At its recent synod, the Church of England voted to extend pension benefits to clergy in homosexual civil “partnerships”:
Prior to the vote, surviving civil partners of deceased gay clergy could claim pension benefits, but only back to 2005 when the Civil Partnership Act was introduced.
But now the Synod has voted to extend their pension benefits by offering surviving civil partners a pension based on all of their deceased partner’s pensionable service, equating them with widows and widowers.
The change means the Church of England will go beyond the requirements of the Civil Partnership Act 2004.
One Synod member, who asked to remain anonymous, said conservative Synod members had deliberately withheld from taking to the floor to speak against the motion for fear of reprisals.
“They didn’t dare to. There would have been screams of homophobia if anyone had dared oppose it,” he said.
It’s good to know that the CofE is an inclusive church where all are free to speak their mind – as long as they maintain the harmony of the zeitgeist.
The Times, notes:
The Church allows gay clergy to register their civil partnerships, but requests that they remain celibate.
Nudge nudge.
How many homosexual clergy are there in the CofE?
In the London and Southwark dioceses, up to one in five clergy is thought to be gay, according to Canon Giles Goddard, co-founder of the lobby group Inclusive Church.
In Britain as a whole, the percentage of homosexuals is just 6%:
Six per cent of the population, or about 3.6 million Britons, are either gay or lesbian, the government’s first attempt to quantify the homosexual population has concluded.
So in the dioceses of London and Southwark, 20% of priests are homosexual, whereas in the general population, 6% are homosexual.
Why are there so many homosexuals in the leadership of the Anglican Church? Is it a deliberate recruitment drive by the church; are the robes particularly alluring; is it the funny hats?
Or is it a plot to subvert the only denomination that consistently preaches the true Gospel? No, that can’t be it.
Perhaps it’s the judgement of God as described in Romans: Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. Rom 1:28. The ultimate punishment: letting people have their own way.
What you have to understand is that some folk here in the UK, like to create the impression that the Anglican clergy is awash with closeted LGBT folk, who in reality are even involved with conservative evangelical groups for some unknown reason. Look here:-
Changing Attitude Sussex launched in Brighton on Monday 8th February
Please note my questions to them and note also that their name indicates that they wish to “change attitudes”. (changing attitudes are very influential here in the UK).
The dominos are falling rather quickly in England. First woman ordination, than woman bishops, allowing active homosexuals who are not married (at least not married by the Church) to be priests, and now financially supporting these sin filled relationships. How long (or more accurately, how soon) will it be until the CoE has its own Gene Robinson?
Seems to me that the CoE is already on the same road to hell as the ACoC and TEC. This does not encourage me to seek Communion with Canterburry. But if not Canterburry, than whom? Rome keeps looking better and better.
Stuart [#1],
I find it quite difficult to believe that there are undeclared actively homosexual priests in Forward in Faith as Colin Coward claims – it doesn’t make any sense.
Your exchange with him is interesting. People like Bp. Tom Wright seem to think that the CofE is not heading down the same path that the ACoC and TEC have taken here in North America; I’m not so sure.
David, it’s so difficult to dialogue on their blog, because it would seem that you have to accept the view that the practice of homosexuality is not sinful, in order to have “meaningful” dialogue with them. You can’t even reach the point of discussing practising homesxuals in relationship to church leadership.
If folks deny or re-write the Pauline writings then where are we left?
You and I both know that C of E in the UK will become exactly the same as the TEC & ACoC, complete with breakaway conservative factions. These conservative factions must not be drawn in to a reactive position whereby EVERYTHING they declare is related to sexual ethics, as this gives the wrong impression and distorts the gospel message and undermines the whole movement.
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