"I have been struck by the fact that all attention in Anglican circles has recently been on (1) the place or not of gays, ordained or not, in the Anglican Church and (2) the future of "the Anglican communion" (a colonialism, if ever there was one.)

"When the word of the impending marriage broke, I was amazed that I heard not a word about adultery -- even though it is MORE commonly denounced in Scripture than the term "homosexuality" which is not even scriptural -- nor a word about someone (in this case, a prince and whatever Mrs. Bowles is) getting divorces in order to fornicate more freely, rather than because one has been fornicated upon by an offending spouse."

Bloomquist qualified his condemnation of conservative Anglicans, saying he admitted that he was NOT sympathetic to either the duplicitous Michael Inghams or the attention-seeking Gene Robinsons of the Anglican Church, [but I] find that this lack of prophetic denunciation of more blatant heterosexual sin at the highest levels of the "Anglican" expression of Christianity to be both puzzling and discouraging. Where is the denunciation by the conservatives? Where is the Bishop of Durham on this? He spoke out before he was consecrated on this subject, but has he said a word since his coronation, sorry, consecration?"

Bishop Wright blasted back at the theologian saying, "I find this kind of sneering offensive. He clearly doesn't know what he's talking about. The Anglican Church has taken a definite line on those who wish to marry divorcees when the divorcee(s) in question contributed to the break-up of the previous marriage - in other words, where there was adultery. This is the case with the present situation. The line is that they are refused a marriage in church so they have to have a registry office wedding instead. They are then permitted a blessing in church afterwards. That is exactly what is happening in this case. If Mr. Bloomquist disapproves of this being allowed, he is at liberty to do so, but he should not criticize us for not acting: the church is being completely consistent in applying to the Prince of Wales the rules it applies to other people whose adultery has broken up their, or other peoples', marriages."

Wrote Bloomquist: "If prophetic denunciation is there, I will retract my comments and give it faithful consideration; if it is not, why not? Is it true, as has been noted by pollsters and others that conservatives seem to be in denial when it comes to adultery and divorce because it is becoming so widespread among themselves? Perhaps if Henry VIII had separated himself from Rome in order to get a divorce to shack up with a page-boy, Anglican traditionalists would be making less of a fuss over gays than they would over heterosexual immorality and illicit divorce!

"I fear, that a church, like the Anglican Church, that is born institutionally in sin -- the sexual sin of a monarch -- will never find it easy to criticize the subsequent sins of monarchs. In fact, I wonder if it will not find it difficult prophetically to chastise ANY sexual sin, for how can it do so when it was so birthed?"

Wright blasted back, "As to the Church of England being born in sin because of Henry's divorce, he should read Tyndale, Frith and others who were working for and campaigning for a biblical reformation long before Henry set eyes on Anne Boleyn. As for the 'colonial' charge about the Anglican Communion, he should come with me to visit the Anglican clergy in Jerusalem where I've just spent three days..."

Wright then lit into Bloomquist saying, "As for 'nary a word' (what is this word 'nary', anyway?), he should know that with the hostile media we currently possess in the UK it is quite possible to speak out on every issue under the sun and have none of it reported. It's amusing that he says I spoke out about Prince Charles before I was consecrated, since that is actually the spin the newspapers put on a much more general comment I'd made. Just because he likes taking potshots at people a long way away that is no reason for him to suppose that headlines like 'Bishop attacks prince' have any value for the kingdom of God."

Wright signed himself, "Yrs in frustration." Tom

END