'Fathomless Riches', the autobiography of openly homosexual vicar and broadcaster, Richard Coles, was published this week and attracted widespread media coverage including an extensive interview by Patrick Strudwick in the Independent.
Andrea Williams gives her reaction.
Who is Patrick Strudwick?
I find it interesting that Richard Coles should choose so-called independent journalist Patrick Strudwick to profile his book. Vicky Beeching also turned to him in her well-choreographed ‘coming out’ as a lesbian. He is an interesting choice for men and women who profess a love for Christ and His Church.
Who is Patrick? He’s a man on a mission; unscrupulous in his methods. Brazenly, he mocks Christ and wallows in the notoriety that it brings him.
It was Patrick who targeted Counsellor Lesley Pilkington with the declared and express intention of getting her licence to practice removed; to ‘ruin’ her. To do that, he posed as someone with unwanted same sex attraction, recorded their therapy sessions and then blasted the story in a national newspaper as well as reporting her to her professional body, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
What did the organisation do? Protect Lesley who had a thirty year unblemished record? No. Protect her because she had been tricked and lied to and only done what Patrick had requested? No. They removed her from the register and now prohibit such therapy. (When she turned to the Association of Christian Counsellors did they protect her? No. They refused accreditation).
Patrick Strudwick deals in deception. He is a very sorry choice for a member of the church to turn to, to tell their story.
Who is Richard Coles?
As for the article? Richard Coles new book ‘Fathomless Riches’ appears to record the dark, confused and deeply sad life of the author.
Richard Coles – it is argued by Patrick, is Britain's most famous vicar, former pop star with The Communards, beloved Radio 4 host and inspiration behind BBC’s Rev. As together they 'inhale' a round of sandwiches Patrick describes how Richard is enthusing about the joys of dogging:
''"I was very much healed by the experience of anonymous sex with strangers in lay-bys," he says. "This might stretch my credibility to the point of knicker-elastic twanging, but I really was. There were moments of profound intimacy with people who were dying to be intimate. Dying for it – just being close and being able to be vulnerable and express longing.'"Plus, I offer, there must be the wholly welcome breeze. Coles laughs. 'It's like a picnic!' he says, reaching for the lemon drizzle cake."'
Later on, Patrick reports: '"We've all parked in lay-bys, Patrick,'"[Richard] says, with a sigh that sounds as if he's blowing on wet nail varnish.'
The overall article sadly portrays Coles as a man without any sense of remorse or guilt about his sin - either pre-conversion or post-conversion. Indeed whilst stating he doesn't have sex with his current partner, his explanation is that it's because it has "worn-off" rather than because it doesn't fit within the loving purpose of the God of the Bible.
The interview becomes a celebration of promiscuity. There is no presentation of the beauty of faithfulness in general, let alone the specific and special faithfulness of a man and woman in the intimacy of marriage.
The interviewer asks “How dare the Church of England impose on certain employees edicts about physical intimacy?"
Richard’s response? "There is nothing creditable in the Church of England's position on gay relationships ... I don't support it ... there are times when it distorts my relationship with David, which is the most important thing to me – a feeling that in some ways we collude with a homophobic institution. That's really not pleasant. I also know that I am a part of the Church and I accept that that involves sacrifice ... The Church should repent of its hostility to homosexual people and beg forgiveness for its treatment of the gay community; you cannot be a Christian homophobe."
Richard says he “found God” in 1990. But he continued dogging.
It is truly and awfully sad.
The need for Godly leadership
What is heartbreaking to me is that it appears that so few in the leadership of the Church of England, not just the Bishops, but born-again senior leaders, will speak out about this.
Who will stand in love and grace and simply state the gospel truth of one man and one woman for life in holy matrimony, Christ and his bride? Family and fidelity.
One thousand people turned up at Sainsbury’s in Brighton to stage a ‘kiss in’ protesting the rebuke a lesbian couple had received for kissing in front of a small child. So too must the Church protest and reject the open rebellion of its ministers who decry the gospel; for those who ultimately call evil, good and good, evil must always be corrected.
Richard Coles should be lovingly called to repentance.
Jesus loves Richard and Patrick to death. His own. But how will they hear if no-one preaches and how will they repent and stop leading others astray if no-one is prepared to stand?
As Christians let us demonstrate Christ’s merciful love, so tender toward those who experience same-sex attraction and even embrace same-sex behaviour. Let us all be instruments of healing and forgiveness, but let us not forget that it all starts with repentance. Each one of us, in Christ, is called to cast off our old selves and follow Jesus into newness of life. This is the message of the Gospel. I pray that Patrick and Richard find it and I pray better people than I would be prepared to proclaim it.
Further commentary
The Rev'd Andrew Symes of Anglican Mainstream offers further commentary here in an article entitled 'The Gospel according to Richard Coles'.