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The Church of England and LGBT topics

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See also information on the worldwide Anglican community.

In this web site, the acronym LGB stands for Lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons

About the Church of England:

The Church of England split from what is now the Roman Catholic church centuries ago and became the established state church in England. The ruling body of the Church is its General Synod. The Church -- and the larger Anglican Communion of which it is a part -- share an unusual voting arrangement. Resolutions have to be passed by all three "houses" within the synod: one composed solely of bishops, another of the clergy and a third of the laity.

The world-wide Anglican Communion consists of the Church of England, the Episcopal Church in the U.S., the Anglican Church of Canada, and affiliated faith groups around the world. Their bishops attend Lambeth Conferences in London every 10 years to coordinate policy.

Anglicans have prided themselves in the broadness of belief among its members. Some are near Roman Catholic in belief and practice; others are virtually indistinguishable from the conservative wing of Protestantism -- Fundamentalists and other Evangelicals. Others are quite liberal; the majority follows mainstream Christianity. This makes for an exciting and dynamic church with a great deal of internal dissention.

As of 2003, the conservative Evangelical wing controls somewhat more than half of the seats on the ruling Synod. The liberal wing controls about one third. The Anglo-Catholic wing, which is fading, constitutes the rest. Jonathan Bartley, a former member of the Church's Evangelical Council, claimed:

"'At all levels from the parish church councils to the episcopacy, the more conservative evangelicals are seeking to manoeuvre [sic] their own into key posts and vie for power and influence." ₁

Topics covered in this section:

• Beliefs about homosexuality:
  • 1991 to 2000
    
    
  • 2002
    
    
  • 2003 to 2006
    
    
  • 2007 and 2008
    
    
  • 2009
    
    
  • 2010 and 2011

Related sections on homosexuality and:

	The worldwide Anglican Communion
	The Episcopal Church
	The Anglican Church of Canada

Reference used:

1. Paul Vallely, "Behind closed doors, the evangelicals decide how to oust gays," 2003-JUL-12, The Independent, at: http://news.independent.co.uk/

Copyright © 1997 to 2011 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance.
Latest update: 2011-JUL-09
Author: B.A. Robinson

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