From the Rt Revd Graham Dow
Sir, - The Dean of St Albans, the Very
Revd Dr Jeffrey John (Comment, 31 August),
sets out the arguments for Christian support for gay marriage. He
argues that marriage is covenant love, and there is nothing
essential to marriage between a man and a woman which is lacking in
a same-sex partnership. There is, therefore, no objection to
treating the divine institution of marriage as applicable to a
same-sex partnership.
Bishop Laurie Green (Letters, 7
September) also argues that there have been many changes to
marriage. But none has been as fundamental as setting aside the
bringing together of a man and a woman.
The purposes of marriage as given by
God are declared in our Anglican liturgies as bringing a man and a
woman together as one, who then belong to each other, are united in
love, and provide comfort and help to each other. They strengthen
their union in a sexual relationship; and they have children who
are brought up in accordance with God's will.
If we consider how these purposes can
be worked out in a gay marriage: first of all, such a partnership
will certainly provide comfort and help to each in a covenant of
loving unity.
As to children, they cannot be
conceived from both partners in a same-sex couple; nor can they be
reared with parents able to provide for the child a role-model in
society of both men and women.
The great unmentionable in this
discussion is the sexual relationship. Issues need to be aired
about the appropriateness or otherwise for all couples, both
heterosexual and homosexual, of certain forms of sexual intimacy.
At what point do such expressions cease to reflect wholesome human
sexual bonding as God created it to be? In a same-sex marriage, the
traditional form of sexual expression and that which gives rise to
children is not possible.
So the argument that there is nothing
present in traditional marriage, as its purposes have been declared
by the Church, which is not present in a same-sex marriage is not,
after all, convincing. Marriage, as given by God, is for a man and
a woman. Whatever form the institution for same-sex partnership
comes to take, let us not call it marriage.
GRAHAM DOW
34 Kimberley Avenue, Romiley SK6 4AB
From the Revd Paul Burr
Sir, - The Very Revd Dr Jeffrey John
identifies his "own relationship of 37 years" with that of
"thousands of other same-sex couples", and asks what the missing
ingredient is when compared with "heterosexual marriages". The
missing ingredient in the Dean's relationship is sex: the Church
tolerates civil partnerships among clergy only provided the parties
are celibate. It is surprising that this could have been
forgotten.
As for the wider question, no
sophistry can obscure the simple fact that all reference to
marriage in the scriptures is posited on the union of male and
female.
The Church's present position is, of
necessity, a nuanced one. Of course there is a gospel for gay
people: it is the same as for everyone else. But the integrity of
bishops is not to be determined solely on the basis that their
public utterance accords with their private views.
Bishops have "a special responsibility
to maintain and further the unity of the Church, uphold its
discipline and guard its faith": so they acknowledge a duty to put
the Church's integrity before their own. Any priest holding senior
office should know better than to impugn bishops for pastoral
comments that they may have made which are expressly or implicity
confidential - especially if they have been as generous to Dr John
as he alleges.
PAUL BURR
The Vicarage, The Common, Swardeston, Norwich NR14 8EB
From the Revd Dr Hannah
Cleugh
Sir, - My personal views concerning
the question of gay marriage notwithstanding, I am astonished at
your decision to print John Ormes's letter (7
September).
Mr Ormes is entirely free to regard
gay marriage as "wrong", and entirely free also to take issue with
its proponents. Where I take profound issue with his letter is with
his paralleling of paedophilia and homosexuality, as though the two
were somehow morally equivalent.
They are not; and the insidious
suggestion that they are feeds into the homophobic prejudice and
discrimination that has no place in any Christian community.
HANNAH CLEUGH
26 Windrush Road, Berinsfield, Wallingford OX10 7PF