Phillip Jensen on The Gospel Partnerships

Phillip Jensen was interviewed for St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in 2011, and the video has just been posted online.

In the 8 minute clip, he speaks of the Gospel Partnerships in the UK – and the need for all the UK churches to get behind one central leader.

C of E House of Laity rejects vote of no confidence in Chairman

“The Church of England website reports today that the House of Laity, meeting in Church House, Westminster today, rejected a motion of no confidence in its Chair, Dr Philip Giddings, with 47 voting for the motion and 80 voting against, with 13 abstentions.

The motion was brought by Mr Stephen Barney, a lay canon of Leicester Cathedral, who said he had lost confidence in Dr Giddings as Chair of the House of Laity following Dr Giddings’ speech in the debate on women bishops legislation in November. …”

– EV News. There are also reports at Anglican Mainstream (of which Dr Giddings is a Trustee). Dr. Giddings had spoken against adopting legislation to allow the consecration of women bishops.

Global South Primates ‘deeply concerned and worried’

The Global South Primates have added their voice to calls for the C of E’s House of Bishops to reverse its stand on Civil Partnerships. See the 12th January 2013 statement here. h/t Anglican Ink.

A wink and a nod?

In this extract from his weekly e-mail, Bishop David Anderson, President of the American Anglican Council, turns to the announcement from the C of E House of Bishops –

“Orthodox Anglicans, both within the CoE and worldwide, see this for the great mistake and stumble toward the precipice that it is…”

Read below – Read more

The Church of Nigeria responds to the Church of England Bishops and Civil Partnerships

The Church of Nigeria Responds to the Church of England Bishops and Civil Partnerships

“Sadly we must also declare that if the Church of England continues in this contrary direction we must further separate ourselves from it and we are prepared to take the same actions as those prompted by the decisions of The Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada ten years ago.”

Full text:

1. The Bishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) meeting for their annual retreat held from Jan 7/11, 2013, at the Ibru Centre, Agbarha Otor, Delta State, Nigeria, heard with dismay the news of the recent action of the Church of England House of Bishops. The decision to permit homosexual clergy in civil partnerships to now be considered for the episcopacy is one step removed from the moral precipice that we have already witnessed in The Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada. Read more

Church of England Bishops and Civil Partnerships – Statement by Archbishop of Kenya

A STATEMENT BY ARCHBISHOP ELIUD WABUKALA

As we enter the season of Epiphany we rejoice in the splendour of the light that has dawned upon us in the appearance of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Yet it is a great sadness that before the New Year has hardly begun, the life of the Anglican Communion has yet again been clouded by compromise with the secular preoccupations of the West.

The decision by the Church of England’s House of Bishops, just announced, that clergy in Civil Partnerships can be eligible to serve as bishops will create further confusion about Anglican moral teaching and make restoring unity to the Communion an even greater challenge.

Responses to the C of E House of Bishops on civil partnerships and clergy

The announcement issued overnight by Bishop Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, on behalf of the House of Bishops of the Church of England:

“”The House has confirmed that clergy in civil partnerships, and living in accordance with the teaching of the Church on human sexuality, can be considered as candidates for the episcopate…”

Full statement.

From Andrew Goddard at the Anglican Communion Institute:

The press release describes the decision on civil partnered bishops as one of “confirmation”. This implies continuity with current policy. In fact, no priest in a civil partnership has ever been appointed as a bishop and the 2005 statement did not address this issue.

Full statement. (Italics added.)

And for Anglican Mainstream, Dr Philip Giddings and Canon Dr Chris Sugden:

As made clear in the Ordinal, Bishops of the Church of England promise both to fashion their own life and that of their household according to the way of Christ and to be guardians of the Church’s doctrine.

Given the ambiguous nature of civil partnerships, it would not be credible for a person in such a partnership to make such promises. Most people assume that civil partnerships are sexual relationships. It is casuistical to claim that they are not. This is presumably why many clergy in such partnerships refuse to “give assurances” to their bishops that theirs is a “non-sexual” relationship.

Since a decision to move from the current position would be a grave departure from the Church’s doctrine and discipline it should be made by Bishops in Synod not by Bishops alone. Otherwise it looks too much like salami-slicing away at the Church’s teaching.

A bishop known to be in a civil partnership could hardly be a focus of unity nor be a bishop for the whole church. Such an appointment would be a very divisive move both within the Church of England and in the wider Anglican Communion.

Dr Philip Giddings (Convenor)
Canon Dr Chris Sugden (Secretary)
Anglican Mainstream

(via e-mail.)

Peerage for the Archbishop of Canterbury

News from 10 Downing Street:

“Peerage for Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury upon his retirement from the See of Canterbury.

The Queen has been pleased to confer a peerage of the United Kingdom for Life on the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams Lord Archbishop of Canterbury upon his retirement from the See of Canterbury.”

The Episcopal News Service is reporting that Archbishop Williams will be known as ‘Baron Williams of Oystermouth’. (Oystermouth is near Swansea in Wales…)

The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast 2012

“This is the time of year when we remember that God sent his only son ‘to serve, not to be served’. He restored love and service to the centre of our lives in the person of Jesus Christ.”