It appears that a change to the Marriage Canon to allow marrying same-sex couples is unlikely to get the votes it would need from bishops at the next General Synod in July this year.
Bishops who support the change are mortified and devastated but conversations will continue – when do they not? – and “other options for honouring and fully embracing committed, faithful same-sex relationships” will be explored.
I’m quite surprised.
From here:
In our exploration of these differences it became clear to us that the draft resolution to change the Marriage Canon to accommodate the marriage of same-sex partners is not likely to pass in the Order of Bishops by the canonical requirement of a 2/3rds majority in each Order. Some of us talked of being mortified and devastated by this realisation. We feel obliged to share this with the Council of General Synod as they give consideration to the process for handling this resolution at General Synod. We have grappled with this issue for three meetings of the House, and we feel a responsibility to convey our inability to come to a common mind in discerning what the Spirit is saying to the Church. We share this out of respect for the considerable work that the Church has invested in preparing to debate this motion at General Synod. We continue to wonder whether a legislative procedure is the most helpful way of dealing with these matters.
We have been conscious that the presence of this motion has brought distress to some, and we acknowledge the deep pain that our statement will cause both within and beyond the Church. And we are all saddened that we do not seem capable of unity on this issue. Nevertheless we are committed to work toward the deeper unity for which Christ died, and we pray daily that God would mend our divisions. Our hope is not in ourselves, but in Christ, and so we are committed to staying together that we might witness the miracle of our healing.
In our deliberations, we affirmed a commitment to continuing conversations and engagement with the Report of the Commission on the Marriage Canon, and to achieving the greatest pastoral generosity possible. There is a desire among us to explore other options for honouring and fully embracing committed, faithful same-sex relationships. We will also engage Indigenous and minority cultural perspectives in our Anglican family in our understanding of marriage.
Praise the Lord! Some of us have worked and prayed hard for this.
Amen, Dr. Turner. Does this mean that the bishops are actually going to shepherd?
Well, I hope and believe that at least half of them are. As for the others, time is now on our side. An educational job may yet be done in a body which has often showed itself ill-educated.
I say again, the Lord is not surprised by any of this. We should remember how long it took to clean up Arianism. Many who fought faithfully never lived to see victory. And bad bishops too are mortal. To put it at its lowest, quoting Stottie, “Where there’s death, there’s hope” …
Agreed – surprisingly good news.
Not surprised…actually, the ACC has become rather irrelevant these days in matters of gay marriage, and in many other matters as well. We have had civil same-sex marriages for over 10 years and gay couples have options, the United Church of Canada and the Lutheran church perform religious ceremonies so the gay folks have options. Gay couples will keep on creating families, gay people will keep on living on relationships whether the Anglican bishops approve or not, like it or not.
Undoubtedly you are right but that does not mean that Christian churches should endorse such activity. There are many evils in society that people are involved in – fraud, rape, elder abuse, domestic violence to name just a few – but that does not translate to Christians being required to accept such activity. Sin is sin regardless of the views of the general public, so-called bishops, or whatever. We are all called to repentance — not endorsement. Tragically many within the Christian community, including so-called bishops, have decided to endorse sinful activity rather than call people back to the Gospel. As Christians we are called to the authority of the gospel, not the generally accepted views of society.
“Whoever marries the spirit of this age will find himself a widower in the next.” Dean W.R. Inge.
I find it interesting how they quote St. Paul at the end of the document about not needing one another, but they purposefully look the other way on his teachings about marriage and sexuality.