The Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) welcomes today’s publication of a ‘theological vision’ of Christian life and discipleship by a group of orthodox bishops.
These bishops, writing on behalf of a wider grouping in the House and College of bishops, say that the affirmations included in the vision are designed to ‘bring greater clarity to our points of convergence and divergence’ and to ‘encourage and equip’ those who continue to hold to the Church’s historic teaching. The vision comprises affirmations in four areas: credal orthodoxy, universal church, supernatural faith and sacrificial discipleship.
Revd Canon John Dunnett, National Director, CEEC, said in response to the publication of the vision: “We are very grateful to this group of bishops, including CEEC’s bishops, Andrew Watson and Paul Williams, for making a positive, helpful and public contribution to the theological discernment process as part of the Prayers of Love and Faith project.
“It offers a clear and biblical framework for Christian life in the context of the current debate around human sexuality. As General Synod convenes later this month, we pray that this reaffirmation of the historic teaching of the Church underpins and informs the ongoing debate around Prayers of Love and Faith.”
This paper follows a previous article by orthodox bishops on the Church’s doctrine of marriage published in February 2023.
The ‘Theological Vision’ is sponsored by the following bishops on behalf of a wider grouping in the House and College of Bishops.
Jill Duff, Bishop of Lancaster
Jonathan Gibbs, Bishop of Rochester
Ric Thorpe, Bishop of Islington
Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester
Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford
Pete Wilcox, Bishop of Sheffield
Paul Williams, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham
Further resources can be found on the CEEC website, including a paper on the Church of England’s doctrine of marriage.