Anglicans/Biblical References

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Expert: - 3/24/2011


Question
I am puzzled when I listen to the constant and obsessive references to homosexuality by some, not all, Christians. How many references are there in The Bible to homosexuality that are properly translated as such? Would you agree that there are far more references to greed and hypocisy that are conveniently ignored? Why does this obsession occur? God created everyone equal regardless of gender, sexuality or race- why are we so 'stuck' on this detail in our efforts to grow spiritually?

Answer
There are indeed far more references to such matters than to homosexuality. I believe that this topic has become high profile because of changing social mores - whereas once those who were of a homosexual inclination kept their preference private, not to mention secret, and it was thus not something which was openly discussed, today the opposite is largely the case. The secular homosexual lobby has been very successful in expressing their viewpoint, and the churches now cannot ignore it. I doubt that homosexuality is more common today than it was 100 or 2,000 years ago, but now it is possible to not merely be openly of a homosexual inclination, but also to be a practising homosexual, and to be protected by the law. The churches face this with difficulty partly because their traditional - scripturally-based - view was that the only "normal" sexual relations were between a man and a women. It is also highly charged because now it is possible, in some churches, for openly homosexual men and women to be ordained, but others prohibit it on the basis of their understanding of scripture.  

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Professor Noel Cox

Expertise

I can answer questions on theology, Anglican ecclesiology, and ecclesiastical and canon law.

Experience

I am Professor of Law, and a barrister (advocate). I am also undergoing training for ordination as a priest (in the Dioceses of St Davids and Auckland). Formerly based in New Zealand, from 2010 I have been head of the law school at Aberystyth University, Wales. I am a Distinguished Academic Associate of the Centre for Law and Religion, Cardiff University.

Organizations
Association of Lambeth Degree Holders; Australasian Law Teachers Association; Commonwealth Lawyers Association; Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans; Legal Research Foundation; The Australian and New Zealand Law and History Society; The Burgon Society (Fellow); Credo Cymru - Forward in Faith Wales; The Foundation of the College of St George; The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral; The Friends of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Parnell; The Friends of St Davids Cathedral; The Royal Historical Society (Fellow); The Society of King Charles the Martyr; The Society of Legal Scholars; The Ecclesiastical Law Society; Honourable Society of the Inner Temple; Affirming Catholicism; The Mission Society of St Wilfrid and St Hilda; International Commission and Association on Nobility; Irish Peers’ Association; Centre for Law and Religion.

Publications
Church and State in the Post-Colonial Era: The Anglican Church and the Constitution in New Zealand (Polygraphia (NZ) Ltd, Auckland, 2008); “The Anglican Church and its decision-making structures” [2008] New Zealand Law Journal 121-124; “The Revenge of the Arcane Exclusion Clause: The Civil Registration of Marriage and the Royal Family” (2005) 5(2) Oxford University Commonwealth Law Journal 179-204; “The nature of ministerial authority in the Anglican Church in New Zealand” (2005) 119(2) Churchman 105-136; “The Symbiosis of Secular and Spiritual Influences upon the Judiciary of the Anglican Church in New Zealand” (2004) 9(1) Deakin Law Review 145-182; “Dispensation, Privileges, and the Conferment of Graduate Status: With Special Reference to Lambeth Degrees” (2002-2003) 18(1) Journal of Law and Religion 249-274; “The Influence of the Common Law and the Decline of the Ecclesiastical Courts of the Church of England” (2001-2002) 3(1) Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion 1-45 ; “Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in the Church of the Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia” (2001) 6(2) Deakin Law Review 266-284; “Authority for the use of the Royal Arms in Churches” (2000) 5 (27) Ecclesiastical Law Journal 408-416.

Education/Credentials
Apart from my legal training I have an MTheol from the University of Auckland (on the validity of Anglican Orders), an MA from the Archbishop of Canterbury's Examination in Theology (a "Lambeth degree", on the basis of the legal authority of the Anglican church in New Zealand), and an LTh from the University of Wales Lampeter.

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