He told a national Latimer Fellowship conference in Christchurch that the real reason this is a make or break issue has to do with the teachings of the Bible. "The biblical ideal of sexual relationships specifically excludes same-sex relationships. The biblical teaching makes this a matter of spiritual life and death. That is crystal clear from both the Old and New Testaments," he said.

"I say with all solemnity to those who say the blessing of same-sex unions is okay, and who will ordain clergy living in same-sex unions: How can you do this when the souls of those involved are in peril?

"This is an enormously serious matter. And in the blessing of same-sex unions and the consecration or ordination of persons living in those relationships, we are saying to the community as a whole that these relationships have the blessing of God, when the scriptures say those who are in them are excluded from the kingdom of Heaven.

"This lifestyle is spiritually perilous. Encouraging it is endangering the lives and eternal destiny of those involved, and it is inconsistent with the duties of a minister of Gods word.

"This lifestyle is also unhealthy. I am astonished that the medical profession has not risen to a person and told us the truth and opposed it. The dereliction of duty of the medical profession is one of the most shameful parts of this whole thing." Archbishop Jensen said the whole sexual revolution - and not just the homosexual part of it - was anti-human and dehumanizing.

"What the Bible teaches us about the right way to live is profoundly 'humanistic' - it's very good for us [as humans]. It's very obvious that its true, but we seem to be so wimpish about saying it, as though somehow the secular world has it all right."

By contrast, the Bishop of Oxford, England, the Rt. Rev. Richard Harries says the Bible supports homosexual (same-sex) partnerships arguing that traditionalists in the Church needed to be "converted" to see that homosexual unions are confirmed by the scriptures. "Gay partnerships are about faithfulness and stability," he said. He also reaffirmed his controversial belief that an openly gay man should be allowed to be appointed a bishop.

As one of the country's most senior bishops, he has reignited the Church of England's row over homosexuality by making these claims, and puts the Church of England on collision course with the Global South Primates.

His remarks angered traditionalists who are set to rekindle the debate on homosexual "marriages" that has left the Church's House of Bishops deeply divided following the introduction of the Civil Partnerships Act last year.

Bishop Harries said that the Church of England faced a split if the liberal and conservative factions did not come to an agreement on how to be more inclusive towards homosexuals.

Both men, it seems agree that non-celibate sodomy is a communion-breaking possibility, with Archbishop Jensen talking about "broken fellowship" and Bishop Harries talking of a "split."

These two statements, coming as they do from Western province leaders, rather than Global South (African, Asian or Latin American bishops) are the clearest to date that opposing views on sexuality issues cannot live together in the same bed (if you'll pardon the pun) or live in blissful harmony or compromise of any kind.

Both men are being entirely realistic. There is no attempt to gloss their statements with the Windsor Report or a faux repentance, or a half-baked covenant to hold things together, or even a two-track option eight years from now. Furthermore neither man pushes forward the notion of endlessly 'listening' to the whine of homosexuals with some guru of "listening" based in London paid for by the American Episcopal Church.

Both men are smart enough to know that their differing positions on sexuality are irreconcilable and that the Anglican Communion must face the fact and deal with it.

Where this puts the Anglican Communion Network or Common Cause is anyone's guess.

Jensen avers that gay advocates of same-sex blessings and ordinations thought they could get away with it because they had seen women's ordination accepted so relatively painlessly, and that therefore sodomy would be brokered in just as painlessly. How wrong they were. Orthodox Anglicans around the world rose up in revolt at what they saw as the final straw with the Robinson consecration, and a whole new battle began for the soul of the church. This one could prove fatal.

Notes Jensen: "It is also the case that the higher leadership of many of the churches has been more liberal in theology that the people in the pews. The bureaucracy has been ahead of the pew. Of course, the cultural flow is with them. The roar of approval of sex outside marriage has been quite deafening. The theological appeal to tolerance, to rights, to justice, to individual liberty, have all had the approval of the cultural elites of the Western world."

He is right, and Bishop Harries seems quick to jump into the cultural mainstream but wanting to drag the Bible with him.

Archbishop Jensen rightly observes that the person in the pew might think rather differently, but any opposition to theological liberalism is easily labeled with the dreaded words 'homophobic' and 'fundamentalist'.

Bishop Harries recognizes that for there to be change, Evangelicals have to be convinced that a permanent, faithful same-sex partnership is congruous with biblical truth.

That, of course, Evangelicals will never, ever do, even if a small splinter group of Evangelicals in the Church of England think the church's teaching should be changed. Evangelical leaders like John R.W. Stott, Canon Michael Green, Dr. Chris Green (Oak Hill), J. I. Packer, Dr. Alistair McGrath et al will never relinquish Scriptural authority on this issue for anybody.

The fact is, says Archbishop Jensen; human sexuality touches on the authority of scripture in a profound way.

"There is a very considerable group of people saying this is the point where we must make a stand. If we are not prepared to stand here, we will stand nowhere. Defending such doctrines as the uniqueness of Christ will prove impossible - the culture will see to that, and the church has developed a habit of succumbing."

This is not music to the ears of Bishop Harries who opined that it's difficult to have gay partnerships fully accepted by the Church, a Church in which evangelicals are a valued part, if they are so strongly opposed to it. "There has to be a conversion to a new way to see that gay partnerships are not contrary to biblical truth. They are congruous with the deepest biblical truths, about faithfulness and stability."

But this is a reverse conversion, not a biblical conversion as far as Evangelicals are concerned. This is to go from light to darkness, it is to reverse the clear teaching of Scripture that "neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes fornicators, nor adulterers nor homosexual offenders...will inherit the Kingdom of God", if they continue to live in such sins. The gospel calls us to wipe the slate clean through confession and repentance, and so Evangelicals will never go for it.

Archbishop Jensen said it was important to note that the belief that the practice of homosexuality was wrong was virtually the unanimous verdict of Christians in space and time. "It is weird that modern Western culture so easily trumps theology in the church, and particularly in a church which has apparently always respected tradition. It is part of the propaganda war to label those who take my point of view as obsessed, homophobic, fanatical, negative, fundamentalist, divisive and puritan...

"But it is one thing for those responsible to take no action when the law is broken; it is another thing when a diocese or church adopts a policy which is contrary to scripture and which touches a matter of salvation. When such things occur at an official level, and I am part of the institution, then I am involved whether I like it or not."

Archbishop Jensen concluded his remarks by saying that such developments had been some time coming, and protests should have been made long before to serve as a warning that what we see coming towards us constitutes a schismatic offence.

"Dioceses and bishops around the world have to realize that an official endorsement of sex outside marriage - heterosexual or homosexual - will lead to disturbances and problems within their church. It is a bridge too far. Evangelicals and many others will not be able to acquiesce as a matter of conscience. There will be permanent disruption in the affairs of the church - I believe it will become ungovernable if people persist," he said.

Bishop Harries thinks that he has the weight of culture and the weight of the majority of the Church in the West behind him, which convinces him that he's right, but the truth is, he is wrong, dead (spiritually) wrong. No amount of calling black white will make black white, say his evangelical critics. Being pastorally sensitive, welcoming and loving and supportive of those who struggle in this area, doesn't mean we should be trying to change the teaching of the Church. It can't be done.

So there you have it. The die has been cast. It only remains to be seen how it all plays out.

END