Ontario:
Anglican Church in
Canada at a 'crossroads'
By Stuart Laidlaw,
thestar.com from the Web, May 14, 2007
LOWVILLE, Ont. May 12 -- For
conservative Canadian Anglicans, a rejection by their church of same-sex
marriage blessings next month is no longer enough. They now want the clock
turned back on how gays are ministered.
Rev. Canon Charlie Masters, the head of Anglican Essentials Canada, a leading
orthodox group, is travelling the country to rally opposition to resolutions
before the June synod in Winnipeg that would let local churches decide for
themselves whether to bless same-sex unions.
In a one-day conference of prayers, workshops and speakers on the opening day of
the synod, Masters says supporters will be recruited to put forward a motion to
restrict the ministering offered to gay couples.
"The decision before us is whether we will choose our biblical heritage or
whether we will choose to walk apart," says Masters, who is also a pastor at St.
George's Anglican Church in this hamlet north of Burlington.
"We think it's that simple."
The group wants a return to the days when church policy was to hate the sin, but
love the sinner and help him or her remain celibate through prayer and
counselling, which Masters describes as "the old way."
Masters and his group feel a recent statement by the Canadian House of Bishops
telling ministers they can say the Eucharist with same-sex couples married in
civil ceremonies, but not bless their unions, goes too far.
"The pastoral suggestions that are made imply that this is a holy relationship,
which is to receive the full support of the church," says Masters, whose group
presents itself as a "lifeboat" for those who feel the church has become too
liberal.
The bishops' statement suggests they want same-sex blessings to be approved at
the synod, he says, which could lead to the church being forced from the
worldwide communion.
If that happens, Masters says Essentials will petition Archbishop of Canterbury
Rowan Williams, spiritual head of the church, to recognize his group as the
official Anglican Church in Canada. "It's possible that by the end of
June, the face of Anglicanism in Canada will change."
The U.S. church has been given until Sept. 30 to recant its support for same-sex
blessing and gay clergy or face expulsion from the communion. Its house of
bishops has said no change in policy is contemplated.
But Masters says it's still not too late for the Canadian church to return to
traditional values. The current round of cross-country meetings with the
faithful and the curious are meant to build support for a more orthodox version
in Canadian Anglicanism.
There will be a meeting Friday at the Church of the Ascension in Don Mills.
Masters is in Montreal this weekend. The meetings were organized before
the House of Bishops statement was released, so they focus on the resolutions
before the Winnipeg synod.
The statement made it clear more must be done than defeat the resolutions,
Masters says, so the plan for a resolution from the floor was developed.
"We would be encouraging delegates and helping them to provide such a motion,"
says Masters, adding Essentials doesn't have standing to present a motion.
The bishops' statement calls for same sex blessings to be tabled for more
discussion, as it was in 2004. This was rejected by Essentials, which
wants the issue resolved next month. "The thought of limping along for
another three or six more years is unthinkable," he says.
This is, perhaps, the only point of agreement between Essentials and Integrity
Canada, a group of gay Anglicans who also want the resolutions voted on.
The Anglican Church describes the statement as an outline of the current
situation, not where the bishops would like the church to head. Masters
says Winnipeg is shaping up to be a defining moment. "This is a
crossroads. This is a moment of decision."
If same-sex blessings are approved, the church will effectively be saying it no
longer wants to be part of the worldwide communion, says Masters, whose parish
voted to split with the Canadian Church if the resolutions pass.
"It seemed to us it was important to demonstrate how serious we felt this was,
by saying, 'You know what, if you go this way, if you walk apart, some of us
won't be walking with you.'"
More than a dozen congregations have made a commitment to Essentials, with more
considering the move.
If that happens, Essentials will ask the archbishop of Canterbury to recognize
them as the legitimate church in Canada.
Masters says being part of the communion is central to being an Anglican, as
stated in the Solemn Declaration of 1893 establishing the church in Canada.
It is the communion -- drawing most members from former British colonies in
Africa, where the churches are led by conservative bishops -- that is staying
true to traditional beliefs. Earlier this month Nigerian Bishop Peter
Akinola, international leader of the conservative movement, was in Virginia to
appoint a bishop to lead congregations that break away from the U.S. church over
the issue.
Masters expects the archbishop of Canterbury to call an emergency meeting in the
fall, especially if U.S. and Canadian churches do not reject same-sex marriage
blessings. Speculation about such a meeting has been growing in recent
weeks.
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