A fairytale romance, especially since they are both men:
Reverend Colin Coward fell in love with Nigerian model Bobby Egbele after they met at a Christian conference in Togo in 2007. The pair plan to tie the knot in October
From here:
A 65-year-old vicar has stunned church bosses by announcing plans to ‘marry’ his 25-year-old Nigerian male model boyfriend.
Gay Reverend Colin Coward, a priest at St John the Baptist church in Devizes, Wiltshire, is entering into a civil partnership with his boyfriend Bobby Egbele.
But the marriage has caused a stir among Christians because the couple plan to receive a ‘blessing’ service in church after tying the knot.
Rev Coward has also refused to confirm that he will remain celibate following the union, which is a requirement the Church of England asks of its ordained gay clergy.
Today, Rev Coward, who lives with Bobby in Marston, near Devizes, revealed that he hopes his union sets a ‘visible example’ to other gay people within the church.
He said: ‘My goal is for everyone within the church to feel comfortable with the situation because at the moment the majority of gay Christians marry secretly.
‘It is a taboo subject but the church is now under huge pressure to change its stance and that pressure will only increase in the future.
……
Rev Coward’s boss, the Right Reverend Stephen David Conway, who is the Bishop of Ramsbury, is also expected to ask him to remain celibate – a request he plans to refuse.
Under Church of England laws sex is only permitted for married couples and same-sex civil partnerships are not officially regarded as marriage.
Rev Coward said: ‘I have big doubts whether he will ask me that because it’s a very intrusive question. It’s a ridiculous situation and a real mess.
‘What we’re allowed to do, as a gay couple, is what this is all about and certainly those in ordained ministry are not supposed to be sexually active.
‘But in practice, some bishops absolutely will give their approval knowing that a couple is in a civil partnership and that they are sharing the same bed, and will encourage them to do that.’
As Rev. Coward notes, “it’s a real mess”; what he fails to note is that he created the mess.
This particular mess is a good illustration of the idiocy of the Church of England’s permitting its clergy to “marry” other men while asking them to remain celibate – nudge, wink. A typical Anglican attempt to find middle ground that doesn’t – and shouldn’t – exist.
this amazing change to the Church of England’s morality will surely bear fruit in that the people of Britain will flock to the churches and praise their god / goddess. But not I.
If same-sex marriage is such a boon for the Anglican church why is it not overcome by gay people wanting to join it?
Eph 3:20,
Perhaps because the CoE is schizophrenic about its attitude to gay people? And that, because the CoE nominally is subscribed to by most Britons, of whom the percentage of homosexuals is likely less than 5%, they won’t be that prominent anyway.
In the USA, with a lot more denominations vying for adherents, and many people switch from the denomination they were born into, you’d find that, especially in university towns where the average Episcopal churchgoer is relatively young, that indeed our homosexual brothers and sisters form a noticeable part of the membership. We share them with the Unitarians and the UCC, of course.