From the here we go again department

Via VirtueOnline:

Scottish Church Faces Crisis Over Ordination of Gay Priests

April 29, 2009

Dear friends in Christ,

As you will no doubt already have seen in a spate of recent press articles, this year will see a highly charged General Assembly, with some of our brothers and sisters from Aberdeen Presbytery appearing at the Bar in their appeal against the Presbytery's decision to induct a man who has openly declared himself to be living in a homosexual partnership.

Already, some voices in the church are raising the stakes. The editorial of this Month's Life and Work (the C of S magazine) urged strongly for the Church to show leadership in opening the way for acceptance of homosexual practice. Articles have appeared in the national papers similarly.

But this is an issue of enormous magnitude: not just about sexuality, nor even only about the authority of Scripture, but about the nature of humanity, and indeed the nature of the gospel itself, a gospel not of affirmation of sin, but which demands repentance from sin, and brings liberation and transformation from sin.

Mindful of the fact that there are many congregations, and many more church members, who are deeply troubled at the decision of Aberdeen Presbytery, and who do not want to see our General Assembly publicly backing their decision, in consultation and with the support of Forward Together a group of us have published a Statement which can be found here:

http://www.confessingchurch.org.uk/

It seeks to urge commissioners to support the Aberdeen protesters, and also to support an overture being brought from the Presbytery of Lochcarron and Skye, which seeks Assembly support for a clear endorsement of biblical sexual morality: "That this Church shall not accept for training, ordain, admit, re-admit, induct or introduce to any ministry of the Church anyone involved in a sexual relationship outside of faithful marriage between a man and a woman".

(We believe these issues will be debated on Saturday evening, 23rd May)

We would like to encourage your support in signing up to this statement, which can be found at: http://www.confessingchurch.org.uk/

We want as many to sign up from the C of S as possible, especially ministers, elders and other leaders, to send a strong signal from the 'grass roots' of the church that we do not want our Assembly to lead away from Christian orthodoxy in this way. But also from others of all denominations whose solidarity is so important, and such an encouragement at such times.

I* do hope you will add your name, and be willing to circulate it to others you know in your presbytery* (and elsewhere) whom you believe would also be willing to sign up in support.

Finally, but above all, please do join with us in prayer about this matter, that the Lord our God will hear our plea and have mercy on us in his church, and that this may rebound for the glory of Christ and his gospel in our land.

Thank you for taking time to help us.

Yours in our Lord Jesus Christ,

William J. U. Philip
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