A gay churchman says thank-you
Russell Armitage
| 03 Nov 2008
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Russell Armitage, Diocesan Manager in Waikato for nine years, made these personal observations during his farewell to synod. The address has been edited:
I am not one for sweet nothings. I therefore leave you with three observations:
Firstly, I am a gay man in a relationship of some years and therefore practising – imagine that, a practising gay man. Rather odd, I always thought, to be condemned by some for practising love. If I am good enough to have undertaken a ministry of financial management and overall administration of the Diocese – and to have been affirmed in this – then I'm good enough to be considered for all forms of ministry in this church.
Secondly, there is the response to people like me that goes, 'it is not you the sinner we do not accept, Russell; it is the sin.' This sophistry from fundamentalists in the church demonstrates great ignorance and is grossly insulting. They remind me of Shylock in the Merchant of Venice who wanted a pound of flesh from his debtor. That meant the debtor would have had the life blood drained out of him. So it is with me. Being homosexual is part of my essence. It is rather like saying to a Maori we accept you as a Maori as long as you are not brown.
Finally, the most amazing paradox. Is it not a supreme irony that the church is the only institution in our society that has an exemption from the Human Rights Act? The church that once led on human rights, social justice, relief from oppression and discrimination, now has a mandate to practise abuses of human rights and discrimination against gay people in church and in other churches and religions, even against women.
And many of you will wonder why the church is seen as increasingly irrelevant to so many. But it need not be and should not be.
Having said that, my time at the Diocese ( and on the cathedral vestry before that for some years) has been one of the most satisfying and stimulating of my working life.
I have also welcomed being in the position I have held. Although it has sometimes felt like being ‘exhibit A’, I know it has helped many people to question their attitude to gay people and to move on. I wish more had done so but then I am rather impatient – especially when it's inevitable that the church has to change.
I am going overseas for two years and hope that when I come back to the Diocese I will find two things:
• Firstly, that it will have found the courage to come up with a blessing for same-gender couples. After all, we have blessings for dogs and trees.
• Secondly, that the Diocese will have a policy which makes clear that being gay and in a stable relationship is not a barrier to ordination.
Until this year I had thought I would always have only two evangelical causes – Shakespeare and classical music. However, the past six months have made clear that I now have a third – the rights of gay people. So thank you for that.
I end with what I think is an appropriate quote from the Bard:
Opinion’s but a fool
That makes us scan
The outward habit
For the inward man
From the God that made me as I am I give you that God’s blessing.
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