ENGLAND: HOMOSEXUALITY IS DIVINELY ORDERED, SAYS NEW ANGLICAN CATECHISM

By Victoria Combe – The Telegraph

A radical new Anglican catechism—commissioned by the Archbishop of York, the Most Rev. David Hope—declares that homosexuality “may well not be a condition to be regretted, but one with divinely ordered and positive qualities.”

Authored by Canon Edward Norman of York Minster, An Anglican Catechism is the first attempt since the 1662 Book of Common Prayer to comprehensively define Anglican teaching. In its section on sexuality, it diverges sharply from official church doctrine and the views of then-Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey.

The catechism states:

“Homosexual Christian believers should be encouraged to find in their sexual preferences such elements of moral beauty as may enhance their general understanding of Christ’s calling.”

This directly contradicts the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution—endorsed by Dr. Carey and many Global South bishops—which affirmed that “homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture” and commended abstinence for those not called to marriage. It also opposes the 1991 Issues in Human Sexuality document, which barred clergy from homosexual relationships.

Norman addresses the contradiction: “The Church continues to classify homosexuality as intrinsically disordered, yet significant numbers of Christians are—and always have been—homosexual.” He adds that homosexuality “is not generally chosen, but arises from inherited impulses or early experience.”

Dr. Hope, who described the work as “a celebration of Christian living,” has himself faced scrutiny over his sexuality—once calling it a “grey area” and affirming his celibacy.

Richard Kirker of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement welcomed the catechism as “a refreshing statement the Church is crying out for.”