A group of once-gay Christians will be present at Church of England headquarters today through Wednesday, Nov. 15, to greet members of the Church of England’s General Synod, who will be debating blessings for same-sex couples.
 
In a press release, the members of X-Out-Loud said they are passionate about how their relationships with Jesus Christ challenged their gay behaviors and gender confusion, yet encouraged them to trust Christ for freedom and a new identity. They will assemble to testify against the church’s sanctioning of same-sex unions, on any level. They see blessing same-sex couples as the first of many inevitable steps to changing orthodox doctrine by sanctioning same-sex “marriage.” Such a progression, they argue, will normalize homosexual behavior as a variant sexual expression, something profoundly contrary to the teaching of the Bible and the witness of the church through the centuries.
 

“We all come from a background of emotional brokenness and confusion about our sexual and gender identity,” the group said in a letter to the Church of England. “We’ve explored different ways and tried many things in the hope of becoming comfortable and fulfilled with ourselves.”

They went on to explain in the letter that before their spiritual awakening, many of them suffered suicidal thoughts due to the internal tumult and empty promises they heard around them and in the media, including sentiments like “accept yourself,” “you were born that way,” “it’s just who you are, embrace it.”

The archbishops of Canterbury and York declined to meet with the group ahead of the General Synod.

X-Out-Loud’s co-director Mike Davidson said the high officers of the state Church of England have a responsibility to those outside of the Anglican Communion, both within and beyond the U.K., who care deeply and work tirelessly to support those who reject the new practice of churches promoting same-sex unions. 

Blessing same-sex couples opposes the clear teaching of Christ and conflicts with scientific evidence that sexual orientation is neither inborn nor unchangeable, Davidson said. He added that the initiative appears to be based on “the outdated and disproven concept that sexuality is innate and immutable.” Research shows that sexuality can be fluid, he said, adding that people with same-sex attraction often have heterosexual attraction, too, and move toward heterosexuality over time.
 
Appeasement of LGBT+ ideology has characterized Archbishop Justin Welby and more recently Archbishop Stephen Cottrell’s time in office. However, clear evidence has been presented to the archbishop and to all Members of Parliament and both Houses of Bishops and of Laity, regarding what Davidson calls the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ “dogmatic mis-representation of the seminal literature on the nature of sexual orientation.”

The Pilling Commission reviewed and found that the RCPsych presentation exposed how the evidence presented was equivocal at best, according to Davidson. “This equivocation was ignored. Now we have the culmination of this tragedy by which both the state and the church were, and continue to be, misinformed of the scientific record. The church, ahead of the state, is poised, therefore, to mislead the nation. The consequences for both the nation and the state church will be catastrophic.

“I am immensely grateful for the bravery of the X-Out-Loud team, in sharing the grace that is setting them free, and which reflects an alternative pathway to affirming homosexual attractions, behaviors and partnerships,” Davidson said.
 
Victor Novitchi, also a co-director of X-Out-Loud, said the group is saddened to see that the Church of England wants to change God’s beautiful standards of sexuality. 

“His pattern for humanity is perfect,” Novitchi said. “He made us to desire a union with the opposite sex and become one—a journey that we ourselves are growing in. Changing God’s word to fit the narratives and relationships that failed us is deeply concerning. The Church’s direction of travel will only keep people who struggle with unwanted same-sex attraction bound in their undesired addictions and brokenness, without a way towards wholeness, transformation, and hope.”
 

Photo: Courtesy of Christian Concern