How Can the Archbishop of Canterbury Say No, Then Yes, the Bible Forbids Same-Sex Relationships?

The Anglican Communion is in some dispute because of the differing views of sexual relationships between same-sex partners. The dispute has been heightened since Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams recently contradicted his 2000 written opinion that same-sex relationships were not biblically prohibited in cases of total commitment and faithfulness to the relationship.

I became aware of this dispute within the Anglican Communion when the matter was recently discussed among several members of our local Episcopalian Church, which happens to support a liberal stand on homosexuality and same-sex relationships. The Episcopalian Church is the name given the Anglican Communion in America; Archbishop Williams is the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion. What prompted the discussion was the Lambeth Conference, which wrapped up on Aug. 3, 2008.

The Anglican Communion's Lambeth Conferences, held once every 10 years, are invitation-only events where Anglican bishops, as well as bishops from other churches - including the Vatican - gather together for study, worship, discussion and amending and passage of various resolutions concerning the church and its practices. At the 1998 Lambeth Conference, the bishops passed a resolution rejecting same-sex relationships as being "incompatible with Scripture" and rejected any recognition or blessing of same-sex unions.

However, two years later, Archbishop Rowan Williams, who was then the Archbishop of Wales, wrote two letters to an evangelical Christian psychiatrist in response to her questions about same-sex relationships. Dr. Deborah Pitt had written to Archbishop Williams, asking his personal opinion on the matter. According to Williams' Sept. 28, 2000 and Mar. 13, 2001 letters to Dr. Pitt, (both can be found online in their entirety), he studied the matter from both a psychological and a theological perspective before coming to his controversial conclusions.

In his written communication with Pitt, he said that he once (prior to 1980) "fully shared the traditional ethical understanding of homosexuality as a condition of (at best) some sort of 'privation,' the practice of which was strictly forbidden to Christians by scripture and tradition." But in about 1980, he said, he came to believe that "scripture was not dealing with the predicament of persons whom we should recognise (sic) as homosexual by nature." This change in view came about when he taught at a university and came into contact with Christians "who had concluded after prayer and reflection that the scriptural prohibitions were addressed to heterosexuals looking for sexual variety," not to persons who were homosexual. This lead him to pursue the matter further and, after much prayer and study, he came to the personal conclusion that "an active sexual relationship between two people of the same sex might therefore reflect the love of God in a way comparable to marriage." He added, however, that a same-sex relationship was permissible only if the relationship was one of commitment and absolute faithfulness such as is expected of heterosexual couples.

Williams' stance was contrary to the 1998 Lambeth Conference Resolution. Traditional conservative Anglicans were angered, while those in the minority, often referred to as liberals, were pleased and hopeful Williams' opinion as a ranking archbishop would eventually lead to acceptance of same-sex relationships within the Anglican Communion. However, that has not been the case. Now, at the 2008 Lambeth Conference held in July and August, Williams has shifted his position on same-sex relationships and even released a statement that the Church's hierarchy is not to consecrate any more openly gay bishops.

His explanation for what appears to be a change of heart? Archbishop Rowan said in an interview that as a bishop, it's his responsibility to teach what the Church teaches - that same-sex relationships are incompatible with the Bible - and that his personal ideas and opinions must take a back seat. This has riled those who weren't anticipating it and even caused some Episcopalians I know to say that Rowan is literally lying about what he believes. Further, they say, if he's not being truthful, he's lost credibility and integrity and a split from the Anglican Communion may be the only avenue left for them. Time will tell what the future holds for the Anglican Community, that we know for sure.

Sources:

1998 Lambeth Conference; http://www.lambethconference.org/resolutions/1998/1998-1-10.cfm

Letters; http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/rowan.pdf

Statement; http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27880#continueA

Interview; http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4473814.ece