Events | 2009.07.05
Anglican dissidents launch CofE protest
• Coalition against same-sex unions and gay priests
• Critics say move will lead to Church of England split
Thousands of Anglicans will gather in London tomorrow to support the launch of a UK movement opposing liberalism in the Church of England, with critics claiming it will undermine the church and the authority of the archbishop of Canterbury.
The Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA), which counts five homegrown bishops among its backers, is aimed at congregations and clergy unhappy with the Church of England\'s position on the blessing of same-sex unions, the ordination of women and homosexuals as priests.
One of the English churchmen supporting the FCA is Michael Nazir-Ali, bishop of Rochester, who continues to draw criticism for his views on homosexuality.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, and then today from the pulpit of the Church of St Peter in Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, he said homosexuality was a threat to the Christian way of life and that it had divided the Anglican communion.
In his sermon he said: "When we ignore what the Bible tells us we do so at our peril, as we continually discover.
"If we continue in God\'s way then we will flourish as persons. Marriage will be strong, family will be strong and society will be strong. It\'s not rocket science."
The other danger to Christians and the Church of England was "syncretism" ‑ the attempted reconciliation of opposing principles or beliefs, he said. "It happens daily when we capitulate to the forces around us," he warned. "The values of culture are not necessarily values of the Christian faith."
The tendency among traditionalists was to "keep the peace, not rock the boat and compromise with the world", he told churchgoers. He said the FCA would change that, adding: "We will resist compromise ... We need to make sure that God\'s will for human beings and their flourishing is set forth clearly."
After the service he said there had been meetings with the archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, about the movement and that he had sent a message for delegates. Asked if it was a message of support, Nazir-Ali replied: "I\'ve only seen one line of it, but it looked good to me."
Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell accused Nazir-Ali of prejudice. "As an Asian man, the bishop knows the pain of racial prejudice," he said. "I am shocked he wants to inflict similar prejudice on gay people. Bigotry, even in the guise of religion, has no place in a compassionate, caring society. His prejudice goes against Christ\'s gospel of love and compassion."
The bishop, who retires in September, was one of several high-profile clergymen to address congregations in the Greater London area today to rally support. Others included the archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen.
Organisers of the event claim it does not represent a schism and that the group is not an organisation, with structures and a constitution, but simply a spiritual network of like-minded Christians.
Some are unconvinced, noting that the FCA allies itself with groups that have snubbed the archbishop of Canterbury or established parallel churches that are more conservative.
The Rev Andrew Goddard, a tutor in Christian ethics at Trinity College, Bristol, said the FCA was "self-consciously" distancing itself from the Church of the England and aligning itself with conservative churches in Africa and North America, and that it included and was supportive of some who had already separated.
"These people would want the FCA to distance itself from at least parts of the Church of England and would seek to move the FCA in a more separatist direction. The danger is that even if it as a whole does not officially follow a \'separatist\' path, [it] will give legitimacy and provide cover for members who do separate.
"The concern is that it will simply support those who sign up to it.
"However they conduct themselves in relation to the authority structures of the Church of England, the separatist tail will end up wagging the officially non-separatist dog."
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul[...]s-protest-coalition-liberalism
