Reform Calls Church of England’s Stance on Civil Partnerships Bill an “Outrage”

The Reform National Conference ended last week with members being told that the Pastoral Statement issued by the House of Bishops regarding the Church position on the Civil Partnerships Act was an “outrage”, according to Anglican Mainstream.

|TOP|Just last month the Nigerian Anglican leader, Archbishop Akinola used similar language to describe the House of Bishops statement, also calling it an outrage. Reform’s National Conference fully backed his views.

The main speaker at the conference was Bishop Martin Morrison of the Church of England in South Africa. He used the opportunity to highlight the crisis that has developed in the Church, and also the increasing threats to the Christian ways of thinking more generally.

It was pointed out that during the political debates as the Civil Partnership Bill was on its way through Parliament, that it was clear to all that the government believed the provisions placed in the Bill were designed for sexually active homosexual partners.

Therefore, Reform members were told that it was “outrageous” for the House of Bishops not to say that such partnerships were entirely incompatible with the Church, as the Roman Catholic Church had previously done.

|AD|Anglican Mainstream reported that members were also told that it was outrageous that Bishops had given advice to clergy not to seek assurances about their relationship from couples seeking Church events. Anglican Mainstream state, “To overlook actions that the Bible describes as sinful, would render such services (where participants explicitly acknowledge and repent of their sins) meaningless. Such advice dishonoured God and no Bible-believing clergyman could possibly follow it.”

The House of Bishops’ advice has brought the Church of England to a tense point among the worldwide Anglican Communion, with many saying that the current crisis in the Church was just as serious as the situations in USA and Canada.

Reform’s conference voted to endorse two resolutions. One resolution makes a commitment for the Reform network to re-structure its regional organisation to better promote ‘irregular action’. Also Reform committed itself to establish additional methods to encourage and select new ordinands for ordained ministry.

Just last week the head of the Church of England and spiritual head to the 77 million-member Anglican Communion, Dr Rowan Williams met with Bishop Gene Robinson, whose consecration has divided the Church to the point of schism.

In addition, last month the Anglican meeting of the Global South leaders took place. At that gathering the Archbishop of Canterbury told Anglican Church leaders that the only ground for unity in the Church “'is to be found in Christ”.

On the Windsor Report, he said that it was too early to come to a judgement as to whether or not the reactions of the ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada satisfied the terms of the report.

Dr Williams reported, “I don't think we could say that they have satisfied in a simple and direct way what Windsor asked because that process is still continuing and will continue. Archbishop Eames gave an optimistic reading of this; I'm waiting to see.”