eneral Synod 2010 did not approve the so-called local option that would allow dioceses to grant same-sex blessings. Neither did it take a legislative decision on the matter.
It did, however, recognize that local option has been exercised by some and may be taken by others in future, even though “it’s not local option approved by the national church…,” said Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.
“We’re not ready as a national church to say, ”˜We’re building this into our doctrine that we approve of same-sex unions,’ ” he told a press conference following the close of General Synod 2010 in Halifax. What synod did say was, “We need to have more conversation,” confirmed Archbishop Hiltz, adding, “That’s an action.”
James, the author of the Epistle, had precisely this situation in mind, described it to a “T” and remarks that instability of this sort affects all of life. Shame Fred hasn’t read that book, nor the others who think they fool thereby either God or man.
Let your ‘yes’ be maybe and your ‘no’ be maybe.
Say no more, nudge, nudge.
So much for bold leadership. I am sure that Schori wanted more than this absolutely timid response.
If Bishops must be compensated “by the word” because that’s all they do is talk.
That’s an action? Please. This is a pious fraud. Larry
Church embraces self-sterilization, but with an A-frame hug.
[blockquote]“We’re not ready as a national church to say, ‘We’re building this into our doctrine that we approve of same-sex unions,[/blockquote] When the local option is not officially sanctioned but allowed to take place then it says to me that they have in fact already begun building it into the doctrine. This is the progressive method of change. Practice changes doctrine using the foot in the door technique. His comment is not much different than what BA and KJS told the ABC following GenCon09. We didn’t do it when we did. This is nothing more than spin substituting as truth. Genuine truth does not have to sneak in through the back door of the church.
Dishonest.
Archbishop Fred Hiltz: “Gee, I think we’ve found a loophole in the ABC’s approach to the remaining as faithful Anglicans, because technically speaking . . . “
#6-8 are absolutely right. This is brazenly dishonest spin. But how it can be a historic “[i]watershed[/i]” moment for the Canadian Anglicans to do nothing but talk in their indaba/Delphi groups is particularly amusing and ridiculous. Yeah, and Lambeth 2008 was doubtless a “watershed” event for the AC too. Pathetic.
Meanwhile, the ACoC has seen its ASA plummet like a free-falling stone, dropping more than 50% in less than a decade. ++Hiltz is clueless about what really matters.
David Handy+