Bishop Mary Irwin-Gibson will vote in favour of same-sex marriage at the July General Synod. It’s hard to see how she could do otherwise since she has a number of clergy in her employ who are civilly married to other men.
The reasons she gives for her decision live up to the high standard of language-twisting set by other Anglican Church of Canada bishops. The church, she says:
“has the right and obligation to prayerfully consider new things and not simply to march in lockstep with society,” said Gibson. But, she added, “neither are we to remain stuck by interpretations of Biblical principles, which not everyone shares.
Except, of course, the new thing here requires precision marching in lockstep with society and to discard 2000 years of biblical understanding because not everyone agrees is to discard the entire bible since, well, not everyone agrees.
She continues by claiming the vote in favour makes her an ambassador[s] of reconciliation:
“If we are to be ambassadors of reconciliation, disciples of Christ, I see the potential in ministering grace and sacraments to more people and in calling all married couples to be models of Christian discipleship and hospitality.”
Except, the Anglican obsession with homosexuality has already shattered the Anglican communion so it can hardly be a reconciling influence.
She claims that:
We will not all agree but we are one body.
And:
it is possible to achieve unity in diversity
Except that we have not been one body since Gene Robinson was consecrated and the diocese of New Westminster began blessing same-sex couples. Even Justin Welby has had to admit that there is no unity.
It sounds as if the Diocese of Montreal has decided to perform same-sex marriages even if the vote fails:
Several dioceses are more than ready to go ahead and some don’t ever see that day coming. The chancellor of General Synod is being consulted and we will see what happens after General Synod concludes.
The Shared Episcopal Ministry has withered away, as, surely, the conscience clause allowing clergy to refuse to marry same-sex couples would, too:
The bishop also confirmed that since she assumed the episcopacy almost nine months ago a compromise arrangement known as Shared Episcopal Ministry, instituted by her predecessor, Bishop Barry Clarke, in 2011, to accommodate six clergy and several parishes who saw him as too favourable to same-sex marriage has been allowed to lapse.
Taken together, in context, Mary Irwin-Gibson’s charge to synod was, even allowing for the fact that she is an Anglican bishop, a masterpiece of prating twaddle.
What further proof is needed to show the ACoC is no longer Christian as it has changed allegiance from the Gospel to the god of “political correctness” or even worse the god of “political expediency”. For a church or an individual to be Christian there needs to be full acceptance of the authority of Scripture and full acceptance of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.
The actions of several dioceses within the ACoC should, in itself, be proof of the apostasy that now reigns within the so-called church. From the primate down the church is ruled by apostates and this so-called bishop has willingly joined the ranks.
Members in the pews should immediately cease and desist from making any contribution to the church until there is clear proven signs of repentance and a public renouncement of apostasy.
A very good comment, David. D’Arcy Luxton
I am very disappointed. I thought she had a spine.
“The Chancellor of General Synod is being consulted”:
“Beware of the Scribes (canon lawyers)…”,The Head of His Church warns,
for they either add to or subtract from The Inerrant Living WORD of GOD
+ Luke 20 (v. 46) + Deuteronomy 4:2 + The Revelation of Jesus Christ 22:18,19.
Bravo, Bishop Mary. 🙂
One wonders what Graham Singh, evangelical church planter who has aligned himself with the Diocese of Montreal, will think of all this. I can’t imagine him approving. Does he realize what a hornets’ nest he has stepped into?
Congratulations to the newlyweds !!
I think you might find that Graham Singh is ‘pondering’ the blessing of same sex unions. In an article on Anglicanism just before he left Guelph he was interviewed and noted that ANiC needs to “be thinking afresh” on the issue. Since the law has changed. In the following url his interview starts about halfway down. His comment on this comes in the last but one paragraph.
http://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/6251352-guelph-s-anglican-community-in-transition-/
The suggestion that ANIC needs to be thinking afresh on this issue clearly shows your approval of same sex unions. What is really needed is for the apostates within the ACoC to either resign their positions or make a full and complete repentance and confession and a public profession of their stand to return to the Gospel and uphold the vows they made at the time of their ordination and/or consecration. The Bible clearly speaks against same-sex unions and activity and as individuals – regardless of the collar of our shirt and collar – we do not have the right to change that position.
I am just citing Graham Singh. I do not approve. [See the 3rd post above]. I am a member of ANiC.
We should have never got rid of slavery and we should have always kept women subjugated so we would have never discarded 2000 years of biblical understanding