CPAS row breaks out on claims of ‘ conversion therapy ’ support
Church of England Newspaper January 19 2024
Liberal Anglicans last week criticised evangelical para-church agency, CPAS, for a statement on its website which they claimed indicated support for ‘conversion therapy’for gays and lesbians.
The Mosaic network warned that inclusive parishes which had CPAS as patron may not be aware of the statement on sexuality and how it would affect future appointments. The CPAS statement which was later taken down asserted the key points of the Evangelical Alliance position on sexuality. The Trustees affirmed that while CPAS engages with a broad family of churches holding a spectrum of convictions, CPAS adopted the EA’s affirmations on human sexuality.
The statement repudiated “all attitudes and actions which victimise or diminish people whose affections are directed towards people of the same sex.” But they affirm that marriage is an institution between one man and one woman.
They also state that trustees “oppose moves within certain churches to accept and/or endorse sexually active same-sex partnerships as a legitimate form of Christian relationship.”
They oppose “church services of blessing for civil partnerships and other forms of gay and lesbian relationships as unbiblical, and reject any redefinition of marriage to encompass same-sex relationships.”
The trustees “commend and encourage all those who experience same-sex attraction and have committed themselves to chastity by refraining from homoerotic sexual practise.”
The statement controversially endorses counselling and pastoral support enabling those experiencing same-sex attraction “to live a chaste life and, as part of this process, some may seek and experience changes in the strength or direction of their same-sex attractions.”
The Bishop of Horsham, Ruth Bushyager, who chairs the trustees said that the statement had been withdrawn from the CPAS website “following concerns raised about… whether some wording within the document could be interpreted as supportive of conversion therapy. To be absolutely clear, CPAS is opposed to conversion therapy and seeks to uphold the highest standards of safeguarding and pastoral best practice.”
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