Church of England Approves Same-Sex Union Blessings

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Facts

• By a vote of 250-181 on Thursday, the General Synod — the legislative body of the Church of England — voted to allow blessings of same-sex marriages and unions, though priests will be allowed to opt-out.¹
• The approval also includes an apology to LGBTQ+ people, and a review of the ban on clergy entering into same-sex civil marriages and the celibacy rule for clergy in same-sex relationships.²
• To get the vote passed, the Bishop of London — the Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally — agreed to an amendment stating that there will be no change in official Church doctrine regarding marriage.³
• The debate was procedurally complex, with over two dozen amendments to the motion, including one proposal for marriage equality to be put before the synod within two years that lost by a vote of 52% to 45%.²
• Church law currently states that marriage can only be between one man and one woman. Six lawyers who sit on the synod warned that clergy could be exposed to the 'risk of litigation,' advising the blessings be given so long as they don't equate 'civil marriage' to 'holy matrimony.'⁴
• The blessings are expected to start later this year after guidance is issued.⁵

Sources: ¹Attitude, ²Guardian, ³Churchtimes, ⁴The telegraph and ⁵Associated Press.

Narratives

• Progressive narrative, as provided by Gay times. While Britons can certainly take the small win here, the Church of England is still holding on to old beliefs that the majority of Anglicans don't agree with anymore. Within the Church, as is already the case in secular society, there is plenty of room for differing views on sexuality and marriage. Hopefully, this is only the first step toward the Church finally approving same-sex marriage and thus fulfilling the demands of inclusivity preached by God and the British government.
• Conservative narrative, as provided by Crossway. This is the result of the decades-long secularist movement to overtake religious institutions as our moral leaders. Most of the world for most of its history understood marriage as a permanent sacrament between men and women who, regardless of their personal or emotional qualms, were unified in the goal of raising children. Though progressives will counter with anecdotal what-about-isms, this fundamental human purpose can only occur between the two sexes. While blessing unions is one thing, approving same-sex marriages would be an attack on fundamental Church doctrine.