Evangelical Alliance general director Steve Clifford
Steve Chalke is a friend of mine. We go back many years. I am convinced that when the history of the Church in the UK is written, Steve’s contribution over the last 25 years will be recognised as profoundly significant. So with this as a backdrop I am writing my response to Steve’s article in Christianity magazine. While I understand and respect Steve’s pastoral motivations, I believe the conclusions he has come to on same-sex relationships are wrong.
It is with both sadness and disappointment that I reflect on how Steve has not only distanced himself from the vast majority of the evangelical community here in the UK, but indeed from the Church across the world and 2,000 years of biblical interpretation.
Steve has raised issues which touch on deep areas of human identity. At a Soul Survivor seminar last summer, a Baptist minister who lives with same-sex attraction introduced his talk to a marquee full of young people by indicating that he would love to find a theology in the Bible which would support a sexually-active gay life. But, he said: “I’ve come to the conclusion that it is not there and I don’t want to live in rebellion to the one that I love.“
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Here’s a tip: you live with a disease like cancer or some other sort of disability; if someone – however ministerial – has been coerced into thinking their legitimate sexual preference is a disability, it’s probably a bad thing to do to them.
What repressed thinking they might then communicate to their flock, horrifies me.
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