In my latest C4M interview, I sit down with Revd Andrew Symes, a prominent Anglican clergyman. He explains why one-man one-woman marriage for life is still the gold standard for individuals, children and the country. I would encourage you to watch the first part of my two-part conversation with Andrew here.
Andrew says our legal system has been shaped “for the protection of marriage and family life and actually the protection of women”. That is why he rejects claims in Parliament that Sharia courts are no different from Christian and Jewish marriage arrangements. Civil law in Britain is meant to protect women and children, he says, not leave them at the mercy of unregistered religious unions.
He then turns to the reaction within the Church of England. Too many leaders, he argues, have reduced Christianity to “let’s be nice to each other”, and little more. In that climate senior clergy tell him that “teaching about one man one woman for life is hurtful to people”, and even deny the permanence and exclusiveness of marriage altogether.
Andrew is clear that this is not real compassion. “If you have to tell a lie in order to be compassionate, then it’s not compassionate.” Instead, he insists, “truth and compassion will always go together”. Applied to marriage, that means holding the line on vows and helping couples to keep promises rather than quietly cheering on divorce.
Andrew argues it is vital that the state continues to back real marriage. Cohabitation proposals, no fault divorce and a ‘marriage-lite’ culture all erode the protections that marriage gives women and children, which is why he presses the need for churches to “defend what’s currently there and to teach people about what marriage is”.
At C4M the focus is on championing exactly the kind of faithful, public, one man one woman marriage that Andrew describes, and on resisting both cultural drift and legal change that cheapen it. Supporters like you help us keep that case in the public square, in Parliament and in the churches.