In the Courts of the Lord: A Gay Minister's Story

Sara Stratton teaches history at York University.

As an Anglican priest ordained in 1980, Jim Ferry worried about what
might happen if his homosexuality became public knowledge. A discreet
man, he was for a time able to keep his relationships quiet. This ended
in 1991, when members of his congregation in Unionville complained to
Bishop Terence Finlay about Ferry’s private life. Although there was
no church prohibition against gay men or lesbians in the priesthood, the
bishop came down hard on Ferry and, after a trial held in Bishops’
Court, removed Ferry’s licence to preach.

This compelling story is not without problems. Ferry is an awkward
writer. Because he knows the Anglican church so well, he often fails to
make logical connections for the layperson. The chapter on the history
of the church’s struggle with the questions posed by its gay and
lesbian membership is both the most essential chapter and the weakest
chapter in the book: it is dry and unconnected to Ferry’s own story.
When dealing with the Bishops’ trial, Ferry emphasizes the court
transcript at the expense of his personal reaction to the dismantling of
his life.

These caveats aside, Ferry’s account is valuable as a source for
church historians and for the gay and lesbian liberation movements in
Canada, and as general reading for anyone who cares about equality under
the law.