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Church of England
November 20 2023 By dvirtue Another Diabolical Synod

As you know, there is a threat of a challenge to the legality of our synodical achievement which may entail an irritating delay, but will ultimately prove futile.

Brought into being through the lust and fornication of a monarch, and a pliable parliament, the Church of England has blessed the fornication of its present supreme governor and consort and is legally subservient to a parliament which would have it marry, rather than bless same-sex couples.

Your affectionate uncle

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November 17 2023 By dvirtue Briefing: Church of England trial services for same-sex blessings -- podcast

In this Religion Media Centre briefing, the panel spoke of their concern at the tight votes, the lack of consensus, the possibility of schism and the prospect of "years and years more" of discussion over alternative structures for people who disagree. LGBT people welcomed the outcome as a gentle, positive move forward, but they found the debate with familiar arguments against same-sex relationships were "intensely painful".

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November 17 2023 By dvirtue A vicar writes to his congregation about the Synod decision on 'gay blessings'

In effect, + Steven's amendment torpedoed a carefully staged proposal by the HoB, including that 'prayers of blessing' for gay relationship could not be used as a 'stand-alone' service, separate from a main Sunday service, as the perception and experience of those attending would be that the service was a 'wedding' in all but name, and therefore, the CofE would have changed its Doctrine on Marriage. I agree with the HofB that that would be the perception.

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November 16 2023 By dvirtue CEEC responds to General Synod decision

"If the bishops continue with the implementation of their proposals, we believe this will have a devastating impact on churches across the country and beyond. It will tear local parish congregations apart, damage the relationship between large numbers of clergy and their bishops and cause churches across the dioceses to feel as though their shepherds have abandoned them. It may also serve a final blow to the unity of the Anglican Communion.

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November 15 2023 By virtueonline Woke church abandons struggling parishes to their fate

Not a bit of it.

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November 14 2023 By virtueonline Church of England to have dedicated ceremonies for gay couples

Nine months on, no such blessings have been given amid a dispute between conservative and liberal factions of the Church that is not expected to be settled until 2025. Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, said the debate was "stretching us to breaking point" and "many of us have arrived at this Synod feeling weary, fearful, confused and even angry about it all".

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November 13 2023 By virtueonline WELBY HAS LOST OUR FAITH OVER GAY DEBATE -- IT'S TIME HE STOOD DOWN

This is deeply flawed. You cannot reconcile two completely different understandings of Christianity; one that preaches hell and damnation to anyone who has sex outside holy matrimony and the other that seeks to honour love wherever it is found.

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November 07 2023 By dvirtue Why I still believe the Church of England's prayers for same-sex couples won't work

AN HONEST RESPONSE

The articulation of a theological rationale for the proposals is very welcome. It deserves more consideration than there is time to give it between the publication of the documents on 20 October and the General Synod meeting on 13-15 November. But, having previously called for a theological rationale, it seems only fair that I give an initial response prior. I still don't think the proposed prayers will achieve what they intend, and I'll explain why below.

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October 29 2023 By dvirtue The road to Wigan's tears

This is not hyperbole. I'm not sure how else to describe a scheme which drives away fully a third of your congregation and results in a collapse of giving by a third, which cost £1.2 million to implement and has resulted in the deficits of the churches involved shooting up from £56,000 per year to £295,666.

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October 23 2023 By dvirtue 'Going, Going, Gone?' The Church of England and LGBTQ Part 1

I will not rehearse the various legal, theological, biblical and moral argument - you can find more of these at Anglican Mainstream and Anglican Futures.

Here, I would like to take my reader across the English border, to see how a similar situation has unfolded in the beautiful country of Wales. Though there are differences, the similarities are profound.

Sobering news from the 'progressive' Church in Wales

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