Ruth Gledhill
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Canterbury
A bishop has said that conservatives within Anglicanism are using the Church as “a punching bag”. The Bishop of Washington, the Right Rev John Chane, said: “I think it’s really very dangerous when someone stands up and says, ‘I have the way and I have the truth and I know how to interpret Holy Scripture’.”
He said that the Episcopal Church had been “demonised”. He said: “I’m sick of being a punching bag as a bishop and I’m sick of my Church, my province being a punching bag”.
Bishop Chane is attending the Lambeth Conference, a gathering of 650 Anglican bishops from around the world. About 230 bishops, mainly from Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda, are boycotting it because of what they see as the liberal direction of the Western Church on sexuality and the Bible. More than 290 went to a recent conference in Jerusalem to set up a Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans to rival the structures of the Anglican Communion.
Bishop Chane was contributing to a BBC Two documentary, Battle of the Bishops, to be broadcast on Monday.
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This makes me laugh. Jesus stood up and said he was the way the truth and the life and only through Him could humanity be absolved of sin. Was this dangerous? Yes, it got him crucified by bitter religious oligarchs of His day.
Oh how things have changed....
Andy, York,
Quote from Right Rev John Chane:-
I think its really very dangerous when someone stands up and says, I have the way and I have the truth and I know how to interpret Holy Scripture.
I could not agree more. What is it you do again Reverend?
Steve, Devon, UK
If this debate was being held with political parties there would be people arrested for discrimination. You may well make the analogy of a punch bag because religions are padded and protected in our societies. I think its well time that religion is exposed for what it is and made accountable.
Richard James, Paignton, Devon
'the man shall not lie down with the man as he may with a woman' - says it in the bible. we need a church which will look out for the interests of normal people, not only homosexuals (although it is a sin i dont hate them - dont turn this into something its not)
john selleck, cant.,
and of course the victims of this bishop's church, ie conservative christians who do not believe that homo erotic sex is an apostolic practice, are those really being punched and ejected; this is not a 'liberal' grouping at all.
Fati, Dalston, UK
Preaching the TRUTH is dangerous YES - John 16:8 He will come to convict the world of sin, to show the world what has God's approval, and to convince the world that God judges it.
Clem, Perth, Australia
He said that the Episcopal Church had been demonised. YES - Romans 16:17 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to watch out for those people who create divisions and who make others fall away from the Christian faith by teaching doctrine that is not the same as you have learned. Stay away from them
Clem, Perth, Australia
D problem w/churches does not lie w/interpretation, but w/added teachings that ignore or negate d teachings of d New Testament. D teachings of Jesus are universal, spanning time n cultures, they cannot be abrogated, changed or morphed to fit d fads of d day or 2 win popularity contests Matthew11:25
carmine cicchiello, adelaide, australia