A wink and a nod?

Posted on January 12, 2013 
Filed under Anglican Communion, Church of England

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 –

“During this last week, the English House of Bishops (HoB) decided that presbyters of the Church of England (CoE) who are in same-sex Civil Partnerships can be CoE bishops; that is, the Civil Partnership is not a disqualification. A previous requirement of celibacy for a gay bishop candidate would seem to be eclipsed at least in part and for all practical purposes by this new decision. Orthodox Anglicans, both within the CoE and worldwide, see this for the great mistake and stumble toward the precipice that it is, and several orthodox Anglican Primates have already responded.

Anglican Archbishop Stanley Ntagali of Uganda was quick to point out that the English HoB decision is also an explicit approval of homosexual bishops, and concluded his statement with, “Our grief and sense of betrayal are beyond words.” Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, Primate of Kenya and Chairman of the GAFCON Primates Council voiced similar words of distress and castigation for the actions taken.

The Anglican Primate of All Nigeria, Nicolas Okoh, and his House of Bishops of Nigeria have also released a communiqué, and, as is customary in communiqués from Nigeria, they are straightforward and very clear about their message. They write of their dismay that homosexual clergy in Civil Partnerships will be considered for the episcopacy, and point out that this is one step away from the moral precipice already trod by the Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada.

They write, “Sadly…..if the Church of England continues this contrary direction, we [the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion] must further separate ourselves from it and we are prepared to take the same actions as those prompted by the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada ten years ago.”

While it is certainly possible for a person with homosexual attractions to live a celibate and godly life, what the churches in North America and the United Kingdom have generally seen is a culture of “a wink and a nod” and deceit, which obscure the reality of the depraved conduct that was being tolerated. If the Church of England’s House of Bishops permits bishops to be in Civil Partnerships, do they really think that these will be a celibate and chaste relationships, or will it be a continuation of “a gentleman’s agreement” and “a wink and a nod?”

If you look at the seriousness of the African statements, and you look back over the last ten years and ask what responses were made by the overseas provinces in the past for North American relief, the HoB of the CoE should consider well the possible futures that lie ahead with regard to their English Church, and choose the future that holds both the historic faith and the Anglican Communion intact. On behalf of the American Anglican Council I would urge the English bishops to rethink this and change their minds.

Blessings and peace in Christ Jesus,

+David
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council.”

via e-mail