A leading cleric has launched a withering attack on the Catholic leaders of a campaign against gay marriage, labelling them “out of touch, arrogant, conceited and rude” and warning that they risk damaging the reputation of the wider Christian community.
In a sermon that exposed the gap between liberal and traditional opinion, the Very Reverend Kelvin Holdsworth, Provost of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St Mary the Virgin, Glasgow, called the views of senior Catholics on gay marriage “unpleasant and ill-judged”. They “embarrassed” him.
[The] Rev Holdsworth was preaching a month after the Scottish government launched its consultation on same-sex marriages. Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister, said that the Government tended towards the opinion that they should be introduced.
RE: “warning that they risk damaging the reputation of the wider Christian community. . . . ”
[chuckle]
Even if one favors or will agree to civil partnerships, the idea of “marriage” is a whole different thing, and a Christian cleric has no right to re-define Biblical marriage. As to Sarah’s comment, look at what is happening to mainstream “Christainity”. It is sinking fast, and the leader of re-definition, TEC, is sinking faster than all the others.
Yes, and obviously Kelvin Holdsworth is not actually concerned about the “wider Christian community” since it overwhelmingly agrees with the RC position and is cheering them on.
Instead, Holdsworth is concerned about a teensy teensy number of members of tiny liberal religious entities whose leaders don’t even believe the Gospel.
Rich irony.
But mostly . . . chuckles.
Read the sermon, #2 (see the next posting; a comment has a link to a transcript), and let us know whether you believe that he is a Christian cleric. To me, this isn’t just liberal opinion.
Ralph–That is why I put “Christainity” in quotes.
Sadly, not many people seem to bother with what the SEC has to say, even in Scotland. Even the CofE talks to the [Presbyterian] Church of Scotland instead. Oh well. Maybe they will sell themselves to the Americans as an off-the-shelf church.
The Scottish Catholic bishops are considered quite liberal in some circles, at least. Apparently not liberal enough on the One Thing That Matters.