The Anglican Communion Secretary General Needs a Little Bible Study

The Anglican Communion's Secretary General, Dr Idowu-Fearon, issued the following statement posted by Kendall Harmon at T19 concerning the Bishop of Grantham, Nicholas Chamberlain, who announced that he was in a homosexual relationship and that this was known to the Archbishop of Canterbury last year at the time Chamberlain was made a bishop. Because the relationship is reportedly celibate, the CofE believes everything is hunky-dory.

Dr Idowu-Fearon said: “It is clear that Bishop Nicholas has abided by the guidelines set down by the Church. In fact, his lifestyle would make him acceptable to serve the church at any time in its history. I reject the suggestion that his appointment is an ‘error’.

“The Anglican Communion is a worldwide family and, like any family, we don’t agree on everything,” he added. “But we are committed to working together on difficult issues. I want to reassure the Communion of my commitment to what was set out at the Lambeth conference in 1998 – that human sexuality finds it full expression in marriage between a man and woman. But all baptised, faithful and believing people are loved by God and full members of the body of Christ regardless of their sexual orientation. The Anglican Communion has never made sexual orientation a condition of eligibility to hold office within the church and I reject the suggestion that it has.”  Read it all.

The Secretary General's argument begins with a false statement,

“In fact, his lifestyle would make him acceptable to serve the church at any time in its history.”

This is not a fact, it is a fabrication. For thousands of years the qualifications to be a bishop of the Church  had been traced to 1 Timothy 3:1-7,

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;  not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;  one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;  (for if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)  Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.  Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Granted, the Church may not have always followed that advice and raised up blameless bishops, but it is a recent innovation to say that one male can be the wife of another male.

As I said about Gene Robinson so many years ago, if the Bishop of Grantham cared about the Church, he would step down.

Since he has not, we know where his priorities lie.