Why is sexuality such a big deal?

Why is the debate on sexuality and marriage in the Church of England (and other churches) such a big deal? Why can’t we just agree to disagreeโ€”to get on together and learn to live with difference? Two groups regularly say that to me. The first is those who want change in the Church’s teaching. Why … Continue Reading

Does the Bible prohibit sex before marriage?

In my experience, there is a very broad range of answers to this question. It has generally been assumed by moral ‘conservatives’ that the answer is self-evidently ‘yes’; by contrast, it has generally been assumed by moral ‘liberals’ that the answer is ‘no’, since there does not appear to be any specific prohibition in Scripture. … Continue Reading

Same-sex marriage and moral debate

In the C of E, and more widely in the UK, the church discussion about the moral status of same-sex unions tends to take place in isolation from other moral issues. (Perhaps the one exception to that is the recent debate about women in leadershipโ€”but I argue here that these two questions are quite distinct.) … Continue Reading