Tuesday, 30 September 2014 Ins and Outs and Same-Sex Marriage [81ixmfjZBTL.jpg] Thanks to those who have told me they have missed this blog. Now that same sex marriage is a reality in this country, I have been off writing a book to help resource a Christian response to its challenges and possibiities. It's an attempt to work out some scientific, moral, Biblical, legal, historical, cultural and missional positives now that gay people can marry. The church has arrived at another round of shared conversations. In my optimistic moments I'd like to think that after thirty years of going round and round in circles about sexuality we could be getting somewhere. I wanted to produce something grounded in Scripture, tradition and reason, to capture the possibilities as they appear right now. [escher.jpg] -- A Vicar said... Although Mr Ould has taken to calling himself 'Chris', I have little interest in his assertions about the number of people who call themselves 'gay' in adolescence. Gay people who can now avail themselves of same-sex Marriage are unlikely to share Mr Ould's obsession with statistics and obscure research by American writers. Why should the Church be bothered about Mr Ould's hobby? I have never prepared a 'straight' couple for marriage by having a lurid discussion on anal sex. Why is Mr Ould bothered about the anus, when he should be more concerned about the couple's fidelity, companionship and love? 1 October 2014 at 17:54 [icon_delete13.gif] -- A Vicar, I think the problem is that these extreme views are accepted officially. But if you look at opinion research about what actual members of the CoE believe, it becomes clear that they are by now marginal views. Almost half approve of same sex marriage. Many more support gay equality but struggle with the marriage issue. Many of our churches are officially welcoming of lgbt couples, many many others offer various levels of acceptance. I'm not a rose tinted glasses person and I do know from conversations with people just how shocking the situation in many of our churches is, especially for our young people who love their conservative churches but just wish they could be less anti-gay. -- Bishop Alan Wilson said... CS the study established (and I'm out of the office and working from memory) around 38% of straights and 30% of gays practised anal sex. The numbers are not easy to extrapolate from there, but if you assume there to be around 300m in the US, subtract prebuescent children, allow for 6%-ish being gay, then you have to remember females are penetrated anally in opposite sex couples, but only males in male/male couples (which seem to be the one Conservatives are obsessional about). At least half of gay people are probably female (again figures vary, but bear in mind well over half of the first cohort to contract UK same sex marriages were female)... the point is far far more straight people than gay do anal sex. Ig you want to crusade on that subject, please direct your campaign at a group who outnumber gay practitioners by a factor of almost 20. And please don't use that particular sexual behaviour to try and stigmatise a minority when you define them by it. 3 October 2014 at 17:15 [icon_delete13.gif]