Prelude to Treating Lambeth 1998, 1.10

I am having a really hard time seeing what the fuss from the Anglican right over 1.10 is about; they seem again to be victims of a wish-fulfilling mirage.

It nowhere proclaims that blessing gay unions, ordaining gay bishops, or even gay marriage, is incompatible with Scripture; "incompatible" is much too strong for the language present in '98 (see (d) below). The text refers to "homosexual practice" without defining it, presumably referring to certain kinds of sexual activity. But there is no inconsistency between blessing gay unions and 1.10.d, as being in a gay union does not require the sexual activity--the two may be correlated, but they are not necessarily together.

More importantly, before getting to 1.10.d, in 1.10.b, the resolution employs the prefix-clause "in view of the teaching of Scripture." Scripture is said--mirabile dictu indeed--to have a single teaching. No doubt it is rather involved, but "in view of it" or on their interpretation of it, it implies the only alternative to heterosexual marriage is abstinence. Thus, 1.10.b sets up the "incompatible" of 1.10.d.

But note, there is no ruling in 1.10 that its interpretation exclusively or exhaustively, much less infallibly, proclaims the teaching of Scripture. Such a meta-point is nowhere made, implying other interpretations are consistent with 1.10.b. I.e one could say "in another view of Scripture..." without contradicting the text of 1.10.b.

1.10.e merely says that the AC "cannot advise" what ECUSA did at GC2003. Nowhere does 1.10 prohibit what ECUSA did. At most, ECUSA acted against the advice of the AC.

Here is the relevant text:

Resolution I.10 Human Sexuality
This Conference:
(a)
commends to the Church the subsection report on human sexuality;
(b)
in view of the teaching of Scripture, upholds faithfulness in marriage between a man and a woman in lifelong union, and believes that abstinence is right for those who are not called to marriage;
(c)
recognises that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and God's transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships. We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ;
(d)
while rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture, calls on all our people to minister pastorally and sensitively to all irrespective of sexual orientation and to condemn irrational fear of homosexuals, violence within marriage and any trivialisation and commercialisation of sex;
(e)
cannot advise the legitimising or blessing of same sex unions nor ordaining those involved in same gender unions;
(f)
requests the Primates and the ACC to establish a means of monitoring the work done on the subject of human sexuality in the Communion and to share statements and resources among us;
(g)
notes the significance of the Kuala Lumpur Statement on Human Sexuality and the concerns expressed in resolutions IV.26, V.1, V.10, V.23 and V.35 on the authority of Scripture in matters of marriage and sexuality and asks the Primates and the ACC to include them in their monitoring process. Note: The resolutions referred to in subsection (g) of this resolution are set out in the appendix to this document.