Archbishop of Canterbury Uses First Address to Warn of Sexual Revolution

By Sam Jones
The Guardian
July 6, 2013

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk-news/2013/jul/06/archbishop-canterbury-welby-sexuality-revolution

Justin Welby said: 'We may or may not like it but we must accept that there is a revolution in the area of sexuality.'

[Archbishop Justin's presidential address to General Synod - Archbishop of Canterbury]

The archbishop of Canterbury has used his first General Synod address to warn the Church of England that, whether it likes it or not, "a revolution in the area of sexuality" is underway in society.

In a presidential address containing inescapable echoes of Harold Macmillan's famous "wind of change" speech – which heralded the advent of African independence – the archbishop told the York synod that the recent debate over same-sex marriage had shown that society's attitudes to sexuality were changing radically, and that the church risked appearing uncomfortably out-of-step.

"Anyone who listened to much of the Same Sex Marriage bill second reading debate in the House of Lords could not fail to be struck by the overwhelming change of cultural hinterland," he said. "Predictable attitudes were no longer there. The opposition to the Bill was utterly overwhelmed … [and] there was noticeable hostility to the view of the churches."

Welby added: "We may or may not like it but we must accept that there is a revolution in the area of sexuality."

However, the archbishop stopped well short of announcing any change to the church's line on same-sex marriage.

"I am not proposing new policy," he said, "but what I felt then and what I feel now is that some of what was said was uncomfortably close to the bone."

Instead, the leader of the world's 78 million Anglicans announced that the Church of England was developing a programme to tackle homophobic bullying and stereotyping in its 5,000 state and independent schools and academies in England. Specific advice, he added, would be sought from those organisations best equipped to help.

While it was "utterly horrifying" to hear of gay people being executed in Iran, said Welby, the church had to show a firm commitment to fighting homophobia at home.

"More than that, we need also to ensure that what we do and say demonstrates the lavish love of God to all of us, who are without exception sinners," he said. "Again this requires radical and prophetic words which lavish gracious truth."

Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of the lesbian, gay and bisexual equality organisation Stonewall, said it would be happy to help with the anti-homophobia programme and pointed out that it was already working with several dozen C of E schools.

But he added: "The cynic would be tempted to think perhaps that the archbishop is trying to distract attention from his failure to engage gay people when they requested it over the issue of marriage."

In a speech whose theme was radical change – "we live in a time of revolutions; once they start no one knows where they will end" – Welby also touched on the upheavals in Egypt and the desperate economic plight of many Britons.

Mention was also made of the vexed issue of female bishops, which split the synod last year when legislation to introduce women into the episcopate was narrowly defeated.

He said: "This synod had a shock last November, but there is here assembled, in weakness or confidence, in all sorts of fear and lack of trust, people with the faith and wisdom who in grace will seek the way to the greater glory of God."

On Saturday, the synod will meet behind closed doors to discuss the issue and on Monday will debate new legislation that would see the first women bishops in 2015.