The unfolding Anglican earthquake: a way through?
by David Baker, Christian Today:
Can Anglicans ever compromise on the vexed issue of sexuality? And if not, is there now a possible way forward?
Many still hope for some kind of compromise. After all, Christians of various denominations disagree amicably on many other things – such as re-marriage of divorcees in church, or whether to baptise children, for example.
But that’s probably wishful thinking. That’s because the issue of sexuality is different from many others on which Christians have varying practices. Nobody believes, for example, that baptism is a ‘bad thing’ or that divorce is in and of itself a ‘good thing’. The range of practice in relation to each issue does not reflect underlying differences on the rights or wrongs of the thing under discussion itself. For all Christians, baptism is a matter for rejoicing, whereas divorce is sad.
With sexuality, it’s different. One part of Anglicanism believes non-celibate same-sex relationships should be celebrated. Another part – by far the majority – believes there is a better story for Christians to tell, and that it doesn’t involve jettisoning 2,000-year old beliefs about the uniqueness of male-female marriage and chastity outside that. For each side, compromise is impossible.
For ‘liberals’ that would involve what they would see as the continuing oppression and repression of gay and lesbian people. For ‘conservatives’ it would be selling out on a ‘salvation issue’ affecting people’s eternal destiny and undermining the faithful self-denial of celibate same-sex attracted Christians. Compromise would go against the conscience of each side, and indeed would threaten the internal consistency of either point of view.
So is there any way forward other than conflict? Well, there is now at least one proposal on the table. It comes from the chair of the Anglican network GAFCON, Archbishop Nicholas Okoh. A few days ago, he proposed a ‘structural separation’ between churches in New Zealand that hold traditional beliefs on sexuality and those that accept same-sex marriage. It would, he said, be a strategy that accepts ‘the reality of irreconcilable differences about the nature of the Bible and the gospel, but calls for it to be done peacefully’ – and without the endless court battles blighting Anglicanism elsewhere.
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