'Our Parent’ issue avoided by Synod

Press, 8 April 1978, Page 4

'Our Parent’ issue avoided by Synod

PA ' Auckland Anglican Church leaders' have bypassed, for the present, the issue of sexist language in church services, j The Anglican Synod yester- i day dismissed a motion by the Very Rev. E. A. Johnston which wanted the avoidance ; of “sexist language” to be ; an urgent priority in any fu- j ture revision of the church services. It also wanted the Pro- , vincial Commission for ( Prayer Book Revision to draw up a set of guidelines showing how present services could be modified to avoid , the use of sexist language. If the Synod agreed with the motion, then it could be said it was saying “yes” to an extremist view, and if it said “no” then this, too, Was a newsworthy item, said the Rev. D. W. Pickering, of Nelson. “It would be best if we do

not in fact vote on it, and ! I move we proceed to the ’next business,” he said. This was seconded, voted on, passed, and the Synod moved to the next item of business. Afterwards, Mr Johnston said this was another example of the Church once again refusing to face a very important issue. He had expected there to be opposition, however, and even those who had'spoken in its favour were very glad to get a procedural way out of the problem. Mr Johnston said he would continue to raise the matter until the Church did something about it. It was a matter which touched very deeply men’s attitudes to God and themselves,, and was in fact very hard and painful for men to face. Sexist language was- so deeply ingrained that people

11 did not recognise it in the si words they used. The attitude of some 11 women also made it difficult, 11 said Mr Johnston, because r i they let down other women !by being insensitive to the 11 issues, and opposing such a ■; move. :’ When women were re--11 quired to worship in the masiculine, it must affect the way > i their concepts were formed. 11 Some of the new liturgies 11 were worse than the old, he L said,' and there were glaring examples of sexist language. Miss M. E. Brown, of the I Waikato Diocese, said she ! hoped the Church had gone -Ipast the need for such a motion. Over-sympathy was as ems | barrassing as a lack of sym--Ipathy, she said. h She felt more included ?! under the term of “brethren” (than when someone said )l "brothers and sisters,” looks'ing pointedly at her. .