The Anglican Church of Canada is so afraid of making up its mind that it's become paralyzed.
Rather than just taking a stand and saying 'yes' or 'no' to the blessing of same-sex unions, the church is tossing some crumbs to its gay membership, while I suppose it's waiting for the stodgy old bigots in the Canadian communion to roll over and die.
While we disagree on what the final outcome should be, Chris Ambidge, a spokesperson for the gay Anglican group Integrity Canada, says situation is incredibly frustrating and reveals a lack of leadership among the bishops.
He's absolutely right. Three more years of study is not going to change scripture or reveal any undiscovered theological arguments one way or the other. The church is trying to play both sides of the issue and it's a nasty game.
I'm against same-sex marriage and same-sex blessings, which I view as fundamentally the same thing -- but I'd rather the Church come to a resolution and deal with the fallout. The endless 'study' around this issue is like a festering sore.
No one is served by this ongoing wishy-washy approach. While it might be a complex issue, it is one that needs a definitive answer. The Bishops are unwilling to take the risk of action and they have failed both sides.
If the Anglican Church of Canada is afraid of losing members from the 'losing' side when they finally make a decision, they should realize that with their faltering rhetoric and hesitant concessions they risk losing members on both sides.
Vacillating so as to appear thoughtful and reasoned is neither sensitive nor pragmatic. It simply creates deeper divisions. No one believes they don't know where they stand -- they just need to get on with it or many of us will not be members of the Anglican Church when this next three years of 'discussion' are up.
canadianna
1 comment:
It's a bad stance for the Anglican Church to take. They're hoping to get the best of both worlds while at the same time waiting for older opponents to same-sex blessings to pass away.
However, this stance will win them few fans on either side of the issue - other churches have already become more pro-gay, while a few churches have remained firm in the stance that homosexual sexual acts are sinful, and hence a same-sex blessing would be heretical in the eyes of God.
The Anglican church would be better off breaking one way, or the other.
What do I personally think of same-sex blessings? Perhaps ironically, I don't know. My head and heart are divided on this issue.
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