Recently the Anglican Archdiocese of Perth introduced changes to its “Faithfulness in Service” document for clergy in which it removed the words which required clergy to be “chaste and not engage in disgraceful conduct of a sexual nature”. The phrasing was replaced by the requirement that “sexual behaviour should be characterised by faithfulness and integrity”. This is a very significant shift in emphasis. It seems that the virtue of chastity is replaced by the lesser expectation of striving for stable relationships.

 

The issue behind this change is that of clergy who have entered into same-sex relationships and are openly living with someone of the same sex.

In the early Church high standards were expected of the clergy in relation to chastity. From ancient times when many clergy were married they were called upon to embrace continence in marriage. Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 320), for example, taught, “It is fitting, according to the Scripture, that a bishop be the husband of an only wife. But this being understood, it behoves consecrated men, and those who are at the service of God’s cult, to abstain thereafter from conjugal intercourse with their wives”.

This may seem extreme to modern sensibilities, but it was motivated by a consciousness that the clergy are consecrated for sacred ministry. This expectation ultimately led to the law within the Latin church for those in Sacred Orders to be celibate. As Jesus himself taught, “and there are those who choose to live as eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven”. He then adds, “Let anyone accept this who can.”

In the decision by the Anglican Church in Perth, the call to chastity, which has always been a significant element of the standards expected by clergy (and, indeed, all Christians), is now reduced to maintaining respectful relationships.

This change has been influenced by the cultural change in Australian society which now recognises same-sex relationships as legal marriages. This change has altered the view which has been held for millennia, among not only Christian societies but universally, that marriage is a life-long union between a man and a woman.

The Anglican Church in Perth is clearly bowing to the cultural shifts that have swept Australia since the law was changed. Clearly this decision allows clergy living in same-sex relationships to be able to do so without any censure by the Church.

The rapid shifts concerning sexual mores within the culture is shaping the pastoral practice of a major Christian church.

This decision has compromised the traditional Christian view which understands that the virtue of chastity is a necessary pre-requisite to being able to integrate one’s sexual drives towards heterosexual marriage and is a departure from accepted Christian orthodoxy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of the “vocation to chastity”, seeing the virtue as a calling to a level of self-mastery which fosters a genuine personal freedom. It sees the virtue of chastity as the way in which sexuality can be successfully integrated into the life of a person.

It states, “Sexuality, in which man’s belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrity of the gift”.

There is a growing uncertainty among many in Australian society, even Christians, about traditional Christian teaching on sexuality, and particularly on the value of fostering the virtue of chastity. Many consider the traditional Christian position as outmoded and no longer relevant in contemporary culture.

Recently, in an effort to clarify in a succinct form the Christian understanding of sexual integrity, a declaration of Christian belief was formulated under the title ‘Australian Creed for Sexual Integrity’. This ‘creed’, published on a website, has already attracted 1,500 signatories, many from significant Christian leaders.

In the explanation on why this creed was composed the website explains, “Every era has its particular heresies. In the 21st century, heresies abound in the area of human sexuality. The church has not been immune to these errors. We believe that the time has come for a new creed that affirms the timeless teachings of the church regarding sexual integrity, and that articulates God’s glorious design for sex and marriage as revealed in Holy Scripture” (see australiancreed.org).

There is no doubt about the need to articulate clearly what the Christian church has traditionally taught. These teachings, grounded as they are solidly in Sacred Scripture and upheld within the Christian tradition need to be presented in a clear and decisive way.

The Church cannot surrender to the prevailing cultural ethos but must stand as a prophetic voice for the true meaning of human sexuality.

Once a minister of the Christian religion enters a way of living which is at variance with the teaching of Sacred Scripture and the Christian tradition, the very foundation of their ministry no longer exists. If they have chosen not to accept one element of Christian teaching, then other elements can also be open to question and re-evaluation. They slide into a situation when they begin to pick and choose what aspects of the traditional Christian faith they accept and those that they cannot abide by. The Rule of Faith is no longer a guide for them.

The decision by the Anglican Church in Perth is a disturbing one. Not only does it compromise its ability to preach the full meaning of God’s plan for sexuality and marriage but it also opens the door for its ministers to drift from fidelity to the integrity of the Christian message.