Dioceses such as the Diocese of Port Elizabeth, a firmly evangelical diocese have been firm in their rejection of any moves to sanction prayers of blessings or any change of doctrine which would allow gay marriage (legal in South Africa since 2006). Bishop Eddie Daniels initiated a process this year to get the mind of the diocese on the matter and the verdict was unanimous in support of classical biblical teaching on the matter. In contrast, some Bishops in the Cape Town region have actively campaigned to have gay blessings approved.

Lesbian and gay couples have toured parishes speaking to congregations in an attempt to sway opinions. A short video was also circulated featuring a gay couple who extolled the virtues of their love and friendship. This indicates the well worn strategy of using emotion and sentiment as weapons of persuasion.

These are the highly manipulative public persuasion tactics used in social marketing and outlined in Marshall Kirk and Hunter Madsen's book, "After the Ball: How America will conquer its fear and hatred of gays in the 90's". These methods have been successful in changing whole denominations (such as The Episcopal Church (USA), the Anglican Church of Canada and more recently the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of England). It is also a reflection of the influence of western gender ideologies which subvert biblical doctrine on human identity and sexual morality.

The arguments used are on the whole dismissive of received doctrine and external norms such as biblical law, prioritising internal subjective feeling and convictions. These override all else -- this of course is the essence of the old heresy of Gnosticism. The world-renowned psychologist Jordan Petersen has recently warned that the western protestant churches have by embracing the 'woke rainbow mob' been captured. "When the Christians start worshiping hedonistic pride", he said, "something has gone dreadfully wrong."[ii]

The Anglican Provinces of Africa have been unanimous in their rejection of this heresy -- only Southern Africa seems to have suffered an infection. Infections if not resisted are sadly often fatal to human bodies, but also the body of the Church. In 2 Timothy 4:3 Paul states, "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions." The Greek translated as 'sound teaching' can also be translated 'healthy teaching', emphasising the vital importance of right doctrine for the spiritual health of the Church. We continue to pray for health and healing.

[i] See Press Release: https://anglicanchurchsa.org/provincial-synod-rejects-prayers-for-same-sex-couples/
[ii]https://www.christiantoday.com/article/jordan.peterson.says.woke.rainbow.mob.is.infiltrating.protestant.
churches/142149.htm

VOL COMMENTARY: This is a major smackdown of Archbishop Thabo Makgoba who has been pressing for gay marriage rites to please his American paymasters; The Episcopal Church. The Southern African province is the only province on the sub-continent of Africa to want this; no other province has and most of the African provinces, as a result belong to GSFA and or GAFCON; both of which movements reject both homosexuality and homosexual marriage.

In March of 2023 Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town announced that Anglican bishops in Southern Africa resolved to craft special prayers for couples in same-sex relationships.

In a statement by the church's Synod of Bishops, Makgoba said the bishops had agreed at a meeting to prepare formal prayers suitable for providing pastoral care to couples in same-sex civil unions.

However, he noted that the bishops were unable to reach consensus on blessing same-sex unions during church services and ruled out church marriages for same-sex couples.

Now he can't have either. The new American Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe has his hands full trying to figure how to stop the blood-letting in his own province to worry about Makgoba. Furthermore, he doesn't have the money to throw around that his predecessors had to cajole and persuade the one province TEC thought it had in the bag over pansexuality. The winds of change say otherwise.

We will watch over the coming weeks to see where all this is going. Stay tuned.

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Provincial Synod rejects prayers for same-sex couples

26th September 2024

Provincial Synod has rejected a proposal to allow bishops to approve the giving of blessings to couples in same-sex unions in parishes which welcome the ministry.

It also voted against approving a set of prayers drawn up by bishops for providing pastoral ministry to members in civil unions.

The two proposals were voted down by a show of hands after debate at the synod on Thursday. They were proposed by the Right Revd Raphael Hess, Bishop of Saldanha Bay, and seconded by the Right Revd Stephen Diseko, Dean of the Province and Bishop of Matlosane.

The full text of the motions which were debated and put to a vote follow:

SAME-SEX COUPLES

Whereas

1. Pope Francis set the debate on the blessing of same sex couples alight with new insight and illumination.

2. The Bishop of Rome's insight can be of great assistance to propel the Provincial Synod to assist the Synod of Bishops in its quest to provide Pastoral Guidelines for Same Sex Couples in Civil Unions, and to address the reality of sexual diversity in humanity in general.

3. The blessing of "irregular couples" as the Pope puts it, is possible because everyone is loved by God.

4. The Pope allows for the respect of conscience, and therefore not all Bishops are required to agree.

5. The Doctrine of Marriage is not compromised. Marriage is still upheld as the "union between one man and one woman for life."

6. Civil unions however provide legal status to those who desire it; everyone has a right to legal protection before the law.

This Provincial Synod resolves to:

a. Embrace the action of giving a Blessing to those in Civil Unions.

b. Request all dioceses in ACSA to give blessings to those in civil unions with the proviso of the bishops' right to withhold giving blessings to those in civil unions in their Dioceses.

c. Bishops may grant permission to Parish Priests in Parishes where this Pastoral Ministry of giving a Blessing to a Couple in a Civil Union is welcomed.

THE SIXTEEN DRAFT PRAYERS

Whereas

1. The request made to the Synod of Bishops to provide Pastoral Guidelines for the diversity of sexual orientation in the human family has been before our decision-making forums for over two decades.

2. ACSA has wrestled with honesty and integrity on this matter and has moved very slowly on drafting the guidelines.

3. With the promulgation of the legislation in South Africa to recognize Civil Unions, the need to craft these Pastoral Guidelines has intensified.

4. The Archbishop guided the Synod of Bishops to write special prayers that may be used upon request by those in civil unions.

5. The sixteen prayers have been prepared and have been in circulation since February 2023.

Provincial Synod resolves:

a. These Prayers be commended to the Dioceses of ACSA.

b. The bishops may give permission for the use of the prayers in their Dioceses.

LEGAL BRIEF AFRICA

Anglican bishops divided over same-sex unions
Anglican bishops in Southern Africa have failed to reach consensus on blessing same-sex unions during church services, ruling out church marriages for same-sex couples. Cape Town's Archbishop Thabo Makgoba last week said 'the divisions within the Synod of Bishops reflect the divisions in the Church as a whole, and we are not at peace with one another on this issue'. However, the bishops have resolved to craft special prayers suitable for providing pastoral care to couples in same-sex civil unions. TimesLIVE reports that the synod had its first in-person meeting in three years, and published the results of its deliberations to church members on Sunday. The bishops considered a proposal by the Archbishop's Commission on Human Sexuality to allow local churches to conduct formal blessings of same-sex unions but could not reach an agreement.

Makgoba said the church was already baptising the children of same-sex couples and conducting confirmation services for LGBTQI Anglicans. Seeking a compromise, he challenged the bishops to 'develop prayers of affirmation and acknowledgment for all faithful Anglicans with which all of us can agree'. The synod agreed to the proposal. TimesLIVE reports that Makgoba's office said in a statement that 'the bishops will consider drafts for the formal prayers at their next meeting in September before presenting them to church ruling bodies which also represent other clergy and lay members of the church'. Anglican bishops from across Southern Africa in 2016 resolved that gay and lesbian partners who enter same-sex civil unions under SA law should be welcomed into congregations as full members of the church. However, bishops were at that time divided over whether to marry same-sex couples in church.

END