preaching have been regular discussion topics over a number of years.
However Dr Mascord's comments give us the opportunity to prayerfully seek to be a more loving and humble people who care for and respect each other in our internal debate.
ENDS
