Anglican Plans for National Campaign against Gay Supporting Priests

The battle on homosexual bishop ordinations between liberals and conservatives in the Church of England intensified as the conservative evangelicals announced their plans for a national campaign to protest against the bishops who support homosexual priests.

On 28 July, 'Reform', the conservative evangelical network within the Established Church, released a formal statement to all of its members. The proposal suggests parishes to test whether their diocesan bishops held “orthodox” beliefs on homosexuality. Parishes should reject the spiritual authority of liberal bishops. Bishops supporting the liberal gay agenda will be refused access into the churches to perform confirmations and other services. Funds will be boycotted and withheld from the diocese and put into Reform’s evangelical mission.

Even though Reform represents just under a third of the 9,000 stipendiary clergy in the church, any actions taken will still be very influential to the whole church because the parishes supporting Reform are the wealthiest.

In a previous statement, Reform expressed its disappointment towards the Archbishop or Canterbury, Rev Rowan Williams, for being “unable to exercise leadership on this divisive issue”.

Archbishop Rowans has been taking a mild approach in the homosexual bishop ordination battle. While liberals and conservatives are dividing in the church, he urged all Anglicans to hold together before the Lambeth Commission, set up by him to resolve the crisis, gives any decision in October. Many conservative evangelicals in the church blamed him for allowing the liberals to progress the homosexual agenda but neglecting the voice of conservatives.

The response of Reform to the ordination of gay clergy Dr Jeffery John to become Dean of St. Albans in late April was reflected in its statement published on the websites: “We regret this appointment and it is with deep sorrow that now, instead of a time of reflection, we foresee a prolonged period of growing disenchantment, confrontation and disorder as individuals and individual parishes consider the extent to which their communion within the Church of England has been impaired."

The proposed national campaign from Reform may be a great threat to the ministry of Archbishop Williams, who is considered to be among those bishops whose views on gay sex are “problematic”.

Indeed greater instability of the communion may result from this national campaign. Moreover, in the face of financial difficulties in the Church of England, the Reform parishes’ decision to withhold funds could even cost the Church millions of pounds a year. However, many applaud Reform for at least standing firm on one side of the fence in the heated homosexual debate going on within the Church, and when it comes to such strong principles within the Church that are at risk, money matters should be considered irrelevant.

Reform says in its proposal, “It is incumbent on each congregation to stand firm in this current crisis and safeguard their Anglican heritage.”

The proposal is not expected to endorsed until the Reform Conference which will be held on 11th October to 13th October, at the Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick.