Church in Wales bishops ditch faith for secularism

      Source: WalesOnline (Image: Caroline McCredie/Getty Images)

The Christmas present to the Church in Wales from their bishops:

A BILL TO AUTHORISE EXPERIMENTAL USE OF PROPOSED REVISIONS OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER (service of Blessing following a Civil Partnership or Marriage between two people of the same sex)

WHEREAS the Order of Clergy and Order of Laity of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales indicated their view by informal poll on 12 September 2018 ‘that it is pastorally unsustainable for the Church to make no formal provision for those in same-gender relationships’.

AND WHEREAS the Bench of Bishops believes that it is desirable that, before a bill for the revision of a part of the Book of Common Prayer is submitted by the Bishops for the consideration of the Governing Body, a proposed form of service be used experimentally in the churches of the Church in Wales for a limited period.

BE IT HEREBY ENACTED that:

1. A Diocesan Bishop shall have power to authorise for experimental use in the churches within their diocese the form set out in the Appendix for a service of Blessing following a Civil Partnership or Marriage between two people of the same sex for a period of five years from 1 October 2021, subject to the conditions set out below.

2. No Cleric shall be obliged to officiate at such a service.

3. The Parochial Fees for a ‘Marriage Blessing (following a Civil Marriage)’ may be charged by the officiating minister and Parochial Church Council for such a service.

Backers:

+John Cambrensis
+Andrew Bangor
+Gregory Llanelwy
+Joanna Tyddewi
+June Landav
+Cherry Monmouth

From Church Times:

In an explanatory memorandum, the Bishops acknowledge that scripture and Christian tradition have previously understood unions of one man and one woman as the only context for sexual relationships.

“However, with new social, scientific and psychological understandings of sexuality in the last one and a half centuries, we believe that same-sex relationships can be understood in a radically different way, and that the teaching of Scripture should therefore be re-interrogated,” the Bishops write.

Postscript [02.01.2021]

From Coalition for Marriage (C4M):

Legalising gay marriage has caused a surge in divorce rates among lesbians, says same-sex fertility chief. - Mail Online

Meanwhile in Wales, Kirsty Williams’s Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill was debated last month. The current legal requirement for pupils to “learn the nature of marriage and its importance for family life and the bringing up of children” has been ditched. The parental right of withdrawal is also thrown out.

More from C4M here.

Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year

Hugo van der Goes, Portinari Altarpiece (c.1475)                                                                                                                                                           Source: Wiki

Stay safe

'Truss Axes Woke From Government'

Source: Twitter

The BBC reports that the government is launching an Equality Data Programme to gather information on people's backgrounds, social mobility and inequality between regions. The government is promising to focus more on people's social class and individual "character", as it overhauls its equality policy.

Equalities minister Liz Truss said the discrimination debate should not focus solely on race, religion, sexual orientation and disability. Discussion had too often been dominated by "fashion" and not "facts", she said.

From Personnel Today: "Women and equalities minister Liz Truss has criticised the Equality Act 2010 and dismissed unconscious bias training as one of several ‘tools of the left’ that do nothing to ‘fix systems’. She stated that the state’s agenda had become too narrow, and the discrimination debate should not focus solely on race, religion, sexual orientation and disability."

A marked change from faith leaders who have been falling over themselves to sign up to plead forgiveness from the LGBT+ community.

Leaders 'out of the bunker'                               Source: Religion Media Centre

The Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives is organised by a Christian activist, Jayne Ozanne.

From Religion Media Centre: "A coalition of faith leaders from across the globe have signed a declaration affirming their conviction that LGBTQ+ people are loved by God equally. The document, whose production was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, also calls for a ban on any efforts to change or suppress someone’s sexual or gender identity (often known as conversion therapy), and for countries that still criminalise LGBTQ+ people and their relationships to reform their laws urgently."

Allegations of persecution in the UK persist despite a marked shift in public opinion. Ozanne is a significant driving force in this movement. Of course LGBTQ+ people are loved by God equally and she is at liberty to campaign about conversion therapy but that does not justify attempts to re-interpret the Bible to accord with personal preference.

The declaration, Declaring the Sanctity of Life and the Dignity of All, has been signed by faith leaders from more than 30 countries. 

The Welsh contingent on the original list of Signatories as of 16th December 2020 includes five of the six Church in Wales diocesan bishops, a retired bishop and two Methodist Synod Chairpersons. 

Postscript [21.12.2020]

Parts of Liz Truss's speech previously reported in full on the gov.uk website were cut and replaced with a note saying that “political content” had been redacted. Officials say the political elements of the speech attacking “the failed ideas of the left” had been uploaded in error. Government resources are not supposed to be used for political campaigning and parts of speeches that cross into this territory are usually left off departmental websites. - Independent.

The woke battle continues:

I've been unfairly targeted, says academic at heart of National Trust 'woke' row. Professor warns of ‘political agenda’ to discredit researchers exploring slavery links. The academic at the centre of an escalating row over the National Trust’s efforts to explore links between its properties and colonialism has warned of a “political agenda” to “misrepresent, mischaracterise, malign and intimidate” those involved in the project. - Guardian.

At an online question and answer session in November, National Trust members accused the charity of “defaming” Winston Churchill’s memory with its “woke agenda". During a heated annual general meeting furious National Trust members criticised the organisation’s directors for pursuing “a witch hunt” in a new report linking more than 90 National Trust properties to slavery and colonialism. - Evening Standard.

The LGBT Church in Wales

Drawing on the teaching of the Bible, and of the Church down through the centuries, the Church in Wales Marriage Service talks about marriage as a gift of God. Marriage is described as the lifelong, faithful union between a man and a woman, and married love is compared with the love Jesus has for his people – a love expressed in his willing sacrifice of himself on the cross. 

Church in Wales Weddings

 

The Governing Body of the Church in Wales will next meet on April 14-15 2021.  Details of a Consultation have been issued:

"A Bill to authorise experimental use of proposed revisions of the Book of Common Prayer (service of Blessing following a Civil Partnership or Marriage between two people of the same sex)"

In an explanatory memorandum the bishops 'unreservedly and collectively' commend to the Governing Body, a service of Blessing following a Civil Partnership or Marriage between two people of the same sex.

The standing Committee has appointed a Select Committee ‘for the purpose of considering and collating any amendments which members of the Governing Body may wish to move to the Bill’. 

The Chair of the sub-committee is the John 8:32 quoting vicar whose church in the above photo has the Holy Table decked in rainbow colours, not of God's covenant with all living creatures but of those who like bishops and priests in the Church in Wales regularly parade under the LGBT rainbow flag. 

The bishops claim that the Rite is a "step on the way towards repentance of a history in the Church which has demonised and persecuted gay and lesbian people, forcing them into fear, dishonesty and sometimes even hypocrisy, and which has precluded them from living." 

Utter balderdash! Yes, homosexuality was treated as a crime in the past and is still in parts of the world, punishable by death in some countries. I have no experience of the bishops' allegations. Rather the reverse when trying to uphold traditional marriage which is the union  of one man and one woman for life.

Much has changed. 

 Civil partnerships rightly extended legal protection to same sex partners leaving any physical attraction between them and God.

Many Anglicans of conscience have been left by their Church leaving their LGBT trumpeting bishops to lead astray what remains of their flock.

  

 As predicted in 2017, liberal drift has engulfed the Church in Wales. There are gay bishops, transgender priests with same sex marriage on the cards. Polyamory next?

This Bill makes every Church in Wales member complicit in the bishops' actions.

Postscript [12.12.2020]

1. The bishops' memorandum is discussed on Anglican Unscripted (edition 636) starting at 25 Mins in.

https://youtu.be/vSrv7ZAumIM

2. The Explanatory Memorandum from the Bishops of the Church in Wales – a response.

    Reflections of an Anglican Theologian

C of E priesthood today

This clip from Sunday's Songs of Praise which hosted the Young Chorister of the Year 2020 competition illustrates the changing face of priesthood in the church of England.

The Rev Kate Bottley of Gogglebox star fame wore a novel creation resembling an evening dress with clerical collar to signify her calling. 

To be fair it was a welcome change from the hot pants outfit worn when caught cavorting behind Jason Mohammad in the Good Morning Sunday alarm call.

The Rev Sally Hitchiner used to grab the headlines. Dubbed 'the Vicar who wears Prada' she caused an 'unholy row among the faithful' when she posed in tight silver leather trousers worth over £1000.

Her response was "I dress in a way that reflects my personality."

'More Dior than Dibley' cracked MailOnline.

Sally Hitchiner founded Diverse Church with the aim of 'planting grass roots communities of LGBT+ Christians, enabling the wider Church to discover the gift of LGBT+ Christians in their mist'.

So successful has the LGBT+ movement become that secular values have become mainstream with the Church of England set on course to undermine the institution of Christian marriage by allowing same sex unions.

Following her appearances on Gogglebox the Rev Kate Bottley remarked that she had been compared with the Vicar of Dibley 

She follows up the comparison with some affirming tweets from other women priests celebrating their  success.

Mailonline remarked: "Rejoice! It's the real-life Vicars of Dibley: Knickers drying on the radiator, guinea pigs in the congregation and candles setting robes alight... as the Reverend Geraldine returns on Zoom, JENNY JOHNSTON meets some actual female clergy".

Dawn French's return as The Vicar Of Dibley has not been universally welcomed. The BBC was 'slammed' for not staying impartial following a scene in which French takes the knee in support of Black Lives Matter.

The comedy series originator Richard Curtis said it had a serious side. It was "grounded in reality".

He claimed he attended the wedding of two friends which was presided over by a female administrator and thought ‘this is so right’. In 1992, just as Richard was devising the series, the Church of England was allowing the ordination of women for the first time. He was also living in a Dibley-like village at the time and knew that it would be the perfect setting.

No theology. No scripture. No tradition. Just perfect!

Passing the Cup

Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." 

Priestesses in the Church of Ireland are celebrating 30 years of ministry - as they see it.

A video presentation in this NewsLetter link shows ordained women passing the cup and candles between themselves. What they are actually celebrating is the exclusion of many more devout women and men so that priestesses can indulge in their fantasies.

Celebrating their achievements with quips which make light of sincerely held objections to the ordination of women on theological grounds does their cause no credit. That is not saving souls.

While some women may be sincere in their beliefs, they have been deceived by those prepared to use the Church for political objectives, subscribing to secular notions that theology becomes secondary when considering equality of opportunity in the workplace. 

All those feeling compromised by the innovation of ordaining women to the priesthood as though it were just another glass ceiling for feminists to shatter have been allowed to fall by the wayside.

 Consequently it is the Anglican Communion that has been shattered.