Stand alone services of same sex blessings may not be brought forward yet
Dear Reader,
Last July’s General Synod was the most divisive meeting of the C of E’s governing body since I began reporting on religious affairs in the late 1980s. February’s meeting looks set to match it with rumours already afoot of private briefings in Lambeth Palace Library like those which took place in the Autumn. In those meetings the Archbishops ‘listened to’ select individuals from the various camps and lobbying organisations from the conservative and revisionist sides of the C of E. This week’s briefings by the Bishops of Newcastle and Leicester, have according to social media reports, hinted that the Archbishops will not bring forward stand-alone services of same-sex blessings – in spite of a Synod vote asking them to do so. It appears that stand-alone services and new guidance to replace Issues in Human Sexuality are being held off until plans for structural differentiation (which could include anything from extended or alternative episcopal oversight to a new province) are developed.
Although, most evangelicals will welcome delay in hope of a change of heart, do we really believe that these sorts of behind-the-scenes manoeuvres and overruling of Synodical votes by the Archbishops are the best ways to run the Church?
Andrew Carey in Church of England Newspaper Newsletter January 26 2024
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