A conservative bishop in the Church of England has drawn on the words of the Apostle Paul to urge Christians to remain in the Church despite the Church’s trajectory when it comes to the issue of gay marriage.
Rod Thomas, Bishop of Maidstone and former chair of Reform, a group advocating for biblical values, urged fellow Christians not to abandon the church in this chaotic time.
“In the face of false teaching, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy both to keep his distance from it but also to continue in patient teaching,' Bishop Thomas wrote. “He recognises that this may involve suffering.”
Recently, the Church of England voted to reject a bishop’s report that advocated for maintaining a traditional view on gay marriage. Although this wasn’t explicitly an endorsement of gay marriage, some have feared it is a harbinger of what is to come for official Church doctrine.
Thomas has highlighted the need for conservative Christians not to abandon the church at this critical time.
“The doctrinal foundations of the Church of England are worth protecting,” he wrote.
Thomas also noted that churches may have to break from the general trajectory and have courage to stand up for Scriptural principles.
“So we need to stand firm – continuing to teach and do the work of evangelism, continuing to turn up at Synods in order to contend for the gospel, continuing to encourage one another by meeting together, and continuing to support those who run into difficulty,” he continued.
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Publication date: March 6, 2017
