“Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.” — Jesus of Nazareth
The vote of the Church of England’s General Synod last week to authorise the preparation of services for the blessing of same-sex unions has set our denomination on a course which, according to God, leads ultimately to disaster.
I do not say this lightly, and have no desire to hurt or offend. However, what has persuaded me of this are the words of our Lord Jesus, quoted above, where he warns us in the strongest terms not to cause anyone to stumble. That the lips of the one who is the most perfect expression of God’s love (1 John 4:9-10) should sound a warning in such stark terms should make us tread carefully (indeed, I tremble as I read what He says next in Luke 17:2-3).
The terrible truth is that we are in danger of ignoring his loving warning, with the proposed authorisation of clergy to bless conduct which the Bible calls sin.
Those who oppose Synod’s proposal are sometimes accused of being unloving to LGBTQI+ / same-sex-attracted people. Unquestionably, where there has been, or is, anything unloving in our attitudes, we must repent and right wrongs wherever we see them. But it cannot be unloving when, clothed in kindness, humility and respect, we tell the truth about what God says. On the contrary, the ultimately unloving thing, however well-intentioned, is to pretend something’s okay when God says it isn’t.
The truth is, God has a much higher view of sex than any of us. Within the context in which he has given it, marriage, it is a lived-out display of God and his lavish work of salvation to us. It is God’s good gift to be enjoyed on his terms, not an entitlement to be claimed on ours.
Elsewhere I have tried to answer some questions and explain this more fully. Some have claimed to find Scriptural justification, but do so only by sitting loose to the contexts of passages and missing the plain meaning of the text. It is our faith in what our good and loving God has said in the Bible, not bigotry, that motivates our concern.
The Church of England has, since the Reformation, had the Bible as her founding document. The “Canons” (the laws of the C of E) contain this statement: “The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures.” (Canon A5 – which, incidentally, does not go back to the Reformation; it is far more recent). In classic Anglican understanding, Scripture is supreme as a guide to our Lord’s mind.
The Church of England’s own statement of faith, the 39 Articles, also includes a sense of guardianship of the Bible’s message. Just as the Apostle Paul told Timothy to guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit living in you, Article 20 says that the Church is a witness and keeper of holy writ [the Bible], and that it is not lawful for the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God’s Word written.
Mindful of this guardianship (and the need for a consensus), the rules of the General Synod of the C of E contain what we might call a ‘bias for caution’ over changes to worship or doctrine. Any significant change of either requires a two-thirds majority in each of the Synod’s three “houses” (bishops, clergy, and laity).
It was, therefore, a surprise to learn that the Bishops of the Church of England asked only for a simple majority to approve their proposals for same-sex blessings. They justified this on the grounds of a rule which allows ministers to use variations in forms of service “which are not of substantial importance”; because what’s proposed isn’t actually a wedding service.
Yet this surely misses just how significant and highly charged this subject has become in the churches, the media, and wider society. Services of blessing for same-sex couples have never previously been authorised. We may only speculate, but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the bishops acted this way because they didn’t have the voting numbers for the required two-thirds. This surely raises a question about their integrity.
Matters will not finally be decided until July, when the matter returns to Synod, with the bishops publishing final versions of the ‘blessing’ prayers. However, given the occasions the prayers are supposed to mark, it is hard to think of any form of words which will not lead to falling foul of Jesus’ warning that we began with.
You do not need me to tell you that our culture affords God little look-in in matters of sexual intimacy, even less any heartfelt Christian attempts to point to His good designs for it. How can a church that follows suit be salt and light to our world? (Matthew 5:13-16)
The truth is that we have a clear and far better story to tell – a story of the Saviour who draws close to sinners, and by His saving death forgives us. It is a story of His transformation of all of us by His Holy Spirit, into the likeness of Jesus, the most loving person there has ever been. This transformation may not change the nature of our temptations (clearly still the experience of some believers Paul wrote to in Corinth, see 1 Corinthians 6:9-11); rather, it is the transformation we all need, to live a holy life.
The gospel is also a story of welcome into God’s family, the church, and His provision for us all of the deep friendships that make living counter-culturally possible. I have no doubt we could be better at loving each other in this way. We need to. Friends of mine who identify as same-sex attracted are aghast at the course the Church of England is taking, effectively telling them their struggle to be loyal to God’s ways isn’t worth it. More than ever, they need our fellowship, and clarity of voice. Just this week, I received an email from a same-sex-attracted friend saying how much they need such clarity, to help them stand firm.
As we respond to these proposals, we will be tempted to think them a matter we can agree to differ on, or to brush under the carpet. In the short term, that will seem much easier. But I implore you to remember again Jesus’ words at the head of this post! The God we encounter in the Bible does not allow us, wittingly or unwittingly, to say that his pattern for sex is ours to change, or that one sin isn’t actually a sin, or that our mission would be unaffected by partnering with those who think differently, just because we have differing opinions.
Our brothers and sisters in the world-wide Anglican movement, especially from the global south, are already making their sorrow and outrage at these proposals clear. So are many other churches in this country. Our own church council will be prayerfully considering our next steps, and wrestling with what it means to heed the Bible’s call to distance ourselves from false teaching (e.g. Romans 16:17).
Please will you pray about this? Firstly, for our Church of England, with all its opportunities to bring the gospel to the nation, not to continue on this disastrous course; for the many who seek to follow Jesus within it not to be led astray; and for our bishops to speak what Jesus speaks, even when it is counter-cultural.
And secondly, for our own church, St Andrew the Great, that our future may be secured to bring the gospel to all people in Cambridge, in all its truth and power, and to send gospel workers to the world. May God make us and keep us a faithful witness to the world, a hospital for sinners, a loving body of lived holiness, and a safe home for those who experience same-sex attraction and seek to live our Lord Jesus’ way.
