Topical Tuesday: Justin Welby and Agreeing to Disagree

Jun 13, 2017 by

by Lee Gatiss, Church Society:

Lee Gatiss examines the idea that the church should just agree to disagree about issues of sexuality, and get on with more important things instead.

Last week, the Scottish Episcopal Church voted to alter that church’s Canon on Marriage, to remove the definition that marriage is between a man and a woman. Furthermore, it added a new section which acknowledges that there are different understandings of marriage, which now allows clergy to solemnise marriage between same sex couples as well as couples of the opposite sex.

Although the revised canon also stipulates that no member of the clergy will be required to solemnise a marriage against their conscience, clearly the orthodox understanding of marriage has now become merely one option for Scottish Episcopalians. The pressure on those who do not wish to offer same sex weddings will now only increase. As Richard John Neuhaus once said, “Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed.”

In the light of this long-anticipated rejection of Jesus’s word, the Bible, as the supreme authority over the church, GAFCON have announced that they will be consecrating Canon Andy Lines as a missionary bishop for Europe, including Scotland. Andy is a man of unimpeachable integrity, godliness, and clarity of teaching whose episcopal leadership will be welcomed by all those Scots who have been marginalised by their leaders, and by those outside the Church of England who wish still to remain Anglican in their doctrine and polity. We congratulate him on his consecration by bishops of the Anglican Church in North America, which will take place later this month. We can only wish that there were more bishops like him within the Church of England and the Scottish Episcopal Church.

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Read also: Welby told ‘we cannot agree to disagree’ on sexuality by Harry Farley, Christian Today

 

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