On Nov. 10, 2023, the Church of England meeting in Synod voted to approve blessings on same-sex unions. As the BBC reported, “Gay couples will be able to have special services of blessing in Church of England parishes for the first time. The services, while not formal weddings, will be able to include the wearing …
Church of England Activates Same-sex Blessing
On Nov. 10, 2023, the Church of England meeting in Synod voted to approve blessings on same-sex unions. As the BBC reported, “Gay couples will be able to have special services of blessing in Church of England parishes for the first time. The services, while not formal weddings, will be able to include the wearing of rings, prayers, confetti and a blessing from the priest.”(1) After decisions reached at this meeting, same-sex “blessings” could begin as early as 2024.
The Bible teaches that marriage is between a biological male and a biological female person (Genesis 2:18-25). The Church of England says that it agrees with the Bible and yet the new practices and “blessings” being developed contradict that. William Pearson-Gee is one example of a clergyperson speaking pointedly in debate in Church of England Synod over the motion. Excerpts from his remarks in debate:
It pains me that I stand before you to challenge 44 of our bishops, who all swore an oath to uphold the teaching of the Church. But are now leading their flocks bought with the blood of Christ astray with them. We are being walked towards a cliff-edge. We know it’s not really about same-sex marriage; it’s instead about the authority of Scripture… I’ve been told by a fellow synod member that when I teach the biblical view of marriage, I should be prosecuted for hate speech… I submit that this is loving, well-intentioned sophistry. We all know that blessings will be dressed up to be as pretty-much indistinguishable from marriage. And we know what the trajectory is. The 44 bishops who signed their letter have been clear on that. We all know that blessings are but the first step, and like getting your foot in the door, once authorized under B5A, there will be no turning back. Bishops swear to uphold the teaching of the Church, but the 44, and our archbishops have failed. You are not even united on the basic issue of sex before marriage. Here am I, encouraging my children to remain celibate until marriage, and you can’t even agree on whether I should be teaching them this. Or, like the Bishop of Dover said, all our kids are doing it, so it’s fine, get over it. You have compromised with the world. The Church is a lifeboat; it should be in the sea. But when the sea gets into the lifeboat, we are in trouble, and you have opened the stop-cocks. Instead of allowing the gospel to conform us, you are allowing the world to conform the gospel. You are leading the Church of England over a cliff, which is why we cannot walk together.(2)
Archbishop Justin Welby and others describe the “Living in Love & Faith” initiative pursued by the Church of England which has been under way for the past six years:
Over the last six years, the Church of England has been traveling together through our Living in Love and Faith process as we consider questions around identity, sexuality, relationships, and marriage… One of the key questions on this journey concerns same-sex relationships and marriage… We are united in our desire to nurture a Church where everyone is welcomed, accepted, and affirmed, in a 21st century Church… We are deeply sorry and ashamed for when we have failed to do so, causing pain, exclusion, and rejection of LGBTI+ people… With joy we cherish and value LGBTI+ people, and we welcome unreservedly and joyfully same-sex couples in our churches… and we shall create new prayers and observance which can be used in our churches to affirm and celebrate same-sex couples who have entered into civil partnership or marriage, as well as other significant relationships.(3)
Meanwhile, more than 70 million of the world’s 90 million adherents to Anglicanism reject the idea of same-sex unions being blessed by the Church. GAFCON released a statement on Nov. 10, 2023 including the following words:
We have witnessed over the past twenty-five years the slow, but relentless, moral decay in parts of the Anglican Communion where the world’s values have been endorsed and embraced, replacing the clear teaching of God’s word written.… we encourage GAFCON Provinces to consider withdrawing all links with any English diocese whose bishop supports the proposals, currently before the General Synod, to sanction the blessing of same-sex couples.
God in His mercy meets us where we are. And yet, He does not leave us there. No Christian opposes being kind to persons engaging in practices we disagree with. No Christian wants to prevent an LGBTI+ person from hearing God’s Word. This report is not about passing any moral evaluation on unconverted persons engaging in same-sex behavior. But the Church of England is another matter. Her leaders are without excuse.
In the Bible the Church is described as being the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Truth is to go out from the Church into the world. But what can we say when, instead, the practices of the world wash into the Church and replace God’s truth? Is William Pearson-Gee right—that regardless the intention, the acceptance of this practice by the Church is sophistry? If the Church will not lead morally then it will follow morally; and if it follows morally then its members follow morally. Then it becomes unfaithful to Jesus and incapable of transmitting the gospel into the world. Then it fails its mission.
The Church itself has become a sign of the times. No limit is evident on what can be cast aside when the Bible comes into conflict with culture. God will condemn a practice while a group claiming to be believers turns around and declares that practice to be a newly discovered truth or at least a current moral imperative.
The practice of same-sex union and same-sex marriage is unbiblical. It constitutes an attack on God’s creation order itself, a remaking of Genesis one over in an image altogether contradictory to the image as God as outlined in Genesis 1:27. The practice changes creation ordered roles and norms. It is one of the corruptions which have been entering the various organizations which have departed from biblical teaching over the past two-hundred years.(5)
Notes
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/church-of-england-backs-services-for-gay-couples/ar-AA1jZmUy, accessed 2023-11-16.
- William Pearson-Gee remarks during Synod debate.
- Church of England, Living in Love & Faith, Moving Forward video.
- “UK: GAFCON Primates Council Issues Statement,” https://virtueonline.org/uk-gafcon-primates-council-issue-statement, Nov 10, 2023
- See Great Controversy, p. 603.
