Meet our Patrons: John Bradbury in conversation with Kieran Bohan
THE OPEN TABLE NETWORK (OTN) is becoming a charity. So we have asked several notable Christians who identify as LGBTQIA+, or as allies, to become our patrons.
They will be advocates for OTN, speaking about us and supporting us in the public eye. We are proud that these individuals believe in what we’re doing and want to have their names associated with us.
In the second of our Q&A webinars with our new Patrons. on Thursday 17th December 2020, John Bradbury, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church, co-editor of Thinking Again About Marriage and co-founder of Open Table Cambridge, was in conversation with Open Table Network Coordinator Kieran Bohan
If you missed our Q&A webinar with John Bradbury, or want to watch it again, now you can catch up below or on our YouTube channel (58 mins).
John was ordained in Liverpool in 2004 to work as part of the ecumenical team in the centre of the city. John worked closely with the Somewhere Else community, an early Fresh Expression of church. The Somewhere Else community also hosted an LGBTQIA-affirming Christian group.
In 2007, John was appointed to teach Systematic Theology and Church History at Westminster College, Cambridge, where he ultimately served as Vice-Principal. In 2017, John was inducted to serve in a pastorate in Cambridgeshire, where he supported an Open Table community.
He has been heavily involved in ecumenism and has served on various groups for the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE). He is the author of Perpetually Reforming: a theology of church reform and renewal.
John was in conversation with Kieran Bohan, Co-ordinator of the Open Table Network. In 2020, thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, Kieran began working full-time to raise our online presence to reach more isolated LGBTQIA+ folk. This funding has made these webinars possible.
John answered a wide range of questions, including
You were ordained in Liverpool in 2004 and worked with marginalised communities - What did you value about your time in Liverpool and how does that still inform your ministry today?
Why does Open Table matter to you personally?
What do you value about the URC's understanding of the place of human sexuality and gender in faith?
How do you feel the URC has managed to hold the tensions between different positions on gender and sexuality?
How can an LGBT+ newcomer to a URC church know if it is a church which will affirm them and provide a safe space?
Do you think non-affirming churches need to be more open about that?
How could the URC more actively involve LGBT+ folk and champion issues affecting LGBT+ Christians?
How is the URC continuing conversations on LGBT+ inclusion, since the 2016 vote to allow URC churches to opt to conduct same-sex marriages was spoken of as the beginning of 'thinking again about marriage'?
You co-edited the book 'Thinking Again About Marriage', published in 2016. You wrote about frustration with 'the kind of conversations about marriage that were taking place - or not taking place - in the churches'. What were those frustrations about, and what has changed since then?
To what extent does the URC's commitment to ecumenism help in conversations with other traditions about recognising civil partnerships and same-sex marriage?
How can we sit at an open table with people who disagree with or exclude us?
Do you think Communion has a particular importance for LGBT+ Christians?
When Churches Together In England refused to let a Quaker nominee (a woman in a same-sex marriage) take up their Chair role, should more direct action have been take about that?
How has it been for you as an out gay person stepping into such a public and senior leadership role?
What's been your impression of recent developments in the CofE's Living in Love and Faith (LLF) project on identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage, and video responses by conservative Christian groups?
If you could choose to sit at a table with anyone, who would it be?
What have you learned in the past year, particularly in taking on your new role amid the Covid crisis?
What gives you hope for the coming year - for the URC, and for yourself?
