Church in Wales gives ‘gospel-inspired lead’ to C of E, says Bishop of Liverpool

Sep 10, 2021 by

Church in Wales gives ‘gospel-inspired lead’ to C of E, says Bishop of Liverpool

by Madeleine Davies, Church Times: THE vote to enable same-sex civil partnerships and marriages to be blessed in the Church in Wales is a “creative and gospel-inspired lead” for the Church of England, the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd Paul Bayes, said this week. “I am heartened and encouraged by this vote and by the conversations that led up to it,” he said on Tuesday. “The Church in Wales has looked seriously at its missional context and has chosen to affirm love, in the spirit of the...

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Church in Wales to give blessings for same-sex marriages

Sep 6, 2021 by

Church in Wales to give blessings for same-sex marriages

from BBC News: Same-sex couples can now have their marriage blessed by the Church in Wales after a vote was held. However, the church will still not marry same-sex couples. Former Dean of St Albans, the Very Reverend Jeffrey John, supported the change but described it as a “halfway house” that did not go far enough. The Evangelical Fellowship opposed the move, saying it did not uphold the “standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman”. But the church...

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Church in Wales Governing Body to debate same-sex marriage blessings

Aug 30, 2021 by

Church in Wales Governing Body to debate same-sex marriage blessings

by Pat Ashworth, Church Times: SAME-SEX couples   will be able to have their civil partnership or   marriage   blessed in the   Church in Wales , if the Governing Body passes new legislation at its meeting in Newport on 6 September. Members have deemed the lack of provision for those in committed same-sex relationships to be “pastorally unsustainable” for the Church. The Bishops are now bringing the Bill, which proposes a service of blessing to be used experimentally for five years. It will be...

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Church of Sweden Divided over Forcing Priests to Carry out Same-Sex Marriages

Aug 24, 2021 by

Church of Sweden Divided over Forcing Priests to Carry out Same-Sex Marriages

by Chris Tomlinson, Breitbart: Pressure is rising in the Church of Sweden to force priests to conduct same-sex marriages, ahead of internal elections in September. Jerker Schmidt, a priest and church politician for the Bourgeois Alternative, is one of many who support forcing priests to conduct same-sex ceremonies, telling Swedish broadcaster SVT: “It’s about the church’s image of God and the view of man.” The results of an election survey published by the newspaper Kyrkanstidning earlier this...

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Just 1-in-5 Marriages Were Religious in UK, Dozens of Religious Gay Weddings Celebrated

Aug 14, 2021 by

Just 1-in-5 Marriages Were Religious in UK, Dozens of Religious Gay Weddings Celebrated

by Victoria Friedman, Breitbart: Just one in five (21.1 per cent) of traditional, opposite-sex marriages in 2018 were religious ceremonies, the lowest on record, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The UK’s official statistics body also noted that all marriages for straight couples were at the lowest on record in 2018, continuing the “gradual long-term decline in both numbers and rates since the early 1970s”. Another trend since the ’70s is for the average age of marriage to...

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Will same-sex marriage be boosted by Tom Daley?

Aug 14, 2021 by

Will same-sex marriage be boosted by Tom Daley?

from Coalition for Marriage: Will diver Tom Daley’s gold lead to more support for same-sex marriage? That’s what political strategist James Kanagasooriam suggests writing in the Times. He sees support for same-sex marriage as a key indicator of progress. But Daley’s same-sex marriage is unconnected with his sporting achievements. Admiring a person’s achievements does not necessarily translate into endorsing their lifestyle. You can admire their athletic ability without ditching your views on...

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