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Church of Ireland to have same-sex blessings "within two years"?
From: Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy
The Church of Ireland could see the introduction of same-sex blessings within two years, an international Anglican leader from Vancouver, Canada has warned.
The Rev. Dr David Short, whose parish St. John's Shaughnessy, along with ten others in the Canadian diocese of New Westminster, broke fellowship with their bishop Michael Ingham after same-sex rites were introduced there.
Addressing Church of Ireland clergy and lay leaders on Wednesday at a lunchtime meeting in St Mark's Church Hall, Portadown, Short's warning came after reading the Irish bishops' recent pastoral letter on human sexuality. Such sentiments, he said, had been published by his Diocesan authorities about two years before they allowed gay 'marriages' to be blessed in churches. He feared that the Church of Ireland might be following a similar trend, he told the forty church leaders organised by the Evanglical Fellowship of Irish Clergy.
Dr Short said the Diocese of New Westminster was the first diocese in the Anglican Communion to authorise same-sex blessings, forcing conservative parishes to formally separate themselves and establish a network - the Anglican Communion in New Westminster (ACiNW). It is they, and not the bishop, who are maintaining the biblical principles of Anglicanism within the diocese, he said.
The ACiNW has been recognised by five Anglican primates and numerous bishops worldwide, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey.
He also emphasised that Scripture and not experience must govern the debate within the church. "The listening process must be about listening to the Bible first, ahead of the experiences of church members," he said.
Outlining the biblical view on sexuality, Short denounced homophobia as a sin alongside homosexual activity. The problem in New Westminster, he said, was that a lifestyle that St. Paul prohibits in 1 Corinthians 6:9 as a hindrance to God's kingdom, is now seen as positive, good and blessed by God.
He also discussed the nature of 'communion', a topic currently being examined by the Lambeth Commission, chaired by Archbishop Robin Eames. In the Bible, communion is not only that living bond we share in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it is also a sharing together in the work of the gospel. How then can the ACiNW have structural fellowship with the bishop and diocese of New Westminster, when that agreement in the gospel is not present, he asked?
Short said that fundamentally the issue was not about same-sex unions, but about the place and function of Scripture in the life of the Church.
FOOTNOTE:
The Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy www.efic.org.uk exists to provide its members with encouragement, refreshment and teaching from the Bible. We want to see the clergy of the Church of Ireland equipped in biblical ministry, that Jesus Christ may be better known. Please contact Clive West (028) 90419317 (048 from RoI) for further details.
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