The Archbishop of Canterbury gave his presidential address to ACC-16 on Friday.
The ACC will vote for five places on its standing committee tomorrow. There are eleven candidates: ACC-16: Nominees for membership of the Standing Committee of the ACC.
Update
The Episcopal News Service has tweeted that “CofE lay ACC member Margaret Swinson will be council’s next vice chair. She is only one standing for election.”
I have a general response to Justin’s speech and a reflection on the unspoken issue that is wracking the Communion. First generally, I don’t think the great generational challenges listed can be limited to two: religious violence and climate change. I believe that – in terms of the human flourishing that Justin mentions – a third overwhelming force is at work in the world, and that is the market-driven system of laissez-faire capitalism that impacts on poor communities, divides between rich and poor, steals wealth and commodities for the privileged, mandates economic empire, exploits labour for the profit of the… Read more »
“And isn’t it actually patronising, to urge us to ‘love the sinner’ while anathematising people’s most precious, devoted, lovely, sacrificial, intimate, holy relationship with another human being?” – Susannah Clark That’s the dilemma. If diversity according to conscience is to be allowed, then conservatives must be free to speak of homosexuality as a mortal sin on a par (theologically) with other mortal sins. It seems to me that we can legitimately expect equality in terms of accesses to religious rites and sacraments and in terms of election to various posts but I am not sure we should prevent people from… Read more »
Kate, in a context where diversity of conscience was allowed, then I would whole-heartedly defend the right of those who in good conscience believed gay sex was wrong. In fact I do defend that right (as I have previously posted here). However, in the present context, where diversity of conscience is not accommodated, and the majority view (eg man-man sex is sin) gets imposed as a uniformity, I’m afraid all protestations of ‘loving the sinner’ FEEL acutely patronising, and are insufficient to remedy the situation. At that point, such ‘love’ feels like largesse, given as a condescension from a position… Read more »
“Mortal sin”?
Kate, the fact that you know what the right-wingers’ view is is proof that they have not, as they have consistently maintained, been silenced. We, as gay and gay-affirming, were *repeatedly* told by these same people that we could live out our convictions in the MCC or some other far-flung arm of the Church. Well, that door opens from both sides, and they have a lot more options than we ever, ever, ever did for different places to accept their point of view and allow full vent to it – the Baptists, the Catholics, Missouri Synod Lutherans, the Anglican movement,… Read more »
“If diversity according to conscience is to be allowed, then conservatives must be free to speak of homosexuality as a mortal sin on a par (theologically) with other mortal sins.”
Being gay isn’t a mortal sin! And accusing us of that would be hate language in my view. Imagine if there was a racial version of that. It would be clearer.