The Bishops of the Church of England have been struggling with the question of who should be allowed to marry in its Churches.
The answer is simple. Jesus did not command his followers to all believe the same thing, and we’re never likely to do so. Christians disagree on a whole range of matters. But Jesus did command his followers to love one another. The unity of the church should be based on mutual love, not on some notion of a non-existent doctrinal purity.
So the answer is for the Church of England to allow the marriage of all in its churches, but not to make it obligatory for individual clergy & congregations, rather allowing them to make their own decisions as to what they deem appropriate. As the saying goes “ All may, some should, none must.”
Not all will respond in the same way, but the church would expect all to exercise Jesus’ love for one another & to respect a variety of views.
This seems both consistent with Jesus’ teaching, and a message & example that the world desperately needs.
