sexuality

‘Open Reception’ and sexuality: three obstacles to a New Proposal

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When the Church of England changed its practice to allow the ordination of women, there was a period of ‘open reception.’ Is there a parallel with same-sex marriage? Could ‘open reception’ both work and preserve unity? What are the major obstacles to such an idea? Andrew Goddard writes: The House of Bishops in July’s General Synod … Continue Reading

How do General Synod elections work?

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Andrew Goddard writes: The election process for the new General Synod of the Church of England is now well underway with the voting period having opened just over a week ago on Monday 21st September and closing on Monday 12th (postal) or Tuesday 13th October (online). Results will be declared over the rest of that … Continue Reading

Helen King’s motion for General Synod: outcome and assessment

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Andrew Goddard writes: This article analyses the July 2026 General Synod’s debate on Helen King’s Private Members’ Motion concerning same-sex relationships and Christian discipleship explored in a previous article.  It traces the two competing amendments before explaining why the eventual amended motion failed in the House of Bishops.  It notes the significant shift in voting … Continue Reading

The conversion practices draft bill: right and helpful or fatally flawed?

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Mark Bratton writes: The long-awaited draft Bill on conversion practices (‘the draft’), recently released for pre-legislative parliamentary review, is fundamentally flawed. According to the Preamble, the draft aims, among other goals, to establish new offences related to abusive conversion practices on individuals. However, rather than preventing abuse, the draft risks reinforcing harmful conversion practices, particularly … Continue Reading