Evangelical Bishops downplay call for ‘radical inclusion’

Mar 9, 2017 by

From Church of England Newspaper.

FOLLOWING the call by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York for ‘radical inclusion’ in the Church over the recent Synod vote on the gay debate, the Bishop of Maidstone has warned that evangelicals are “on a different trajectory”.

The conservative evangelical bishop has issued a strong call to his constituency to ‘stand firm.’

In a joint letter to The Church of England Newspaper this week (below), Bishops Julian Henderson and Rod Thomas call on evangelicals to uphold the Church’s doctrine on marriage and relationships.

They write: “We are very concerned that the recent General Synod debate will generate the development of pastoral practice that is completely at odds with Scripture and we plead with the proponents of change not to impair their communion with those who support the Church’s current teaching. The result will be increasing division among us.

“In the meantime, we encourage parishes to continue to have confidence in Scripture as the accepted Anglican basis for godly unity, to uphold the Church’s doctrine on marriage and relationships, to express fellowship with like-minded Anglicans worldwide, to continue in fruitful evangelistic work, and to pray that the Church will be an increasingly effective witness to Jesus Christ as the Saviour of all.”

Earlier, the Rt Rev Rod Thomas, Bishop of Maidstone, pointed out that a number of bishops have since called for the Church of England “to be more affirming” of same-sex relationships. He said that they see the Church “as being on a trajectory towards change.”

But he warned: “Evangelicals in the Church of England are on a different trajectory.”

He said: “We hope we are not insensitive to the value of intimate relationships or the needs we all feel for intimacy and life sharing. However, he warned: “The Church of England cannot sit loose to what the Bible teaches and then expect its mission to thrive.”

He stressed that “loving friendships between people of the same sex are given great value” but he adds, “sexual intimacy is only ever commended in the context of marriage between a man and a woman.”

He also warned those advocating for change who argue that different interpretations of Bible passages may be allowed. “However, there are very few Biblical commentators who would agree,” he declared

And he warned: “The time may be on us where individual congregations and parishes have to take fresh steps to show that they are not following the trajectory of others. This may well involve them in difficult decisions, unpopular actions and awkward situations.

“However, the doctrinal foundations of the Church of England are worth protecting,” he added.

“So we need to stand firm – continuing to teach and do the work of evangelism, continuing to turn up at Synods in order to contend for the gospel, continuing to encourage one another by meeting together, and continuing to support those who run into difficulty.”

 

Sir,

We write as former members of the Reflection Group who worked on the House of Bishops’ Report to the General Synod, GS 2055.

The majority of the recent Synod voted to take note of the Report. It was the decision to allow a vote by Houses, that led to the defeat of the motion by a tiny majority in the House of Clergy. From our point of view, the paper represented a genuine attempt to encourage us all to continue to walk together as further work is done to explore how to be faithful to the Bible’s teaching on marriage while demonstrating loving pastoral care to all.

The vote at General Synod was not a vote to change either the Church’s teaching on marriage or its liturgy. However, the debate did reveal just how many are willing to work for this to happen. Those who seek to promote and support such a change have been highly voluble since then and have given the impression that anything less will not be acceptable.

However, Canon A5 makes it clear that the Church’s doctrine is based squarely on the Bible’s teaching. We remain completely unpersuaded that there is any Biblical warrant for the Church to change its doctrine of marriage or its view that God’s good purposes for human flourishing mean that all sexual relations outside marriage are contrary to God’s will.

This is not a matter of being divisive or unwelcoming. It is about preserving the place and authority of God’s Word in his Church. In this year of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we do well to recall the rediscovery and reintroduction of the Bible in the sixteenth century to the beliefs and practices of the Church, re-forming the people of God according to His Word.

We look forward to considering a new teaching document from the House of Bishops on marriage and relationships – not least because the promotion of marriage as the church understands it, is such an urgent need in society. However, we are very concerned that the recent General Synod debate will generate the development of pastoral practice that is completely at odds with Scripture and we plead with the proponents of change not to impair their communion with those who support the Church’s current teaching. The result will be increasing division among us.

In the meantime, we encourage parishes to continue to have confidence in Scripture as the accepted Anglican basis for godly unity, to uphold the Church’s doctrine on marriage and relationships, to express fellowship with like-minded Anglicans worldwide, to continue in fruitful evangelistic work, and to pray that the Church will be an increasingly effective witness to Jesus Christ as the Saviour of all.

The Rt Rev Julian Henderson, Bishop of Blackburn

The Rt Rev Rod Thomas, Bishop of Maidstone

Evangelical bishops downplay call for ‘radical inclusion’

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