Church of England bishops fear for 'fragile unity' of Anglicanism over new gay marriage moves

Senior bishops have warned that new plans to allow homosexual marriages could destroy the "fragile unity" of the global Anglican Communion.

  

By Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent

Published: 8:00AM BST 11 Jul 2009

The Church of England leaders fear that the controversial move would go against traditional biblical teaching and have "immediate and negative consequences" for relationships with other provinces around the world, as well as the central position of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

In an official letter they also urge clergy to "maintain a critical distance" from governments and resist any moves they make to allow "gender neutral" weddings.

 

Their strongly-worded letter - made public on the first day of a meeting of the Church of England's governing body, the General Synod in York - comes just days after a new traditionalist group was formed to oppose the liberal direction of Anglicanism.

It highlights once again the threat to the unity of the 80 million-strong Communion posed by conflicting attitudes to homosexuality.
The latest fears have been raised over plans by the Church of Sweden, which is formally linked to the Church of England through an agreement called the Porvoo Declaration, to make its marriage liturgy "gender neutral" so that same-sex couples can have traditional wedding services for the first time.
The warnings come in a letter to the head of the Church of Sweden written by the Bishop of Guildford, the Rt Rev Christopher Hill, who is chairman of the Church of England's Council for Christian Unity, and the Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Rev John Hind, who is chairman of its Faith and Order Advisory Group.
They write: "If we understand the situation in the Church of Sweden correctly, what is now proposed appears to be a fundamental re-definition of the Christian doctrine of marriage and of basic Christian anthropology.
"This development might be seen as part of a wider shift within Western culture and theology to a position in which the idea of a fundamental distinction between the genders is seen as irrelevant and in which marriage is therefore seen as something that can and should be gender neutral."
They warn that this goes against biblical teaching and say it is "vital" for the Church to "maintain a critical distance from the state and resist what the state is doing if this is at odds with scripture".
The bishops say plans by any church to revise Christian teaching over sexuality will have "immediate and negative ecumenical consequences" and point out the damage similar moves have had in the USA, where the first openly gay bishop, the Rt Rev Gene Robinson, was ordained in 2003.
The bishops add: "Because of the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury within the Anglican Communion they could also further undermine the fragile unity of the Anglican Communion."

Archbishop of Canterbury: Gay rows wounding church

LONDON – Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams was quoted Saturday as saying he is not opposed to the appointment of gay people as bishops, if they pledge to remain celibate.
Williams, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, was quoted as telling the Times of London that he could in the future support the appointment of homosexual bishops — but not those in active sexual relationships.
"To put it very simply, there's no problem about a gay person who's a bishop. It's about the fact that there are traditionally, historically, standards that the clergy are expected to observe. So there's always a question about the personal life of the clergy," Williams was quoted as telling the newspaper.
The archbishop has been accused by equality campaigners of inconsistency because celibacy is not regarded as compulsory for heterosexual clergy.
Differences over the elevation of gay clergy have caused turmoil within the Anglican Communion — an association of churches with 80 million members in about 160 countries. Some conservatives have quit the association in protest, while the U.S. Episcopal Church — the branch of the Anglican Communion in the United States — has appointed two gay bishops since 2003.
Last year, the Vatican put forward plans to make it easier for traditional Anglicans upset over the appointment of female priests and gay bishops to join the Catholic Church, whose teaching holds that homosexual activity is sinful.
Williams earlier this year blocked the appointment of the Very Rev. Jeffrey John, a celibate gay cleric, to the post of bishop of Reading, and imposed sanctions on the U.S. Episcopal Church over the elevation of Mary Douglas Glasspool, a lesbian, to a position as an assistant bishop.
Williams said the issue of homosexuality has become "a wound in the whole ministry" since his appointment as archbishop in 2002.
He told the Times that in the past he had ruled against endorsing gay relationships for clergy, and against the appointment of John as a bishop, because "the cost to the Church overall was too great to be borne at that point."
Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said Williams had gone too far in seeking to accommodate conservative Anglicans. "Before he became Archbishop of Canterbury, he supported gay inclusion and equality. Now he victimizes gay clergy," Tatchell told the newspaper.

CORRECTED - Gay bishops are okay if celibate - Anglican leader

(Corrects to show Williams is spiritual head of Anglican Communion, not Church)LONDON (Reuters) - The spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Rowan Williams, backed gay people becoming bishops on Saturday as long as they remain celibate, risking more divisions within the Church on the issue.
Making one of the most explicit statements he has made on the subject, the head of the Church of England told the Times newspaper that he had "no problem" with their consecration.
But he would not endorse gay clergy in active relationships because of tradition and historical "standards" that require celibacy, he said in the interview.
Williams went to great lengths to explain why he stands with conservatives against gay clergy when it comes to doctrine.
He said he had to decide against endorsing gay relationships for clergy and bishops because "the cost to the Church overall was too great to be borne at that point".
The Archbishop said that since his appointment eight years ago he knew the gay issue as "a wound in the whole ministry".
"To put it very simply, there's no problem about a gay person who's a bishop. It's about the fact that there are traditionally, historically, standards that the clergy are expected to observe," Williams said.
His comments provoked an angry response from campaigners who accused him of being inconsistent because they say he previously blocked the appointment of a celibate homosexual cleric.
"Yet again, Rowan is sitting on the fence regarding gay clergy ... I don't know how Rowan sleeps at night," rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was quoted as saying.
Conservatives say his stance is at odds with 2,000 years of Christian teaching, the Times reported.
His views may endanger an Church unity scheme to be based around a new covenant on which all branches of the Church agree.
(Writing by Stefano Ambrogi; Editing by Louise Ireland)
(For more news, visit Reuters India)

Quoted from 1 Corinthians 6 : 9- 11. (New American Standard Bible)

9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.


God loves sinners but despised Sin. If this kind of Moral Standard is allowed in the church what kind of a church will it be. An APOSTATE  church departing from orthodoxy of the faith handed down by the early church  and  the apostles (1Timothy 4:1). Jesus told his disciples: " You are in the WORLD but NOT of this WORLD"( its systems and standards). Whats happening now is, the world standards is in the church, instead the church being the LIGHT to the world. There is no distinction anymore, between the World and the Church except  the church was in a religious garb.

Suffragan Bishop consecrated for Diocese of the Eastern US:

Rt. Rev. Chandler Jones was consecrated to fill the position of
Bishop Peter Brewer, who retired as Suffragan Bishop.
Bishop Jones was consecrated last
September 18, 2010 at St. Alban’s Cathedral in Oviedo, Florida
Congratulations to Bishop Chandler Jones may our good Lord be with you always as you serve faithfully the flock of Christ.