Tag Archives: Anglican Church of Canada

The Anglican Church of Canada is finally hitting its stride by becoming a tango school

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I admit I have not quite decided which prospect I find most appealing: ACoC churches that are bankrupt, ACoC churches that are empty or ACoC churches that have become tango schools. The last I think; so long as they have same-sex partners, of course.

From CTV News

Churches convert into tango schools and daycares to stay financially stable

The idea of turning her local Ottawa church into a community hub was at the forefront of Leanne Moussa’s mind when the building went up for sale two years ago.

With a group of other residents, Moussa paid $1.52 million for All Saints Anglican Church, once the site of the state funeral for Prime Minister Robert Borden.

“We had a real interest in preserving what we see as an important place of Canadian history, and preserving that as a public space in some way,” she said. “We think this building and this property has served some important functions, not just for the congregation but for the larger community.”

Once the renovations and repairs are complete, the church will be home to a coffee shop, a wedding event space and meeting rooms for book launches, art shows and activist groups. Eventually, the church’s lower hall will be turned into a permanent restaurant.

Moussa, who is not religious, notes that All Saints is still a home of worship for smaller faith-based groups. It’s used as a mosque on Friday, a synagogue on Saturday and a church to two Christian groups on Sunday. It’s also is a destination for tango and yoga classes nearly every night of the week.

How to get around the marriage canon vote

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The motion to change the marriage canon to accommodate same-sex couples is unlikely to pass at the Anglican General Synod in July, so liberal Anglicans are looking for ways to circumvent the vote.

Michael Coren, who may or may not have inside information on the machinations of the post-Christian contingent of the Anglican Church of Canada, has elucidated in this article a hitherto unexplored way of twisting Scripture to justify the unjustifiable:

In Canada, the most plausible hope is probably some sort of creative compromise where the canon is amended to allow for a marriage liturgy that would include same-sex couples, based around a theology inspired by Acts 10. This is the passage where the Roman centurion Cornelius is accepted by St. Peter, who says, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” The Kosher laws are no longer required; God’s plan extends to all. Applied to sexuality, God’s love is for all: Jew and gentile, straight and gay.

It’s far from ideal, but the reality is that equal marriage simply won’t be achieved in the short-term. If an amendment satisfies enough people and is purely optional it might, just might, be acceptable to all sides. As such it could enable the Canadian church to avoid the treatment handed to the Americans.

Some priests likely to marry same-sex couples even if marriage canon change fails to pass

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Fred Hiltz has suggested that even if the vote to change the Marriage Canon fails to pass at General Synod, some priests will ignore the fact and go ahead with same-sex marriages anyway. Although Hiltz frames it as “civil disobedience”, I am left with the impression from the article below that, by mentioning it at all, he is dropping a broad hint to liberal dioceses as to how they should proceed.

The same strategy was adopted by the national church in 2010 when at the General Synod, while approval was not given for dioceses to start blessing same-sex unions, it was understood that many dioceses would still do so. And they did. An easy solution for Hiltz, since he was absolved of responsibility and liberal dioceses got what they wanted.

In 2010 we had the local option for same-sex blessings, along with the assurance that there would be no same-sex marriages.

In 2016 we will have the local option for same-sex marriages along with the assurance that no priests will be compelled to perform them.

In 2022 we will have…. well, you get the drift.

Some bishops have expressed concern about the possibility that some priests may go ahead and marry gay couples in the event that a resolution changing the marriage canon to allow same-gender marriages is rejected at General Synod this summer, said Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

“If it’s not approved, then, as we sometimes, say…there could be some ‘civil disobedience’ on the part of clergy and parishes, and the bishops are going to have to handle that, because all of us that are ordained make a solemn promise to conform to the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Anglican Church of Canada,” Hiltz told the Anglican Journal April 12. Hiltz made the comments during an interview on the House of Bishops meeting last week, April 4–8.

Asked to clarify if by “civil disobedience” he meant same-gender marriages in defiance of a “no” vote, Hiltz replied, “That’s a possibility. Bishops are aware of that. We’re mindful of our need to reach out to those who are going to be hurt or offended by a decision of General Synod.”

There is a Facebook group for those who want to see the Marriage Canon changed

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Like-minded same-sex marriage enthusiasts have set up a Facebook group to encourage one another in their desire to see a Marriage Canon change to accommodate same-sex couples. As of this writing, there are 1269 members. In the spirit of full inclusion, it is a closed group, so you can only see what is going on if you join. I did and here is the stated purpose of the group:

As administrators of this group, we want to reiterate our purpose because we have more than doubled membership over the past couple of days. It’s important that we are all on the same page and that we continue to promote a safe space where people can be free to express their thoughts, feelings and emotions.

We want to clarify for everyone who is part of this group our intent in coming together here as stated in our description …

“This is to be a forum for support and to encourage each other as we head into this important conversation. Many continue to feel hurt and excluded; others are wanting to continue working for justice, respect and dignity for all as equal members of the body of Christ … the living out of our baptismal covenant. Pray for wisdom and the grace of God through the Holy Spirit as we continue this prophetic mission and ministry for equality for all, and especially our LGBTQ community!”

We trust that everyone who is here as a member of this group shares this purpose and desires this outcome.

The last sentence confirms that dissenters are unwelcome, a fact whose accuracy was reinforced after I posted this:

I’m opposed to changing the marriage canon but thought I would join the group to see if anyone has said anything that might change my mind. They haven’t.

The reply:

I was under the impression that people who have joined this group understood that Jesus loves everyone, all inclusive. I’m all for healthy debate but I’m unsure if that is possible in this situation.

So, as you can see, with full inclusion, no debate is possible.

Very shortly after posting my comment I was booted out of the group by the moderators.

I feel so excluded.

Marriage canon change vote unlikely to pass, so what’s to be done?

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A process as trivial as voting doesn’t stop liberals; if liberals don’t get their own way through a vote, obviously the rules will have to change to make voting redundant. The important thing is to discern what the spirit is saying to the church – the spirit of theological liberalism, that is.

From here:

Council of General Synod (CoGS) unanimously agreed March 12 to send to the upcoming General Synod a draft resolution prepared by the Commission on the Marriage Canon changing the Anglican Church of Canada’s law to pave the way for same-sex marriage.

At the same time, however, CoGS said that while it is legally obliged by General Synod 2013’s Resolution C003 to send the same-sex marriage motion to General Synod 2016, it has also considered “the possibility of other options.”

In a message to the church,  CoGS said, “The General Synod may discern a legislative option is not the most helpful, and if so, we faithfully hope that through dialogue at General Synod an alternate way will emerge.”

CoGS did not indicate what these “other options”  might be, but the message was clearly a response to an earlier statement it received from the House of Bishops that a vote to allow same-sex marriage was “not likely to pass in the Order of Bishops.” In their statement to CoGS, the bishops had also questioned whether “a legislative procedure is the most helpful way” of dealing with the issue of gay marriage.

[….]

In its statement to the church, CoGS also said,  “We recommend the greatest pastoral response possible, allowing same-sex couples to be fully included in the life of our church with full and equal access to its liturgies and pastoral offices.”

The wording of this last sentence was cause for much debate on the floor of the Council when it was presented to members for approval. The original draft had read, “We must permit the greatest pastoral response possible, allowing same-sex couples to be fully included in the life of our church with full and equal access to its liturgies and pastoral offices,” and some CoGS members felt this came too close to telling General Synod how it should vote.

“When we do this, when we say, ‘You have full access to the liturgies and pastoral care,’ we’re saying, ‘Go ahead and marry,’ ” said Bishop Larry Robertson, of the diocese of the Yukon, expressing an opinion also stated by Archdeacon Terry Leer, of the diocese of Athabasca. “I cannot and will not accept that.”

CoGS meets in camera to discuss marriage canon change

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The Council of General Synod is meeting in private to discuss the marriage canon change proposal; they don’t want anyone to see the fur fly.

From here:

Given the communication from the House of Bishops at the end of February, the Planning and Agenda Team for the Council of the General Synod suggested to members of the Council that conversation be conducted in camera for two hours of their agenda today. This move was to ensure that members could process and work through the House of Bishops communication and to speak freely and without reservation.

The author of the article above goes to great length to tell us what in camera means.

Don’t pay any attention. In 1944 Jean-Paul Sartre wrote a play called In Camera. In the play, three damned souls are locked in a room in Hell to be each other’s torturers.

That’s what is really happening.

Indigenous bishops reject same-sex marriage because of colonialism

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If this article is to be believed, the ACoC indigenous bishops are against same-sex marriage not because they believe it to be wrong but because it is an expression of “colonial oppression”.

That leaves the liberals in the unhappy position of having to decide who to oppress: their indigenous members or their LGBTetc members; normally they take the easy way out and just oppress their conservative members.

The Bible does offer some advice on all this, of course, but no-one in the ACoC seems particularly interested in reading it.

A group of Indigenous Anglican Bishops have released a statement agreeing with Eastern Newfoundland Bishop Geoff Peddle that their community is on a different page when it comes to marriage equality, but not for the reasons you might think. VOCM’s Andrew Hawthorn explains.

Gay Marriage isn’t an issue of right or wrong in indigenous communities. It’s an issue of colonial oppression.

That’s according to three indigenous Bishops who released the statement declaring commitment to ‘the traditional, spiritual, indigenous understanding of marriage’.

There are those on both sides of the issue who would say homosexuality was once treated one way or another by indigenous peoples, but the Bishops, expressing kinship and support of the LGBT community, point out as their culture was almost entirely erased, it is difficult to say what the traditional attitude really was.

For now they say the main issue is an old one; a European-based society dominating discussion in their own culture, a conversation they say indigenous people should reserve for themselves.

Squabbling bishops

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It appears that Anglican Church of Canada bishops are having a difficult time keeping their stories straight on exactly what happened at the recent House of Bishops Meeting.

In Anglican-speak, this is called walking together.

From here:

The head of the Anglican Church of Canada says a bishop in eastern Newfoundland has made inaccurate statements about the church’s internal debate over the blessing of same-sex marriages.

Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, primate of the Canadian wing of the church, is challenging Bishop Geoff Peddle’s assertion that the church is unlikely to allow the practice because indigenous bishops and the people they represent are opposed to the idea.

Peddle’s comments were made earlier this week during an interview broadcast across Newfoundland and Labrador by radio station VOCM.

He could not be reached for comment today.

Hiltz says the church’s 45 bishops in Canada have made it clear they are unlikely to reach the two-thirds consensus needed to change the church’s rules at its next General Synod in July.

However, Hiltz stressed that it would be inaccurate to suggest that the church’s three indigenous bishops are largely responsible for that position, saying there are plenty of non-indigenous bishops who also hold conservative views.

Canadian Bishops back down from same-sex marriage for fear of punishment

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According to Michael Bird, some of the bishops who favour same-sex marriage will vote against it to avoid suffering the same sanctions as TEC. A vote rooted more in pusillanimity than principle.

From here:

birdInterestingly, the reasons are not purely theological. Bird told me some bishops reject same-sex marriage on a Biblical basis while others, including himself, interpret scripture differently.

However, many bishops were worried the Canadian Anglican church would be punished if it stepped with the times. It is not divine punishment they fear, but the fist of Canterbury, the heart of the church where its leader, the Archbishop, resides.

“There are many bishops who don’t have a problem with same-sex marriage, but we were told that if we changed the definition of marriage it would negatively impact our relationships with other denominations and within of the Anglican church itself,” Bird said.

For Anglican priests, this is not an unreasonable concern. The American Anglican church defied Canterbury and elected to allow same-sex marriage last year. In January, ranking church officials voted to effectively expel the American church from the Anglican ranks for three years. This means, among other things, American Anglicans cannot vote on church policy at Canterbury. They may be Anglicans in name, but their voices will not decide the future direction of the church internationally.

Canadian bishops evidently fear a similar consequence.

Anglican Bishops in a 3-way

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On same sex-marriage, the ACoC bishops fall into one of the following categories: No, Yes and Maybe.

Fred Hiltz thinks – as does Justin Welby – that the three can co-exist, walk together to use Anglican jargon. They can’t for one simple reason: liberals will not stop promoting their same-sex marriage agenda – ever; not until they have their way.

Once again the “spirit” – not, I am quite sure, the Holy Spirit – is invoked to legitimise what for 2000 years the church has deemed illegitimate. How could this not be the spirit of the age?

Read it all here:

When it comes to allowing same-sex marriage, the bishops seem to be thinking “yes,” “no” and “maybe” in roughly equal proportions, Hiltz said. A number of bishops in the Canadian church also have a “holy desire” to consider alternatives to a simple yes-no vote on same-sex marriages, he said. Some have given considerable thought to other alternatives, and these are likely to be the main topic of conversation when the House of Bishops next meets in April, he added.

The article makes perfectly it clear, once again, that the main preoccupation of Western Anglican bishops is sex – just like everyone else. The comical thing about this is that the bishops genuinely seem to believe it will garner the world’s approval when all it does is heap well deserved derision on an institution that tries to do what everyone else does but ends up doing it with less panache.