Considering dozens of parishes have left the Anglican Church of Canada since 2008, numerous dioceses and their bishops have sued parishes and individuals over property ownership and hurt feelings, and a number of high profile clergy were inhibited by their bishops, it’s about time that someone started worrying about unity. Unfortunately, since most of the bishops now wringing their hands are liberals who were – and still are – the cause of the disunity, all this tearful posturing accomplishes is illustrate the contempt bishops have for their flocks who, they must think, will fall for it all – again.
From here:
Canadian Anglican bishops have begun to respond to General Synod’s provisional vote on same-sex marriage in starkly different ways: a number have called for prayers, some announced they will now allow religious weddings for same-sex couples and others have expressed anxiety about unity in the church.
Melissa Skelton, bishop of the diocese that set the ball rolling in our current Canadian Anglican dystopia, condescendingly implies that those who disagree with same-sex marriage, do so only because they are “not ready”, not because they have good reasons for disagreeing. The condescension continues when she asks how the ACoC can “continue to make room for their point of view in a sensitive and caring way”. I suppose it will continue as it started: conservatives will be herded into fundamentalist ecclesial ghettos, out of sight and mind; a few tame residents will occasionally be let out for good behaviour and paraded before diocesan synods as a show of inclusivity.
Bishop Melissa Skelton, of the diocese of New Westminster, said she was “relieved” by the vote, which she said gay and lesbian people would see as an affirmative step. However, she added in an interview, “In my province, and among my friends in the House of Bishops, I’m very concerned for those who feel that they’re not ready for that. How do we continue to make room for their point of view in a sensitive and caring way?”
Bishops and so-called bishops should have taken action to weed out apostates years ago. However, they allowed apostates such as Michael Ingham and others to not only evict orthodox Christians but also to legally steal properties for which they never made any contribution. The ACoC has rapidly descended into the pit of apostasy and the leadership seems determined to dig the pit deeper.
If the Bishops and so-called bishops seek to redeem the church they need to weed out the apostates within their group and also the clergy that stands with them. Until that takes place any sacraments they might participate in is nothing but fraud.
I believe that what these bishops need to do is firstly to hold off on the ‘marriages’ until they are legal in three years’ time (if indeed they do become so), and secondly to start thinking theologically about sex-ethics. That means for most of them doing some real study at long last. If they did these things, they might have a chance of reclaiming some of the young families with decent parents, and halt the effective disintegration of their parish churches.
On the issue of homosexuality, there is no theological consensus in the worldwide Anglican Communion.
True but where there is contradiction both views can not be right ,they may both be wrong but not both right
Moreover, there is an official Communion position which is shared by all but a handful of bishops in a few numerically weak ‘western’ churches. That same-sex physical intimacy is good, beautiful and pleasing to God is an aberrant view for which the case has never been made.
It’s just blather. Not even they believe it. They’ve decided to do something wrong, by means of a rigged process, and they want to keep the bodies and money of those they wronged under their control. The rest is just afterthink, manipulation and straight lying.
On unity the scripture says don’t be united with unbelievers.
Yes.
There is a scriptural imperative to separate from those claiming the name of Christ who are not walking according to apostolic doctrine and commands.