However, today the Bishop said: “The Be Faithful Press Release says that I would be calling on churches and Christians to repent of capitulating to cultures around them and to refocus on the faith of the Church from down the ages and an authentic mission to the nations. This is what I said to the reporter from the Telegraph. I said that we all needed to repent for straying from God’s purpose for us.
“On being pressed as to whether this included homosexuals, I said something to the effect that yes, we all need to repent when we fall short of God’s will and be transformed. I went on to say a little about how Christians should understand marriage and family and the proper expression of our sexual nature.
So how is the original title ‘lurid?’ I assume he is referring to Damian Thompson’s article headlined “‘Repent!’ Rochester tells gays as Synod starts. ‘No, you repent’, snap other bishops. ‘You’re spoiling everything!’ ”
Where in here is Thompson wrong?
What a shame: there was nothing “lurid” about the original story. It evidenced a straightforward exposition of Christian moral teaching on Nazir-Ali’s part. To see even a mini walk-back on his part – this from a supposed theological conservative – shows just how much his original statement was true. Anglicanism is in the death grip of the culture, and, specifically, the obsession with sex (i.e., something truly lurid) more at home on MTV and HBO than in a church.
The nuance that I see in this statement is the Bishop’s attempt to humbly and rightly say that all believers must repent of all manners in which we capitulate to the cultures of our day. The original story as I remember reading it yesterday put the spotlight on the call to those who engage in homosexual behaviors to repent of such. The two are therefore complimentary–a direct call on those engaged in homosexual behavior as well as a call on all of us who are engaged in any and all sinful behavior.
Somehow, having read previous comments by the bishop, I would tend to believe that he made the much broader statement about the need to repent and be transformed. This is not a backing down. The crisis faced by the Anglican Communion is not a homosexual issue. It is an issue of abandoning so much of the faith that Christian identity is hazy, if not definable.
Many “conservatives” are quick to point out the gay speck in the others’ eye, while ignoring the divorce, adultery, fornication, extortion… laden log in there own.
All have sinned and fallen short, and if +Nazir-Ali spoke in those terms he has made a good and holy statement of the faith. If the homosexual community took offense and used his words in a “lurid” manner, then he is right to correct that misuse.
Maybe, #4, but, by the same token, it isn’t necessary to recite an exhaustive litany of sins every time one is asked an opinion of homosexual behavior, nor to apologize because said litany was omitted.
#5 He doesn’t have to apologize, but I think where possible he does need to “set the record straight”.
One of the standard responses against orthodox Anglicans who promote the biblical view of traditional heterosexual marriage is that they single out gay people for condemnation while giving a free pass to divorcees, heterosexual adulterers, and heterosexual fornicators. (I’m ashamed to admit there is a certain grain of truth often to that argument.)
Because of this view, if he made a statement that ALL should repent their sins then he was right to clarify it. It would be like the Bishop stating all need to repent and be right with God, and the Telegraph reporting “Gluttons told to shape up…or ship out!”
We all need to repent and spend time following Jesus’ commandments and speaking the whole truth in that spirit of humility goes much further in actually winning souls.