Last week I watched a short clip where an Anglican pastor, Sam Allberry, gave a profound two-minute defense of biblical sexual ethics applied to identity and marriage before the General Synod of the Church of England in London last week. It is worth the time to watch.
Allberry is the pastor of the Borough Church of St Andrew & St Mary Magdalene located in Maidenhead, UK. He is also a speaker for Ravi Zacharias Ministries International, the founder of Living Out, and author of the book Is God Anti-Gay?
He also describes himself as same-sex attracted.
Watch his remarks below:
You can read his comments below:
I am same-sex attracted, and have been my entire life. By that I mean that I have sexual, romantic and deep emotional attractions to people of the same-sex.
I choose to describe myself this way because sexuality is not a matter of identity for me. And that has become good news. My primary sense of worth and fulfillment as a human being is not contingent on being romantically or sexually fulfilled and this is liberating.
The most fully human and complete person who ever lived was Jesus Christ. He never married. He was never in a romantic relationship and never had sex. If we say these things are intrinsic to human fulfillment we are calling our Savior subhuman.
I have met, literally, hundreds of Christians in my situation and know of thousands more who are same-sex attracted and who joyfully affirm the traditional understanding of marriage being between a man and a woman and the only godly context for sex.
If you don’t hear from more of us it is because it is very hard to stand up and to describe ourselves in this way.
As someone who uses the language of same-sex attraction I have to say that my church has not become a safe place for me. And by church I don’t mean my congregation I mean this synod. Not because of what the report says, but because of what has happened since.
I was bullied at school for being gay. I now feel that I am being bullied at synod for being same-sex attracted and faithful to the teaching of Jesus on marriage. I am grateful that the report reaffirms the traditional definition of marriage, but I’m concerned that we are already preparing to pastorally undermine it.
So my question to the bishops is not will you preserve this doctrine? It’s do you really believe in it? Is it good news for the world? Many of us have found it to be life-giving as the message and teaching of Jesus always is. Thank you.