Gay Marriage? - The Parish of Greenford Magna

Malcolm Ede makes the following contribution to the debate...
A huge furore has broken out in the Christian Church concerning the whole question of Gay Marriage.
Before we begin the debate into this matter, I think that we should look into what “marriage” should be about. I
know that people will say that marriage is between a man and a woman who wish to make public their love for
one another. The marriage service states that, “it is given as the foundation of family life in which children may
be born and nurtured in accordance with God’s will, to his praise and glory” (Holy Matrimony Service Book
currently used at Holy Cross Church). However, some people who marry have no desire whatsoever to have
children whilst others, for varying reasons, cannot have children either, but we still “allow” these people to
marry each other in a church.
No, I would contend that marriage should be for two human beings, male and male, female and female and
male and female who wish to make public their love for each other in a Christian setting and to have God’s
blessing on their union. For me this is the acid test – their loving relationship.
I know that gay people have been allowed to have blessings in some churches – we have had a few such
blessings in Holy Cross Church some years ago, but I have always thought that this is really a, “second best”
alternative to what gay people really wanted which is a “proper” marriage service in a church.
I would also say that events do move on. It was not so long ago that divorcees were not permitted to marry in
a church but now it’s quite a common occurrence.
As far as the issue of love is concerned, St. Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthians Chapter 13 verse 13,
“Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love”. (Good News for
Modern Man). We often say that God is love and, therefore, I think that we should celebrate that love
whenever and wherever we meet or find it. Also, I think that it is right to say that if gay people wish to
celebrate their love for each other in a full marriage service setting in a church then we should not just “permit”
it but all join in and actively celebrate this love too. We should not seek to limit God’s love.
Maybe the wording of the Marriage Service setting will have to be amended in order to accommodate the
possibility of a Gay Marriage – but this is not an impossible task. The Marriage Service wording has changed
many times over the years and will continue to be so.
Once many gay marriages in church have taken place and years later we will probably wonder what all the
fuss was about.