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   alt.christian.religion   
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   From: hayesstw@telkomsa.net   
      
   Oxford diocese in meltdown as clergy reject bishops' view on sexuality   
      
   David Baker Wed 9 Jan 2019 9:18 GMT   
      
   The Church of England's Oxford diocese is facing an uncertain future   
   after a large group of its serving clergy publicly rejected their   
   bishops' views on sexuality.   
      
   A letter to the bishops signed by a wide grouping of more than 100   
   church ministers says that 'the situation [in the diocese] is serious.   
   If not addressed, we would all struggle to support the leadership of   
   our bishops in this matter and a number of our churches may want to   
   seek alternative means of receiving episcopal ministry, in recognition   
   that your position is seriously differentiated from theirs. This would   
   be a tragedy.'   
      
   University of Oxford   
   Reuters   
   The Oxford Diocese is facing a revolt by clergy over its leadership's   
   views on sexuality.   
   The warning comes in response to the Oxford bishops' offer of 'interim   
   LGBT guidance and support' in their diocese last October, in a move   
   seen by many as pre-empting the outcome of the official Church of   
   England 'Living in Love and Faith' discussions on sexuality, which   
   will not conclude until 2020.   
      
   The letter to the bishops was sent before Christmas, and in turn the   
   bishops have responded to the signatories with a statement of their   
   own. Christian Today understands both letters are to be circulated to   
   all clergy in the Oxford diocesan email news today, Wednesday. They   
   are now also in the public domain on the website of the Oxford   
   Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship.   
      
   Clergy signatories include conservative evangelical Canon Vaughan   
   Roberts, Rector of St Ebbe's Oxford, who has openly spoken of his   
   celibacy despite same-sex attraction, and the leading charismatic   
   churchman Canon Charlie Cleverly, Rector of St Aldate's, Oxford. Their   
   two congregations are among the largest in the diocese. There are also   
   signatories who are lay people and retired clergy, including the   
   distinguished author, evangelist and lecturer Dr Michael Green.   
      
   The letter says: 'Our overriding concern is with the direction of   
   travel which the Diocese is taking as revealed by this letter. In its   
   desire for new expressions of "inclusion", it could end up excluding   
   those who hold to the traditional teaching of Scripture and doing a   
   great disservice to those of us who experience same-sex attraction. We   
   are not here simply stating an aversion to change; we are, however,   
   convinced that failing to hold the Bible's teaching out to everyone,   
   including those who identify as LGBTI+, is to show a lack of that very   
   love the letter urges us to exhibit.'   
      
   They continue: 'As Bishop William Love of the Diocese of Albany in the   
   Episcopal Church of the USA said last month in relation to the   
   introduction of "blessings" for same-sex couples, it 'does a great   
   disservice and injustice to our gay and lesbian Brothers and Sisters   
   in Christ, by leading them to believe that God gives his blessing to   
   the sharing of sexual intimacy within a same-sex relationship, when in   
   fact He has reserved the gift of sexual intimacy for men and women   
   within the confines of marriage between a man and woman.'   
      
   In response, Bishop Steven Croft, Colin Fletcher, Alan Wilson and   
   Andrew Proud, write: 'There is no desire on our part to diminish   
   support for those who are seeking to uphold and to live within the   
   Church of England's current teaching. We have specifically included a   
   commitment to undertake some further listening here.'   
      
   They add: 'There is no intention either to exclude in any way those   
   who hold to the traditional teaching of Scripture now or in the   
   future... If the Church discerns that some further development in   
   polity is needed at this point on human sexuality, we will need to   
   take equal care both locally and nationally to honour and respect   
   those who continue to hold the traditional view.' However, such   
   reassurances are likely to be greeted with scepticism by   
   traditionalists, as similar promises about the ongoing place of 'two   
   integrities' in relation to the issue of women's ministry have not   
   been honoured by the Church of England.   
      
   Oxford diocese is the largest in the Church of England, with 626   
   parishes. The population is 2.2 million, but only 55,000 attend   
   Anglican churches regularly. There are 816 churches and around 400   
   paid clergy.   
      
   Last week the Church Times reported that the Living in Love and Faith   
   group 'will not pronounce on the rights or wrongs of same-sex   
   marriage'. Some interpreted this as an indication the existing   
   conservative position of the church would effectively be ongoing,   
   whereas others argued the decision not to make a pronouncement was   
   itself a de facto change in teaching.   
      
   The report also quoted the Bishop of Coventry, Christopher Cocksworth,   
   who chairs the group, as saying the project would be 'as much to do   
   with heterosexuality' since he believed people generally were 'in need   
   of wisdom to order their loving and sexing well'.   
      
   Source: https://t.co/mUvSX2vxiP   
      
      
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   Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa   
   Web:  http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm   
   Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com   
      
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