Conflict over gay marriage within the Church of England continues with Members of Parliament now adding their voices to the discussion.
Recently, in a rather chaotic vote, Church of England clergy rejected a report that would have maintained a conservative position on gay marriage within the Church. However, the gay marriage issue is far from settled in the Church, where there is still much disagreement on the best way forward.
A number of MPs responded to the crisis, calling the Church’s stance on gay marriage “untenable,” “unfair,” and “hard to justify,” according to Christian Today.
“Is it not increasingly untenable for our Church, which enjoys significant privileges in this country because of its established status, to continue to discriminate against its own members simply because they happen to be gay?” asked Ben Bradshaw, Labour MP for Exeter who is himself in a gay relationship and belongs to the Anglican Church.
Dame Caroline Spelman, Second Church Estates Commissioner, added that “Changes have taken place and more need to happen.”
Primarily liberal clergy members voted against the recently proposed report on sexuality within the Church, but some conservatives also voted against it, claiming that it took an untenable position in attempting to keep both sides of the debate happy.
"What was clear from the debate was that the report tries to straddle positions that cannot be reconciled,' she said," stated Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern.
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Publication date: March 3, 2017