Ben John on CofE same-sex prayers: ‘These blessings are curses’

16 November 2023

Christian Concern’s Benjamin John delivered a truthful, convicting speech at Synod on God’s glorious pattern for marriage, and CofE bishops’ rebellious undermining of the authoritative Word of God.

“Did God really say?”

Alluding to the serpent’s deceit in Genesis, Benjamin calls Synod’s recent motion what it is – blasphemy.

Contrary to canonical teaching, the Church of England will soon introduce special services asking for God’s blessing for same-sex couples, on a trial basis.

“We’ve needed faithful and clear leadership proclaiming the beauty of marriage – the glorious picture of Christ laying down his for his bride, the church. It’s a wonderful truth. We have a beautiful gospel. We have a glorious hope.

Instead we have contradictory hopes. We have ‘pastoral provision in a time of uncertainty’.

Instead of proclaiming the will of God clear in Scripture we say, ‘What is God doing?’, ‘What is the Spirit saying?’.”

You can watch and read Ben’s speech in full below.

Read the transcript:

Living in love and faith can be summarised in four words:

“Did God really say?”

As Canon B30 says:

“The Church of England affirms, according to our Lord’s teaching, that marriage is
in its nature a union […] of one man with one woman.”

We’ve had years of sowing doubt about the goodness and beauty of God’s pattern for marriage.

We’ve lost confidence in the Bible and what it teaches.

We’ve doubted whether this really was our Lord’s teaching. Did. God. Really. Say?

We’ve needed faithful and clear leadership, proclaiming the beauty of marriage.

The glorious picture of Christ laying down his life for his bride, the church. It is a wonderful truth.

We have a beautiful gospel.

We have a glorious hope.

Yet instead we have “contradictory hopes.”

We have “pastoral provision in a time of uncertainty.”

Instead of proclaiming the will of God clear in Scripture, we say, ‘What is God doing? What is the Spirit saying?’.

This is a blasphemy — against the holiness and power of God.

I’ve been struck speaking to a group outside from X-Out Loud who have described to me the transforming work of God in their lives and they said, ‘These blessings are curses’.

Bishops, at the end of your ministry, do you want to be able to say ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’?

Or will you reject it and make a shipwreck of your faith?

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians [4:2-3, 7-8]:

“For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality […] For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God […].”

Thank you.

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