 | Anglican views of homosexuality: Encyclopedia II - Anglican views of homosexuality - Stance of Churches
Anglican views of homosexuality - Stance of Churches
Within the Anglican Communion there is diverse opinion over homosexuality.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Church of England
The issue erupted when Jeffrey John, a gay canon, was elected Bishop of Reading in May 2003. Before he could take up his post there was strong opposition from a minority of Bishops and he was persuaded to resign. However, many senior Bishops have voiced disappointment at his decision to resign. Later in 2004 he was then installed as Dean of St Albans Cathedral.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia
No official policy, however, there is a Rainbow Church in Onehunga, Auckland.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Anglican Church of Australia
No official stance on homosexuality; however, the national Church leader, Primate Philip Aspinall, has stated the topic is not worth splitting the church over. A prominent Sydney Anglican, Peter Jensen, who is Sydney's Archbishop has vigorously opposed homosexuality and the ordination of non-celibate homosexual bishops. The former Australian Primate, Archbishop Peter Carnley, who retired in 2005, criticized "Sydney Anglicans" for "empty moralizing" and questioned if the Bible condemns homosexuality in a statement:
The exact meaning to be read from these texts and whether they can rightly be made to provide a neat pre-packaged answer to our contemporary questions is what is at issue. Anybody brave enough to claim to know the inner mind of God on the basis of a personal claim to be privy to the only conceivable interpretation of some biblical texts is guilty of self-delusion. (CSNEWS.COM, June 30, 2003, "Anglican Leaders in Australia at Odds Over Homosexuality Issue"[2])
Anglican views of homosexuality - Anglican Church of Canada
"Canadian gays and lesbians will continue to be welcomed and received in our churches and to have their contributions to our common life honoured," in a letter wrote by Church leader Peers. The Church has been a strong supporter of the inclusion of gay and lesbian Anglicans in the communion. Same sex union blessings have been authorised by one diocese with others considering such blessings. In 2004 the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada passed a resolution on homosexuality which includes this section urging the church to continue dialogue on homosexuality and whether the Church should facilitate religious same-sex marriages, not just blessings:
Affirm the crucial value of continued respectful dialogue and study of biblical, theological, liturgical, pastoral, scientific, psychological and social aspects of human sexuality; and call upon all bishops, clergy and lay leaders to be instrumental in seeing that dialogue and study continue, intentionally involving gay and lesbian persons...to prepare resources for the church to use in addressing issues relating to human sexuality including the blessing of same sex unions and the changing definition of marriage in society.
Perhaps more importantly, the resolution concluded that the Synod:
Affirm the integrity and sanctity of committed adult same sex relationships.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Church of the Province of Central Africa
- 600,000 members (Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe)
Archbishop Malango was quoted as stating Gene Robinson "brought darkness, disappointment, sadness and grief" to his Church.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Church of Ireland
Within the Church of Ireland there is a wide spectrum of opinion. Conservatives were outraged at an alleged 'blessing' of a lesbian couple in St Nicolas' Collegiate Church, Galway in September 2002 and the Bishop of Limerick's attendance at Gene Robinson's consecration. The Bishops have announced a process of listening and reflection within the Church. The Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy made a contribution to that process, and published it online at http://www.efic.org.uk
A preliminary response to the Windsor Report was produced by the Church's Standing Committee in January 2005.
A number of northern dioceses have passed motions favouring Lambeth Resolution I.10.
http://www.irishangle.net/news/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=229
Anglican views of homosexuality - Anglican Church of Kenya
Archbishop Nzimbi has strongly spoken against gay clergy.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Church of Nigeria
The church remains sharply opposed to homosexuality, regarding it as taboo and against the Bible. Archbishop Peter Akinola has been one of the most outspoken critics of gay men and women in the Church and, indeed, in the world.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Scottish Episcopal Church
The Scottish Episcopal Church does not have a policy against ordaining noncelibate gay clergy, thus such ordinations are theoretically allowed. they announced this on March 23, 2005:
(We) had never regarded the fact that someone was in a close relationship with a member of the same sex as in itself constituting a bar to the exercise of an ordained ministry...We do not have a synodical decision like the Church of England has, which it made a number of years ago, and therefore if someone who was of a homosexual orientation felt a sense of call to the ordained ministry then we would begin the process of testing that vocation. We wouldn't bar him or her simply because they were homosexual.
Sensational headlines in North America announced that the SEC had agreed to ordain gays and lesbians in committed partnerships. The Church thus released a statement pointing out that the policy was not "news". Regarding the media release that the above quote came from, it noted that "Press interest has focused on one small part of the overall statement". It continued to say that:
In referring to the fact that there is no current bar to ordination for someone who might be in a close relationship with a member of the same sex, the Bishops were simply stating the present position as it applies in Scotland where, unlike some other provinces, no motion discouraging such ordinations has ever been passed by our General Synod. Consequently, the statement earlier this month does not represent any change in policy on the part of the Bishops.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Church of the Province of Southern Africa
- 2,000,000 members (South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland)
Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane has criticised other African Churches against homosexuality and said that the church's attention should be focussed on other concerns such as AIDS and poverty. Their previous Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, stated:
The Jesus I worship is not likely to collaborate with those who vilify and persecute an already oppressed minority.... I could not myself keep quiet whilst people were being penalized for something about which they could do nothing, their sexuality. For it is so improbable that any sane, normal person would deliberately choose a lifestyle exposing him or her to so much vilification, opprobrium and physical abuse, even death. To discriminate against our sisters and brothers who are lesbian or gay on grounds of their sexual orientation for me is as totally unacceptable and unjust as Apartheid ever was. [3]
Anglican views of homosexuality - Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America
- 27,000 members (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay)
Archbishop Gregory Venables has also been strongly critical of homosexuality. Bishops in his province criticized the Windsor Report for failing to call liberal churches to repentance. [4] The province has declared itself in "impaired communion" with ECUSA, but continues to maintain full communion with opponents of the Robinson consecration (read: Anglican Communion Network). [5] Venables has authorized dioceses within his province to provide episcopal oversight to United States churches that have left ECUSA.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Episcopal Church of the Sudan
Archbishop Marona says the Church should help with the effects of war and poverty before homosexuality. "We have much worse things to face," he has been quoted.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Anglican Church of Tanzania
Archbishop Donald Mtetemela has said homosexuality is against the Bible: "the Anglican Church of Tanzania believes that homosexuality is contrary to the teaching of the Word of God. It is a sin." [6]
Anglican views of homosexuality - Church of the Province of Uganda
The Ugandan church has cut ties with its North American counterparts over homosexuality. It has officially recognized the Anglican Communion Network, a theologically conservative group formed by several diocesan bishops and large parishes in the United States opposed to the Robinson consecration, as the legitimate representative of Anglicanism in North America. [7]
Anglican views of homosexuality - Episcopal Church in the United States of America
In 2003, ECUSA became the first Anglican province to ordain an openly gay bishop; however, the church's stance on gay issues has been debated for decades. In 1976, ECUSA's General Convention passed a resolution stating:
It is the sense of this General Convention that homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church.
Various interpretations were held within ECUSA on this resolution, ranging from the majority of dioceses that ordain noncelibate gay and lesbian clergy to the minority group who founded the Anglican Communion Network which opposes such ordinations. On June 23, 2005 the ECUSA defined its meaning in a one hundred and thirty page document entitled "To Set Our Hope on Christ":
We believe that God has been opening our eyes to acts of God that we had not known how to see before...the eligibility for ordination of those in covenanted same-sex unions...a person living in a same-gendered union may be eligible to lead the flock of Christ...members of the Episcopal Church have discerned holiness in same-sex relationships and have come to support the blessing of such unions and the ordination or consecration of persons in those unions...Their holiness stands in stark contrast with many sinful patterns of sexuality in the world...The idea that there is only one correct way to read or interpret scripture is a rather modern idea.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Church of the Province of West Africa
- 1,000,000 members (Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone)
No official policy.
Anglican views of homosexuality - Church of the Province of the West Indies
- 777,000 members (Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago)
Archbishop Gomez has said gay clergy are incompatible with scripture.
Other related archives1991, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, AIDS, African, Anglican, Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Church of Canada, Anglican Communion, Anglican Communion Network, Anglican Mission in America, Archbishop of Canterbury, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bible, Bishop of Reading, Bolivia, Botswana, Chile, Christian, Church of England, Church of Ireland, Church of Nigeria, Church of the Province of Southern Africa, Church of the Province of West Africa, Communion, Continuing Anglican Movement, December 2, Desmond Tutu, Diocese of New Westminster, Episcopal Church USA, Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, Gambia, Gene Robinson, General Convention, Ghana, Guyana, Homosexuality, Jamaica, Jeffrey John, Lambeth Conference, Lambeth Palace, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, March 23, Mozambique, Namibia, Northern Ireland, November 2, November 21, Paraguay, Peru, Peter Akinola, Peter Elliott, Peter Jensen, Reading, Religion, Rowan Williams, Scottish Episcopal Church, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Sydney Anglican, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Zambia, Zimbabwe, blessing of same sex unions, gay, homosexuality, regular meeting, schism
 Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Stance of Churches", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki |
