One in three UK Christians hide their support for same-sex marriage, says study
By Josh Haggis
A new survey has found that one in three Christians in the UK are ashamed to admit they support same-sex marriage.
The UK-based research, carried out by the Oasis Trust, found that almost 50% of Christians – from the 11 main denominations in the UK – believe that same-sex marriage should be supported and embraced by the religion.
Despite this, 37% admitted that they are “nervous” of sharing their pro-gay marriage views with other members of the church for fear of being looking down upon.
Director of Oasis, Steve Chalke, told Christian Today, explained that this fear also affects the many church leaders who support same-sex marriage.
“A huge number of church leaders, both local and national, have come to me and said ‘Steve, we’re with you, but we don’t want to stand up and take the shots for this,” he said. “Many of the most senior church leaders in the country have said they support same-sex relationships, but feel they cannot state it publicly.”
“I totally understand why they’re scared, but this is one of those funny situations where everyone is afraid of one another. Leaders are scared they’ll be rejected by the people, and the people are scared they’ll be rejected by their leaders, so this dishonesty develops,” he added.
Meanwhile, in a groundbreaking move a US church has altered its definition of marriage to include same-sex couples – find out more here.
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