Now it is insulting to stand and kneel in church! Christian charity ‘wakes up’ Church of England after pastors say prayer books should be rewritten to avoid exclusion of people with disabilities
- Church of England should rewrite prayer books to make them more inclusive
- Actions called for further research to understand the number of clergy with disabilities
- The Bishop of Exeter said it would be a ‘nightmare’ to edit the prayer books
- He said it would be better to use inclusive language during the service instead?
Telling worshipers to “stand all” and “all kneel” is unfair to the disabled, pastors have told the church — urging prayerbooks to be rewritten so the language is inclusive.
The Church of England was told to consider rewriting prayer books to make them more inclusive for congregations, after a vote at their national assembly, the General Synod.
Reverend Canon Timothy Goode, of Southwark, made the suggestions so that the Church could continue its modern progress by “removing some of the barriers faced by the handicapped, clergy and laity” after written questions were presented to Synod.
The actions called for further research to understand the number of clergy with disabilities to encourage progress and remove sections asking worshipers to “all rise,” reports The Telegraph.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, told MailOnline: “Are we becoming so anxious and sensitive that we are willing to do away with words and traditions that have always been well understood in their context?
Telling worshipers to ‘all stand’ and ‘all kneel’ in church is unfair to disabled people, pastors tell church as they urge prayer books to be rewritten to be more inclusive (file image)
“These words and deeds mark reverence and tradition in a particular Christian service. With these words, no one would ever want to discriminate on the basis of disability, but they would always accommodate.
‘People have understood that for centuries. Everyone in the services respects those who can’t kneel or stand.’
The Bishop of Exeter, the right Reverend Robert Atwell, said it would be a “nightmare” to edit the prayer books and that it would take “hours upon hours” to make the changes, responding to suggestions during a meeting. debate in the synod held at the University of York.
He said it would be better to use inclusive language during the service so that believers don’t feel left out.
Rev Canon Timothy Goode, of Southwark, made suggestions so that the church could continue its modern advancement by “removing some of the barriers faced by the handicapped, clergy and laity” (file image)
He added: “There is already flexibility in the interpretation of rubrics that dictate attitude, such as the prayer book requirement that one should kneel when receiving Holy Communion.”
Rev Canon Goode filed his written motion to “ask the Faith and Order Commission and the Liturgical Commission to consider how our liturgies can be made more inclusive for the disabled.”
The vote was passed to consider the motion after the debate and will be discussed at a later date.
The church tweeted the end of the synod, which closed its session today, writing: “Business is closed, synod is duly adjourned by the Archbishop of York and ends in prayer. It will meet again in Westminster between February 6-14, 2023.”