Back in May, I mentioned that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Bishop Peter Broadbent and that he is “pleasantly straight-spoken.” Well, as many of you are aware, he has been a bit too straight-spoken concurring the upcoming Royal Wedding, creating not a little uproar. He has since made a clear and complete apology as is meet.
But that is not enough for the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, who happens to be a friend of Prince William. +Chartres has suspended Bishop Pete from episcopal duties for an indefinite time.
How many Church of England bishops have spoken and committed outrages against the faith with hardly a slap on the risk? But Bishop Pete, a godly and orthodox man, sounds off about The ROYAL Family and gets suspended.
This suspension is not appropriate and is downright silly.
9 comments:
It could be a lot worse - if Bishop Broadbent had sounded off about 'gays' or moslems, he'd be in prison right now.
I wonder if their different churchmanships are a factor. Richard Chartres is an anglo-catholic, but Peter Broadbent is a charismatic evangelical. Whilst Broadbent's remarks were unwise, his suspension is heavy-handed and stinks of Chartres trying to get rid of someone with substantially different views on many areas of faith.
I can't help contrasting this situation with what happened in 2008when Rev Dr Martin Dudley "married" two gay male priests in a London church. Dudley got off with a slap on the wrist from Chartres (he had to make a public apology and that was basically it).
Whitestone; you're talking nonsense. The Daily Mail didn't bat an eyelid when Nazir-Ali referred to some places being "no-go areas" for Muslims, or when Broadbent (and others) refused to go to the Lambeth Conference in protest at the Episcopal Church in the USA recognising an openly gay man as a Bishop. But say a word against the Holy Royal Family or St Diana, and they'll set free the twin attack dogs, Littlejohn and Phillips.
correction; of course I meant to say no-go areas for non-Muslims
NOTE: The following is NOT satire or "tongue in cheek!!" It is my opinion.
I was furious at the "Bishop's" statement. I have come to expect attacks on orthodoxy by Bishops but I, personally, will not abide attacks on the head of my church!!
One of my major worries about any split in the Anglican Communion would be that we might lose our temporal head.
We in Anglicanism have a very straightforward "chain of command."
We have the people who are under the authority of the priest, who is under the authority of the Bishop who is under the authority of their province's primate who is under the Archbishop of Canterbury who is under the Queen who is under God.
Just like our Roman Brothers have the Pope as their earthly head we have the Queen.
As American Anglicans we have no loyalty to the Queen as head of the UK Government (at least since 1776) but we do owe her fealty as the temporal head of our Church.
If you're a Bishop and you insult the Royals, you'll get yourself suspended. Insult the Holy Spirit? You'll likely get a promotion. Tells you everything you need to know about the Church of England.
Actually, Bishop Broadbent may have been prophesying. Statistics show that pre-maritual cohabitation doubles the chance of divorce. Those who do not fear God in the first place are more likely to disregard the covenant of marriage.
As for fealty, we should not elevate any other human being above Jesus Christ. He is Head of the Church. He does not share His glory. All honor, glory, power belongs to Him. Do not put your trust in man or princes.
Psalm 118:8-9
So far as we know, the Queen has has honored the covenant of marriage, Christianity and the church, but certainly her children have not. Charles has been openly unfaithful to all three - to marriage, to Christianity and the Church with his enchantment with strange religions. Their lives are an open book and we should not hesitate to acknowledge when they (or church leaders) sin and show contempt for what is holy and true. Especially so, for their error and sin will certainly bring harm to themselves, their children, a nation and the Church.
Graham, That may be true for Bishops, but not for ordinary citizens who speak out for Christianty, ie, the couple who had a Bed and Breakfast...or the people in Scotland who might go to the park and happen upon 'gays' engaged in sodomy. People are losing their jobs because of Christian convictions in regard to abortion, homosex, etc.
You know very well the ridiculous protectionist laws that have been enacted for moslems and 'gays' - to the detriment of society.
No, wyclif. THIS tells you all you need to know about the Church of England: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZIakf5f068
:)
wannabe
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