United Church about ethos, not belief, says minister who faces defrocking

An outwardly atheist United Church minister who stands to be defrocked for her beliefs told Metro Morning Friday that embracing different interpretations of God has always been a tenet of the church and is something that should be celebrated and supported, not punished.

"The United Church has alwaysbeen about ethos, it has not been about belief," Rev. Gretta Vospertold host Matt Galloway. "That's the United Church that many people have been drawn to."

In a split decision, a church review panel has recommended Vosper be kicked out.

In areport, the panel said Vosper would not be ordained were she applying today given herextreme beliefs.

"She is not suitable to continue in ordained ministry becauseshe does not believe in God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit," thereport by the Toronto Conference interview committee states.

"Ms. Vosper does not recognize the primacy of scripture, shewill not conduct the sacraments, and she is no longer in essentialagreement with the statement of doctrine of the United Church ofCanada."

Vosper, however, said her understanding of God has "evolved" since her Bible study days.

She now believes that by helping and caring foreach other, people "create this positive power within ourselves and that that's God, but that it's entirely dependent upon us. It doesn't come from the supernatural realm, we can't make things better by praying to another realm."

And while the United Church is known for allowing a wide range of spiritual views, the panel is still recommending that Vosper, 58, lose her job as minister in theWest Hill congregation in Toronto's east end.

Not everyone on the interview committee, comprising 23 lay andordained members of the church, wants to see hergone. In adissenting view, four members concluded that Vosper was "suitable"as a minister. The church has evolved since its founding and mustcontinue doing so to meet the spiritual needs of Canadians, theyargued.

"Many of Ms. Vosper's theological positions, while not in themainstream, are not unique amongst the ministers and lay persons ofthe United Church," the dissenters said. "The United Church has ahistory of welcoming theological diversity, and to find Ms. Vosperunsuitable could stifle exploration and stunt that diversity."

Vosper says theminority view shows that a "significant number" of people in the church share herviews.

"This conversation is not over and indeed might get ramped up,"Vosper said.. "This has been a very adversarial process and so that,in and of itself, has cost the United Church greatly."

Galloway asked Vosperhow she could hold a leadership position in a church if shedoesn't believe in God. Vosper said she wants to stay within the fold of a church that has, up until now, allowed her to embrace spiritual diversity.

"The Church taught me to develop wide understandings of God and to develop my own," she said."I am as close to a Child of the United Church of Canada as anyone can be."

Argued against 'singular definition' of God

In June, Vosper appeared before the committee to defend herviews, arguing she was on the receiving end of a church inquisition.She argued against a "singular definition" of God and pleaded forministers and members to be allowed to explore and define their ownideas.

The committee, however, felt Vosper had gone far too far.

"Although the United Church of Canada is a big tent, welcoming adiversity of theological beliefs, Ms. Vosper is so far from centreof what holds us together as a United Church that we have concludedthat she is not suitable to continue as an ordained minister," thereport states.

"The committee is not recommending any form of remediationbecause Ms. Vosper has been so clear and unequivocal about herbeliefs."

The conference's sub-executive will receive the panel report nextweek and Vosper and her supporters will be able to speak to itsfindings. The executive will then decide whether to ask the church'sgoverning body for a formal disciplinary hearing that wouldultimately decide on whether to fire her.

Randy Bowes, chairman of the West Hill board, told The Canadian Press his biggestconcern was the message the report sends to other United Churchcongregations, which make up the country's second largest religiousgroup.

Vosper, who was ordained in 1993 and joined her West Hillcongregation in 1997, has been upfront about her beliefs for years.

Things came to a head after she wrote an open letter to thechurch's spiritual leader following the Charlie Hebdo massacre inParis in January 2015 in which she pointed out that belief in Godcan motivate bad things.