In February 2023, the General Synod of the Church of England followed the Church in Wales down the path of allowing the ‘blessing’ of same-sex couples in its churches and cathedrals.
The decisions, particularly that of the Church of England, the ‘mother church’ of the Anglican Communion, have thrown Anglicanism into turmoil.
The churches of the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA) and the Global Anglican Future Conference, representing some 85% of the world’s Anglicans, consider the CofE and the CiW have left the Christian faith.
GAFCON’s Archbishop Foley wrote in September 2022 to CofE Archbishop Justin Welby. In his letter he said: ‘It is those who depart from the established teaching of the Church who are causing the division (Epistle of Jude 18, 19). I implore you to call us all to repentance and to return to the Apostles’ Teaching of the Bible.’
As we are here to proclaim Biblical truth, let us begin by observing that homosexual relationships are condemned as decadent in Scripture:
Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Of course proponents of the measure try to explain words like that away. But we have taken those arguments and the rest of ‘gay theology’ apart already:
The faithful in turmoil
Faithful members of both churches are now in turmoil. They are gathering to support each other. But are they seeking the Lord for something they can do? Or are they like the divisions of Reuben, contrasted here by Deborah with the men prepared to stand up and fight:
Jdg 5:15 And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. 16 Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben, great searchings of heart.
Scripture shows God loves men, and women, of action. The Lord receives many prayers asking him to do something. Of course it is natural to pray along with the psalmist:
Psalm 119:126 It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.
But it remains that the Lord does not receive quite as many prayers asking him what we can do. That means that when we ask the Lord what we can do, he is quick to answer. The principle of ‘Lord, what can I do?’ may be applied almost anywhere. We may even become like these men – it’s Issachar again – from king David’s army:
1Chron 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do;
The Synod Decisions
The account of the decision taken by the Church of England in February 2023 is HERE.
The Church in Wales made its decision to introduce blessings for same-sex unions in July 2022. The decision was rubber-stamped by a vote in the Synod that September. See HERE.
A ‘Liturgy for the Blessing of a Same-sex Civil Marriage or Civil Partnership’ was actually put in place a year or two earlier: See HERE.
A liturgy of pious denial
The liturgy itself is a triumph of pious denial over truth and experience. It contains sentiments like this:
‘Beloved in Christ, we are gathered here today in the presence of God to celebrate N. and N.’s love for each other, to support them in life’s journey and to pray for God’s blessing on their Marriage / Civil Partnership as together they live a life of faithful love and commitment.’
A couple of lesbians or two gays may well live together and look after each other, but at a sexual level, especially for the men, the evidence shows ‘faithful love and commitment’ is a chimera. After all, the modern homosexual movement began by rejecting the model of monogamous marriage.
Furthermore, research shows promiscuity is built in to homosexuality. Thousands of sexual partners are not unknown in the network. ‘Flings’ outside living-together relationships are routine. The promiscuity is inherent and has a psychological or emotional root. In his book ‘Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)’ psychologist Dr David Reuben said of homosexuals: ‘They are trying to solve the puzzle with only half the pieces.’
Where is the sexual activity?
There is no mention of sexual activity in the ‘gay-blessing’ liturgy at all. The conventional marriage service, on the other hand, is full of it. Even the modern service says things like this:
‘The gift of marriage brings husband and wife together in the delight and tenderness of sexual union and joyful commitment to the end of their lives. It is given as the foundation of family life in which children are [born and] nurtured.’
The couple promise sexual fidelity as the minister asks: ‘forsaking all others, be faithful to her/him as long as you both shall live?’ They consent to sexual intimacy: ‘With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you.’ There is talk of children being conceived, born and raised.
There is none of that in the ‘gay blessings’. Even the promise of living ‘a life of faithful love and commitment’ omits the ‘sexual union’ bit and the ‘forsaking all others’. Perhaps these are completely platonic relationships being blessed. Or perhaps the ‘liturgy’ is simply recognising that sexual fidelity has no relevance to homosexual relationships. Or perhaps raising the matter of homosexual activities would be embarrassing and lead to unwanted prurience. Who knows what was in the mind of those who framed the gay blessing liturgy?
Reactions
The BBC reported on the Wales vote thus: ‘Same-sex couples can now have their marriage blessed by the Church in Wales after a vote was held. However, the church will still not marry same-sex couples.
‘Former Dean of St Albans, the Very Reverend Jeffrey John, supported the change but described it as a “halfway house” that did not go far enough.
‘The Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales opposed the move, saying it did not uphold the “standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman”. But Wales’ bishops said it was a step on the way towards repentance of a history which has “demonised and persecuted gay and lesbian people”.’
A direction of travel?
You may well ask: ‘the Church in Wales or of England will still not marry same-sex couples’, but for how long? Is there not a trajectory, a direction of travel, here?
Let us remember, the Church of Scotland voted at its 2022 General Assembly to allow ministers and deacons to ‘gay-marry’ same-sex couples if they choose. The Scottish Episcopal Church has been gay-marrying since 2017. If Christians in the Anglican denominations of Wales and England quietly accept the new rule, why should their churches not go the way of Scotland, which brought in ‘gay-marriage’ despite the clear ruling of the Lord Jesus, here recorded by Matthew (cf Mark 10:6-8)?
Matt 19:4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Why an Experimental Period?
The Church in Wales says: ‘The service will be used experimentally for five years and it will be up to individual clergy to decide whether or not they wish to lead it.’ In the Church of England it is a five-year ‘evaluation’ period.
Why are they having a five-year trial period? What is it for? It may be the wording was inserted to allow the measure more easily to pass. Maybe proponents of the measure want to learn from their experience and tinker with the order of service. They could use the period to document reactions from ‘the gays’ along the lines of those already voiced by Jeffrey John. As the end of the five years approaches, they will no doubt speak of a demand for full gay marriage.
But perhaps there is another reason. It is not exclusive. It does not negate the other reasons. But it is this:
I suggest the measure’s proponents want to see if the five year period will pass off without incident. Put bluntly, they want to see if they can get away with it.
During the experimental or evaluation period the proponents will be fully prepared for individual ministers and lay people to protest to their bishops. They will expect clergy to preach against it. They will foresee statements from evangelical fellowships. They won’t mind letters to periodicals. They will regard papers decrying it with equanimity, responding to them or ignoring them as they wish.
What They Do Not Want
The one thing they will not want is public protests. They will not be at all happy with action against the measure on the streets or in their churches. What about:
1 Prayer walks around churches or cathedrals which accept the trial. Perhaps we walk around them seven times and blow a shofar. We do not expect the building itself to tumble, but we do expect an impact on the spiritual forces behind the measure:
Josh 6:15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times:
2 Public protests in the street outside a church conducting a ‘gay-blessing’ service. Perhaps leaflets are given to those going in. Perhaps banners or placards are raised in the name of the Lord with relevant scripture verses:
Psalm 20:5 We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
3 A protest inside a church or cathedral conducting such a service, speaking truth to power:
Psalm 40:9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest.
4 A witness outside the venue of the Synod from now on:
Isa 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
5 A presence at specific ‘gay’ events or meetings:
1Sam 14:6 And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.
The two churches need leaders
In practice, the Lord must raise up someone in leadership in respectively the Church in Wales and the Church of England to lead this project. We must pray someone is found who cares enough about the heritage of each province to stand up and lead. Whoever it is will need to:
(a) Enlist those who will report back with intelligence of the opposition’s movements and developments such as proposed services or gatherings,
(b) Encourage those prepared to stand outside a place of worship in protest, take part in a prayer walk, stand up in a place of worship to voice objections or even pitch up and minister the Gospel to the lost at the next meeting of a Diocese ‘LGBT+ Chaplaincy’.
Do What They Like Least
It is a maxim in sport that you do whatever the opposition would like least. In cricket, if a batsman favours spin, bring a fast bowler into the attack. If he likes the short ball, bowl it fuller. From this, we ask what our opposition are comfortable with, and what they would least like. Then we do the latter.
If what we are doing is outside their experience, all the better. In 2008, South Wales Echo published a blasphemous article. A small group of Christian Voice supporters walked into their reception area, which was combined open-plan with their whole ground-floor office. We prayed and sang hymns. We knew what we doing. We were holding a church service, albeit in unusual surroundings.
The newspaper folk, on the other hand, did not know what was going on. One could say they were impacted by the fear of God. Down came the directors and invited us into a meeting in the boardroom. They listened to us respectfully and published an apology in the very next issue. Without the impromptu ‘service’ that would never have happened.
What Do We Want to Achieve?
We should also ask ourselves in any given situation what we want to achieve. We then use all the godly means we know to achieve it.
Eccl 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
If what we want to achieve is to be considered nice, reasonable ‘Christian’ people, we can achieve that by continuing with polite discourse, patiently explaining the issues. We shall achieve our aim. We shall also see setback after setback.
If however we want to achieve an end to services of blessing of gay unions and a reversal of the current trend towards full acceptance of homosexuality, perhaps with recognition of transgenderism next on the list, we shall do something different. We shall take action of a kind they will not like.
Our action will lead to reaction from the opposition. Sometimes their reaction may prove to be of even greater value to the Kingdom of God than our initial action.
Do the Little Things
The last words of Saint David, just before his death on 1st March 589 were ‘Be joyful, keep the faith, and do the little things that you have heard and seen me do.’ ‘Do the little things’. In Welsh: ‘Gwnewch y pethau bychain.’‘
When we do the little things which only we can do, we can leave the big stuff, the miraculous, the things only God can do, to him. The Lord is looking to see whether our prayer is ‘fervent’, whether it is serious. If it is, it will avail much:
Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
In 2006 the blasphemous Jerry Springer the Opera went on tour. Archbishop Barry Morgan called for a Christian protest outside Cardiff’s Millennium Centre. The people came in their hundreds. The theatre-goers stayed away. God did that.
As the show continued on its cursed tour, some dear ladies in Edinburgh would not join a similar protest outside the King’s Theatre. They just wanted to pray. But although they could have prayed at home, they came down to the theatre and prayed in the cafe, in the midst, as we might say, of Satan’s stronghold at the time.
When the tour of the show was ‘ruined’, as its writer Stewart Lee put it, they were pleased to have played their part in his downfall.
It was only a little thing those ladies did, but by coming down to the theatre, they showed the Lord their prayer was serious enough for him to answer it in power.
Pray and Work
It has been said, ‘When we work we work. When we pray, God works.’ But the Biblical witness of Jehoshaphat (2Chron 20), Esther, even the early church, shows it is not an ‘either/or’. It is a ‘both/and.’
After their united prayer and fasting had unleashed the Spirit of the Lord on Jahaziel to show them what to do, all Judah had to do was go out armed, not fighting, but singing psalms. In response, God sowed confusion amongst their enemies.
All Esther had to was go in to the king while her people fasted and prayed in unity. In response, God kept the king up all night reading how her uncle Mordecai had saved his life.
All the early church had to do was send out the Twelve and the Seventy with the Gospel. It was God who opened doors, made divine appointments and paved the way. When we pray and work, God works miracles.
A Need for Action
The Biblical witness shows that God loves and uses men of action like Moses, David, Jonathan, Samuel and the Apostles. Even the Prophets, filled with the spirit, men whose currency was words, put actions with the prophetic.
If the faithful do nothing ‘physical’ the opposition will concluded they don’t matter and they don’t care and they will press on. A strategy of response is needed in a language those in power will dislike but understand.
Anyone spurred to action will need to cover it all in prayer and trust in the grace and wisdom of God. Reversing these developments is do-able. A church, even a nation, repenting is do-able for God. For both church and nation, if we continue doing what we have been doing, we delude ourselves if we think we shall see anything different from the opposition’s relentless Fabian march.
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I don’t know what the law is about causing a disturbance in church. ISTR it was the basis of one of AP. Herbert’s stories where Haddock was had up for refusing to give his daughter in marriage (too expensive, in his view).
This is something I have been deeply concerned about for a long time as an Anglican, and more importantly a christian who believes in the Bible as the inerrant word of God, and completely clear that homosexual practice is forbidden. So these so called ‘blessings’ are anything but, not merely ineffective as far as God is concerned, but spiritually dangerous, as the recipients are confirmed in their sin and hence will continue to be unrepentant. Those conducting those proceedings will be duly responsible to the Lord for leading people astray. What do we do about it? Pray clearly. Use the Synod system to overturn the decision. This requires leadership and organisation. And should the latter not work,for Biblical parishes to move towards leaving the Church of England. But I fear not many have the courage to stand up for Jesus, and be counted. It is going to be tough but we have no option but to act.
I am not experienced in C of E matters but is the ‘Gay blessing’ in breach of cannon law? I spoke to someone at the last MSC (Anglican Mainstream) conference (you should all get to any of these – they are the cutting edge of gaining information of this whole area) and she said that it is in breach of ‘Canon B22(?) or some such canon. Is it not in this area that C of E people should be concentrating some research/firepower?
Either way, how about a dignified, Christian witness outside the gates of Lambeth Palace? A simple, dignified presence, at the front gates, (assuming they have them – I have never paid a visit there) with leaflets a few good signs that would show that there are people who care about the truth and are prepared to make a stand. It doesn’t matter if people walk by muttering at us nor that those inside think they can ignore us. The fact that some are there, regularly, even for one hour, is enough to start the ball rolling. Some social media presence would be good, I will pray about doing this. What we must not do, is nothing, that’s the fatal error the church overall has made in my lifetime.