Anglophilia

The General Synod of the Church of England (their equivalent of General Convention) has today passed the following motion (what TEC would call a resolution):

That this Synod
(a) commend continuing efforts to prevent the diversity of opinion about human sexuality creating further division and impaired fellowship within the Church of England and the Anglican Communion;
(b) recognise that such efforts would not be advanced by doing anything that could be perceived as the Church of England qualifying its commitment to the entirety of the relevant Lambeth Conference Resolutions (1978:10; 1988:64; 1998:1.10);
(c) welcome the opportunities offered by these Lambeth Resolutions, including for the Church of England to engage in an open, full and Godly dialogue about human sexuality; and
(d) affirm that homosexual orientation in itself is no bar to a faithful Christian life or to full participation in lay and ordained ministry in the Church and acknowledge the importance of lesbian and gay members of the Church of England participating in the listening process as full members of the Church.

We are told that the motion carried by a wide margin on a show of hands.

Personally, I could vote for something like this. It clearly affirms a biblical and traditional (and, IMO, reasonable) view of sexual morality, while at the same time distancing itself unmistakably from true bigotry.

But it is significant that our English cousins have done this, and so decisively. It takes much of the wind from the sails of those Americans who have speculated about and advocated for the creation of a new "progressive" post-Anglican alliance of which the C of E would be a part. Doubtless some Brits would sign on to this. But not, apparently, the lay and clerical leadership.