Over a hundred serving Oxford clergy have signed a petition opposing a call by local bishops for “an attitude of inclusion and respect for LGBTQ+ people,” including staff from two Oxford colleges.
The petition questions whether those in same sex relationships should be eligible for ordination or communion, arguing that the Bible “discourages participation in the Lord’s Supper for those who have not examined themselves.”
Two members of Wycliffe Hall’s five-strong senior management team, Greg Downes and Justyn Terry, are among the signatories, along with five of the college’s tutors and lecturers: Andrew Atherstone, Bruce Gilling- ham, Simon Ponsonby, Michael Green and David Wenham.
St. Edmund Hall’s Chaplain and senior welfare officer Will Donaldson also signed the petition, along with Joel Knight, who oversees a congregation largely composed of Oxford students at St. Ebbe’s. The petition was also signed by rectors of St. Aldate’s and St. Ebbe’s churches, Charlie Cleverly and Vaughan Roberts.
The letter concludes with the signatories threatening to disassociate their churches from the Diocese. They write: “advocacy of same-sex sexual intimacy is either an expression of the love of God or it creates an obstacle to people entering the kingdom of God. It cannot be both.
“The situation is serious. If not addressed, we would all struggle to support the leadership of our bishops in this matter and a number of our churches may want to seek alternative means of receiving episcopal ministry, in recognition that your position is seriously differentiated from theirs. This would be a tragedy.”
The faith reps for Oxford University LGBTQ+ Society told Cherwell: “Whilst it is heartening that the letter-writers affirm that ‘no person is a problem or an issue’, we do not feel this is conveyed by the tone of the letter, which expresses ‘grave concern’, claims ‘the situation is seri- ous’, and says they are ‘disturbed’ by the Bishops’ words of inclusion.
“This kind of tone can have a detrimental effect on the atmosphere and attitudes which LGBTQ+ people experience, who are often already excluded or encouraged to reject their identities in some Christian communities.
“This is especially concerning given that several of the signatories are in pastoral roles in and around the university. LGBTQ+ Soc would like to urge anyone affected to get in touch with us: we’re here to support all LGBTQ+ students in Oxford, and offer a wide range of welfare-focused events, including those specifically targeted at LGBTQ+ people of faith.”
The four bishops of the Oxford diocese wrote to 1,500 ministers in October, announcing the formation of a new LGBTQ+ chaplaincy team and an informal LGBTQ+ advisory group.
The petition criticises the fact that this advisory group “does not include same-sex attracted people who advocate celibacy in faithfulness to Scripture.
“Overall, however, our overriding concern is with the direction of travel which the Diocese is taking as revealed by this letter.”
Quoting evangelical Bishop William Love, the authors write that the new LGBTQ+ guidance “does a great disservice and injustice to our gay and lesbian Brothers and Sisters in Christ, by leading them to believe that God gives his blessing to the sharing of sexual intimacy within a same-sex relationship, when in fact He has reserved the gift of sexual intimacy for men and women within the confines of marriage between a man and woman.”
The signatories write: “We entirely endorse the view that nobody should be told that their sexual orientation makes them an unsuitable candidate for leadership in the Church.”
However, they clarify that this does not include those who are sexually active, stating: “[I]n discussing leadership in the local church, the letter seeks to suggest that this should mean acceptance into leadership of those who identify themselves as LGBTQ+.
“This carries with it a range of understandings about what is appropriate by way of lifestyle. We cannot see how it is right to accept as Christian leaders those who advocate lifestyles that are not consistent with New Testament teaching.”
Arguing that those in same-sex relationships should be excluded from communion and ordination, the petition states: “The Letter makes specific reference to nobody being excluded or discouraged from receiving the sacraments of baptism or the Lord’s Supper. Such indiscriminate participation seems to be inconsistent with the witness of Scripture.”
One of the signatories, St. Ebbe’s Rector Vaughan Roberts, is celibate for this reason. He told Evangelicals Now: “The Bible presents only two alternatives: heterosexual marriage or celibacy,” arguing that “homo- sexual sin must always be resisted.”
The signatories write: “If we cannot clearly advocate God’s revealed will and encourage each other to repent, then we are ill-served by the Diocese.”
The chair of Oxford’s clergy Sue Booys described the petition’s signatories as an “unrepresentative fraction.” Speaking to Cherwell, she said: “My experience is that the Bishops’ pastoral letter has been widely appreciated in the Diocese.”
She continued: “On an issue like this one clergy are speak- ing personally and not for their parishes. For some people it has been distressing to see their clergy signing a letter with which they would not agree.
“The clergy and laity of our Diocese have confidence in the Bishop and his senior staff and are engaging warmly with our emerging missional strategy around the call to be more Christ-like through our Contemplative, Compassionate and Courageous lives in Church and Society.”
The bishops of Oxford, Reading, Dorchester and Buckingham also responded by clarifying that their original letter was “not intended as a theological statement [but rather] to commend love and care in the midst of a challenging period in the Church of England’s ongoing conversation on sexuality.”
The dispute comes amidst a row over Professor John Finnis’ homophobic views, which were the subject of a controversial student petition which garnered almost 600 signatures earlier this month. None of the signatories named in this article responded to a request for comment.
