Letter to His Grace Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

Dec 5, 2016 by

from Dermot O’Callaghan, Core Issues Trust:

Your Grace,

I am writing to express concern at the possibility that the Church of England may in some way move towards recognising committed same-sex sexual relationships as being in accord with God’s will.  I would urgently counsel against this on grounds of Theology and of Science.

Theology
Throughout the history of the Church I am not aware of a case where a sinful practice was re-categorised as a grace.  This would be a dramatic ‘first’.

In order to justify such a radical re-classification, it would be necessary to set out a robust theological underpinning.  The necessary theological work has not been done.  It would have to be consistent with the Scriptures, which the best scholars agree is impossible.  Conservative scholars take this view, of course.  I had the privilege last year of introducing you to Dr Robert Gagnon at Lambeth Palace.  His position is well known.  Also Wolfhart Pannenberg wrote, ‘the biblical assessments of homosexual practice are unambiguous in their rejection’.  But scholars from the other side of the debate also agree:

 

Read here

Read also: Whatever ‘gay conversion therapy’ is, banning it won’t change Christian sexual ethics, by Mike Davidson, Christian Concern

 

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