Church of England backs down on same-sex marriage

Details 07 Jun 2013

Christianity Today

The Church of England is ending its battle against a government bill to legalize same-sex marriage, according to a new statement released yesterday.

It says that the clear, parliamentary majorities in favor of the same-sex marriage bill indicate support for the practice on principle.

Although the Church of England does not support the proposed legislation, the church's bishops in the House of Lords now will turn their attention to improving the bill - rather than opposing it outright.

According to The Telegraph, the statement from Rt Revd Tim Stevens, the lead bishop of the 26 who hold seats in the House of Lords, "represents a dramatic change of tack in the year since the Church insisted that gay marriage posed one of the biggest threats of disestablishment of the Church of England since the reign of Henry VIII."

The reversal of tactics came a day after the U.K. Parliament's House of Lords voted down an amendment that would have killed the bill. The resounding, 390-148 vote indicates widespread support for the bill, which already passed in the House of Commons.

Interestingly, though, the Church's change in approach follows Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby's "warning that the reform 'weakened' the concept of the 'normal' family as the basis for a strong community and replaced traditional marriage with something 'less good.'"

Now the Church will focus its efforts on improving the bill, including "its approach to the question of fidelity in marriage and the rights of children."

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This article courtesy of Christianity Today