For some Canadian Anglicans, General Synod’s decision on July 6 to bring to its next meeting in 2016 a resolution changing the church’s law to allow same-sex marriage will bring new life; but others argue it will only serve to precipitate its decline.
Bishops, clergy and laity have expressed wide-ranging emotions about a resolution that will ask members””at the triennial meeting of the church’s governing body””to change Canon 21 on marriage, to allow the marriage of same-sex couples.
The Anglican Journal interviewed an equal number of representatives from each order and from opposite sides of the divide to gauge opinions about the controversial resolution.
I can’t believe that delegates will fall, yet again, for the conscience clause trick. General Synod included it in order to get the ordination of women passed, but subsequently revoked it. They’ll do it again.
What all of this means is another round of discussions similar to those we had on the issue of same-sex blessings. Given that the majority of clergy and delegates want this change to the canon, the end result, while maybe not totally inevitable, is pretty much a foregone conclusion. In six years the revised marriage canon will be in place to great applause. Meanwhile, in the intervening years as the discussions happen around the validity of same-sex marriage people will be further worn down by the debate, more will leave and the Anglican Church of Canada will continue its slow decline to oblivion. It’s heartbreaking to witness. Screwtape couldn’t have devised a better strategy.
Theology by democracy, especially when considering the ignorance of the majority of both lay and ordained in the ACoC, is a foolish thing. This is schismatic.
[blockquote] This is schismatic. [/blockquote]
Heresy is the term I would apply.