Adiaphora: The Achilles Heel of the Windsor Report

The Windsor Report maintains that any member church of the Anglican Communion which unilaterally takes any action presupposing that homosexual unions are morally permissible is in contempt of the bonds of affection and communion in the Anglican Church. The Report offers only one reason for this claim which survives initial scrutiny: that the issue of the morality of homosexuality is not adiaphora, a matter on which orthodox Christians may reasonably disagree. But by any defensible standard, the morality of homosexuality is adiaphora. Therefore, the Anglican Communion has no grounds for complaint if a member church puts forward, for reception within its own province, a proposal for such action. Furthermore, there is a monumental difficulty with the Report’s demand that member churches ought at least to consult with the wider Communion before accepting such a proposal.