Evangelical Bishop of Liverpool Calls for Tolerance of Gay & Lesbian Inclusion

In his address to his diocesan Synod, The Rt. Rev. James Jones asks the church to move past battles over sexuality to allow for a variety of views.  He invites a comparison with the variety of views Christians have about war.   While a strict reading of scripture could lead one to conclude pacifism is the only proper Christian position, the Just War Theory allows Christians to fight in war.  It is an interesting comparison to make.  The Just War Theory basically says that while scripture forbids killing, the real world contains complexities that make killing sometimes the loving thing to do.  ”Do not kill” is a goal or standard toward which we should aspire, but there are realities in the world that sometime require us to violate the scriptural injunction.   One could argue that heterosexual relationships are the biblical norm, but we are discovering there are realities in the world, such as committed, faithful same-sex relationships,  that invite us to make exceptions to this biblical norm.

While many in the church have moved to a place where same-sex relationships are considered wholly valid or normative, and would not be interested in looking at them as an exception to the heterosexual norm, the is merit in the argument.   If we can allow a  looser interpretation of scripture so people can kill one another, shouldn’t we be able to allow a looser interpretation of scripture so people can love one another.

In his address, Jones doesn’t go far down that road.  Instead he simply says that Christians for many centuries have made space for people with divergent views on war —  pacifists and soldiers have been drinking from the same chalice —  why can’t we have the same comprehensiveness when it comes to sexuality?

Just as the church over the last 2000 years has come to allow a variety of ethical conviction about the taking of life and the application of the sixth Commandment so I believe that in this period it is also moving towards allowing a variety of ethical conviction about people of the same gender loving each other fully. Just as Christian pacifists and Christian soldiers profoundly disagree with one another yet in their disagreement continue to drink from the same cup because they share in the one body so too I believe the day is coming when Christians who equally profoundly disagree about the consonancy of same gender love with the discipleship of Christ will in spite of their disagreement drink openly from the same cup of salvation.

It is a lovely and bold address.  You can read it all here.