Many had expected the current Archbish and Primate of All England to be a braver man than his predecessor. Yet he says the election of a lesbian, Rev Mary Glasspool, as an assistant bishop in Los Angeles raises "very serious questions not just for the Episcopal Church and its place in the Anglican Communion, but for the Communion as a whole."
Indeed it does. Here are some of them:
- Is Anglicanism generally a tolerant faith, or a faith for homophobes?
- Will the Archbish personally side with the loving and tolerant, or with the conservative haters?
- Is there even a God?
Sorry, that last one isn't specific to this situation.
Back on topic, it appears the answers go like this. Churches which celebrate same-sex relationships as part of the spectrum of happy human life risk the Communion, but those churches who support laws to jail gays and lesbians for life have to be pandered to.
Ordinarily non-Christians like me should stay right out of theological disputes, but this is an issue with grave real-life consequences, and fence-sitting by the Primate is unacceptable when gays and lesbians find themselves under such threats.
If he wants to see how it should be done, these Unitarians aren't doing full weddings for anyone until they can do full weddings for everyone. If Jesus were suddenly to appear out of nowhere I think I know which kind of church he'd be heading to.
