by Martin Davie
What the House of Bishops has now made clear is that the PLF process will continue into the new Synod which will begin next year.
The basis of the PLF process is the motion passed by General Synod on 9 February 2023 which declared among other things that Synod endorsed:
‘… the decision of the College and House of Bishops not to propose any change to the doctrine of marriage, and their intention that the final version of the Prayers of Love and Faith should not be contrary to or indicative of a departure from the doctrine of the Church of England.’[1]
The Achilles heel of the PLF process is that the liberal agenda which underpins it goes against what was agreed by Synod in that it involves a departure from, rather than a development of, the doctrine of the Church of England.
In specific terms, there are three ideas currently supported by those in the Church of England who take a liberal approach to marriage and sexual activity (including members of the House of Bishops) and which are being pushed as part of the Prayers of Love and Faith process that cannot rightly be seen as a development of the Church of England’s doctrine with regard to these matters.
This because a legitimate development of doctrine involves an explanation or clarification of what the Church believes on the basis of the apostolic witness contained in Scripture rather than a departure from it, and none of the three ideas satisfy this criterion.