Bishop Mouneer offers this observation, reported here:
"I find that many of our North American friends blame us and criticise us for bringing in the issues of sexuality and homosexuality but in fact they are the ones who are bringing these issues in. Here at Lambeth, you come across many advertisements for events organised by gay and Lesbian activists which are sponsored by the North American Church. If you visit the marketplace at the conference, you will notice that almost half the events promoted on the noticeboard promote homosexuality and are sponsored by the North Americans. And in the end, we, the people who remain loyal to the original teaching of the Anglican Communion, which we received from the Apostles, are blamed. They say that we talk a lot about sexuality and that we need to talk more about poverty, about AIDs, and injustice. They are the ones who are bringing sexuality into this conference. It’s not us. We want to talk about the heart of the issues which divide us, not only sexuality. That is just a symptom of a deeper problem."
Why, indeed, is the marketplace 50% promoting homosexuality?
It is as Mouneer Anis says: as you enter 'The Market Place' in the University Sports Center, passing a piece of agitprop by a very scrawny Peter Tatchell (standing behind a great pink and white banner 'ANGLICANS STOP CRUCIFYING QUEERS') the first and largest stall you meet is the heavily bannered 'Lesbian and Gays Christian Movement' making its 'human rights' pitch. (Gay sex is a human right, apparently. Well, it is in the UK - in some places almost an obligation, you would think - but I thought the gospel was about God's rights, not ours. If 'human rights' was their raison d'etre, you'd think they should be lobbying the Iranian embassy.) Near them also is 'Affirming Catholicism'. You have to wonder how the 'LGCM' secured this prime location. There are book stalls aplenty, but the only missionary agency I could see was USPG - which is far from vigorous. There was also a stall by an American seminary with several staff running it, so clearly not short of payola. There were no evangelical or traditional catholic bodies represented there at all, and everywhere you go on the university campus, there are special stands with pro-gay literature from LGCM and 'Inclusive Church', who are operating from a church hall just down the road, with a ceaseless program of 'promotional events'.
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly well funded from North America. (Don't anyone say chicken dinners!) And yet - it all feels a bit like shadow boxing because the Nigerians, Ugandans and Sydneysiders are not there. So there is no one really to vent their spleen on. As the Arab proverb says, the dogs bark but the caravan moves on.
Thanks Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI shall look the MP3 up when on broadband at work.
I have met Ashley Null - he knows a lot about Cranmer etc!