Grave Concern of Anglican Diocese of Sydney over Uniting Church decision on gay ministers

AMS Staff | 18 July 2003

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Bishop Peter Tasker, Bishop of Liverpool in the Diocese of Sydney, has issued a statement expressing the grave concern of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney over the decision of the Uniting Church Assembly, which today voted to permit the Church’s presbyteries to accept and ordain practising homosexuals for ministry in their congregations.

Bishop Tasker spoke on behalf of the Diocese of Sydney in the absence of Archbishop Peter Jensen who is overseas until the end of the month.

Bishop Tasker said that “leaders in our churches should be above reproach and be those whose lives exemplify the very biblical and Christian teaching that they are duty-bound to give,” and that “It is painful to us now to have to point out to the Uniting Church that today’s decisions raises important questions for biblically minded Anglicans, such as those in our diocese, over the future recognition of the ministries of any Uniting Church ministers who are partners in a homosexual relationship.”

The text of Bishop Tasker’s comment follows:

“In recent weeks there has been immense controversy in the Anglican Communion over the blessing of same-sex unions in a Canadian diocese and the selection of practising homosexual clergy in the Church of England and the Episcopal Church of the United States.

“As Anglican church leaders from one diocese in the Communion, Archbishop Jensen and his five regional bishops, including myself, have spoken against this grave departure from biblical teaching in our Church.

“For this reason we cannot ignore this recent decision by the Uniting Church of Australia. We view this departure of our Uniting Church colleagues from the teaching of Scripture and the ages-old moral tradition of the Christian Church with grave concern.

“Homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture. The overwhelming majority of the Anglican Communion’s bishops voted at the 1998 Lambeth Conference that they ‘cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same-sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same-gender unions’. Biblical teaching states clearly that a sexual relationship should be expressed between a man and a woman in heterosexual marriage.

“Archbishop Jensen wrote in newspapers some days ago, and we affirm, ‘It is in humility, not arrogance that a Christian affirms to his or her sisters or brothers that this is the way to please God. There should be no doubt that leaders in our churches should be above reproach and be those whose lives exemplify the very biblical and Christian teaching that they are duty-bound to give.”

“This Uniting Church Assembly decision comes just a short time after they debated and affirmed the report from the official Anglican/Uniting Church Conversations group that recommended the mutual recognition of each Church’s ministries.

“It is painful to us now to have to point out to the Uniting Church that today’s decisions raises important questions for biblically minded Anglicans, such as those in our diocese, over the future recognition of the ministries of any Uniting Church ministers who are partners in a homosexual relationship.”

CONTACT:
Margaret Rodgers
(W) 02 9265 1507
(mobile) 0411 692 499

Bishop Peter Tasker
(mobile) 0438 206 448

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