Vicky Gene and the Interruption of the Biker Dude

This is footage of a sermon, given on Sunday, by openly gay Angican Bishop Gene Robinson - first name Vicky. It's interesting, because of the unexpected heckling by an audience member - resulting in the service abruptly jumping from 'sermon' to 'hymn' with all the elegance of a Virgin Pendolino trying to jump from the Birmingham to the Edinburgh line at 120 mph.

What are your reactions to the clip?

Gene: Freedom fighter, or moral terrorist?

Interrupter: Defender of the faith, or homophobic bigot?

And how does God see it? Obviously he loves both actors in this drama - but of which one has read the script properly?

We must remember the context. The Anglican church is slowly coming apart, like two enormous icebergs - Icebergs that are being irresistibly pulled on by the undercurrents of very different social contexts. In many western countries, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation is a criminal act. Is it any wonder society sees the church as ridiculous for denying people office because of what they get up to in private? In many parts of Africa homosexual activity is an offence punishable by imprisonment. Is it any wonder Africans are reluctant to appoint Bishops who could go to jail?

Maybe God is big enough to be happy with both protagonists of Sundays performance, confronting each other from opposite icebergs: One unswervingly stands up for inclusion and an end to prejudice against huge opposition. The other publicly defends truths that been the majority view in the Christian tradition for 2000 years. Neither of them, and none of us of us sees things from God's perspective.

A man who I believe tries to is Rowan Williams. He has a foot on each iceberg, and is trying to hold the two together. (There's a great and quite fair article I read today on him here. I have a lot of sympathy for him - let's pray for him).

At risk of irresponsible passivity, I'd say that what most Christians will be doing in this debate will be an exercise in waiting for one or other iceberg to melt. Let's remember to be humble and loving as we do it, and pray that the Anglican church would remain one - after all, the larger the block of ice, the less likely it is to thaw.