GAY TRUTH

Wednesday’s vote in Synod was not a victory for the LGBT lobby. In whatever way that vote in synod is spun, the real issue is not about same-sex marriage but about the authority of the Bible in the Church of England . The effect of the vote is that there is no change in doctrine or practice. Marriage remains, as it has for all Christendom, a lifelong union between a man and a woman. This moment presents a great opportunity for the House of Bishops to embrace that truth and to act to uphold it firmly within the Church, disciplining those who would seek to abandon the authority of the Bible, and whose actions will eventually bring down the Church by actively denying that truth. The Bishops’ Report on Marriage and Same Sex Relationships was in danger of weakening the Church’s teaching. It sought to hold together two positions that are irreconcilable – the orthodox position holding to the teaching of Jesus Christ , and the alternative which seeks to revise his teaching by insisting

A gay clergyman has become the first ordained priest to break the Church of England's ban on same-sex marriages to wed his partner. The African Church is calling for his immediate dismissal. Canon Jeremy Pemberton, who is a hospital chaplain in Lincolnshire , is reported to have tied the knot with long-term partner Laurence Cunnington in a ceremony at a hotel on Saturday, describing the nuptials as "a lovely wedding". Last month, same-sex marriages became legal in England and Wales after a change in the law was voted in by MPs . However, the Church of England, while advising its clergy to offer pastoral support to members of their congregation in same-sex marriages, barred gay ordained priests from being wed. The House of Bishops ' pastoral guidance on same-sex marriage, issued in February, reads: "It considers that it would not be appropriate conduct for someone in holy orders to enter into a same-sex marriage, given the need for clergy to model the Churc

LONDON , February 18, 2014  – In a surprise move, the main governing body of the Church of England has rejected proposals to create a “blessing” ceremony for same-sex “weddings.”  In a  guidance  issued Saturday on same-sex “marriage,” the House of Bishops also said it “is not willing for those who are in a same sex marriage to be ordained to any of the three orders of ministry.”  “Services of blessing should not be provided. Clergy should respond pastorally and sensitively in other ways,” the guidance reads. These other ways could include offering an informal prayer over the partners. “In addition it considers that it would not be appropriate conduct for someone in holy orders to enter into a same sex marriage, given the need for clergy to model the Church’s teaching in their lives.” “Getting married to someone of the same sex would, however, clearly be at variance with the teaching of the Church of England. The declarations made by clergy and the canonical requi

English: Flag of the Anglican Communion (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Anglican bishops of the West Indies have urged their governments to hold fast and resist pressure from Britain and the United States to legalize gay rights and gay "marriage." In a statement released on April 25, 2013, following the House of Bishops meeting in Barbados, bishops of the Church the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) reiterated their belief in marriage “definedas a faithful, committed, permanent and legally sanctioned relationship between a man and a woman.” “The idea of such unions being constituted by persons of the same sex is, therefore, totally unacceptable on theological and cultural grounds,” the bishops said. The CPWI consists of eight dioceses: the Diocese of Barbados, the Diocese of Belize, the Diocese of Guyana, the Diocese of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands , the Diocese of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands , the Diocese of the North Eastern Caribbean and Aruba, th

150 px (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) INDIANAPOLIS,  — Yesterday, the House of Bishops of the Episcopalian Church approved a new provisional blessing for gay unions, while the full General Convention voted in favor of general acceptance for transgender clergy. The votes are likely to drive a further wedge between the Episcopalian Church and the Worldwide Anglican Communion , which has been torn apart in recent years by the debate about homosexuality. At the denomination’s convention in Indianapolis, the House of Bishops  voted  111-41 in favor of Resolution A049 , a motion to instate a rite for blessing same-sex unions. That vote clears the resolution for consideration by the House of Deputies , which must also approve it before it becomes official church policy. In a separate vote, the Episcopal House of Deputies  approved  “anti-discrimination language” for transgendered clergy candidates, making clear the church-wide acceptance of ordination of “transgender” persons. S

Image via Wikipedia The trouble with compromise is that it all too often pleases no-one and sounds both hypocritical and bizarre. Behind all the hullabaloo about gay priests and even possibly gay bishops , people have perhaps missed the fact that the C of E began compromising on this issue many years ago. It is quite simply untenable to allow one thing for ‘ordinary’ members of the church and another for its leaders. The church must jump one way or the other. Cultural relevance or biblical absolutes- they simply can’t have it both ways! the Guardian states  “The row may well signal an end to the unsatisfactory compromise enshrined in the 1991 House of Bishops statement, Issues in Human Sexuality – a document which stated that gay sexual relationships were allowable for the faithful laity, but wrong for the clergy. A dozen bishops are reliably reported to have persisted in appointing gay priests: the new Archbishop of Canterbury , Dr Rowan Williams , has made plain his unhappines