Archbishop of York denies suggestions that Church of England is to rethink marriage doctrine

The Archbishop of York has denied that the Church of England is considering changing its doctrine to allow same-sex 'marriages'.

Most Revd John Sentamu made the claims following an article in the Telegraph last week, regarding a letter he'd written on behalf of himself and the Archbishop of Canterbury, to LGBTI activist and General Synod member Jayne Ozanne.

The letter was in response to Ms Ozanne's claims that the church had failed in its "duty of care" toward LGBTI individuals.

The Telegraph article said that this letter "signalled" that the Church of England will "rethink" its doctrine on marriage, in order to "accommodate same-sex couples".

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Sentamu responded by denying that this was the case.

"The Archbishop of Canterbury and I have not 'signalled' that the Church of England is 'poised to rethink its centuries-old doctrine of marriage to accommodate same-sex couples,'" as you report.

"However it is true that discussions are taking place and will continue at next summer's meeting of the General Synod, not to overhaul Church doctrine, but to 'help forge better understanding between different groups over the issue of sexuality."

York 'gay pride' festival

Chief Executive of Christian Concern and General Synod member Andrea Williams has warned that Christians should not be appeased by the Archbishop's statement.

During the summer of last year, a 'gay pride' festival was held in York – the Archbishop’s diocese - which received the blessing of the Rev Canon Michael Smith, the Canon Pastor of York Minister.

A vicar in the diocese, Rev Melvin Tinker, spoke out against the festival, saying that he was "outraged that this should go on in the name of York Minster, in the name of Christianity, and in the name of the diocese".

Rev Tinker received a hostile response for expressing this view, yet Archbishop John Sentamu did not make any comment in Revd Tinker's defence.

Commenting on the incident, Andrea Williams said:

"Here was an opportunity for the Archbishop to affirm the truth of the Word of God, but he remained silent. Not only did he endorse a gay pride festival taking place in his own diocese, he also refused to defend one of his own vicars in holding to scriptural truth.

"After such an event, how can we trust the Archbishop's claim that the church's teaching on marriage is not to be altered?"

'Institutional unity'

Last week, Andrea wrote a response to the Archbishops' letter to Jayne Ozanne, highlighting that the 'discussions' taking place only serve to keep members of the Anglican Communion institutionally unified, without addressing the heart of the issue.

"This letter was another opportunity for the Archbishops to demonstrate appropriate leadership by reaffirming and promoting God's clear vision for marriage," she says.

"Instead the letter suggests that the fundamental issue is an 'ongoing conversation' as yet unresolved, implicitly suggesting that God has been unclear.

"The role of the Archbishops is not to facilitate conversation but to teach the truth, refute error and discipline those who depart from God's pattern in either teaching or lifestyle.

"Yet not once did the Archbishops speak of the need for repentance of homosexual practice. This was a missed opportunity to reaffirm gospel truth.

"Creating such ambiguity is profoundly unloving, especially to those who experience same-sex attraction but want to live in accordance with God's teaching."

Dr Joe Boot, Director of the Wilberforce Academy, has also written a response to the Archbishops' letter, that explores its content in greater depth and emphasises the need to correctly discern the truth of Scripture.

Related Coverage:
Church of England already liberalised on sexuality, says Christian Concern (Christian Today)