Webinar report: Living with difference

Salvationist reports on Living Well Together: Same-Sex Relationships and The Salvation Army.

The territory’s Moral and Social Issues Council (Masic) hosted a webinar to consider how to live well together within The Salvation Army while holding a range of views on same-sex relationships.

The webinar, titled Living Well Together: Same-Sex Relationships and The Salvation Army, featured a diverse panel with a range of perspectives. It was part of a series of Masic webinars exploring topics such as refugees, the environment and racism.

Major Nick Coke, chair of Masic, introduced the webinar, explaining that it was not seeking to work out a theology of same-sex relationships, but to ask how Salvationists can live well together while holding different views.

Participants included the Rev Andrew Goddard, a member of the Church of England Evangelical Council, Faye Williams (Southampton Sholing), who hopes that the Army can be a safe space for LGBTQ+ young people, as it was for her, Matt Perkins (Children and Youth Department), who played a key role in the development of An Introduction to Pastorally Supporting LGBTQ+ Young People, and Lieutenant Nazia Yousaf (Stockport Heaton Norris), an officer of the Pakistan Territory.

Lieut-Colonel Karen Shakespeare, the chair of the International Theological Council, hosted the discussion.

The conversation was informed by more than 50 questions submitted by people in advance. Lieut-Colonel Karen structured the talk by using three broad questions: ‘What?’, considering each participant’s views and experiences, ‘So what?’, exploring theological reflections on staying united amid differing views, and ‘Now what?’, asking what practical actions could be taken away from the conversation.

The respectful conversation included passionate comments on how people had benefited from talking with people of differing perspectives, on the need for the Church to provide teaching and facilitate conversations in this area, on the powerful impact of being loved and supported even by people who hold contrasting views, and on the importance of being authentic and providing better pastoral support to young people in today’s world.

Materials from the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith project were shared, which presented a variety of theological viewpoints on sexuality.

The conversation touched upon differing expectations and understandings of holy living, upon Church unity and being part of the body of Christ, and on people’s identity being defined by more than just their sexuality.

It also highlighted the importance of not being afraid to have respectful conversations about difficult topics, of creating safe spaces for listening and learning from one another, as well as having guidance to talk theologically through different viewpoints.

Secretary for Spiritual Life Development Lieut-Colonel Jayne Roberts concluded the webinar by praying a blessing on the participants and all the people watching.

• Speak with your corps leaders and divisional headquarters about ways the conversation could continue locally, including use of IHQ’s Let’s Talk About Same-Sex Relationships and Children and Youth’s An Introduction to Pastorally Supporting LGBTQ+ Young People.