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.

Nigeria : Anglican Primate Condemns Homosexuality, Same Sex Marriage and Pedophilia in Maiden Speech

By David W. Virtue http://www.virtueonline.org/
July 16, 2010

The Nigerian Anglican Archbishop of more than 18 million Anglicans, the largest province in the Anglican Communion, blasted what he called an “invading army of homosexuality, lesbianism and bisexual lifestyle under any guise” coming from the West and said same sex marriage, pedophilia and all sexual pervasions should be roundly condemned by all who accept the authority of Scripture over human life.

In his first press conference since assuming the leadership of the Anglican Church of Nigeria following the retirement of Peter Akinola, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh said the issue at stake of human sexuality is not an Anglican prerogative and it is by no means limited to the Anglican circle as it is clearly shown all over the world.

“The Church in the West had vowed to use their money to spread the homosexual lifestyle in African societies and Churches; after all Africa is poor. They are pursuing this agenda vigorously and what is more, they now have the support of the United Nations. We therefore call on parents to ensure that their children obtain their first degree in Nigeria before travelling abroad. Parents and guardians should closely watch and monitor the relationship which their children or wards keep so that deviant behavior could be timely corrected. The sin of homosexuality, it must be reemphasized, destroyed the communities of Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Okoh ripped the comparison of those who ordained gay bishops with those who cross borders for “pastoral work” and had been accused of breaking the call for a moratorium.

“We reject being put in the same category with churches conducting gay ordination and same sex marriage, and the equating of our evangelical initiative (for which we should be commended) with those who are doing things unbiblical. But for the Nigerian initiative and others like her, many of our faithful Anglican American friends who cannot tolerate the unbiblical practices of the Episcopal Church in America could have gone away to other faiths. The great commission to go in to all the world to save souls is our compelling constitution.”

Okoh called the step taken by the [Archbishop of] Canterbury “ill-advised and does not make any contribution towards the healing of the ailment in the Anglican extended family.”

“Our main thrust as a Church remains the evangelization of our people. The Gospel is not only proclaimed as a religious faith but a means of godly civilization. By evangelism we mean the spreading of “the faith once for all delivered to the Saints” (Jude 3). We equally mean effective teaching and discipling to reduce the yearning gap between profession of faith and morality. It also includes getting deeply involved in the work of mission by providing some amenities and support to individuals and rural communities so as to reduce poverty and complement the effort of Government that the people may have life more abundantly.”

The archbishop also attacked Nigeria’s numerous social evils and said he would not draw back from addressing them. “Like Biblical prophets of old who were champions of moral, socio-political and economic destinies of their nations, we do not intend to abandon this divine responsibility.”

“I wonder why we still lack vision and mission such that can explore resources to employ and feed all our people; why do most people hunger when God has so endowed us. There is clearly poverty in the land as evidenced in our housing, food and clothing in most rural communities. In spite of this, corruption is still growing in all segments of society; leaving the most vulnerable in society completely dispossessed. There is warning everywhere that fossil oil will not continue to rule the world. Serious scientific research is going on around the world to find viable alternatives.”

Okoh said he was grateful to God that the nation had survived a 3-year bloody civil war and that a sense of pride at the restoration of democracy after a prolonged military rule.

Before being elected in September 2009 to serve as primate by the church’s bishops, Okoh was archbishop of Bendel province and bishop of the Diocese of Asaba.

Okoh said that he'd spent his first months as primate touring all 14 internal provinces of the Church of Nigeria, and that the conversations and feedback from Anglicans throughout the country had informed his address to the press.

The church's main priority, he concluded, "remains the evangelization of our people. The Gospel is not only proclaimed as a religious faith but a means of godly civilization."

Greetings

To a loving dad, godly fathers, responsible fathers, caring fathers, providing fathers, merciful fathers, faithful fathers, spiritual fathers, cruel fathers, irresponsible fathers, absentee fathers,  OFW's Fathers to all  fathers:  Happy Father's day! From us, sons and daugthers. We love you!!! and God loves you!

Trinity Sunday May 30,2010

 The Collect

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity; We beseech thee that thou wouldest keep us stedfast in this faith, and evermore defend us from all adversities, who livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.

The Epistle
Revelation 4:1


AFTER this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind. And the first was like a lion, and the second like a calf, and the third had a face as a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created.

The Gospel
St. John 3:1


THERE was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.