So far, so good, but that's "on the one hand." As they continue, they focus on only one of these purposes, sexual intimacy: "sexual intercourse, as an expression of faithful intimacy, properly belongs within marriage exclusively," according to a 1999 teaching document. In the light of this teaching on sexual intimacy, other sexual relationships "fall short" of God's purposes for human beings (§9).

As sad as this picture is to those who love the Lord Jesus and have been raised to true faith in the Anglican community, it is not the first time the faithful have had to face such a day. The scriptures tell of this repeatedly, both in the time of the Old Covenant and the New. And it is most certainly not the first time that it has happened to the Church in England.

My early life was shaped by an Anglo Catholic sensibility, and my ministry had been deeply affected by both the Evangelical Resurgence taking place in England in the middle of the Twentieth Century, and the Charismatic Renewal. I was fortunate to be working as a Curate in an English parish that was undergoing significant renewal, but my own prayers were causing me to focus more and more on that portion of the English population that was outside the established church's ministry.

Some among us seem to think nothing needs replacing, so long as the "rotten leaders" are replaced. Some think old scores from previous disagreements need to be settled, then all will be alright. Others have long nurtured hopes for minor improvements on the ages. "Tuck here, let out there." There are few who seem to see the situation as requiring dramatic reformation. I am one.