By Antonica Jones
On 17th October, the University of Hertfordshire welcomed the Very Revd Dr Jeffrey John, the Dean of St Albans ? introduced as ?the most controversial member of the Church of England? ? to speak on the subject of Christian same-sex marriage.
Marriage, Jeffrey John begins, is ?good for everybody.? Monogamous unions are ?the best framework for relationships, and the safest environment for bringing up children?. They allow for communal well-being and spiritual growth. So why, he asks, should this be denied to homosexual couples?
The issue of same-sex marriage has been widely disputed for some time; even more so in recent years, with the appearance of the ?civil partnership? ? an inadequate substitute, John argues, as a ?partnership? will inevitably be seen as inferior to a full marriage. The Church of England, he recognises, explicitly denies gay people the right to religious and legal ?marriage? and continues to condemn same-sex relationships as sinful. In his lecture, John unravels the reasons for ? and the arguments against ? this ?inhumane and un-Christian? stance.
As a question of Biblical commandment, for example, John notices that many in the Church practise ?selective literalism?. Equality for women has by now been largely accepted by the Church in response to social pressure, and this, he predicts, is also in the future for homosexual marriage. This will not undermine the idea of Christian marriage, moreover, but rather ?enrich? it. John also speaks out against the ?creation of the sexes? argument: Eve is said to have been created to provide ?companionship? for Adam, not specifically to procreate, and childbirth has never been seen as essential to marriage. He observes on stability and faithfulness that many gay relationships ?have survived even without social and legal support?, while almost fifty percent of heterosexual marriages are predicted to end in failure. John, as he continues to denounce examples of irrelevant scripture, explains that many of these anti-homosexual references simply ?do not relate to our context.?
Jeffrey John furthermore suggests that the church?s anti-same-sex marriage is highly unrepresentative of its members and followers. Many clergy secretly support and offer blessings to homosexual unions, and in fact, he tells us, according to one recent poll, seventy percent of church-goers do not oppose same-sex marriage. His own relationship with his partner, he says, was greatly supported by his ecclesiastical superiors ? but only in secret. John criticises the lack of integrity in the church, and calls for them to ?preach what they practise.?
John made no comment on other orientations in the LGBT+ spectrum, but also acknowledged that while he supports the right of homosexual couples to adopt, he is ?uncertain? on straight or gay couples having children by methods which involve third-party sperm or egg donation.
The lecture was also attended by Dean of Students Ross Renton, who applauded John?s stance, stating that he hopes the University continues to ?challenge homophobia whenever [it is] present.?
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Source: http://universe.uhsu.co.uk/2012/11/06/permanent-stable-faithful-christian-same-sex-marriage/
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