Church of England to Debate Same-Sex Marriage; Evangelicals Draw a Red Line: ‘This Is About Following Christ’ by Steve Warren for CBN News
The Church of England has announced that it will focus on a formal “decision-making” process in regard to the church doctrine towards sex, sexuality, marriage, and gender.
The Times of London reports the church could approve same-sex marriage by 2022 after its bishops promised to make a “decision” about arguments over sexuality. The bishops agreed to bring their ideas to the church’s General Synod, which makes all final decisions concerning doctrine.
After three years of behind-closed-doors discussions on the issue of same-sex marriage, Church of England archbishops have publicly apologized to the LGBT community, according to The Daily Mail.
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Church officials have launched their “Living in Love and Faith” section on the church’s website. It includes a 480-page book, videos, podcasts, and education courses to examine the issue.
However, evangelicals in the Church of England say the “key test” for them will be whether what is set out is consistent with the teaching of the Bible.
The Rt. Rev. Julian Henderson, Bishop of Blackburn, and president of the Church of England Evangelical Council said, “To those who have been involved in ‘Living in Love and Faith,’ we offer our thanks for their time, energy, commitment, and hard work. We will look closely at the materials now published and respond fully in due course. For us, this is about following Christ by submitting to what Scripture says, just as He did. So we will need to discern which of the materials in LLF do that by evaluating all of the various resources in the light of Scripture. While discussions about these issues are always welcome, the key question is not one of church procedure but whether we think that the teaching of Scripture is right. So we will engage, but this is actually about obedience to Scripture.”
