ANGLICAN DIOCESE MAY OPT OUT OF MARRIAGE IF SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IS LEGALISED

The Bishop of North West Australia, the Rt Rev Gary Nelson, has warned that if same-sex marriage is legalised, Anglican clergy in his diocese would no longer serve as marriage registrars. Bishop Nelson said “If we were compelled as marriage celebrants to marry same-sex couples then, as far as this diocese is concerned, I would be withdrawing my approval for ministers to act as marriage celebrants. Clergy would be permitted to perform marriage services according to the rites of the Church, but couples married in the church would need to go to a civil registrar to have their marriage recognized by the state. 

Australia was in the midst of a culture war between those holding a traditional Christian worldview and post-modernists. “The post-war rise of deconstructionism impacted ethical thinking, suggesting that humans are free to create their own natures and decide upon their own purposes — so marriage could be regarded as one social construct among many,” he said. “In forming an ethical position, you have to decide if you are committed to a relative or absolute set of values. As Christians, we ask what is the Bible, as God’s disclosed word, saying on any issue.”