Church May Split Over Women Bishops and Gay Priests, Warns Rowan Williams

London Times ^ | February 09, 2010 | Ruth Gledhill

[Steelfish]

February 10, 2010 Church May Split Over Women Bishops and Gay Priests, Warns Rowan Williams Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent

Members of the General Synod listen to Dr Williams?s address yesterday The Archbishop of Canterbury warned yesterday that damaging infighting over women bishops and gay priests could result in a permanent split in the Anglican Communion.

Dr Rowan Williams stressed that he did not “want or relish” the prospect of division. He called on the Church of England and Anglicans worldwide to step back from a “betrayal” of God’s mission and to put the work of Christ before schism.

But he conceded that, unless Anglicans could find a way to live with their differences over women bishops and homosexual ordination, the Church would change shape and become a multi-tier communion of different levels — a schism in all but name.

In an historic and wide-ranging address to the General Synod — the Church of England’s parliament — he linked his Church’s divisions to similar battles in the secular world, such as the assisted-dying debate and the Equality Bill that is currently going through Parliament.

[longtermmemmory]

I thought the Queen/King was the head of the church of england?

[irishtenor]

***...get rid of the homosexuals and all will be well.***

Well, probably not, since the church is still run by humans who are prone to sin. But standing up against a sin is much preferable to allowing, or even approving that sin.

[irishtenor]

It is rather telling that their greatest theologian has left the church and moved to the African church. (J.I.Packer)

[usslsm51]

And they don’t believe the Bible.

[A.A. Cunningham]

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,140 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."141 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

VIII. In the pastoral field, these homosexuals must certainly be treated with understanding and sustained in the hope of overcoming their personal difficulties and their inability to fit into society. Their culpability will be judged with prudence. But no pastoral method can be employed which would give moral justification to these acts on the grounds that they would be consonant with the condition of such people. For according to the objective moral order, homosexual relations are acts which lack an essential and indispensable finality. In Sacred Scripture they are condemned as a serious depravity and even presented as the sad consequence of rejecting God.[18] This judgment of Scripture does not of course permit us to conclude that all those who suffer from this anomaly are personally responsible for it, but it does attest to the fact that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered and can in no case be approved of.

[ThePatriotsFlag]

Yeah, this WAS my church. This is what liberalism can do to a beautiful thing. Look at it closely America, learn! This is the same creeping progressivism that will destroy the USA if it is not stopped.

[RavenATB]

Of couse it will split. That’s why they came.

[SunkenCiv]

But he conceded that, unless Anglicans could find a way to live with their differences over women bishops and homosexual ordination, the Church would change shape and become a multi-tier communion of different levels -- a schism in all but name.

Thanks Steelfish.

[bigheadfred]

How do you weed out gay and lesbian bishops duly ordained?

With your 12 gauge silly.

[PGR88]

Let is split - even encourage the split. The Gay and Feminist Church won’t last another 20 years anyway, especially on its own. It will simply disappear. It is not a faith, it is a political ideology and is a parasite on the traditional faith - which will flourish once it is free.

[NoRedTape]

There is one True Church. Jesus founded it. Guess what? It ain’t the church in this article. Sorry.

[Vanders9]

If you don’t care, why did you bother to post this?

Basically, you do very much care - the exultation is almost palpable.

[Vanders9]

Perhaps the Anglicans should split. Perhaps its better that way. There are always arguments within churches - thats how you know some are right and some are wrong!

[Vanders9]

Jesus Christ is the head of the Church of England.

The sovereign is the governor.

[John O]

The C of E and Protestantism in general is in tatters over gay and lesbians and lack a core catechetical basis.

The Protestant denominations have a core basis. The Bible. Those who follow it do well. Those who don't, die. (Please note that when they abandon the bible they cease being Christian. C of E hasn't been a Christian church in years)

[Albion Wilde]

“intrinsically evil” ... I thought the Catechism's phrase was "objectively disordered."

Thank you very much for your citations at 18, 20 and 25.