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Kenyan Primate Rips Church of England over Double Standard on Gay Marriage
Jefferts Schori's honorary doctorate reveals 'torn fabric of the Communion'
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
February 27, 2014
.jpg "Eliud Wabukala")
The Anglican Primate of Kenya, The Most Rev. Eliud Wabukala has written a pastoral letter to GAFCON's members hitting out at the double standard of Church of England's leaders saying that Archbishop Justin Welby and Archbishop John Sentamu "lacked clarity" about the biblical understanding of homosexual relationships.In a sharply written note, the evangelical Anglican leader said that while the Church of England's official teaching on marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman is affirmed, it is effectively contradicted by the permission given for prayers to be said for those entering same sex "marriages".
"After the praise that greeted the news that Oxford University is to honor the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States with an honorary Doctorate in Divinity, it was helpful to be reminded of the sober facts in the Statement issued by the Global South Primates Steering Committee last week recognizing that 'the fabric of the Communion was torn at its deepest level as a result of the actions taken by The Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church in Canada since 2003."
He also said and the Communion's London based Anglican Consultative Council (ACO) and the Lambeth Conference are "dysfunctional".
Citing John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Wabukala said the breadth of the wide gate can be dangerously appealing as an easy choice, avoiding the need for theological discernment and church discipline. "This is why I have already written a response (http://gafcon.org/news/a-response-to-the-statement-by-the-archbishops-of-canterbury-and-york) earlier this month to the Statement of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York about pastoral care for people who engage in same sex relationships.
"Sadly, the lack of clarity in that statement about the biblical understanding of such relationships has been repeated in the pastoral guidance issued subsequently by the Church of England's House of Bishops as same sex 'marriage' becomes legal in England and Wales next month. While the Church's official teaching on marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman is affirmed, it is effectively contradicted by the permission given for prayers to be said for those entering same sex 'marriages'.
"The lesson I believe we have learned from the failure of institutional attempts to restore unity by accommodation is that we must be more radical. We must return to the 'narrow gate' and come together on a strong and clear doctrinal basis. The GAFCON movement has been able to act as an instrument of unity in the Communion because it has the Jerusalem Statement and Declaration which together give us a clear, faithful and contemporary statement of Anglican identity.
"I do strongly commend the continued study of both documents because they restore our focus on the gospel. The best way to be alert to the challenges of a counterfeit gospel is to become more and more immersed in the glory, power and wonder of the true gospel."
Wabukala is also chairman of the GAFCON Primates' Council.
The full letter can be found here: http://gafcon.org/news/chairmans-february-pastoral-letter