The Bible’s teaching on sexuality must not be compromised, the former Bishop of Rochester has urged Anglican leaders from around the world.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali’s warning came ahead of a summit in Canterbury this week, during which over 30 Archbishops will discuss the topic of human sexuality.
He said he disagreed that there can be different interpretations of scripture on the issue.
Cannot compromise
“The Bible is clear on many things, including its teaching on human sexuality and the Church has upheld that teaching for 2,000 years,” he said.
He added: “What we cannot do is compromise what is not ours to compromise. If they in any way compromise the Bible’s teaching, that would be an issue.”
Peter Jensen, the General Secretary of GAFCON, a group of conservative Anglican churches seeking to restore the Bible to the heart of the Anglican Communion, said that: “Truth matters even more than institutional unity.”
Cheap grace
He added that accepting same-sex marriage rewrites the Bible and therefore the Christian faith.
A statement about this week’s summit on GAFCON’s website said: “The Anglican Communion is in danger of leaving aside the gospel of God’s costly grace to us sinners, replacing it with the poor substitute of cheap grace which makes us comfortable but can neither save nor transform.”
The Anglican Communion comprises 85 million people in 165 countries, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, as the most senior bishop.