Updated again Saturday
Buzzfeed has reported: The Sydney Anglican Diocese Gave $1 Million To The “No” Campaign.
The Anglican Diocese of Sydney has donated $1 million to the “no” campaign in Australia’s postal survey on same-sex marriage.
Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies announced the hefty donation in his address to the 51st Synod of the Diocese of Sydney on Monday afternoon.
He told the gathering that the diocese had been a founding member of the Coalition for Marriage, along with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, Marriage Alliance and the Australian Christian Lobby.
“The Standing Committee has also enthusiastically backed our participation in the Coalition For Marriage and has taken the bold step of drawing down one million dollars from the Diocesan Endowment to promote the ‘no’ case,” he said.
Davies told the gathering that “the stakes are high and the cost is high”…
The archbishop’s address to synod can be read in full here, and there is a report on the diocesan website: Timeless gospel meets changing world which includes this:
…The Archbishop spoke of the challenges confronting society including, but not only, same-sex marriage.
The Diocese is a founding partner of the Coalition for Marriage, the group leading the No case. The Diocese of Sydney, along with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, Marriage Alliance and the Australian Christian Lobby make up the major partners, but since its formation a further 80 organisations have joined in common cause.
“The Standing Committee has also enthusiastically backed our participation in the Coalition for Marriage and has taken the bold step of drawing down one million dollars from the Diocesan Endowment to promote the ‘No’ case. Brothers and sisters, the stakes are high and the cost is high. Yet the cause is just and it is a consequence of our discipleship to uphold the gift of marriage as God has designed it—a creation ordinance for all people. Dr Davies said he would “make no apology for encouraging all Australians, especially Anglicans, to vote ‘No’ in this postal survey. I believe that a change in the definition of marriage is unwarranted, not just because it is in opposition to the teaching of Scripture and our Lord himself in Matthew 19, but because I believe marriage, traditionally understood as a union of one man and one woman, is a positive good for our society, where marriage and the procreation of children are bound together as the foundational fabric of our society, notwithstanding the sad reality that not all married couples are able to conceive. Moreover, I consider the consequences of removing gender from the marriage construct will have irreparable consequences for our society, for our freedom of speech, our freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. It is disingenuous to think otherwise, given the evidence to the contrary in Canada, the US and the UK…”
Updated
The Archbishop has published a further letter, here.
Muriel Porter reports in the Church Times Sydney diocese donates half a million to campaign opposing same-sex marriage.
Christian Today Harry Farley reports:Australia’s same-sex marriage referendum: Sydney clergy blast ‘extraordinary use of church money’ after diocese’s $1m donation to ‘no’ camp.
Guardian Anglicare faces internal ructions over Sydney diocese $1m no campaign donation
This reminds me of the campaign spearheaded by Cardinal Keith O’Brien in Scotland who urged parishioners to send hundreds of thousands of postcards to the government to stop gay marriage. Unfortunately he had sexually abused a number of priests which lessened the impact of his campaign. Obviously Bp Davies is not a sexual abuser. But he is abusing the power of the ‘Anglican’ Sect in Sydney by wasting money to affect the postal vote. Sydney diocese is a malign influence within the Anglican Communion. Happily, recent statistics reveal a drastic drop in the number of ‘anglican’ church-goers in Bp Davies’s… Read more »
What a scandalous abuse of charitable funds! Is there any scope for the Australian equivalent of the Charities Commission sending Dr Davies to jail for this?
Can any Australian on this board say what the status of this gift is in Aus. charity law?
I’m just back from there, don’t know the answer, and would love to.
Wow. $1 million to limit the human and civil rights of Australian citizens, many of whom certainly aren’t Anglicans. I wonder if every person in Australia has food, shelter, healthcare, employment, education, etc.? If not, what does that say about the gospel priorities in Australia?
In other news, water remains wet and the sky a breezy blue.
Got the horrible feeling that the traditionalists may win this one: for whatever reason, the Australian LGBT lobby don’t appear to have the political clout developed elsewhere; opposition’s united and confident while proponents are opposed to even holding a vote; and the voluntary postal ballot may well be dominated by the most motivated.
Hope I’m wrong. The Western backlash against equal rights is gonna start somewhere, but not, I pray, Australia.
This, of course, is typical of the Sydney Diocese’s fundamentalist (Moore College) Sola Scriptura-ism.
Remember, it was former Archbishop Peter Jensen who has fanned the flames of fundamentalism amongst the GAFCON Prelates. His influence is also being felt, even in New Zealand, which now has its own brand of FOCA-ism. Binary Sexism is the new Circumcision!
Well, one of the joys of the 1970s and 1980s was the immense contribution to British cultural life of expatriate Australians who, finding the political and social climate stifling, came to London. There is a wry look at how this was seen by some in Australia in Clive James’ review of a book on the topic (http://www.clivejames.com/books/even/uphere) but we can be grateful that Barry Humphries, James himself, Germaine Greer and others adopted this country rather than remaining at home. It sounds like the Australian Anglican Church has cottoned on to this and realised that Australia has become a lot more… Read more »
James: being just back from Australia, I don’t think No will win. Lots of coverage in Guardian Australia. ABS reports that 62.5% of those eligible have voted (based on weighing not counting):
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/10/marriage-survey-625-of-australians-have-now-voted
Latest Guardian Aus survey shows that 64% of those who report having voted have voted yes:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/04/support-for-marriage-equality-rises-in-guardian-essential-poll
And, first response to the question raised by Malcolm Dixon and me above:
Rector of St James King St has condemned decision, and several commentators think it improper under Aussie charity law:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/10/anglican-rector-criticises-1m-donation-to-no-campaign-from-sydney-diocese
I’m not sure that opponents of gay marriage are necessarily “Daily Mail reading bigots”. It’s not just that I don’t think it’s good enough to accuse all the opponents of gay marriage of being bigoted: it is the fact that actually many of them clearly defy such convenient stereotypes. I’m certainly no admirer of the Diocese of Sydney and its defective Christology, but it must be admitted that they have taken a fairly strong and principled line in defence of asylum seekers and refugees at a political moment when Australia is enjoying a boom of popular xenophobia. By Australian standards,… Read more »
It is when I read of things like this that I thank the Lord for the First Amendment here in the United States.
‘many of them clearly defy such convenient stereotypes.’
Thank you for this rjb. I accept that my views do not chime with those of the majority on here but I am grateful for genuinely thoughtful responses like yours. Please can we all listen, debate, and disagree by all means but stop demonising one another. All of us deserve respect.
Thanks for the reassurance, Iain.
I’d not be too worried if it were an official plebiscite: it’s this cockamamie “survey” model, apparently cooked up on the back of a stained napkin, that causes concern. Hopefully unfounded.
Living through this has been a nightmare – 10 weeks of non-stop debate about sexuality and gender, and no promise of legislative change at the end. The Sydney decision has shocked even many conservative evangelical Anglicans from within the diocese. The money comes not from donations but from the endowment fund. This money is the family silver (and comes from the grant of crown land stolen from First Peoples and given to the Church of England in the nineteenth century). What the diocese is saying is that marriage equality threatens the gendered hierarchy (“complementarianism”) and that this gender framework is… Read more »
I am sorry rjb and william but if you had grown up in Sydney Evangelicalism you would not have such a benign view. I am grateful that, unlike 2 close friends at university plus a much admired priest, I did not commit suicide. Instead I rejected any consideration of studying at Moore College and entering the ministry and instead follow a fairly satisfactory career as a high school teacher. I gradually removed myself from any active church service. I was removed from the list for reading the lessons after coming out to one minister but then I never saw a… Read more »
Congratulations to Rev Andrew Sempell, Rector of St James, King Street. This is not the first time he has publicly stood up the hierarchy of the Sydney Diocese. Fortunately St James due to its position as the oldest church and having financial endowments is largely immune to the machinations of the Diocese which has gradually seen the removal of most Anglo-Catholic parishes. As soon as they have financial problems, a fundamentalist is imposed on them. I travelled for 2 hours on Sunday morning and have met elderly people, living like me in the Blue Mountains, who literally were in tears… Read more »
I just finished watching “Top of the Lake: China Girl” on Hulu. (Depressing, weird, not as good as the first season, not Jane Campion’s best work, but Elizabeth Moss and Gwendolyn Christie are very good.) It is set in Sydney, and involves the world of legal brothels and illegal surrogate parenting. Pretty grim stuff. Doesn’t the Diocese of Sydney have better things to be concerned about than same-sex marriage?
Not bigoted against asylum seekers does *not* equate as “not bigoted, period.” Bigotry has various targets – this contribution is clear evidence of bigotry against GLBTI’s.
Maintaining basic righteousness in the public sphere – absolutely central to the remit of the Sydney diocese – let’s hope the message gets across and the heart to obey God and prevent the apostasy.
Just for the record. the very important S.James’s, King St., is not Sydney’s oldest church – that is S.Philip’s, Church Hill & Liverpool, Campbelltown and other churches are older than S.James’s,. Reverent traditional services continue to be available in the Blue Mountains at S.Alban’s, Leura every Sunday- but only at Granville in the western suburbs, and nowhere in the south-western suburbs or on the south coast. I do not know of any drastic decline in Sydney attendances but common narrow and often intolerant diocesan policies do drive many people away. Historically there were only a few Anglo-Catholic churches in our… Read more »
Exactly, MarkBrunson.
The Archbishop’s second letter strikes quite a defensive tone. It tends to support the suggestion by some posters here that the gift has been badly received even within the diocese. The following is important: “the diocesan contribution came at a critical moment which allowed the ‘no’ campaign to raise awareness of the consequences of same-sex marriage for freedom of speech and freedom of religion” This confirms that the contribution came relatively late in the campaign, probably too late for it to help its stated cause. If the Diocese was in England, it might face uncomfortable questions from the Charity Commission.… Read more »
“Maintaining basic righteousness in the public sphere” That says a lot. It claims to be the arbiter of righteousness, just because. It claims to know what is righteous for all people and all times, Christian or not. It claims that its bigoted compass is the ONLY compass and that liberal churches and the unchurched MUST abide by their bigoted compass… It likely implies that their proof-texting of the Bible must be the law of the land, and oppress those who engage in open and discerning inquiry on the nature of a loving Christ and come to different conclusions (let alone… Read more »
Dear TA friends, Does anyone have the answer to the question of the charitable status of the Diocesan donation?
I worshipped at St Albans, Leura (a 20 minute drive from home) for many years because it was one of the few parishes in the Blue Mountains with true Anglican services but finally left there in 2006 after a particularly homophobic sermon by the then Rector. When I spoke with him, he just said we were all sinners. I do not consider my homosexuality a sin and never went back. It was when I decided to begin worshipping at St James, King Street, a good decision. Thankfully John, you are not the most liberal priest in the Diocese, I have… Read more »
I suspect I would be wasting my time in asking if any Australian Anglicans could actually fill in what is meant in “Moreover, I consider the consequences of removing gender from the marriage construct will have irreparable consequences for our society, for our freedom of speech, our freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. It is disingenuous to think otherwise, given the evidence to the contrary in Canada, the US and the UK.” What irreparable consequences to our freedom has happened in the UK? Or is this just unevidenced handwaving?
Oh, and does anyone happen to know what Moore College is, which seems to be the centre of gravity of most of the people listed here: https://sydneyanglicans.net/seniorclergy ? Most of them have either studied there, worked there or both.
Moore College is the theological college for the Sydney Diocese. I planned to enter after completing my degree at Sydney University way back in 1966. As I grappled with my sexuality I realised that was not the course for me. At my first teaching appointment I began worshipping in the local parish and the minister (I would not have used the word priest in those days) was a wonderful man and asked me to assist with youth work. He left the parish after a “mental breakdown” and I remember visiting him in what I now know was a facility to… Read more »
Just for the record John Bunyan the website of St James, King Street states “Saint James’ Church is the oldest surviving church building in Sydney”.
Moore Thelogical College in Sydney is where most of of the Sydney diocesan clergy study. (With the notable exception of Archbishop Glenn Davies.) It is a conservative evangelical seminary which profoundly influences the diocese’s flavour. The nearest equivalent in the U.K. Is Oakhill College, and in the US, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
Brian,. SJKS is the oldest church building in the City of Sydney, but depending on how you define the Sydney region, Ebenezer church from 1809 is older, and is regarded as the oldest surviving church. in Australia. But they are mere non conformists, and later presbyterians. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is descended from one of the Ebenezer founding families.
Your comment surprised me, John so I did some research.
Glenn Davies studied at Moore Theological College (DipA) and Westminster Theological Seminary (MDiv and ThM, with a thesis on New Covenant Worship) and was ordained by the then Archbishop of Sydney, Sir Marcus Loane, in 1981. He gained a PhD from Sheffield University in 1988. He later lectured at and was registrar of Moore College.
The story is not going away. Latest from Guardian Australia here, which may explain the reference to Anglicare in the Archbishop’s second letter
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/12/anglicare-faces-internal-ructions-over-sydney-diocese-1m-no-campaign-donation
As was the case in the US same-sex marriage wars, those opposed to civil marriage rights seems to think that their religious freedom requires that they impose their values on society. That is not religious freedom. That is religious privilege.
While we might have hoped the opposition would have learned something from the joyful Irish referendum a few years ago, sadly they seem to have learned rather from the vileness of California’s proposition 8. During that battle I was spit at, and my car was vandalized. I feel for my Australian brothers and sisters enduring this.
The problem with homophobic obsessives is they assume that everyone agrees with them, so “what if we lose?” doesn’t cross their mind. The Church of England opposed same-sex marriage, but did so within the political system to which most people pay little attention. So now that it’s a reality, and the skies haven’t fallen, that the Church opposed same sex marriage is an inconvenient but minor historical detail. In a generation or so it’ll be completely forgotten. But once you start throwing a million smackers around, it sticks in the mind. “Same sex marriage? That’s something the church was willing… Read more »
IO asks “what irreparable consequences to our freedom have happened in the UK?” James Caspian wanted to research transgender people ‘detransitioning’ as part of his Master’s thesis in counselling. His submission was originally approved then rejected by Bath Spa’s ethics committee because of the danger of social media criticism of the university and offending people. National Trust volunteers who didn’t want to wear rainbow badges were removed from front of house posts (sensibly NT later backtracked). Adrian Smith demoted in the Housing Trust he worked for and with a £14K pay cut for saying on Facebook that SSM in church… Read more »
“No danger at all to freedom of expression (or academic research) then” There might actually be ethics problems with Caspian’s research. Given the bullying, murders, suicides, and medical issues with LGBT people, especially trans people, it’s only responsible to tread mindfully and compassionately. If the UK is going to have equality laws, then NT might very well be enthusiastic about inclusion and have perfectly good reasons for wanting to show that they are in sync with the political will for equality. Affirming bigotry is likely a problematic stance for NT… Lots of employees are getting in trouble for saying things… Read more »
Welby? Silent….
“James Caspian wanted to research transgender people ‘detransitioning'”
So nothing to do with SSM, then.
“National Trust volunteers who didn’t want to wear rainbow badges”
So nothing to do with SSM, then.
“Adrian Smith demoted in the Housing Trust he worked for”
And he subsequently won at an employment tribunal. So not irreparable, then.
All of your examples, NJ, are about what happens when transphobia and homophobia become culturally unacceptable; nothing to do with whether marriage is equally available to all. Of the three only the research one is actually problematic – the other two are situations where an organisation overreached (arguably in the case of the NT as there was no detriment to those involved) and in the housing trust case was slapped down by the courts. Surely if the law protects the freedoms you’re worried about then the supposed “irreparable consequences” have not, in fact, occurred?
NJ: I would count those as “conditions of employment.” I am required to wear a uniform at work, complete (at times) with buttons promoting programs my employer is supporting. Is that a violation of my rights? No…it is a condition of my employment. I am also not permitted to make statements in public (including on line) in opposition to company policy. Violates my rights? No…a condition of employment.
Not sure I can answer all those in one go! While my first two examples are not specifically about SSM, they are effects of “removing gender from marriage”. Adrian Smith’s statement was specifically about SSM in church, in which case he is simply supporting the law as it stands, not undermining his employer at all. IO is right that in this case it wasn’t irreparable, as the tribunal overturned it, but it is a further example of freedom of expression being constrained. Cynthia, I don’t disagree with your point. If you work for a public housing trust of course you… Read more »
When in a hole, NJ, it’s as well to stop digging. Could you outline how trans issues, whether relating to academic research or anything else, are an “effect of removing gender from marriage”? Are you saying that prior to the availability of marriage to same-sex couples, there were no trans issues? That if by the stroke of a pen same-sex marriage were abolished, trans issues would go with them? What’s the difference between civil partnership and marriage such that the former doesn’t cause issues in the trans community worthy of research and the latter doesn’t? The same question, mutatis mutandis,… Read more »
Interesting to read about the apology to LGBT community at the Perth Synod. I see a similar motion was defeated in General Synod, probably by the overwhelming influence of Sydney in that arena. Perth and Sydney are nearly 4000km apart by road and light years apart in Anglican thought. When Archbishop Carnley of Perth was elected Primate of Australia, many Sydney types boycotted him. I once met him and he told me he had grown up in Sydney and attended St James, King Street. He ordained the first women priests in Australia. Distance prevented me attending but I did go… Read more »
Sydney has always been badly serviced by its religious leaders. The headlines today in the latest discussion on this disgusting and unnecessary plebiscite is from the Catholic Archbishop Fisher
“Governments should, in general, keep out of the friendship business and out of the bedroom,”
In my and I think most of the populace viewpoint, it would be far better if the churches kept away from my bedroom.
Brian,
The apology to LGBT at the Australian General Synod was supported by members of the Sydney group of delegates. It was not voted on after the argument was put that it was only a half apology. (Someone then moved that the GS move on to the next item of business.) The General Synod also affirmed support for traditional marriage as the doctrine of the Anglican church.
An apology to LGBT is on today’s business paper at the Sydney Synod.
“An apology to LGBT is on today’s business paper at the Sydney Synod”
Well, John. I have seen nothing in the secular press although the apology in regards to domestic violence was covered. I even held my nose and looked at the Sydney Diocese’ own coverage but found nothing. Perhaps it got lost under more important things like money matters.