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Fr. Daniel This is the second time love has been the word of the week - but last time was during half-term and there is a lot more to say on the matter than in my last post!
We were lucky enough to have Fr. Daniel Sandham, Vicar of Brownswood Park (@sjebp) come to address the School's Philosophy Society on the matter of Sex, Marriage and Sexuality in the Church of England. This is a topic relevant to all students studying Religious Studies or Philosophy and Ethics from Year 10 and above at our School. This report was written by one of our Year 10 students who attended the talk:
We were lucky enough to have Fr. Daniel Sandham, Vicar of Brownswood Park (@sjebp) come to address the School's Philosophy Society on the matter of Sex, Marriage and Sexuality in the Church of England. This is a topic relevant to all students studying Religious Studies or Philosophy and Ethics from Year 10 and above at our School. This report was written by one of our Year 10 students who attended the talk:
"The talk commenced with a rather humorous introduction as Father Daniel admitted; a Vicar is not the person most people want to discuss sex with! The talk began with the topic of ‘agape’, or love and the importance of love at the heart of Christianity. This impacts the Anglican view of marriage, sex and sexuality, so was relevant throughout the discussion. We also learnt of the ‘three-legged stool’ of Anglicanism, focusing upon three components: scripture, reason and tradition, which again influence the view of an Anglican on these matters.
"He outlined the importance of an Anglican marriage and its necessary components. Upon learning that an Anglican marriage must be between a man and woman many people voiced their objections and Fr. Sandham agreed that this is an area that church still has to reach consensus. We learnt of the importance of sex in the marriage and how the phrase "the delight and tenderness of sexual union’ is a core part of the marriage ceremony. This led into our discussion regarding pre-marital sex; we analysed points made by Jesus in the Gospels and St Paul, but regarded them in their context, being aware of the modern normalisation of sex, considering scripture, reason and tradition, so regarding the ‘three legs’.
"The majority of students were fairly lenient towards the idea of pre-marital sex; however, the topic of adultery caused much more controversy. We found that, according to the Bible and Anglican beliefs, adultery is wrong. Divorce was another issue up for much discussion and, although the Bible and Jesus condemn divorce, we discovered that the Church of England allows the marriage of divorcees at the discretion of the Vicar, showing a certain acceptance.
"The majority of students were fairly lenient towards the idea of pre-marital sex; however, the topic of adultery caused much more controversy. We found that, according to the Bible and Anglican beliefs, adultery is wrong. Divorce was another issue up for much discussion and, although the Bible and Jesus condemn divorce, we discovered that the Church of England allows the marriage of divorcees at the discretion of the Vicar, showing a certain acceptance.
"The final topic discussed was homosexuality. As we discovered previously, homosexuals cannot get married in the Church of England; however, this does not necessarily mean that the Church of England is against homosexuality. We learnt that, although there are quotations from Leviticus that condemn homosexuality: ‘you shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination’, Leviticus holds little relevance to many Christian lives today and that Jesus said absolutely nothing about it. The Synod, representing the official position of the Church of England, writes that ‘homosexual acts fall short of [being] an act of total commitment’. However, it goes on to state that the decision to ‘enter into such relationships must be respected’, showing acceptance.
"Finally, we summed up our learning with some scenarios as if we were listening to confession, provoking much debate, such as whether a person’s autonomy allows them to sin against others or if adultery can be considered acceptable in a broken relationship. This concluding activity allowed us to culminate our new knowledge to formulate pastoral responses as a priest has to do every day. Overall, the talk was informative and really interactive, making it enjoyable and hugely beneficial to our learning".
So it is that marriage in Anglicanism is a mixture of the different kinds of love (Eros and Agape) but at its heart is Agape; a marriage echoes Christ's love for his Church and so those in relationships should be prepared to sacrifice anything for the other. But at the same time the Church recognises that people are fallen and that this ideal is not always achieved but certainly should be striven for.
"Finally, we summed up our learning with some scenarios as if we were listening to confession, provoking much debate, such as whether a person’s autonomy allows them to sin against others or if adultery can be considered acceptable in a broken relationship. This concluding activity allowed us to culminate our new knowledge to formulate pastoral responses as a priest has to do every day. Overall, the talk was informative and really interactive, making it enjoyable and hugely beneficial to our learning".
So it is that marriage in Anglicanism is a mixture of the different kinds of love (Eros and Agape) but at its heart is Agape; a marriage echoes Christ's love for his Church and so those in relationships should be prepared to sacrifice anything for the other. But at the same time the Church recognises that people are fallen and that this ideal is not always achieved but certainly should be striven for.
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