The Telegraph
headline is not overwrought. The
Church of England is now indeed facing a crisis as a CofE priest, the Rev.
Canon Jeremy Pemberton has legally married his male partner. The crisis is that the Church of
England is now forced to decide whether a priest entering a gay “marriage” will
be disciplined or not, with difficult consequences no matter what the church
decides.
As I’ve said a year ago, a church that does not care enough about truth to discipline does
not care enough about truth, period.
And, although the American church setting differs from the English, we
have seen time and again in this country what happens to churches when they
refuse to defend truth with church discipline. Apostasy, once openly tolerated, gains more and more power
and drags churches down into the pit.
Look at how my former denomination, the mainline Presbyterian Church,
and The Episcopal Church have imploded in recent decades. The implosions began when open moral
and/or doctrinal apostasy (which are often the same) was not disciplined.
Perhaps
readers think I am making too much ado about the issue of marriage. But marriage is certainly important
enough to the Lord to be a prominent part of the Creation account and to be
made an icon in scripture of the relationship between Christ and his church. Literally perverting that icon is apostasy
indeed.
Not to
mention that gay marriage is a key presenting issue between the orthodox and
libchurchers in England and worldwide.
The Church of England may continue to try to please both sides, but
Pemberton’s act hastens the day when the CofE must choose. And at least one side will be very
unhappy no matter what the Church chooses. I assert there is a right choice; but there is no easy
choice in this matter.
If the Church
of England does not wish to follow the well trodden and broad path of apostate and
increasingly irrelevant denominations, it must discipline the apostasy of
Jeremy Pemberton.
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