Has Anglicanism a Future (24 February 2005)


The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) are today launching a media campaign to highlight the deficiencies in the Windsor Report. The campaign coincides with a meeting of all 38 Anglican Primates (senior bishops) meeting in Ireland this week with Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams in the Chair.

Initially a full page advertisement in the UK’s Church Times, Britain's leading religious weekly newspaper, will highlight the work of Oxford ethicist and theologian Professor Andrew Linzey’s new booklet 'Has Anglicanism a Future?'. The focus will be on the 14 point summary (See notes) which question the thinking behind and solutions offered in the Windsor Report.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign in London today (24th February 2005), LGCM’s General Secretary the Revd Richard Kirker said:

“While we clearly welcome the Windsor Report’s recognition that homosexuality is NOT a closed question and is therefore NOT a matter of Divine Law, much of the remainder of the report fails to offer a pattern for Communion life that respects fully the legitimate diversity that exists within Anglicanism. This diversity is centuries old and needed now as much as ever.

“Andrew Linzey’s work makes the many deficiencies of the Windsor Report transparent. His 14 points highlight just how far the Report moves away from historic Anglicanism replacing it with a Communion dependent on coercion and legalism at the expense of conviction and conscience.

“Even those who are currently so unhappy with the position of the Episcopal Church of America and the diocese of New Westminster’s decision would, we believe, come to rue the day the fierceness of their reactions tried to force our Communion to abandon its unique heritage.

“We continue to believe that the Lambeth Commission and their Windsor Report was the wrong tool to use in response to this crisis. What is broken cannot be fixed in this way. We earnestly hope and pray that the Communion will recognise this and rethink its whole strategy. We must all take a breath and stand back, the Windsor Report can be a great help in our deliberations but it does not have the answers to our Communion’s problems.

“A Commission similar to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, where lesbian and gay Christians can find an equal voice, is the direction we should have gone and now need to embrace. If it is not too late.”

ENDS

Notes:

1. A copy of the advert listing these points is attached.
2. They are also available at: NewsFlash
3. The Windsor Report, published in October 2004, was commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make recommendations following the crisis in the Anglican Communion caused by the consecration of an openly gay man, Gene Robinson, as Bishop of New Hampshire (USA) and by the decision of the Canadian diocese of New Westminster to authorise services of blessing for same-sex couples. Both events occurred in 2003.
4. Has Anglicanism A Future? A Response to the Windsor Report by Prof Andrew Linzey.
(£5.50 + 15% p&p, LGCM, 2005, ISBN 0 946310 13 0)

Enquiries: Rev Richard Kirker + 44 (0)20 7739 1249
mobile/cell + (44) (0)7798 805428

Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement [LGCM], Oxford House, Derbyshire Street, London, E2 6HG, UK

Office Tel & Fax 020 7739 1249
http://www.lgcm.org.uk email lgcm@lgcm.org.uk

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