Kat Alldread (Laity): The most important issue facing the Church is mission- how we relate well to our 21st century communities and share the Gospel message. The Church’s current stance on sexuality is a major obstacle to effective mission. As Christians we need to really listen, both to each other and those outside the Church, respectfully and prayerfully, and as a Church we need to ‘disagree well’ in trying to find a way to move forward together. Far more learned theologians than me have read the Bible and come to the same conclusion- there is no prohibition against loving monogamous same-sex relationships. All of God’s people need to be enabled to flourish and love one another-that includes same-sex marriage. Really listening to each other and disagreeing well means that we may not come to the same conclusions; provisions need to be put in place for those with differing viewpoints so that the Church can remain united and progress. Placing the emphasis on our common purpose, the love of God and our desire to share that message of love with others, gives us a lot of common ground to proceed from.
Molly Andrews (Laity): The Church of England's understanding of marriage as a lifelong union between one man and one woman is derived from the Scriptures, God’s plan and pattern for His people and the benefit of His creation. The Bible teaches us that marriage is a gift of God in creation and a means of His grace. It is God's purpose that as husband and wife give themselves to each other in love throughout their lives, they shall be united in that love, reflecting how Christ is united with His Church, and His love for her.
The Church of England must stand by these firm foundations; they are His arms of love opened wide to all who will turn to Him.
Rachel Bell (Laity):We need to ensure we move forward with grace and love. We ought not to define people by their sexuality but treat each other as fellow sinners who struggle in this broken world.
With this said, there’s a difference between ‘tolerance’ that shows compassion and support, and ‘tolerance’ where we say that what God has defined as right and wrong is not as important as our culture’s opinion. Rick Warren points out, “Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.” I think this is vital for General Synod to remember in the coming years.
It is interesting that in Revelation 2:20-21 Jesus rebukes the whole church in Thyatira for their tolerance of Jezebel who is teaching sexual immorality. The Bible also describes marriage as a wonderful gift. General Synod has a responsibility to defend biblical marriage, avoid teaching that is not biblical and be loving towards everyone, no matter their sexual orientation or marital status.
Mark Broomhead (Clergy): Questions on issues of sexuality are far deeper and more far reaching than they may appear, they are also questions of Biblical interpretation and theological diversity within the Church of England and how this tension can exist within a single denomination. I am in favour of inclusivity, which is a far broader issue than sexuality alone, but I want to see the the Church of England remain whole.
As an educated, white, middle aged, middle class, straight male of evangelical heritage, I have to be very aware of my privilege and world view. I have very little first hand experience of such issues and as such, I need to listen carefully to the experiences, thoughts and perspectives of others and allow this to challenge my thinking.
The only way forward that I can see is to enter into discussions with a genuine generosity to those with differing views, rather than just pushing a personal agenda, and try to prayerfully find a way forward that not only allows us to remain united as a church but also demonstrates the love of Jesus to the LGBTQ community which has been made to feel unwelcome by the Church in the past.
Patrick Coleman (Clergy): We are currently in a process of conversations concerning the Church’s official response to same-sex relationships. Reports from this process should form part of the basis for open discussion at General Synod, together with a rigorous examination of the doctrinal basis for marriage in scripture and tradition (for example, the disputed issue of the sacramental nature of marriage between the baptised; and what we think we are doing when solemnising marriages of the unbaptised or non-believers).
I would support a ‘mixed mode’ form of discussion at Synod, with part of the debate taking place in the form of small group discussion and sharing – in an attempt to avoid polemics, and to allow the articulation of views which members might not feel able to express in the full gaze of the media.
Any conclusions made should be an integral part of a rich teaching on the nature and theology of intimate relationships.
Peter Collard (Laity): It is up to those who wish to change the position of the Church of England on this matter to provide biblical justification. To date this has not happened. As someone involved in the Regional Shared Conversations I found that the justifications put forward required a complete rejection of any idea of sin and repentance as part of the Christian faith.
However, In terms of Church life, all are welcome, as sinners, into church (otherwise none of us would be there). We all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). The issue becomes one of holding a leadership position in the church where it is "not a matter of perfection, but direction". Open, unrepentant sin then becomes a problem.
Caroline Duffield (Laity):This is a really difficult question to answer on paper as you can't hear the compassion in my voice. John 8:1-11 tells of the Pharisees wanting to stone the woman caught in adultery. Jesus responds by saying whoever is without sin cast the first stone and all her accuses drift away. Jesus doesn't condemn the woman either but does tell her to go and leave her life of sin. Jesus is saying sin no more and uphold the teaching of the Bible. Jesus' words mean that there is only one truth for everyone and therefore we must call homosexual practice as falling short of God's intentions for human beings and not God's will for the church.
Genesis 2 teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman. Jesus endorses this in Matthew 19. So the church can welcome and offer friendship to those who have homosexual inclinations but call those who engage in homosexual practice to repentance. If the Church of England continues to uphold the teaching of the Bible with compassion it will lead to a united not a fragmented church and will commend the gospel to our nation and the world.
Hannah Grivell (Laity): I believe the divisive issue of Same Sex Marriage is something this synod needs to tackle early on. Having been present when the first Women Bishops measure failed and involved in the talks and listening process afterwards, we need to learn from that and realise there is a huge listening process that needs to take place before putting any measure before synod. There is a fantastic breadth of the Church of England and it is something we need to embrace, not fight over and therefore we need to respectfully listen and hear what each party is saying.
Angela Heath (Laity):The church is nothing if it is not the embodiment of love, compassion and forgiveness. Jesus met people – sinners and saints - where they were, and was unafraid to drive his divine, seismic mission to offer new life through grace.
That is his challenge for us. Our world will change, whatever we do. Should we not be in the thick of it – offering to same-sex couples who seek it guidance, care, discipline, and ultimately acceptance? The desire to marry, in itself, is surely a good impulse, expressive of love and a wish to solemnize commitment. Even if a more accepting attitude can only come in some countries very gradually, the Church can surely stay as one Communion, whilst accommodating differential paces of change. It would be sad indeed if this proved the issue that broke the Communion, given all the other pressures (refugees, war, persecution, widening chasms in wealth) that desperately need the Church’s continuing attention.
Few earthly rules can remain unchanged indefinitely. Resisting this reality often means clinging to ‘too much law, not enough grace’. A phased approach to greater generosity, instead, seems to offer hope of a compassionate consensus – eventually. It is certainly worth pursuing.
Richard Henderson-Smith (Laity): I believe that in all matters the best way forward is first to pray and then to listen with generosity to the alternative viewpoints expressed, think hard about the implications of any changes in practice, to pray again and finally to try to discern where God is taking the Church at this point in history. We must adopt the acceptance of others and desire to show love and act justly towards all, without fear or favour, as embodied by Jesus in his ministry and self-sacrifice. Those who believe their sexuality must be expressed through homosexual relationships now have them recognised in secular British law. But it does not follow that the Church should sanction this. We have understood Christian marriage to be the expression of the bond of love between a man and a woman for many centuries and the ideal setting for the nurturing of children, though other settings can succeed. To rush into a change of this understanding of marriage would be unwise, though eventually not impossible. We must welcome anyone, and any couple, into our congregations with kindness and we should not judge them - that is God’s prerogative; our job is to love them.
Julian Hollywell (Clergy): Our unique tradition lends us a way of thinking into the task of theology which is helpful for this moment in time. This is most evident in General Synod and although it may be frustrating, discussion, prayer and expressing difference creates a rich soil of compromise where the fruits of the Holy Spirit can genuinely be encouraged to grow. We should continue to guard against a cultural pressure to impose impermeable limits of theological speculation and language. Anglicanism is not rooted in a history with black and white declarations of thinking about that which is in and out of bounds.
I believe our way forward has been correctly set by the Archbishops in a radical attempt to engage with the principle of shared conversations rooted in what is called conscious listening. It is really hard to do, to listen to the experience of people who are different to us, to listen not with a view to making our case yet with the conscious intention of learning what it is to walk in the shoes of another and learn something of God’s mission through them. Discussion is only divisive if we choose as individuals before God to be divided.
Stephen Jones (Clergy): In a rapidly changing world, the Church cannot be unaware of changing patterns of marriage and family life. Many are afraid that the Church might seem out of touch and irrelevant in failing to 'keep up'. But this would not be the first time that the Church was alled upon to challenge the views of secular society; we are called upon to be not conformed, but transformed.
This does not prevent debate about what the content of the Church's message truly is, and it is good for us to be challenged about our response to society's questions to enable us to interpret the Christian message for each successive age. But the witness of Scripture and Tradition is that Christian marriage is in its nature the lifelong commitment of a man and a woman, and the vast majority of Christians throughout the world profess this.
This reminds us to of the ecumenical aspect of any proposed change in the Church of England's discipline. Not only is there the issue of divergence from other Christian churches, but the common life of the Anglican communion itself may be threatened by unilateral action. It is surely the time for discernment, not hasty action.
Corinne Marsh (Laity): This is one of the most challenging issues facing the Church today, however the teaching in the Bible is clear on the matter. Jesus showed compassion in John 8 to the woman in an adulterous relationship telling her to "go now and leave your life of sin". Likewise, we should show compassion to everyone, including homosexuals. Romans 3:23 states that we have all fallen short of God's glory and that all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came through Jesus. In John 8 verse 7 Jesus said "He that is without sin, cast the first stone." We should endeavour to love the sinner and hate the sin. The Bible is also clear that "marriage" is between a man and a woman, as stated in Genesis 2 verse 24. Jesus also endorsed marriage in Matthew 19. The church should welcome all into fellowship showing acceptance to everyone, no matter what their sexual orientation. We all need to repent and seek God's forgiveness for where we have failed. The gospel unites us all so we should offer friendship to everyone whilst upholding what the Bible teaches, welcoming all, including homosexuals, but not their lifestyle into the church.
Simon Taylor (Clergy): Honesty is the first and most important requirement. We must be honest about what we think and feel. Second, generosity to those with whom we differ (calling people ‘bigots’ or questioning whether they are Christians is not helpful). Third, theology and mission are both important, any way forward has to be theologically coherent and serve the mission of the church. The current situation is neither. Most worryingly, it is a major reason why young people are rejecting the Church of England.
Finally, the example of how the Church of England handles divorce (also a theologically and biblically contested issue) may have something to teach us. That allows clergy to act pastorally, but maintains a conscience clause for those who feel unable to do so. A helpful parallel, perhaps. Could we allow blessings of same-sex partnerships in church, but also allow those who disagree to exercise a conscience clause?
Jason Ward (Clergy): You are absolutely right that discussions over same-sex marriage are divisive, but in the current climate, we have to have them. The issue will not go away, and increasingly the church of England- if it does not accept gay marriage- will look out of step. However, I think Christians should be out of step - we are not citizens of this world, but look forward to another, a better world. Christians should love our gay friends when everyone else rejects them, but hold the line on biblical marriage when everyone else tells them to do as they wish (1 Cor 6:9-11). I think the best way forward is for us to recover our nerve and stick with God’s word calling each one to repent- straight or otherwise. I know that is not going to be easy, and will need a lot more discussion- and that discussion will need soaked in prayer not to be unchristian.
Gillian White (Clergy): Opinions about same sex marriage are different, and so potentially divisive in the Church of England and wider Anglican Communion. The facilitated conversations on same sex relationships taking place in Dioceses at present suggest a desire to recognise and listen to those differences and it will be interesting to see what emerges from those discussions. Whatever my personal view, the underlying question is whether the Church of England as a whole can, with honesty and love, find a way of holding diverse views on this issue within our one body. Synod plays an important part in modelling publicly how to do that well (as the Church in Wales appears to have done in a recent discussion about this very issue). Representatives from Derby need to engage with that process, listening openly to people whose views they do not share, thoughtful and generous in their response and looking actively for the best way forward together. I would welcome the opportunity for incumbents and parishes to exercise discretion about same sex marriage, as now happens with remarriage after divorce, but I would also want to listen and understand before deciding on the best way forward.
