What signal was given by the Ely Pride flag?
Last weekend, Ely Cathedral flew a rainbow Pride flag in gild to signal support for the Ely Pride festival taking place (for the first time) over the weekend. The decision was made on the recommendation of the Dean, Mark Bonney, and the cathedral chapter voted to accept his recommendation—though this was not a decision by the diocese or the diocesan bishop, Stephen Conway, since (similar local churches) cathedrals accept no formal need to consult. Bonney told the local newspaper:
I am pleased to lend my backing to this community effect because it celebrates the breadth and diversity of the community in which we all live.
I am also very witting that Christians have non always been perceived equally existence very supportive and inclusive equally some of us would wish, and so I am pleased to fly this flag as a sign of the kind of inclusion that I wish to promote at the cathedral.
The Pride effect was comparatively low key, and the flying of the flag past the Cathedral didn't announced to attract much coverage. But there was the usual robust response from quondam Church building of England minister Gavin Ashenden:
The Dean of Ely has adopted the secular values of a culture that has set its confront confronting Christianity, and is waging a war against Judaeo-Christian culture. Sexual ethics take e'er been at the eye of the Christian's struggle with sin, the world and the devil. But it seems the Dean of Ely is not over concerned with either sin, or the stardom between the Church and the earth, or the struggle with evil.
Lee Gatiss, who is Director of Church Society and lives in the diocese, wrote a brief annotate on the Church Society website:
Why is a Church of England cathedral promoting what is described as "primarily a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender celebration"? They are not naive, and know what they are doing. The flag will no doubtfulness be a rainbow, but in reality it is a white flag, signalling their give up of Christianity in favour of a completely different gospel, which is divisive in the church building and endangering to the soul. At that place are meliorate ways of rejoicing in the diversity of humanity — past proclaiming the joyful news of eternal life for every ane of us who repents, turns abroad from our sin and turns to Jesus instead. Bring back the cross, the symbol of his kingdom. That is the banner under which Christians assemble. But God says, "pride comes before destruction."
On the other hand, I have no dubiousness that many will have written to Bonney at the Cathedral to requite their support and approval—and of course it was well received by the organisers of Pride:
Fritha Honey, one of the organisers of Pride in Ely, said she was "completely overwhelmed" past the decision, and believes it reflects Ely's spirit of acceptance… "Information technology goes to testify information technology doesn't affair who yous are, from whichever walk of life, nosotros can all celebrate inclusion and accept 'pride' in Ely."
To make sense of these different reactions, we need to think about flags in general, the Pride flag in detail, and what kinds of signals information technology gives.
Flags are hugely emotive. They are powerful symbols which evoke emotional and even visceral reactions. Think nigh national flags at international football matches. Think almost flag-burning protests around the world, used to express objection, cloy and even violent opposition to another nation. Think of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima equally a powerful symbol of victory. Even recall about the uneasy reaction when you see a cantankerous of St George flag, or a Union Flag flying outside someone'south house, suggesting vigorous nationalism (rather in contrast to the presence of the Stars and Stripes in the US). Think most the controversies provoked by those in the southern US states flight the Confederate flag. I remember once beingness completely caught off guard past the unexpected and powerful emotion evoked some years ago on seeing the crest of my former higher; I am hardly an agog alumnus, yet my visceral response was at that place. These are the reasons why Andrew Goddard dislikes the thought of flyingany flag over a cathedral or other place of worship:
To help me process some of this I've started reading Tim Marshall's fascinating recent book "Worth Dying For: The Ability and Politics of Flags". His introduction explains some of the reasons why I dislike church flag-flying of any simply a Christian symbol (and even that, to be honest, I recall needs great care).
National flags, he points out, are about "trying to unite a population backside a homogeneous set of ideals, aims, history and beliefs – an most impossible task. Just when passions are aroused, when the banner of an enemy is flying high, that'southward when people flock to their own symbol". But these features are non just applicative to national flags but all flags. They "take much to do with our traditional tribal tendencies and notions of identity – the thought of 'us versus them'". And then we detect that "these symbols can still wield a great bargain of power, communicating ideas quickly and drawing strongly on emotions".
Flags are not symbols of inclusivity and diversity; they are powerful symbols of tribal identity (even where that tribe is a nation) and they office to define who is in and who is out. They are so powerful that people will, literally, dice for them and their defense.
And that is why the rainbow flag has been central in the cause of seeking acceptance of gay and lesbian identity in Western culture. American scholar, author and LGBT advocate, Joshua Gamson explains:
Lesbians and gay men accept fabricated themselves an constructive strength in this country over the by several decades largely past giving themselves what civil rights movements had: a public collective identity. Gay and lesbian social movements have congenital a quasi-ethnicity, complete with its own political and cultural institutions, festivals, neighborhoods, fifty-fifty its ain flag.
Underlying that ethnicity is typically the notion that what gays and lesbians share—the anchor of minority status and minority rights claims—is the same fixed, natural essence, a cocky with same-sexual activity desires. The shared oppression, these movements take forcefully claimed, is the deprival of the freedoms and opportunities to actualize this cocky. In this indigenous/essentialist politic, clear categories of collective identity are necessary for successful resistance and political gain.
What is nigh fascinating about this observation is that information technology flies in the confront of the testify—as prepare out by other LGBT advocates like Lisa Diamond, who notes that the instability of sexual 'orientation' means that candidature should exist on the footing of freedom and rights, and non on the footing of identity politics.
What, and then, are the concerns raised by the action of the cathedral? I wrote to the diocesan bishop, Stephen Conway, to express my concern, non to the lowest degree because we have come to know each other well on Archbishops' Council. He was away, and in whatsoever case his clergyman said that I should contact the Dean, which I did. My concerns were fourfold:
i. The Pride motility is non merely well-nigh 'celebrating diversity' only about campaigning for the acceptance of particular forms of sexual relationships which go against the pedagogy of the Church of England on sexuality and marriage. (The festival included an 'adults only' political party in the evening from 7 pm…) In deciding to fly the Pride flag, the cathedral was therefore signalling their rejection of the Church'south electric current teaching, which in fact Bonney acknowledged in his comment to the printing that the Church has non been inclusive 'in the way that some of u.s. would wish'.
two. Given this situation, I wondered what steps were taken to consult the diocesan bishop beforehand.
3. The chapter will have been well aware of the involved process of discussion on the question of sexuality in the Church, which has included the Shared Conversations and continues in the piece of work on the teaching document Living in Love and Faith—all of which has taken up considerable resource of the Church in terms of fourth dimension and money. Past making a unilateral statement rejecting the Church's current didactics, the affiliate appears to be short-circuiting this process—and indeed, undermining its usefulness and questioning the value of the time and energy beingness put into it.
4. I don't know the diocese well, but I am aware that some churches in the diocese are already finding it difficult to be fully involved in the life of the diocese, and that this action will further distance them and cause division in the Church. The activeness of the chapter will have a serious affect on Church unity in the diocese, and further undermines of the function of Bishop Stephen as a focus of unity around the teaching of the Church building.
Mark Bonney was kind enough to reply to my expressions of concern:
I practice not view the action hither as undermining/rejecting the Church's teaching in quite the way that y'all recollect it does – rather I meet information technology as an inbound into the debate , and a questioning of some of that teaching, every bit happens in many quarters – certainly information technology is being part of the debate.
For me it is similar to the questions effectually remarriage of divorcees which was a very live issue when I was ordained. Throughout the fourth dimension that that was being debated I NEVER did anything against the Church of England's didactics across expressing views that challenged information technology – and this has been the same in the current sexuality fence.
In retrospect Chapter may not have appreciated the extent to which this might exist seen as some kind of statement on behalf of the Diocese or the Bishop – and of form it is definitely Not that. This was something that Andrew Nunn, the Dean of Southwark, pointed out in his speech communication at General Synod on the Cathedrals Working Grouping Report in relation to the independence that currently exists between Cathedrals and Bishops and the opportunity that, at nowadays, Cathedrals have to do things without seeking the Bishop's permission. Southwark Cathedral flew the Pride flag I believe, the Pride march in York has begun at the Cathedral and has been blessed past ane of the clergy – so I have not been alone in taking role in the fence in this fashion. The outcome in Ely was quite low fundamental in comparing with the big marches in other places, no marching, just a gathering past the riverside opened past the Metropolis Mayor…….I might not have given consideration to the extent that what I knew was going to exist a minor local event hither might have much wider ramifications.
I did inform Bishop Stephen that I was taking this request to the Chapter, and , as I remember he has said in replies to questions to him, it was a Affiliate conclusion. And I have replied to others that this was a Chapter decision and non the Bishop'due south.
I'm enlightened that this has caused business concern for some churches that are finding it difficult to be part of the diocese, and I volition exist coming together with a couple of clergy to talk further. I'm also aware of many within my own and other congregations who have been in contact with me to say quite the reverse.
I want to take this response seriously, just it raises so many other questions. First, there really is no parallel between the debate about remarriage and the fence here; it was not a church building-dividing issue in the way that this is, and I do not recall anyone forming alliances with outside organisations which take, in their recent history, been highly critical of and combative to the Church as is happening now. The idea that flying a flag signals 'entering a debate' is either disingenuous, or information technology shows a serious ignorance of human being experience—and a pretence of ignorance almost how important this symbol has been to the gay motion. Bonney is right to note that they have non been the showtime—merely he must surely exist enlightened of how divisive this has been in other dioceses, and when I asked him almost this, he acknowledged information technology. So information technology seems that, rather than taking them into account, my four concerns simply did not annals with sufficient weight in the chapter to counter their goal of making a argument.
The raising of the flag was non, therefore, a symbol of surrender so much as a symbol of blitzkrieg. In the Second World War, the German forces conquered so quickly by fugitive being bogged down at enemy strongpoints (as had happened in the Beginning Earth War, to catastrophic effect) but instead driving effectually them and cut them off as pockets of resistance to be dealt with later. They simply collection by them, and established their concur well across the line of disharmonize. By flying the Pride flag, the Dean and cathedral chapter are signalling that they simply do not take time to appoint in the continued debate and discussion that is ongoing in the church building, and volition brand their own unilateral declaration of conventionalities. As Andrew Goddard observes:
The recourse to flag flying therefore sadly signals that, rather than "some of u.s.a." engaging with "them" in a careful, time-consuming, reasoned discussion, the preferred process of engagement is instead one which does what flags practice: "wield a great deal of ability, communicating ideas quickly and drawing strongly on emotions". The Cathedral has sought to rally people to what Marshall calls "powerful symbols" by utilize of an "emotion-charged emblem" that "has the ability to evoke and embody sentiments and then strong that sometimes people will even follow their coloured material into gunfire and dice for what it symbolizes". The problem is, equally Bruce Springsteen said in an interview with Rolling Rock about the Stars and Stripes actualization on the cover of his "Born in the USA" album: "The flag is a powerful image , and when you set up that stuff loose, you don't know what's gonna be done with information technology".
The question, then, is how the diocesan bishop will answer, only also how other bishops and leaders in the Church of England volition react. There is a strong resistance to bishops 'interfering' in what is happening in other dioceses. Just this kind of action has implications for the relationship between other cathedrals and dioceses, for the pedagogy certificate, and for national processes. Why is it merely ever those wanting change on this issue who are prepared to make assuming and controversial statements?
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