The “unbecoming conduct” in question is membership in the BNP, not sodomy; CofE priests are heaving a collective sigh of relief.
From here:
The Church of England’s ruling synod is expected to ban clergy and church workers from belonging to organisations such as the British National Party.
Clergy would be prevented from expressing support for groups the Church considers racially prejudiced.
Supporters say the proposals could bring more racial diversity to a predominantly white Church clergy.
General Synod members meeting in York will be asked to vote on an amendment to the Church’s disciplinary measures.
This would make it “unbecoming” or “inappropriate” conduct for clergy to be members of a political party with policies and activities declared “incompatible” with Church teaching on race equality.
I can’t object to the proposal as it stands; however, it could have been a bit broader.
I object to this attitude because it is saying that it is alright to belong to other political parties – which is very questionable. Are Labour, Conservative (as it now is) or LibDem morally acceptable? All three parties are implicated in, for example,the abortion megaholocaust, which has done far more evil than the BNP have even suggested they might do. The Church should ban membership of them all, I say.
On the surface this may sound like a good idea. However I fear that it may be a thin edge of a much larger wedge. How soon will the prohibitions be extended to Church Wardens, Sunday School Teachers, etc? Will it stop with organizations the Bishops determine to be racially prejudiced? What about groups that perpetuate other social ills (ills as determined by the Bishops of course)?
Someday you find out that you will not be allowed to run the annual Church Bazaar if you are a member of a group that supports Isreal’s right to exits!
This could all to easily be perverted into a method of purging conservatives and the biblically Faithfull from the Church.
Not under English Canon Law.
The Church of England abandoned any suggestion of disciplining the laity in the 1960s, when the current set of Canons replaced the 1874/1879 set. Current Measures only allow for discipline of the clergy, and Parliamentary approval of any Measure to extend this to the laity (which is legally required) is unlikely to be forthcoming.