In August 2017 a number of Evangelical Christian leaders published the Nashville Statement, as a public testimony to the Bible’s teaching on sexuality and gender. The Statement was produced by the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) in partnership with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (in the USA). It is a helpful summary of Biblical teaching and has been reproduced below (a pdf version can be downloaded from the CBMW website). Nashville Statement “Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves…” –Psalm 100:3 Preamble Evangelical Christians at the dawn of theRead More →

IF I was in a same-¬sex relationship I’m pretty sure I’d feel unfairly discriminated against. I may be thankful for the legislative changes that have removed discrimination in some areas, but I’d still feel unfairly discriminated against. The definition of marriage may soon change to honour and embrace relationships like mine. But still I’d feel unfairly discriminated against. I would want more. Allow me to ask of my gay friends: what is offensive to you? Is it simply that our legal system fails to sanction your relationship as a marriage? Or is it something more? Is it also offensive that certain people will still goRead More →

[Originally submitted to ABC news 18/8/2017] Peter Ellerton makes an excellent point, and yet seems to miss the mark, in his well-reasoned article “When it comes to same-sex marriage, not all views deserve respect” (ABC News, 17 Aug). He states it succinctly and beautifully: “people are worthy of respect, ideas are not” (or not necessarily). Ideas “need to stand or fall exclusively on their merits”. But unfortunately his article fails to apply these principles fairly across the board. This is what his principles look like from my perspective: I love and respect all people in the LGBTIQ + community. I regard the concept of homosexualRead More →