Cesa: Homosexuality a no-no
2003-11-23 20:48
Johannesburg - The Church of England in South Africa (Cesa) on Sunday disassociated itself from any action to accept homosexuality as a valid expression of human sexuality.
Cesa congregations throughout the country were told it was not bigotry to view homosexual lifestyle as wrong, but that the doors of Cesa churches were open to all regardless of their lifestyle choices, a statement said.
Cesa presiding bishop Frank Retief was prompted by the controversy in the Anglican Communion over the consecration of Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire in the US, Cesa added.
He said there were two churches in South Africa with Anglican roots - the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA), and Cesa.
Cesa church was descended from the first Anglican churches established in the Cape in the 1800s, and held to the historic Anglican understanding of Christianity.
Retief said the Bible's plain teaching was that the homosexual lifestyle was contrary to God's design, and the Bible remained the final authority for all belief and behaviour.
He said Cesa repudiated the homosexual lifestyle and any other form of sexual immorality, but affirmed its commitment to sharing the Gospel message of forgiveness.
Those within Cesa who frowned on homosexuality were nevertheless concerned that homosexuals should experience God's grace and understand God's truth.
"We recognise that such a claim will not be acceptable to those who see things differently, but we can do no other than to state it plainly for all to hear," Retief said.
He said Anglicans worldwide may well be embroiled in a difficult and potentially divisive debate, as truth sometimes did divide, but this should not obscure the fact that for more than 2 000 years the Gospel of Jesus Christ had been preached and believed in the world.
- SAPA