Archbishop of Wales comes out for equal marriage in outgoing statement
By Will Stroude
The Archbishop of Wales has endorsed same-sex marriage in his final address to the Governing Body of the Church in Wales, according Premier Christian Radio.
Dr Barry Morgan, who will retire from his position in January, said that reading the Bible in the context of its whole message led to his progressive views on same-sex unions. Same-sex weddings are currently forbidden by the Church in Wales.
According to reports, in April this year, the Church in Wales’ bishops said they were “not yet ready to allow or bless same-sex marriage” but assured campaigners that “the debate is not over”, adding that the Church should be a place where LGBT people can be “honest and open, respected and affirmed.”
But the outgoing Archbishop has gone further and come out in favour of equal marriage, saying: “Christians have discovered that most people flourish best when this living for others finds its focus in a commitment to one other person: when a couple make a lifelong commitment within which sex properly belongs.”
“Those of us who were or are married have found that to be the case. Why would we want to deny such a possibility for those who are attracted to their own gender?”
“It absolutely will not do to quote texts from parts of the Bible in a simplistic way without reference to their contexts,” he added.
Dr Morgan went on to use the issue of slavery as an example of where the Bible has given conflicting messages.
“In spite of all the passages in favour of slavery,” he argued, “when you examine the Scriptures as a whole and the ministry of Jesus in particular, you realise it is about freedom from all that diminishes and dehumanises people.
“No Christian I hope would today argue that slavery is good, but for nineteen centuries the Church accepted it and defended it.
“God through His Holy Spirit has led us into the truth of seeing things in a totally different way today and we are rightly horrified when we read about people who have been kept as slaves by others.”
He also rejected the idea that permitting same-sex marriage meant “abandoning the Bible,” explaining that he was “trying to interpret it in a way that is consistent with the main thrust of the ministry of Jesus.”
The letter concludes: “Living for others underlines the truest meaning of sexuality.”
The letter comes after a number of Church of England clergy signed an open letter published in the Sunday Times earlier this month, calling for greater inclusion of LGBT people within the church.
Despite a number of high ranking members of the Anglican Church urging the Church to move on from anti-LGBT attitudes, more conservative factions have warned that welcoming LGBT people may lead to a split within the global Anglican church.
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