Posted on 05/19/2005 5:06:34 PM PDT by sionnsar
Three meetings between bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church and leaders of Scottish Anglicans, a traditionalist lay and clergy group representing many of Scotland’s largest evangelical congregations, have failed to resolve an impasse which began with a March 4 statement on homosexuality by the College of Bishops.
“The Scottish Episcopal Church,” the bishops wrote in response to the Dromantine communiqué, “has never regarded the fact that someone was in a close relationship with a member of the same sex as in itself constituting a bar to the exercise of an ordained ministry.”
The statement upset traditionalist leaders, who charged the six bishops with unilaterally changing the Church’s moral teaching and contributing to the dissolution of the Anglican Communion.
The Rev. David McCarthy of St. Silas’ Church, Glasgow, reports the April 7, April 22 and May 4 meetings between the bishops and clergy were inconclusive. “The bishops are afraid of upsetting their liberal constituency,” he said. While there was a “frank exchange” of views, “we failed to reach agreement.”
“We had hoped that the bishops might be able to affirm Lambeth 1.10 as a starting point for further discussions,” Mr. McCarthy stated. “As yet, they are unable to do so.”
While not yet threatening to break with their bishops, Scottish Anglicans are weighing their options, saying they “will consult with our congregations, individuals in the Scottish Episcopal Church, and other members of the Anglican Communion who have expressed concern about the bishops’ statement.”
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. If by "close relationship" they just mean non-sexual friendship, then they are just playing disingenuous word games. If they mean sexual relationship, I am sure this statement cannot be true as a matter of simple fact. If some Scottish Episcopal priest in the Eighteenth or Nineteenth Century openly carried on a homosexual relationship, I very much doubt they would be ordained or undisciplined if they were ordained already.
Nicely put.
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