In their General Synod this week, Anglican clergy and laity voted for a biblical statement of marriage and sexuality (laity: 62 to 48; clergy 59 to 39) but the bishops voted 12 to 10 against.
Mark Durie has written an excellent article about the implications of this. He talks about:
- the deep divide between progressives and conservatives
- the comparative missional effectiveness of the two views i.e. which churches are growing and which are declining
- the future probabilities i.e. given the irreconcilable theological views, the certainty of a split of some sort, and the probability of that being acrimonious.
All of this is extraordinarily relevant to the PCANZ. Please read this article and commit to praying for faithfulness and renewal in our church. The recent PCANZ General Assembly voted for a conversation trying to find a way ahead. There have been many conversations before which have failed to produce agreement or find the elusive "third way". One possibility this time is that those involved in that conversation could recommend a gracious parting of the ways.
Please pray for godly wisdom for those who will be part of that conversation and for the Moderator, Hamish Galloway, and Moderator Designate, Rose Luxford, as they facilitate that. This is a crucial time in the life of our church.
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