Schism is not a “catastrophic” event and is preferable to placating those who do not treat gays as equal simply for the sake of unity, a Canadian Anglican theologian says.
“There are moments when treating unity as kind of absolute virtue that’s higher than anything else is not necessarily the right thing,” Rev. Paul Gibson said in an interview, concerning an essay he wrote that was posted on the Anglican Church of Canada’s Web site Tuesday.
He wrote the essay in relation to the present schism in the Anglican Church over same-sex blessings, and concluded that a unified church that treats gays unequally would be a greater evil than a divided church. Since the start of the year, eight Anglican parishes, out of a total of about 2,000 across the country, have formally left the national Church.