Between a Rock and a Hard Place
GAY or LGBTQI+
Hush! Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Seems to me the good old Anglican Church has got itself between a rock and a hard place.
Imagine a happily married priest:
Reverend Lindsay. It gives us great pleasure to confirm that by His Grace you are to be appointed Lord Bishop of Stentington. You have a beautiful family. Wonderful children that are a credit to you and Mrs Lindsay. This counted well in your favour, for they are all also solid in our faith, and in the ways of the LORD.
There are of course the usual trappings that come with the Bishopric and with which we know you'll be delighted, and well-earned too, I might add. The Bishop's Lodge is quite splendid, you know!
The stipend is protected, so you and Mrs Lindsay have no worries, financially.
The secretary pauses …
The only other qualification is quite minor...
You must of course from hereon take a vow of celibacy, both you and your Good Lady Wife.
…stunned silence, a genuine smile now blank,
almost as if the spirit had departed…
The chairman takes up from the secretary …
And we know that you'll follow the teachings of the Apostle Paul on this most important subject.
Indeed! It will be a source of great encouragement and strengthening of faith within our flock who naturally look to you to make some additional sacrifice.
God bless you both and of course your lovely children.
… …Shock. Horror. Puzzlement. Bewilderment.
Regaining control.
Deep breathing.
Calm.
Peace of a sort... ...
Ermmm... Your Grace, permit me, but your Grace surely cannot be serious .... .... ....?
End
Tongue in cheek … of course.
But a serious question too.
3 June 2022
All Rights Reserved
LIVERPOOL
© 2023 Kenneth Thomas Webb
First written 8 January 2013
Ken Webb is a writer and proofreader. His website, kennwebb.com, showcases his work as a writer, blogger and podcaster, resting on his successive careers as a police officer, progressing to a junior lawyer in succession and trusts as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, a retired officer with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and latterly, for three years, the owner and editor of two lifestyle magazines in Liverpool.
He also just handed over a successful two year chairmanship in Gloucestershire with Cheltenham Regency Probus.
Pandemic aside, he spends his time equally between his city, Liverpool, and the county of his birth, Gloucestershire.
In this fast-paced present age, proof-reading is essential. And this skill also occasionally leads to copy-editing writers’ manuscripts for submission to publishers and also student and post graduate dissertations.
