Key members of the Australian Anglican church are set to boycott the upcoming international Lambeth Conference, July 20-August 2 in Canterbury, England, due to an ideological split over gay bishops and same-sex marriages. Sydney’s Archbishop Dr Peter Jensen is spearheading the boycott.
The Lambeth Conference, held only once every ten years, is the largest global meeting of the Anglican Church and provides a forum to openly discuss issues facing the global Anglican Communion.
The boycott highlights the severity of the Church’s burgeoning schism over gay issues that began with the ordination of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson in 2003. The Times reported that Bishop Robinson has been granted official guest status, which will allow him to attend conference meetings but not vote on motions.
Dr Phillip Aspinall, Primate of the Anglican Church in Australia told OiP, ‘The only way we can really address issues of deep difference in the life of the Church is to come together, pray together, study the scriptures and speak openly with each other. That some bishops seem willing to forego this important opportunity is disappointing,’
The conference comes at a time when other religious groups are pushing for reconciliation between the Church and the lesbian and gay community. Anthony Venn-Brown, author and former evangelist within the Assemblies of God, has formulated a group called 100 Revs that has asked Pentecostal ministers to add their names to a formal apology stating churches have often been ‘profoundly unloving’ toward homosexuals.
‘Those that are signing this statement have listened to our stories of rejection, isolation, fear and sometimes even hatred. We applaud their willingness to acknowledge the wrongs. It’s a way forward of healing for us all,’ Venn-Brown explained.
