Update, this link from bls seems appropriate to the discussion Father Matt Kennedy and I are having in the comments section. I have mentioned the article by Father James Alison before, but it is always worth another look.
ThiI have been slow off the mark in pointing out that documents regarding the “listening process” underway in (some provinces) of the Anglican Communion are now onlne. The Church Times story highlights the views of Archbisho Peter Akinola of Nigeria, which you can read here. I am wondering if these views are shared by members of the churches in the United states that have voted to join forces with him?
He says: “Our argument is that, if homosexuals see themselves as deviants who have gone astray, the Christian spirit would plead for patience and prayers to make room for their repentance. When scripture says something is wrong and some people say that it is right, such people make God a liar. We argue that it is a blatant lie against Almighty God that homosexuality is their God-given urge and inclination. For us, it is better seen as an acquired aberration.”
One potentially helpful element in this response is that it commits Akinola to the argument that a homosexual orientation is “acquired” The evidence suggests a much more complex picture, and that evidence can be marshalled and put before the Communion. The archbishop would have left himself more intellectual room to maneuver had he argued that a homosexual orientation is sinful, whether acquired of not. But he didn’t. We should do our best to make ue of this opening.