The House of Bishops has issued yet another statement on Living in Love and Faith (LLF), the Church of England’s years-long programme of exploration to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people.
The statement, in essence an admission of the abject failure of LLF, is long, careful, heavily footnoted, and saturated in the language of process, consultation, working groups and theological caution. What it is not is brave. It is not prophetic. And it is not loving in the way the Gospel demands.
Once again, LGBTQ+ Christians are told, in the gentlest possible ecclesiastical language, that our lives, our marriages, our families and our vocations remain matters for indefinite deferral. We are thanked for our pain. We are apologised to for our bruises. But we are not trusted with equality.
I wrote last year that the Church of England still cannot love freely. I wrote again that it was hiding discrimination behind doctrine. This statement proves that nothing has really changed.
Yes, the bishops say God is love. Yes, they acknowledge the harm done to LGBTQ+ people. Yes, they apologise. But what follows is not repentance. It is delay. It is managerialism. It is the endless creation of new processes designed to avoid making the one decision that actually matters.
There is no recognition that marriage between same-sex couples is as equal and valid as that between a woman and a man.
There is no permission for clergy in same sex marriages to be treated equally.
There is no route for LGBTQ+ people to know when or if they will ever be fully included.
Instead, there is another working group, another consultative body, another two years of uncertainty, and another invitation to wait quietly while our lives remain on hold.
The most painful section of the statement is where the bishops admit that LGBTQ+ people feel less welcome now than three years ago. That is not an accident. It is the predictable outcome of leadership that raised hopes and then systematically extinguished them. That is not discernment. It is failure.
What makes this worse is the asymmetry of sacrifice. Those who oppose equality are offered reassurance, protection, and theological deference. LGBTQ+ Christians are offered prayers, provided they do not disturb anyone else’s conscience. Our relationships may, under limited circumstances, be blessed but not honoured. Our marriages may exist but not be recognised. Our callings may be affirmed but not fully authorised.
This is not generosity. It is conditional acceptance.
The Gospel does not say, love one another unless it makes some people uncomfortable. It does not say, affirm human dignity unless a committee cannot reach consensus. It does not say, delay justice until everyone agrees.
Jesus did not wait for consensus to eat with outcasts, bless the excluded, or challenge the religious authorities of his day. He did not create working groups. He changed lives.
The House of Bishops says it wants to be a focus of unity. But unity that is built on the continued exclusion of LGBTQ+ people is not Christian unity. It is institutional self preservation.
I remain a Christian. I remain a member of the Church of England. But I am weary of a Church that keeps asking me to bring my pain to the altar while it refuses to lay down its power.
This statement is not a step forward. It is a carefully managed decision to stand still.
And standing still, when people are hurting, is not neutral. It is a choice.
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C. E. Lord OBE 