Church of England to allow homosexual bishops

Anglicans being ok with homosexuality---in other news Orthodox priests have beards, the Pope is Catholic, Father Pavone is kinda pro-life, and Pastor Hagee is a loon!

As usual the C of E is shooting itself in the foot.

One correction in the article: The C of E already allows people who consider themselves gay to become bishops but it didn't allow those who were in civil partnerships. Now it claims to allow men in civil partnerships to become bishops but they have to be celibate.

Michie said:

Groups representing gay Anglicans have welcomed the move but questioned a requirement that the new bishops will have to be celibate.

Conservative evangelicals have called the announcement "divisive".
Some critics say it is undermining church teaching about homosexuality in the hope of winning public approval.

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Exactly. Liberals are annoyed about the restriction that they can't be sexually active. Conservatives are against the whole thing. So no-one's happy.

I wonder if this is why NT Wright stepped down as Bishop of Durham.

ZaidaBoBaida said:

I wonder if this is why NT Wright stepped down as Bishop of Durham.

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Rumours about this are fairly neutral. Most prevalent is the idea that he wanted to devote himself more to scholarship and found the pastoral work of a bishop more than he thought it would be. He stepped down to become a theology professor.

Cjwinnit said:

Rumours about this are fairly neutral. Most prevalent is the idea that he wanted to devote himself more to scholarship and found the pastoral work of a bishop more than he thought it would be. He stepped down to become a theology professor.

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But, he's also been fairly outspoken about the homosexual issue and not in support of it. I remember reading in one of his books (Simply Christian?) him pretty much chastising the American Episcopal church saying that this was going to cause a schism and that they knew it.

"We're personally against women's ordination at this parish and diocese, but we don't see it as an issue that should divide us so we are in communion with people who are allowing what we consider a morally incorrect, absurd ordination. We don't ordain women here. However, we let them go to seminary and then send them to be priests in other dioceses that do permit it!"

This is word for word the nonsense I had to put up with Anglcanism in my area..no kidding. It got old. So-and-so is out of communion with such-and-such and just hanging out as an observing member, but not in full communion with so-and-so. We believe in the absolute necessity to have apostolic succession for valid sacraments, but we'll inter-commune with Lutherans who don't believe that, and we'll scoff at Orthodox bishops who come and try to form relationships.

We're not Protestants, but we readily admit the bocp is loaded with Calvinist theology. We follow the 39 Articles here, but not there.

The most bipolar and confusing motley crew church I had ever experienced in my life...great choir though!

im not surprised about anythign protestant groups do anymore
the farther you get from the church christ founded, the more likely you are to accept sin as virtue or goodness
its sad
but not much we can do except keep our own house in roder

Michie said:

Mixed response to CofE decision to allow gay bishops


A decision by the Church of England to allow gay men in civil partnerships to become bishops has prompted criticism from both liberals and traditionalists.

Groups representing gay Anglicans have welcomed the move but questioned a requirement that the new bishops will have to be celibate.

Conservative evangelicals have called the announcement "divisive".
Some critics say it is undermining church teaching about homosexuality in the hope of winning public approval.

Continued- Church of England to allow homosexual bishops

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haha, is it any coincidence that this would later happen?

I could only imagine what King Henry VIII would be thinking right now if he saw what was happening

I mean lets gets real here. The only reason this church was started was because Henry wanted an annulment he couldn't get. Something started on such dishonest ground is obviously gonna end in such grounds too.

It's unfortunate.

ZaidaBoBaida said:

I wonder if this is why NT Wright stepped down as Bishop of Durham.

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Given that he had legitkmate stated reasons for stepping down, and that this move allows only celebate homosexuals to be ordained, then I doubt it.

Tom Wright has been outspoken on the issue of homosexual practices, not against people who find themselves attracted to members of the same sex but remain celebate.

judechild said:

It's unfortunate.

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Why?

The RCC distinguishes between practice and orientation. Why shouldn't the CofE ?

It's unfortunate only because it's inconsistent. The Church of England does not, to my knowledge, say that heterosexual bishops must remain celebate. If persons in homosexual unions are allowed to be priests then there must be some acceptance of homosexual acts themselves. But if those acts are accepted, then the Church of England has no ground to say that homosexual bishops should be celebate, while heterosexual bishops can be sexually active.

The problem is not with the separation between act and orientation, which is legitimate - only inconsistent practice.

judechild said:

If persons in homosexual unions are allowed to be priests then there must be some acceptance of homosexual acts themselves.

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If they are sexually active in homosexual relationships, no they are not supposed to be priests.

The CofE doesn't condone same-sex sex, although it does allow for a pastoral approach to it with the laity.

I must be confused, then. The Church of England allows priests and now bishops to be in homosexual civil unions, but that they must still remain celibate?

judechild said:

I must be confused, then. The Church of England allows priests and now bishops to be in homosexual civil unions, but that they must still remain celibate?

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That is what they seem to be saying, yes. Strikes me as weird more than anything else, but maybe there is something particular to English law that has made this come up? I can't see this as affecting many people.

Protestantism does damages to Christianity, but the devil certainly loves it.

gurneyhalleck1 said:

Anglicans being ok with homosexuality---in other news Orthodox priests have beards, the Pope is Catholic, Father Pavone is kinda pro-life, and Pastor Hagee is a loon!

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This

tomc said:

Protestantism does damages to Christianity, but the devil certainly loves it.

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Only those who started Protestantism can be charged with "damaging" Christianity. Modern Protestants are Christians trying to follow God, just like us.

judechild said:

I must be confused, then. The Church of England allows priests and now bishops to be in homosexual civil unions, but that they must still remain celibate?

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Yep