As the Church of England gears up for another session of its General Synod (23-27 February), evangelicals are welcoming a robustly orthodox statement from many bishops.
In a document entitled A Theological Vision, seven bishops – on behalf of a much wider group – declare: ‘Marriage is more than a contingent social arrangement. As the joyful, lifelong union of male and female, the two forms of created humanity, marriage is a dynamic sign of the saving union between Christ and the Church through the Spirit, from which our salvation springs.
‘It thus represents the coming together of difference and is the proper place for sexual intimacy... Singleness is more than sexual self-denial. It is a positive declaration of the ultimate sufficiency of our eternal union with God in Christ, focussed, like Jesus, on leaving spiritual descendants.’
It adds: ‘Joy and peace paradoxically come through sacrifice and self-denial, not through seeking self-fulfilment or self-expression.’
John Dunnett, National Director of the Church of England Evangelical Council, said: ‘We pray that this reaffirmation of the historic teaching of the Church ... informs the ongoing debate around Prayers of Love and Faith.’
Church of England evangelicals and others who are orthodox on sexuality and aligned with the document from seven bishops alluded to above are coming together under an umbrella group 'The Alliance'. This includes representatives of the Church Society, Church of England Evangelical Council and ReNew among others. If you would like to sign up to it, you can do so here.
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