The Church of England could soon change its stance on same-sex marriage and other issues relating to sexuality.
The church’s House of Bishops announced on Monday [November 9] that they would soon begin a formal decision-making process on questions of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.
“A group of bishops, chaired by the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, will lead the process of discernment and decision-making about a way forward for the church in relation to human identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage,” said the Church in a statement.
This engagement is expected to take place during 2021, and final decisions would be concluded in 2022 and set before the Church’s General Synod.
Currently, the Church of England does not recognise same-sex marriage or officially bless same-sex civil marriages. However, they do allow clergy members to be in same-sex relationships if they are sexually abstinent. The Church still describes sex as between a heterosexual male and female.
In the foreword in a newly published set of resources drawing together the Bible, theology, science and history called “Living in Love and Faith”, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, acknowledge and apologise for the “huge damage and hurt” that has been caused particularly to LGBTI+ people within the Church.
“At the heart of our failure is the absence of a genuine love for those whom God loves in Christ, knowing as God does every aspect of all of our lives,” they write. “Our prayer for the Church through this work is that collectively we demonstrate the same love to one another that we have experienced from God.”
The Bishop of Coventry, Christopher Cocksworth, who oversaw the Living in Love and Faith project, said: “Questions of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage are deeply personal with real life consequences. Engaging with these resources will be enriching and, at different points for different people, deeply challenging and uncomfortable.
“They ask us to examine afresh what it means for Christians to live in love and faith. We offer them in the hope that the whole of the Church of England will embrace this opportunity to learn and reflect together across difference for the sake of our unity in Christ.”
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