Gay marriage decision in 2014, says Anglican church

THE issue of gay marriages topped the agenda during the fourth day of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia General Synod underway at the Tanoa International Hotel in Nadi.

New Zealand Archbishop David John Moxon said the church had yet to make a stand on the gay issue and the reports from the meeting would be considered before the outcome was finalised in 2014.

He said the issue grabbed media headlines the world over and the church would be making its stand public in two years time.

“We haven’t considered our final stand on gay marriage,” said Archbishop Moxon.

“We are having a commission of this church and we will listen to the Anglicans in the next two years on their views and what they think based on the Bible, from their prayers, their discussions of sexually orientation.

“We want to hear what the church thinks and we will be reporting back on our findings after this meeting and in two years time we will make any decisions on their reports and findings,” he said.

Polynesia Archbishop Winston Halapua added the issue needed to be considered carefully by members of the church.

“This issue is all over the world and it involves the Pacific including Fiji.

“We haven’t arrived at what we need to do at this point because a Bible study has been tasked to look at what the word of God says.

  – Fiji Times Online.

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Christians must confront their own ‘disgust’ over homosexuality, says Archbishop

Dr Rowan Williams acknowledged that the Church was still “scratching its head” about where it stands on issues like same-sex marriage despite its vocal public opposition to the Government’s plan to legalise it.

In his most frank public comments to date on the subject, the Archbishop accepted that the Church was in a “tangle” over homosexuality.

On one hand many Christians may themselves be “wrestling” with their own sexuality while others appeared to display only strong feelings of revulsion, he said.

The issue of women bishops – due to come to a head at the Church of England’s General Synod in York next week – was another matter which helped give the impression that sex was “the only thing the Church is interested in”, he remarked.

His comments came during a discussion day for a group of Christian teenagers at Lambeth Palace.

 – full report at Daily Telegraph.

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