Bishop of Grantham becomes first Church of England bishop to come out publicly as gay
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND NOW HOMOSEXUAL - HERETIC CHURCH!
The Bishop of Grantham, Nicholas Chamberlain, has become the first ever bishop in the Church of England to state publicly that he is in a gay relationship. Bishops are permitted to be in same-sex relationships provided that they are celibate and they do not marry, and Chamberlain’s sexuality had not been kept a secret from the Church. My sexual identity is part of who I am, but it’s the ministry that matters. “It was not my decision to make a big thing about coming out,” he said. “People know I’m gay, but it’s not the first thing I’d say to anyone.” He said he expected the news to create “ripples” in the church. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he was “fully aware” of Dr Chamberlain’s “long-term, committed relationship”.
“His appointment as Bishop of Grantham was made on the basis of his skills and calling to serve the church in the Diocese of Lincoln,” he added.
“He lives within the Bishops’ guidelines and his sexuality is completely irrelevant to his office.” While the announcement may not be embraced by conservative members of the church, in an official statement the Church of England emphasised its support for Dr Chamberlain.
“His appointment as Bishop of Grantham was made on the basis of his skills and calling to serve the church in the Diocese of Lincoln,” he added.
“He lives within the Bishops’ guidelines and his sexuality is completely irrelevant to his office.” While the announcement may not be embraced by conservative members of the church, in an official statement the Church of England emphasised its support for Dr Chamberlain.
A spokesman said: “The Church has said for some time that it would be unjust to exclude from consideration for the episcopate anyone seeking to live fully in conformity with the Church's teaching on sexual ethics or other areas of personal life and discipline. Whilst Bishop Nick’s appointment is notable in the gifts and talents that he brings to the episcopate, it is wholly consistent and unexceptional in other regards given the testing of that call by those responsible for the selection process in each case.”
HERE IS HOW A HERETIC UNREPENTANT NON BLBICAL CHURCH TREATS THOSE WHO HOLD TO SCRIPTURE
The Archbishop of Canterbury accused treating African archbishops “like children” in an attempt to avoid a full public walkout during make-or-break talks on the future of the worldwide Anglican church.
Sources close to the behind-closed-doors negotiations in Canterbury claimed a handful of clerics had already temporarily taken “time out” from the negotiations but returned to the discussions to avoid splitting the traditionalist camp. The roots of the rift between liberal and conservative wings can be traced back decades but the current crisis erupted in 2003 when the US branch of Anglicanism – The Episcopal Church (Tec) - ordained its first openly-gay bishop, Gene Robinson.
Conservative Anglicans believe this goes against the teaching the Bible but liberals say Christianity should be inclusive. Several Anglican churches, particularly in Africa and Asia, have since broken ties with The Episcopal Church, as well as the Canadian branch of Anglicanism, over the issue of homosexuality.
A new, more conservative, breakaway church has also emerged in the US and Canada known as the Anglican Church of North America (Acna). Matters came to a head in 2008 when many conservatives boycotted the Lambeth Conference, the once-on-a-decade global gathering of bishops, because Tec was present.There have been several initiatives intended to heal the rift since them, all of them largely ignored.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, now want to overhaul Anglicanism into as a loose confederation to enable disagreement with full schism. Up to 15 of the 38 prelates taking part in the talks are also understood to have withdrawn from joint prayer services in Canterbury Cathedral in a sign of the depth of the divisions over issues such as homosexuality.
But sources claimed that fears of a dramatic public walkout on the first few days of the talks had been avoided by negotiation tactics involving separating people into small groups, unable even to communicate with each other for most of the time.
Clerics are understood to have limited communication with the outside world during the talks, overseen by two trained “facilitators” specialising in “reconciliation” tactics.
One said that the traditionalists had been so effectively segregated that some had even resorted to holding snatched meetings in each other’s rooms in their accommodation at night.
Sources close to the behind-closed-doors negotiations in Canterbury claimed a handful of clerics had already temporarily taken “time out” from the negotiations but returned to the discussions to avoid splitting the traditionalist camp. The roots of the rift between liberal and conservative wings can be traced back decades but the current crisis erupted in 2003 when the US branch of Anglicanism – The Episcopal Church (Tec) - ordained its first openly-gay bishop, Gene Robinson.
Conservative Anglicans believe this goes against the teaching the Bible but liberals say Christianity should be inclusive. Several Anglican churches, particularly in Africa and Asia, have since broken ties with The Episcopal Church, as well as the Canadian branch of Anglicanism, over the issue of homosexuality.
A new, more conservative, breakaway church has also emerged in the US and Canada known as the Anglican Church of North America (Acna). Matters came to a head in 2008 when many conservatives boycotted the Lambeth Conference, the once-on-a-decade global gathering of bishops, because Tec was present.There have been several initiatives intended to heal the rift since them, all of them largely ignored.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, now want to overhaul Anglicanism into as a loose confederation to enable disagreement with full schism. Up to 15 of the 38 prelates taking part in the talks are also understood to have withdrawn from joint prayer services in Canterbury Cathedral in a sign of the depth of the divisions over issues such as homosexuality.
But sources claimed that fears of a dramatic public walkout on the first few days of the talks had been avoided by negotiation tactics involving separating people into small groups, unable even to communicate with each other for most of the time.
Clerics are understood to have limited communication with the outside world during the talks, overseen by two trained “facilitators” specialising in “reconciliation” tactics.
One said that the traditionalists had been so effectively segregated that some had even resorted to holding snatched meetings in each other’s rooms in their accommodation at night.
