Posted on 08/01/2008 10:44:14 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
Bishops meeting in Canterbury say confidence is being damaged as the Anglican Communion is ridiculed as 'the Gay Church'
The Anglican Communion is ridiculed as the Gay Church and is losing members over homosexuality, say bishops meeting in Canterbury.
Mission is being damaged and confidence in the validity of the Anglican Communion is being hurt, they say.
The bishops comments appear in a draft of the final Reflections document of the Lambeth Conference.
About 670 bishops from 38 provinces worldwide have contributed to the document after meeting in African-style indaba, or discussion, groups during the 2½ week conference at Kent University.
The final document will be published tomorrow. It is the main report to emerge from the conference, which has been designed to enable debate without votes or resolutions that might widen divisions.
The document lists unexpectedly strong concerns about the liberal direction that the Anglican Church in the West is taking over homosexuality. The report says: We wish this wasnt the big issue because there are bigger ones. But we cant now avoid it. It says that some provinces feel teaching of the missionaries who brought the faith from the West has been betrayed. It is experienced as a new form of colonisation.
The report cautions that the liberalisation of the Western Church is seen as leading to sexual licence: Confidence in the validity of [the] Anglican Communion is severely damaged. It continues: Bishops cannot be a symbol of unity when their consecration itself divided the Church.
Options range from doing nothing because if it is Gods will it will last, to taking punitive action. The report cites the Bible verse: If your eye cause offence, pluck it out.
Yesterday bishops debated the new Anglican Covenant, which is intended to bind provinces together in an agreed statement of doctrine.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
The damage is already done, and it was confirmed when the Wicked Witch of the West was made Presiding Bishop.
That church is so gay!
Your Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, Defender of the Faith, please pick up the white courtesy phone.
And they expected to reap something else?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.