Guardian says C of E must embrace same-sex marriage
by Colin Hart, Coalition for Marriage:
The Church of England should read the “signs of the times” rather than stick to its traditional commitment to marriage between a man and a woman, The Guardian has said.
In a leader article expressing the newspaper’s editorial position, the prominent left-of-centre publication said the Christian scriptures “convey a message of loving inclusivity”, and England’s established church “should reflect that”.
The Church of England has been following a lengthy consultation process on same-sex relationships – extended by the pandemic – that will end in April, with the findings to be published in the autumn. This is ahead of a crunch debate and vote at General Synod in February 2023, when the direction of travel will be set.
Noting that in the past year the British Methodist Church endorsed same-sex marriage and the Anglican Church in Wales introduced blessings for same-sex married couples – both following in the footsteps of the Scottish Episcopal Church which introduced same-sex marriage in 2017 – The Guardian claims the C of E’s “rigid stance on same-sex relationships is undermining its outreach efforts, particularly in relation to the young”.
However, no evidence is provided for this claim, and The Guardian itself has acknowledged that it is often the churches which stick with the Bible’s commitment to real marriage that are larger and growing, while those which ‘move with the times’ struggle more.
The Guardian view on same-sex weddings in church: the zeitgeist is moving;
Guardian Editorial: The Church of England should follow the example of Anglicans in Wales and Scotland, and give its blessing to gay and lesbian relationships.
‘Jesus Christ is King – not the zeitgeist or our feelings’, by Ben John, Christian Concern: General Synod Member Ben John responds to a Guardian editorial calling on the Church of England to allow same-sex marriages.
Theo Hobson’s Fictional Church of England Future, by David Virtue, VOL: British theologian Theo Hobson believes the Church of England’s future can be saved if it can recover its liberal Anglo-Catholicism.
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