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 | Conservative politicians and theologians in the church view homosexuality as a behavior -- what one does. They believe that it is a chosen and changeable preference. It is unnatural, abnormal and condemned by God. Thus, any attempt to accept homosexuality as a normal, natural orientation is unacceptable to them. They feel that it will have the undesirable effect of increase the number of youth who choose the homosexual "lifestyle." |
| Liberal politicians, liberal theologians, gays, lesbians, human sexuality researchers, mental health professionals and others tend to view homosexuality as a sexual orientation -- what one is. They generally believe that adult homosexuality is not chosen, is not changeable, and is a natural, normal sexual orientation for a minority of youth. Thus, any attempt to accept homosexuality as normal and natural should be supported. They feel that it would have the desirable effect of increasing the acceptance of youth and adults who have a homosexual orientation. It would also lower the frequency of gay bashing and other acts of oppression and discrimination. |
Without an agreement at a fundamental level about the exact nature of homosexuality, consensus is impossible. Change only can be effected by one side overpowering the other in influence.
This essay continues below
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Recent developments concerning homosexuality:
| 1991: The Bishops' issued a statement "Issues in Human Sexuality" in 1991. It declared that stable same-sex relationships are acceptable for the laity but not for the clergy. | ||||||||
| 1997: At their synod meeting of 1997-JUL, they decided that the church's present
policy on homosexuality was "not the last word on the subject." They
approved a resolution requesting further discussion on the issue of human sexuality by
clergy and congregations throughout England. After amendments by anti-gay members had been
defeated, the resolution was passed: bishops 44/0; clergy 168/38; laity 150/88. Richard Kirker, general secretary of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, said "It's game, set and match to us. I didn't predict and wouldn't have predicted that synod would vote as it did." The Movement had released results of a survey which found that 19 serving or retired bishops had knowingly ordained practicing homosexuals. 1 | ||||||||
| 1998: At the next Lambeth Conference, a request will be made to set up an international commission of inquiry into human sexuality. Richard Kirker commented: "We floated the idea of an international commission two years ago. It has the seeds of being helpful, but it will need among its members self-affirming lesbians and gays, not homosexuals who play the establishment's game by denying their identity." | ||||||||
| 2000: Sex-ed in British schools: The British conservative
government passed Section 28 of the Local Government Act in 1988. It states that
a local authority -- roughly equivalent to a municipality in North America
-- "shall not promote
the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of
homosexuality as a pretended family relationship." 2
This regulation does not apply to most schools except in those rare cases
where the local authority directly runs a special-needs school. The
Government further restricted the regulation by specifically declaring
that it does not restrict Local Authorities from funding and
providing:
The subsequent government considering scrapping the regulation entirely. Church of England and Roman Catholic officials joined with conservative legislators in an effort to retain the act intact. In early 2000, the two churches involved said nothing had been finalized, but a reputable London newspaper reported that a deal had been struck. On MAR-3, The Daily Telegraph said that a compromise had been reached between the government, the Anglican Church, and the Roman Catholic church. Section 28 would be deleted; new legislation would require teachers to promote heterosexual marriage. Teachers would also be forbidden to engage in "inappropriate teaching." However this section would not mention homosexuality. The churches have said that no deal has been finalized. Baroness Young, a senior Conservative Party member of the upper House of Lords, wanted to retain Section 28. She said that the apparent compromise "Requiring local authorities to promote marriage will not prevent them from promoting homosexuality as well." In 2000-JAN, Archbishop George Carey, condemned prejudice based on sexual orientation. But he also said: "I also resist placing homosexual relationships on an equal footing with marriage as the proper context for sexual intimacy." Cardinal Winning of the Catholic Church in Scotland is also distressed at a possible compromise, warning that: "If we are not very, very careful, we will inadvertently promote a lifestyle for our children which will reduce their life expectancy, increase their chances of HIV infection and expose them to predatory and abusive relationships." 3 During the week of 2000-MAR-20, the bill to remove Section 28 was rejected by the House of Lords -- an appointed body. According to Newsroom for MAR-28, "Some church leaders are calling for the resignation of an Anglican bishop who helped craft the compromise, accusing him of giving in to the gay lobby." | ||||||||
| 2002-JUL: Comments by the Archbishop of Wales, Rowan Williams: He attacked the current ban which prevents sexually active homosexuals from ordination. He noted that the church has accepted stable same-sex relationships within the laity but not the clergy. He said: "If the Church's mind is that homosexual behavior is intrinsically sinful, then it is intrinsically sinful for everyone. It is that unwillingness to come clean that can't last. It is a contradiction." He also stated that the Bible does not necessarily support a ban on committed same-sex partnerships. 4 | ||||||||
| 2002-SEP: Comments by the current Archbishop of Canterbury, George
Cary: He is the spiritual leader of 70 million Anglicans worldwide. He
had the tumultuous task of overseeing the Anglican Communion during a time
when the long-lasting tradition of an all-male priesthood was changed.
Under Cary's leadership, females were ordained as priests. Later, they
became eligible to be consecrated as bishops. This change came close to
inducing a schism in the Communion. In mid-September, Dr. Cary warned that the Anglican Communion was on the brink of a fundamental split over the issue of homosexuality. He noted the trend "towards serious fragmentation and the real possibility of two - or, more likely, many more - distinct Anglican bodies emerging....This erosion of communion through the adoption of 'local options' has been going for some 30 years but in my opinion is reaching crisis proportions today." Dr Carey has condemned both:
| ||||||||
| 2002-OCT: Conflict over the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams:
He was the Archbishop of Wales and was installed as the
new Archbishop of Canterbury in 2003-JAN. Because the UK lacks separation
of church and state, Prime Minister Tony Blair chose Williams from a list
of two submitted by a special commission after months of secret debate.
Queen Elizabeth later approved the appointment formally. A spokesperson
for Tony Blair praised Williams' "wisdom, intellectual stature and deep
spirituality [qualities which would be] invaluable as he seeks to lead the
Anglican church in ever more complex and challenging times". The
spokesperson added: "The government may not always agree with
everything that is said (by senior members of the church) but people are
perfectly at liberty to express their views." Williams has backed a
gradual separation of church and state in England. The Reverend Richard
Kirker, general secretary of the lesbian and gay Christian movement,
welcomed Williams' support for homosexual rights. Kirker said: "Dr
Williams' commitment to justice and dignity for all people including
lesbians and gay men gives us great heart. Under his leadership homophobia
will be challenged and intolerance rooted out." Some conservative elements from within the Anglican Community are displeased with the selection of Williams. Most vocal among the opposition is "Reform", a conservative Evangelical network of more than 500 clergy and the Rt Rev Wallace Benn -- suffragan Bishop of Lewes. They said that they would not welcome Dr. Williams because of his "non-biblical" views. Reform has stated: "Even shortly before the appointment, he publicly said he is 'not convinced that a homosexual has to be celibate in every imaginable circumstance'." Williams has admitted ordaining as a priest a sexually-active homosexual. They have asked him to resign "for the sake of the Church's gospel witness and unity" unless he is willing to condemn any and all sexual behavior outside of a one-man, one-woman marriage. This, of course, would include sexual activity within a loving, committed gay or lesbian relationship. 6 They have asked that he affirm and defend church teaching:
Rev Richard Kirker, spokesperson for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement said: "The presumptuous self-righteous tone of Reform simply beggars belief and will, I suspect, make them even more isolated than they already are in the Anglican Church." 7 | ||||||||
|
2002-DEC-10: Anglican Evangelicals meet to oppose new Archbishop of Canterbury:
Four of the most conservative groups within the Church of England --
Reform, the Church Society, the Church of England Evangelical Council,
and the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies -- are meeting to
challenge the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Evangelicals within the
denomination had called on Dr Williams either to recant his belief that
biblical passages can be interpreted to support committed same-sex
relationships, or to resign his office. Figures from the 2000 Church
Attendance Survey indicate that the Evangelical movement within the
denomination represents over one in three Church of England
members, and is growing rapidly. If Evangelicals were to withhold
donations in the form of the "parish share" they could drive the
Church near bankruptcy. In a column in The Church of England Newspaper, Andrew Carey, the son of the former Archbishop, wrote: "God always has plenty more work to do, even in the lives of distinguished churchmen. Which is why evangelicals must continue to have a conversation with Dr Williams, to ensure that he understands why we believe him to be utterly wrong on human sexuality." The Rev David Holloway, Vicar of Jesmond said: "At the time of Rowan Williams and gay theology, you don’t only have to teach the truth and refute error, you also have to take action." He quoted Romans 16:17: "Watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching that you have learnt. Keep away from them." The Rev George Curry, chairman of the Church Society, said: "As loyal Anglicans, we are faced with the fact that we have bishops across the world and in the Church of England who are teaching error when their job is to drive away error and teach the Gospel." Christina Rees, a prominent member of the General Synod who resigned from the Church of England Evangelical Council after some members criticized Dr Williams, said: "I have seen a draft of the statement and, although it does not mention the archbishop by name, it clearly alludes to the Rowan situation. It is intended to be a rallying point. It refers to sexuality....Making a person’s attitude to homosexuality a touchstone of the Christian faith is elevating it to a place it has never held in Christian tradition." 8 | ||||||||
| 2003-JUN-23: Archbishop of Canterbury supports appointment of gay bishop: The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said that he had no objection to the appointment of Jeffrey John, 50, as suffragan (assistant) Bishop of Reading, outside London, England. John is open with his homosexual orientation, and is celibate. After a firestorm of opposition, John withdrew his acceptance. | ||||||||
| 2003-JUL-11: Conservatives meet to plan strategy: Conservative
members of the Church of England's General Synod met in a secret
session to plan strategy. Journalists and other observers were barred.
Since Evangelicals hold most of the Synod seats, this group was
essentially planning the future of the church. Professor Anthony Thiselton
said: "It is an intimate forum where people can express concerns before
they are raised in the public arena." There are rumors that:
| ||||||||
| 2003-SEP-19: Archbishop of Canterbury attends Evangelical meeting:
Rowan Williams, head of the Church of England, led prayers at the opening
of the National Evangelical Anglican Congress. The meeting included
2,000 attendees -- the largest gathering of evangelical members of the
Church in 16 years. They held a vote to decide whether to invite Williams;
they decided that he would be allowed to come, but only to lead prayers.
Some members left to hold a separate prayer gathering. A UK newspaper, the
Guardian, commented: "Dr Williams, in post for less than a year, and
possibly the most intellectual, charismatic and deeply spiritual leader
the church has had in many years, is seen by many as the last and best
hope to re-enthuse an increasingly indifferent and secular nation. But to
some in his congregation yesterday he is little better than a heretic, a
false teacher and the catalyst for the showdown they have been itching
for. Even though he is regarded as theologically orthodox, he is not
orthodox enough on just one subject for them. Some will not even have a
man they privately call the arch-heretic in their churches." The Guardian interviewed Roy Clements, an ex-minister of a large Baptist church in Cambridge. He said that the leaders of the Evangelical movement "... believe the Church of England has been so corrupted by error and moral compromise for so long that they want to complete the reformation that should have happened in the 17th century. Homosexuality is an opportunist issue. They knew they had to have something to crystallize opinion in their constituency and they identified it as the thing most likely to galvanize it. They could not do it over women's ordination because evangelicals were themselves split but I was told 15 years ago that this was the issue on which to risk schism....Evangelicals have not absorbed the idea that homosexuality is an identity, not a practice. It is not like being a murderer. They believe it is a sin. There is no question that they are out of touch with modern British culture. They are suspicious of the world and the fact that the secular world does not support them merely proves that they are right....Everyone knows there are gay clergy and gay bishops. Would they prefer it if those people remain locked in the closet? This shows how out of touch they are: people in the outside world are tired of things being hidden. They see that that has no integrity." Clements came out as a gay in 1999, after a twenty year struggle with his sexual orientation. He was immediately fired. 10 | ||||||||
| 2003-OCT: World: Lambeth Commission formed: Rowan Williams, who is the Archbishop of Canterbury and the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion, created a 19-member Lambeth Commission to "find ways of keeping the worldwide Anglican Communion from disintegrating in the wake of the Episcopal Church's ordination of an openly gay bishop and a Canadian diocese's sanctioning of same-sex blessings." The Rt. Rev. N.T. Wright, bishop of Durham in the Church of England is a member of the Commission. He said: "...the primary question to be answered by the Lambeth Commission is one of communion, not homosexuality....We're looking at questions of how you hold the church together when that happens. Only secondary is the question of homosexuality." They have scheduled meetings for 2004-FEB and JUNE. Their final report to the archbishop is due in 2004-SEP. 11 | ||||||||
| 2004-MAY-11: UK: Opposition to dean's consecration: Jeffrey John is a priest in the Church of England, has a homosexual orientation, and is involved in a celibate relationship with another priest. Although he is not sexually active, he was forced to refuse an appointment in 2003 as Bishop of Reading. Now, opposition is mounting against his appointment as Dean of St. Albans. Philip Giddings, a lay preacher at Greyfriars Church in Reading and convenor of a lobby group Anglican Mainstrem, has initiated a campaign to warn the Queen, Prime Minister and the Archbishop of Canterbury that John's appointment could split the church. 12 | ||||||||
| 2004-NOV-22: UK: Committment ceremonies increasing: About 300 commitment ceremonies were conducted by Church of England priests unofficially during 2003, a 10% increase over the previous year. They are similar to blessing services which are offered to thousands of divorcees each year who have civil weddings. When the Civil Partnership Act which recognizes same-sex unions comes into force during 2005, the number is expected to increase to about 1,000 annually. The church does not formally recognize these ceremonies. However, church spokesperson Peter Crumpler said: "Clergy are free to pray for anyone in a private and pastoral situation." Rev. Martin Reynolds, a priest from Wales who expects to have a union ceremony with his partner next year, said: "Here we have a Church struggling like mad not to allow its buildings to be used for the registration of same-sex partnerships, while at the same time privately acquiescing to the blessings of same-sex partnerships in church buildings." The Right Rev David Beetge, Bishop of Highveld in South Africa and a member of the Lambeth Commission, said: "There is a concept in the Church called ‘reception’. It is a theological concept, to do with how a Church receives something that is new. The Church is in a process of reception at the moment. I long for a Church that is courageous enough to extend the boundaries." 13 | ||||||||
| 2006-MAY-28: UK: Bishop calls for change: Richard Harries, the Bishop of Oxford, England, said in a press interview that "there has to be a conversion to a new way to see that gay partnerships are not contrary to biblical truth." 14 |
Related sections on homosexuality and:
| The worldwide Anglican Communion |
| The Episcopal Church |
| The Anglican Church of Canada |
References:
- Anglican Communion News Service, "SYNOD DEBATES HOMOSEXUALITY", Note 1293, 1997-JUL-21
- The text of "Section 28," is at: http://www.intercomtrust.org.
- "UK church leaders consider homosexuality compromise," Maranatha Christian Journal, at: http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00/20000303c.htm
-
Jonathan Petre, "Archbishop hits out at ban on gay clergy," 2002-JUL-22, at http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/
- Jonathan Petre, "Carey warns of Church split on gays," 2002-SEP-17, at: http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/
- "Controversial liberal named as next leader of Anglican church," Yahoo News at: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/020723/1/30stn.html
- Jonathan Petre, "Denounce gays or quit, church body tells Williams," Daily Telegraph, at: http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/
- Ruth Gledhill, "Evangelicals ready to
challenge Williams for the Church's soul,"
The Times (England), 2002-DEC-10. Online at: http://www.gospelcom.net/ - Paul Vallely, "Behind closed doors, the evangelicals decide how to oust gays," 2003-JUL-12, The Independent, at: http://news.independent.co.uk/
- Stephen Bates, "No room in the church: archbishop finds himself cast out by evangelicals. Congress exposes Anglican leader's position as split over gays grows deeper," The Guardian, 2003-SEP-20, at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
- "Bishop of Church of England Comments on Gay Ordination. Dispense of rhetoric is the best key to any discussion," Christianity Today, 2004-MAR-31.
- "Gay canon: leader in plea to Queen. LAY PREACHER: Giddings is now against John’s new appointment," Reading Evening Post, 2004-MAY-11, at: http://www.getreading.co.uk
- Ruth Gledhill, "Bishops turn blind eye to gay wedding ceremonies in church," Times Online, 2004-NOV-22, at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
- "Bible Supports Homosexual Partnerships," Says Bishop," London Telegraph, 2996-MAY-28.
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Copyright © 1997 to 2006 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance.
Latest update: 2006-JUN-09
Author: B.A. Robinson
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