Equal marriage!

Secure: Ben Bradshaw and his civil partner Neal Dalgleish.
Mr Bradshaw has drawn the ire of gay rights campaigners by
 opposing gay marriage  Source: Mail Online

When Ben Bradshaw was the first MP to enter into a civil partnership he argued that 'Britain doesn't need gay marriage'.

The son of an Anglican priest, he is now following the Gadarene bishops of the Church of England and the fallen bishops of the Church in Wales pushing for so called 'equal' marriage. 

Marriage is between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others and for life. Supporters of 'equal' marriage are using secular equalities legislation to suggest that those who believe in orthodox teaching on marriage do not believe in equality and discriminate against them. This was Bradshaw's approach.

From Hansard Volume 726: debated on Tuesday 24 January 2023-

"(Urgent Question): To ask the Second Church Estates Commissioner if he will make a statement on the outcome of the meeting of Church of England bishops on equal marriage in the Church of England."

Mr Bradshaw asked the Second Church Estates Commissioner if he "Will he explain to Parliament how continuing to discriminate against lesbian and gay Anglicans in England is compatible with the unique duty of the established Church to serve everyone?

Presumably the MP for Exeter is unaware or simply ignores the plight of the many Anglicans who are no longer served by the established Church because they believe in the orthodox teaching of the majority of Anglicans throughout the world.

The same could be said of the member for Rhondda, ex-Anglican priest, Sir Chris Bryant who claimed in an emotional speech that 'There is an awful lot of pain'. 

Indeed there is, particularly in Wales where orthodox believers have been abandoned by their Church.

Sir Chris spoke of a Churchwarden who had lovingly cared for the church and had fallen in love with someone of the same sex but could not be married in the place to which the warden's life had been devoted.

Perhaps the member for Rhondda could spare a similar thought for all those orthodox Anglicans, many of whom have been benefactors and hard workers who maintained their churches only to find themselves excluded by secularists who are using the Church to satisfy their own desires.  

This is the trajectory of the Church of England under the 'guidance' of its most senior bishops as seen by Anglican Ink:

The Archbishop of Canterbury was assailed outside Lambeth Palace last night by gay activists who denounced his leadership of the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith process. He complained of getting “flak” from opponents of the Church of England’s decision to allow the blessing of same-sex partnerships while Global South archbishops warn that the adoption of gay blessings would lead to the removal of Welby as leader of the Anglican world. 

Gay sex not a sin, Archbishop of York says, if blessed by the CofE.

Homosexuals must no longer be chaste in order to lead godly lives, Bishop of London says.

'Equality' is replacing theology. God help us all.

Postscript [28.01.2023]

 #comeoutforlove... as the Actress said to the Bishop.

 In this instance the actress is a political activist, atheist and humanist who came out as a lesbian in 1994. Just the person to have the archbishop's ear. 

Self inflicted pain

The UK’s first LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy has been officially launched by the Bishop of St Asaph.                                                      Source: Church in Wales

Almost one third of the Church of England's General Synod members has signed a letter urging the Church to make an "unequivocal declaration" in support of congregation members who identify as LGBT:

"We are keen that the College of Bishops is unequivocal in its acknowledgement that all, including those who identify as LGBTI, are essential to the health and future of our church and mission to the wider world." Synod member and LGBT activist Jayne Ozanne said: "I think our bishops are aware of the strength of feeling on the need to be seen as a church for all. I do believe they know they can't fudge this any longer. It's time for them to give a clear and unequivocal embrace to a community that is hurting [my emphasis - Ed.]." - From Christian Concern. Text of the letter and signatories here.

One of the signatories is the Revd Dr Rowan Williams, not the Rt Rev and Rt Hon the Lord Williams of Oystermouth but one of the Chaplains in the Diocese of York. While the Church in Wales has become accustomed to chaplains waving the rainbow flag, refreshingly there is no reference on the York Chaplaincy page to the LGBT community, presumably taking the line that if we are all the same there is no need for positive discrimination.

The position is reversed in Wales. The Bishop of St Asaph, Gregory Cameron, a former Chaplain to Archbishop Rowan Williams, has officially launched the UK’s first LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy which is to be led by the Revd Sarah Hildreth-Osborn.

According to the St Asaph web site, the Chaplaincy exists because "the Christian faith has something to offer everyone including LGBTQIA+ people". True but it goes on to allege that because the Church has "caused such hurt" [my emphasis - Ed.] to the LGBTQIA+ Community over many years "we now need to create safe, sacred space, welcome them among us and allow LGBTQIA+people to be who they are, wonderfully created in the image of God and loved just as much as anyone else!"

The promotional material states the objectives of the LGBTQIA+ chaplaincy which are to:

• Create safe, sacred space where LGBTQIA+ people can worship and share their stories
• Engender a sense of welcome and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people across the Diocese
• Offer support to parishes who want to explore the creation of ministry specifically to the LGBTQIA+ Community
• Provide support to Clergy and a listening ear in matters which involve LGBTQIA+ people
• Initiate retreats and quiet days for members of the LGBTQIA+ Community and allies
• Raise awareness among secular groups and organisations e.g Young Peoples LGBTQIA+ Groups and Social Services of the existence of the Chaplaincy
• Work with existing Chaplaincies e.g. Coleg Cambrian Chaplaincy
• Liaise with Changing Attitude Cymru
• Become a continued presence within the Diocese and to be supportive in all that the Diocese is seeking to do in bringing the Gospel to all of God’s people
• The Chaplain to undertake training and networking with others involved in this ministry

Against such a list one wonders how Ms Hildreth-Osborn landed the job (I use the word advisedly) of Vicar of Llanrwst but the truth is that there is no impediment.

We are led to believe that gays and lesbians in the Church in Wales are an oppressed minority despite their representation in the clergy from bottom to top. The LGBT community are not only very well represented, some would say disproportionately, but they are becoming increasingly vocal in their demands. Any pain they feel is self inflicted. Many of us campaigned for civil partnerships only to see ourselves branded as bigots and homophobes simply because we defend the sanctity of marriage.

Compare the Church in Wales bishops' promotion of the LGBT agenda and their support for 'women in the church' with their oppression of traditional Christians who simply want to worship God according to scripture and tradition following the example of Jesus Christ.

MAECymru – supporting women in the Church in Wales - is also promoted on the St Asaph web site. The application form requires applicants to assert "I support diversity and equality in the Church in Wales". Pray that the bishops of the Church in Wales also support diversity and equality as the Archbishop and Bishop Gregory prepare to attend the Conference to preserve the breadth of Anglicanism in Wales.

Postscript [14.09.2016]

Archbishop of Wales uses final Governing Body address to focus on same-sex relationships.

Archbishop Barry Morgan has used his final address to the Church in Wales’ governing body to argue that Christians can change their stance on homosexuality without abandoning their commitment to the Bible. See reports here and here, and here  and here for a more critical appraisals. He forcefully denied that the Church’s bishops had "ignored the Bible and were swayed by the liberal culture of our age".

As the Archdeacon of Cardigan William Strange put it, "I am sorry that the Archbishop has chosen as the subject of his final address a topic he has spoken on many times before, and on which his views are already well known. I would have welcomed something new on a less well-worn theme".

Women priests, women bishops, homosexuals and same sex marriage in a collapsing church. And ++Barry believes we have been waiting 2,000 years to have the Bible clarified by him. A sad end to a sad episcopacy.

Postscript [15.09.2016]

@PeterOuld - Looks like Barry Morgan made an excellent argument yesterday for the @ChurchinWales to bless polygamy and incest.

https://twitter.com/PeterOuld

There's more on Twitter:
Christians who have supported slavery did so *against* the clear teaching in the NT against it. Barry Morgan's speech today bad theology.

Postscript [16.09.2016]

A Response to the Archbishop of Wales’ Defense of Same-Sex Relationships from 'Bible and Mission' (H/T Anglican Mainstream):

"The Archbishop’s logic might suggest that, because Scripture offers different perspectives on certain other issues, it therefore must have different perspectives on adultery, or bestiality, or incest.  As it happens, Scripture uniformly condemns all these as well as homosexual acts." In full here.

Postscript [17.09.2016]

"We ‘have evolved’ from the Bible’s teaching on divorce, why not gay ‘marriage’?" - Archbishop of Wales speaking at the Governing Body in April 2014:

"Holy Scripture itself is far more nuanced, subtle and complex than we often realize...We cannot just quote Biblical texts on different subject matters and think that that settles an issue [my emphasis - Ed.]. It is easy to opt for prohibitions in Scripture and regard them as the word of the Lord and forget that the Bible contains stories which also convey God’s word to us. Jesus, he added, 'had nothing to say about gay marriage' as the archbishop counseled homosexuals to be patient with regard to the Anglican Church’s attitude towards homosexuality".

The speech was taken as 'encouragement' by homosexual activists. Average weekly attendance dropped 5% between 2014 and 2015.

Postscript [04.10.2016]

CAIRO: Egyptian Anglican Archbishop Says Anglican Communion must stay Faithful despite False Teachings
Same-Sex Marriage repudiated as fundamental departure from the faith.
We are not homophobic when we reject unbiblical views on human sexuality, says Archbishop

Full text here (H/T Anglican mainstream)

Postscript [08.10.2016]

THE ARCHBISHOP AND THE BIBLE – A RESPONSE TO ARCHBISHOP BARRY MORGAN’S PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS - REFLECTIONS OF AN ANGLICAN THEOLOGIAN

Mission Llandaff II

A rainbow of hoops under the Majestas in Llandaff Cathedral         Source: Church in Wales/Llandaff

 "Our purpose is therefore to: Worship God and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. In so doing, we welcome all who come here, irrespective of gender, race, creed or sexuality, in order that we might share and pass on our rich Christian heritage and the joy of Christian Faith." - From the Llandaff Diocese Mission Statement.

From the 2014 Trustees' Report (page 5) in the Llandaff Diocesan Board of Finance  Accounts which can be found on the Charity Commission web site.

"Public benefit

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4(1) of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, "Charities and Public Benefit". The Board believes that, by promoting the work of the Church in Wales in the Diocese of Llandaff it helps to promote the whole mission of the Church (pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical) more effectively, both in the Diocese as a whole and in its individual parishes, and that in doing so it provides a benefit to the public by:

• providing facilities for public worship, pastoral care and spiritual, moral and intellectual
development, both for its members and for anyone who wishes to benefit from what the Church
offers; and

• promoting Christian values, and service by members of the Church in and to their communities, to
the benefit of individuals and society as a whole."

It difficult to reconcile Dr Morgan's eager promotion of same sex unions with the 'Public benefit' referred to in the Trustees Report. He should explain how it is helping 'to promote the whole mission of the Church (pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical) more effectively'.

Estimates of the number of homosexual people in the UK vary but taking 6% as the most reliable estimate, they will not all attend church let alone the Church in Wales. Of those who attend, few in my experience have expressed any desire for a church 'wedding'.

The accounts show that a grant of £12,579 was made to the 'Bishop's mission fund'. Donations are made to this fund 'primarily from collections taken at induction and confirmation services, and Gift Aid is claimed where appropriate. All monies received are paid over to the Bishop to be used at his discretion'.

I understand that it was this "Mission" fund which was used to finance the Llandaff clergy school in Oxford. If the Archbishop believes that mission funds are best spent on advancing same sex unions he should think again and ask the LGBT lobby to fund their own campaign not use money given to fund the mission of the Church.

The Church Times recently carried an article headed "Dr Morgan gives Bishops’ response to same-sex unions" in which he said: "The debate on same-sex relationships was not over. The issues around human sexuality that are being debated will not go away, and the pain is not over. We do believe that we are called to live in love and charity with one another, whatever our experience or convictions on this issue."

The only lack of love and charity is towards anyone who dares to take a contrary view and support traditional marriage. There lies the true pain.