SEXUALITY - A MAKE OR BREAK ISSUE FOR THE CHURCH

SEXUALITY - A MAKE OR BREAK ISSUE FOR THE CHURCH

On a visit to New Zealand earlier this year The Archbishop of Sydney, the Most Rev Peter Jensen, spelt out to New Zealand evangelicals why he believes human sexuality is correctly the issue at which Anglican churches should consider breaking fellowship.

Archbishop Jensen told a national Latimer Fellowship conference in Christchurch that the real reason this is a make or break issue has to do with the teachings of the Bible. "The biblical ideal of sexual relationships specifically excludes same-sex relationships. the
biblical teaching makes this a matter of spiritual life and death.

That is crystal clear from both the Old and New Testaments," he said. "I say with all solemnity to those who say the blessing of same-sex unions is okay, and who will ordain clergy living in same-sex unions: How can you do this when the souls of those involved are in peril? This is an enormously serious matter. And in the blessing of same-sex unions and the consecration or ordination of persons living in those relationships, we are saying to the community as a whole that these relationships have the blessing of God, when the scriptures say those who are in them are excluded from the kingdom of Heaven.

"This lifestyle is spiritually perilous. Encouraging it is endangering the lives and eternal destiny of those involved, and it
is inconsistent with the duties of a minister of Gods word."

Archbishop Jensen said the whole sexual revolution - and not just the homosexual part of it - was anti-human and dehumanizing.
"What the Bible teaches us about the right way to live is profoundly humanistic - it's very good for us. It's very obvious that its true,
but we seem to be so wimpish about saying it, as though somehow the secular world has it all right."

Archbishop Jensen went on to say "Of course, the cultural flow is against us. The roar of approval of sex outside marriage has been
quite deafening. The theological appeal to tolerance, to rights, to justice, to individual liberty, have all had the approval of the
cultural elites of the Western world.

"Any opposition to theological liberalism is easily labelled with the dreaded words 'homophobic' and 'fundamentalist'. It is part of the
propaganda war to label those who take my point of view as obsessed, homophobic, fanatical, negative, fundamentalist, divisive and
puritan. But it is one thing for those responsible to take no action when the law is broken; it is another thing when a diocese or church adopts a policy which is contrary to scripture and which touches a matter of salvation. When such things occur at an official level, and I am part of the institution, then I am involved whether I like it or not."

Archbishop Jensen said such developments had been some time coming, and protests should have been made long before to serve as a warning that "what we see coming towards us constitutes a schismatic offence. Dioceses and bishops around the world have to realize that an official endorsement of sex outside marriage - heterosexual or homosexual - will lead to disturbances and problems within their church. Evangelicals and many others will not be able to acquiesce as a matter of conscience. There will be permanent disruption in the affairs of the church - I believe it will become ungovernable if people persist," Archbishop Jensen said.

Source: New Zealand Challenge Weekly