THE ANGLICAN DEBATE

Changing Attitude aims to play as full a part as possible within the ongoing debate on sexuality within the Anglican Communion.

The Anglican Communion worldwide

Lambeth Conferences

The worldwide conference of Anglican bishops meets every 10 years in Canterbury, England, drawing from the global family of Anglican/Episcopal Churches, 70 million strong. The last Lambeth Conference was held from 18 July to 9 August 1998, when Changing Attitude was invited to make a presentation to the section dealing with human sexuality. The next Lambeth Conference will take place in Canterbury in 2008.

See also:

• Lambeth Conferences (fuller introduction, events and news)

Anglican Consultative Council

The role of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) is to facilitate the co-operative work of the churches of the Anglican Communion, exchange information between the Provinces and churches, and help to co-ordinate common action.

See also:

• Anglican Consultative Council (fuller introduction, events and news)

Recent discussions

The Anglican Communion has been discussing lesbian and gay sexuality with even greater intensity since 2003. In that year, three events provoked international reaction:

• the appointment (later withdrawn) of Canon Jeffrey John as Bishop of Reading

• the election of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire

• and the approval of a liturgy for the blessing of gay relationships in the Diocese of New Westminster, Canada.

See also:

• Windsor Report (fuller introduction, events and news)

The Church of England

The Church of England has addressed lesbian and gay issues twice since 1990. Issues in Human Sexuality, published in 1991, claimed to be a statement by the House of Bishops on many aspects of sexual behaviour, but was almost exclusively about homosexuality. It was commended by Dr George Carey in his introduction and by the General Synod for wide discussion within the Church. Dr Carey adopted the report as the policy of the Church, which pre-empted the possibility of partnered clergy participating in the discussion.

Some Issues in Human Sexuality (2003) was published for ‘all who wish to come to a greater understanding of the issues surrounding homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexualism and the Church … and provides a detailed account of all the viewpoints surrounding this topic.’ The guide called for wider, informed discussion on this issue, and along with its Companion, was intended to ‘enable individuals and churches to reflect on this potentially contentious subject in an intelligent way.’

See also:

• General Synod (introduction, events and news)

Organisations working for change

InclusiveChurch.net

InclusiveChurch.net is an Anglican network of individuals, church councils and organisations that have signed up to Inclusive Church’s Statement of Belief. It is not a ‘single issue’ group but a grass-roots network with a campaigning edge, open to anyone who shares the vision of an inclusive church. Over 9000 individual Christians, and many organisations and PCCs, have joined in signing the statement since InclusiveChurch.net was launched.

InclusiveChurch.net was born on 11 August 2003 at a Eucharist in Putney. On 15 September a small group of supporters met to consider this overwhelming response, and concluded that Inclusive Church was here to stay. Changing Attitude is a founder member of InclusiveChurch.net and is represented on the Executive Board and the Co-ordination Group.

Inclusive Communion

Inclusive Communion is a network of LGBT Anglican groups working for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in every province of the Anglican Communion.

Changing Attitude is a founder member of Inclusive Communion.

See also:

• Inclusive Communion (fuller introduction, events and news)

Other groups

See the ‘Organisations’ section of our Links page.

Internet-based resources

Lesbigayanglicans

Lesbigayanglicans is Changing Attitude’s email-based discussion forum – for details click here.

Thinking Anglicans

Thinking Anglicans is a website for thoughtful contributions to the proclamation of the gospel message. Writers reflect on what it means to be a Christian, particularly in Britain today. Thinking Anglicans reports news, events and documents that affect church people, and comments on them from an inclusive Christian perspective. It is possible to add your own comments and read comments from other visitors to the site.

Telephone 01380 724908
E-mail office@changingattitude.org

This page was last updated on Tuesday, 21 November 2006