32 delegates express 'lack of confidence' in Church of England's synod over gay marriage issue

Chiqui Guyjoco Friday, July 22, 2016

Members of the Church of England General Synod attend the opening at Church House in London February 6, 2012 . | REUTERS/FINBARR O'REILLY

The expressed lack of confidence by at least 32 of its member delegates became the latest sign of tension for the Church of England as it mulled over the contentious issue of gay marriage.

The Anglican Church continues to face the strain of the contentious stance on same-sex marriage as conservative members released a short statement to express their lack of confidence in the Shared Conversations.

"Whatever their stated purposes, the outcome has not led to a greater confidence that the Church will be guided by the authoritative voice of the Scriptures, and its decisive shaping of traditional Anglican teaching, in any forthcoming discussions," read the statement published on Anglican Mainstream on Wednesday.

One of the signatories maintained that his experience of participating in the church discussion was "generally positive" but expressed dissatisfaction with the way the conversations were handled. He said it was "unbalanced" and that it needed "fuller engagement."

"I do not feel that overall things were moved forward much, if at all," Clive Scowen told Christian Today.

He added that the only consensus gained from the conversations pointed to the fact that the church wanted to be welcoming to all people regardless of gender preferences.

At least 10 delegates chose not to participate in the General Synod as they refused to compromise the church's position on same-sex marriages.

"I think there is a shared concern that in six months time, if we do take part, there will be an assumption we can find a compromise that everyone can live with," said Charlie Skrine, one of the ten who boycotted the Synod.

It's widely believed that Archbishop Justin Welby would aim to find a compromise during the conversations so as to prevent a significant number of church members from splitting over the gay marriage issue.

Skrine believes there are simply some issues that the Church can't compromise on and he contends this is one of those.