A doctrinal commission will be set up to look at a theological rationale for the liturgical blessing of people in permanent, faithful same gender relationships.
This “Commission on Doctrine and Theological Questions” is being convened at the instruction of General Synod Standing Committee, which met in Auckland last week.
The commission will also look at the implications of such blessings on the ordination of people in same gender relationships.
General Secretary of the Anglican Province of New Zealand ,Rev. Michael Hughes, has written to the three tikanga secretaries (Tikanga Pasefika, Maori and Pakeha, respectively) – about setting up the new commission.
He is requesting the secretaries to ask their respective tikanga standing committees to appoint three members to that new commission.
Several speakers at the last Hermeneutic Hui on 2 February floated the idea of a theological hui on marriage, but The General Synod Standing Committee opted for the commission route instead.
The Ma Whea Commission will need to be briefed on all the doctrinal questions before constructing its report to next year’s General Synod, and Standing Committee probably felt that a tightly focused team of theologians from each tikanga would better serve this timeline.
The new doctrinal commission will also make its findings available to the wider church for response, before supplying both its report and those responses to Standing Committee and the Ma Whea Commission by the end of this year.
Source
- Anglican Taonga
- Image: Anglican Taonga