Sorry we were clear
Last month bishops of the Church of England affirmed what Jesus taught, and what the whole of Scripture affirms about sex and marriage.
This month the Guardian reports:
The archbishops of Canterbury and York have apologised over a statement issued by Church of England bishops last week which declared that only married heterosexuals should have sex.
Justin Welby and John Sentamu said they took responsibility for releasing the statement which “jeopardised trust”. They added: “We are very sorry and recognise the division and hurt this has caused.”
What a mess.
I wrote this in The Rise and Fall of Movements:
A journalist recently asked Anglican archbishop, Justin Welby, about his views on marriage and sexuality. He was unable to give a clear answer on issues that are clear in Scripture and have been the teaching of the church for 2,000 years, acknowledging that, “I haven’t got a good answer, and I am not doing that bit of work as well as I would like.”
Despite pockets of renewal and orthodoxy, the Anglican church is in danger of serious, long-term decline.
The archbishop is not alone. Church leaders across the Western world are struggling. We need a roadmap that takes us back to our Identity as a people obedient to the Word, dependent on the Holy Spirit, and faithful to the Mission, no matter what the cost. If God’s Word is supreme, dry bones can live again.
I fear the battle may be lost for the Church of England as an institution.
UPDATE: Rosaria Champagne Butterfield on how to live faithfully in a Romans 1 world.
