Have Evangelicals made secret plans to split the church they ask in England; but what about here in Australia?
by John Sandeman, Anglican Ink:
Responding to a piece by theologian Andrew Goddard on the widely read (especially in England) blog Psephizo, the question is, “Have Evangelicals made secret plans to split the church?” The church in question is the Church of England, and the query arises because – you guessed it – of a dispute about introducing same-sex blessings.
If the numbers in the Church of England’s General Synod (church parliament) are anything to go by, evangelicals are about a third of that Church. Together with conservatives from the Catholic wing, they likely can block adding stand-alone same-sex blessing services because a two-thirds vote will be needed. But their Bishops have recently used their power to authorise prayers of blessing that can be used within normal services.
If Church of England evangelicals react the way American and New Zealand Anglican evangelicals have done, with same-sex marriage or blessings, one would expect some of them to leave. But for the moment – as the Goddard article explains in detail – there is a “stay in and fight” attitude, seeking some form of “differentiation” such as having their own Bishops.
But enough of the English. What about here in Australia?
There are two answers, or maybe three, to the question of whether Aussie evangelicals would split the Anglican Church of Australia.
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