Controversies Concerning Homosexuality Hound the Anglican Community

Gay issues are troubling the Church of England and its Episcopal community in America. Its evangelical wing takes issue with liberal clergy who promote acceptance of openly gay priests. What is the true biblical approach?

by John Ross Schroeder

At the end of the day Dr. Rowan Williams, archbishop of Canterbury, concluded that the proposed appointment of gay priest Jeffrey John as bishop of Reading would imperil the unity of the Anglican church. This official position seems somewhat in contradiction to his personal convictions of many years. As Ruth Gledhill, religion correspondent of The Times (London), recently reported: "The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, believes that the Church of England should change its mind on homosexuality in the same way that it has already altered its teaching on slavery, hellfire, usury and marriage after divorce" (May 27, 2003).

Across the Atlantic in the United States, the American Episcopal Church’s General Convention gave final approval of Gene Robinson’s appointment as bishop of New Hampshire on Aug. 5. Although formerly married with two children, he has lived with a gay partner for 13 years.

Liberal and conservative viewpoints

In Mr. Robinson’s words: "God is teaching us something about gay and lesbian people. It will not be too many years before we look back on this recent controversy and think, ‘My goodness, how misled we were’" (The Sunday Telegraph, July 20, 2003).

A group of Anglican bishops in England apparently have a similar liberal approach. They are set to publish a radical report titled "Some Issues in Human Sexuality." It tells us that "what makes us Christians is our common relationship to Christ, which is rooted in repentance, faith, baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit (so far so good, but notice what follows), and not the correctness of our beliefs about matters of sexual conduct" (The Sunday Times, July 13, 2003).

George Austin, former archdeacon of York, reacted to this report by saying, "Anyone who knows the liberal mind will realise this document is simply a ploy to push ahead the gay agenda in which all homosexual activity by priests and lay people is accepted in the church" (ibid.).

Read the full article at www.wnponline.org/wnp/wnp0308/homosexuality.htm

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