Justin Welby is right. The Church must be clearer on teaching about sex

Bobbi Kumari was pleased to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury say the Church should be more unapologetic about the “basic rules of sexual morality” – but is the devil in the detail, she wonders?

Last week, Most Rev Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, delivered a speech at the Religion Media Conference. He was then interviewed and the audience asked some questions. The first one was around the potential risk of disestablishment if Parliament were ever to force churches to conduct same-sex marriages.

The archbishop’s response was encouraging: “It’s not going to make any difference to the future of the Church, whether it’s established or disestablished,” he said. “It’s in the hands of God”. Amen to that. “Disestablishment is a normal part of church life,” he continued, “and has been for hundreds and hundreds of years.”

Addressing how the Church might handle such pressure, he said: “Parliament is sovereign and is entitled to vote on these issues. What the Church would then do would depend on our consciences and, in the end, what we, after prayer and consideration, believe is right in the eyes of God. [This] certainly may involve refusing to do what the law says.”