Following the publication of the House of Bishops Pastoral Letter regarding Same Sex Marriage, an unofficial Tent of Non-Bishops have issued their own pastoral letter.
Dear Same Sex Couples,
We (quite a few members of the Church of England) would like you to know the following:
1. We love you, albeit a pale reflection of how God loves you, but we're doing our best.
2. If you're in a civil partnership or married, we will do our best to support you and love you both, and affirm and celebrate your fidelity to each other.
3. Like those who oppose your relationship, we take sin seriously. So we look forward to continuing to confess our sins to you as our brothers and sisters in Christ. Fingerpointing works so much better when the finger is pointed (lovingly) towards oneself. *Mumble... mumble... splinter... eye... plank...*
4. For those of you whom the Holy Spirit calls to the priesthood who are in committed same-sex relationships, we regret that you will have to forswear marriage in order to pursue your anointed vocation. We will love and support you as best we are able.
5. Actually, now we come to read 4, for 'regret', please read 'are outraged and find it baffling'. Lord have mercy.
6. We will not define you by your same-sex relationship. If we define you at all, it will be on equal terms, as a a precious human, made in the image of your Creator God. We will seek to see and nurture all that is Christlike in you, as we seek to see it in ourselves and in each and every child of God.
7. We love God and we love you. We love because God first loved us. How can we do otherwise and call ourselves followers of Christ?
8. er... that's it.
And we're sorry that our Church is hurting you.
Did we say that we loved you yet?
