American Anglicans cancel anti-sexism seminar over book use

The governing body of the Anglican Church in North America on Wednesday said it decided to cancel an upcoming seminar on combating sexism and misogyny in the church. The ACNA seminar, planned for Feb. 26, had been set to use content from a book by counselor Andrew Bauman, Safe Church: How to Guard Against Sexism and Abuse in Christian Communities. While the denomination did not provide a reason for the cancellation, it said it would reconvene the seminar in the future without using a specific book. The seminar’s discussion panel would have included two Anglican bishops.

The controversy appeared to come from the book’s strong views on male and female roles and advocacy for female ordination. The decision came after some members of the denomination vocally opposed the use of the book:

• New York Rev. Matt Kennedy posted excerpts from the book that called some Bible passages “problematic” for their descriptions of women’s positions in the church. The book also included a story about the author’s wife changing the names of Biblical characters from male to female when instructing their child, in which Bauman wrote that representation was more important than accuracy.

• Kennedy’s wife, Anne, also wrote at length about why she took exception to the book choice. Anne Kennedy is an author who has a master’s degree in divinity and also helps with pastoral care at the church.

• A layman associated with North American Anglicans for Reform used social media to organize a petition against the book’s use and against female ordination. He also expressed his concerns to the denomination’s acting archbishop, Julian Dobbs, he wrote online.

How did Bauman, the book’s author, respond to the cancellation of the seminar? Opposition to abuse and sexism in the church shouldn’t be controversial, but apparently dismantling patriarchy and misogyny ruffled some feathers, he said. The church should amplify women’s voices and learn from them, he said.

What’s the ACNA position on female ordination? The denomination currently allows each diocese or jurisdiction to make its own decision about whether to allow women to serve as deacons or priests. Women are not allowed to become bishops.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the suspension of ACNA’s archbishop during a sexual misconduct probe.