The Anglican Church of Canada has voted to approve same-sex “marriage,” if the diocesan bishop authorizes it during its general synod July 7-12. This is the same as saying that same-sex marriage is up to the local unit of the church. To accommodate the change, the church proposed to substitute the word “partners” for “husband and wife” in church canon, and “the parties to the marriage, for “a man and a woman.” The church had already solemnized same-sex civil unions.
“I’m convinced full inclusion is the Christian way,” said Alistair McCollum of St. John the Divine “There is still a large part of the church that is struggling with this and they are good-hearted. … but we need to use our hearts and heads and follow the prime principles of love and justice.”
Some pastors declared that they would not support or authorize same-sex marriages.
“The experience of same-sex committed partnerships in our midst, clearly manifesting God’s blessing and the fruit of the Spirit, are a powerful indication that God’s view of marriage may be more inclusive than ours,” said the resolution’s authors in a report.
“Likewise also, as it was in the days of Lot…” Luke 17:28