Sometimes compromise merely prolongs a war — in this case, the culture wars.
The bishops of the Church of England won’t support same-sex “marriages,” according to the BBC. The decision comes after five years of debate about the church’s position on sexuality.
But the debate won’t end there. The bishops’ proposal will next be considered at the church’s General Synod next month. That discussion, however, will not change anything — at least for the time being.
Several bishops told the BBC that the church’s teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman will not change. The issue will not be put to a vote.
Conservatives will see that as a victory.
On the other hand, “prayers of dedication, thanksgiving or for God’s blessing” will be offered for same-sex couples after a civil marriage. Clergy in same-sex relationships will no longer have to remain celibate as dictated in 1991. And the Church of England will issue an apology for “excluding” LGBT people, according to the BBC.
The liberals will likely see this as a win, but still not enough. They want it all.
It sounds like the Church of England is attempting to appease both sides of the argument. My bet is that it will please neither and merely draw out the culture wars that have been going on for decades. Kicking the can down the road to avoid conflict often results in conflict festering.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the senior bishop of the Anglican Church, acknowledged that the proposals “will appear to go too far for some and not nearly far enough for others.”
“This response reflects the diversity of views in the Church of England on questions of sexuality, relationships and marriage,” Welby said, according to The Associated Press. “I rejoice in that diversity and I welcome this way of reflecting it in the life of our church.”
It sounds like Welby is playing both sides as well. Whatever happened to strong leaders taking a stand on their convictions?
The LGBT contingent is already vowing to fight on.
Charlie Bell and Piotr Baczyk live in southeast London. Bell is a priest. They have been waiting to marry until the church allows gay weddings, the BBC reported.
Bell said the couple felt “deep disappointment” about the decision. “It leaves same-sex couples in a bit of a limbo and also as second-class citizens. … We’re still saying to gay couples that their relationships are less than relationships between people of opposite sexes.”
“This isn’t over,” Bell said. “If the bishops think this will resolve the current situation they are very much mistaken.”
Jayne Ozanne, a prominent LGBT advocate in the church, said the bishops’ decision was “utterly despicable,” according to the AP.
“I cannot believe that five years of pain and trauma has got us here,” Ozanne tweeted. “We have had countless apologies over the years but no action to stop the harmful discrimination.”
In the end, you can’t have it both ways. Not everyone can win. Affirming that marriage is between a man and a woman — as Christianity had done since the beginning — while in the same breath condoning homosexuality by blessing same-sex unions smacks of hypocrisy.
It’s plain and simple. I suspect that the LGBT camp will use the bishops’ decision to fuel their war on all things traditional. The conservatives will see the compromises as a setback.
Nobody wins. Compromise between diametrically opposed sides only breeds contempt, not peace.
I wonder how many members of the Church of England will be happy with that?
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
