The 2016 meeting of the Primates for the Anglican Communion has released a statement upholding their commitment to traditional marriage in response to the Episcopal Church (USA) and its official promulgation of same-sex marriages among members and clergy. See the official statement here.
What is the Anglican Communion and why does it matter?
The Anglican Communion is the global network of churches born out of the protestant reformation in England. Led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican Communion is the largest protestant church in the world and has over 85 million members worldwide. Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, the anglican model of episcopacy (rule by bishops) allows each province self-governance similar to the autocephalous nature of Eastern Orthodox Churches. The churches outside of England are ruled by their own geographical province [e.g. Church of Uganda; Episcopal Church (USA)] and each province maintains a hierarchy of leadership with its own bishops and archbishop (or primate).
The Episcopal Church (USA) caused a great schism in American anglicanism with the 2003 election of Gene Robinson as the church’s first openly gay bishop and the 2012 authorization of a rite of blessing for same-gender relationships. In response, several anglican bishops established a second anglican province in America called the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). There has been continued debate over the validity of the ACNA as a legitimate member of the Anglican Communion, as well as ongoing discussion against the homosexual theology in the Episcopal Church (USA). Particularly, members of the Global South provinces in the Anglican Communion accused the Episcopal Church (USA) of deliberately rejecting the Communion’s teachings on human sexuality.
Significance of 2016 Primates Meeting
The 2016 Primate Meeting included the Archbishops from throughout the Anglican Communion and leaders from both American provinces. At past meetings conservative Bishops have refused to attend when representatives from the Episcopal Church (USA) were also included. A resolution produced and passed by more than two-thirds of the primates in attendance declared the, “traditional doctrine of the church in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds marriage as between a man and a woman in faithful, lifelong union.”
Such a statement on traditional marriage is significant in an age of moral relativism. Despite the acceptance of homosexuality in many western countries, Christianity by and large continues to uphold traditional marriage. The resolution also offers a three-year sanction against the Episcopal Church (USA) for their departure on this issue. Stripping the Episcopal Church (USA) of their membership from the Anglican Communion for three years is one of the strongest warnings that the global body can offer before removing a church from the association.
