OneBodyOneFaith, formerly the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM), describes itself as "UK-based international Charity which challenges homophobia and transphobia, especially within the Church and faith based organisations".
History
The Gay Christian Movement was founded in 1976 at
St Botolph's Aldgate
St Botolph's Aldgate is a Church of England parish church in the City of London and also, as it lies outside the line of the city's former eastern walls, a part of the East End of London.
The full name of the church is St Botolph without Aldga ...
, and the Revd Richard Kirker was its first general secretary. In 1977, local chapters were organised, followed in 1978 by the Women's Group, the Evangelical Fellowship in 1979 and Young Lesbian and Gay Christians in 2000. The name was eventually changed to the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement in 1987. The twentieth-anniversary event, held on 16 November 1996 at
Southwark Cathedral
Southwark Cathedral ( ) or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the River Thames close to London Bridge. It is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. ...
with
John Gladwin
John Warren Gladwin (born 30 May 1942) is a retired Anglican bishop. From 2004 to 2009, he was the Bishop of Chelmsford in the Church of England. He stands in the open evangelical tradition.
Early life
Gladwin was born on 30 May 1942 in Hertfor ...
, then
Bishop of Guildford
The Bishop of Guildford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Guildford in the Province of Canterbury.
The title had first appeared as a suffragan See in the Diocese of Winchester in 1874. The Bishop suffragan of Guildford assi ...
, as preacher, was the first Anglican cathedral service in Britain held for gay people. Over 2,000 people attended. About 50 local churches held vigils in protest.
The Anglican churches in the British Isles are the main focus of LGCM activity, but its membership and interests are nonetheless entirely ecumenical and international.
The movement has criticised Pope
Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
over his statement that
gender theory
Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field ...
could lead to the "self-destruction" of humanity. The Reverend Sharon Ferguson, then chief executive of the LGCM, called the statement "totally irresponsible and unacceptable... When you have religious leaders like that making that sort of statement then followers feel they are justified in behaving in an aggressive and violent way." When
Benedict visited the United Kingdom, the movement criticised secular protesters, urging people to "disagree with respect", calling the protests "unhelpful and counterproductive" and holding a prayer vigil.
Present day
In June 2017, LGCM changed its name to OneBodyOneFaith. The current chief executive is Tracey Byrne. The movement's headquarters are located in
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...
. The current Chair is the Venerable
Peter Leonard, Archdeacon of the Isle of Wight and the Vice-Chair is Jarel Robinson-Brown, Associate Chaplain of King's College London.
See also
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Homosexuality and Christianity
Throughout the majority of Christian history, most Christian theologians and denominations have considered homosexual behavior as immoral or sinful. Today, within Christianity, there are a variety of views on sexual orientation and homosexual ...
**
History of Christianity and homosexuality
Christian leaders have written about male homosexual activities since the first decades of Christianity; female homosexual behaviour was almost entirely ignored. Throughout the majority of Christian history, most Christian theologians and den ...
**
The Bible and homosexuality
There are a number of passages in the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament that have been interpreted as involving same-sex sexual activity and relationships. The passages about homosexual individuals and sexual relations in the Hebrew Bible ar ...
*
List of Christian denominational positions on homosexuality
This is a list of Christian denominational positions on homosexuality. The issue of homosexuality and Christianity is a subject of ongoing theological debate within and between Christian denominations and this list seeks to summarize the various ...
**
Anglican views of homosexuality
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Homosexuality in the Roman Catholic priesthood
The canon law of the Roman Catholic Church requires that clerics "observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the kingdom of heaven". For this reason, priests in Roman Catholic dioceses make vows of celibacy at their ordination, th ...
*
Gay bishops
This article largely discusses presence of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and queer bishops in churches governed under episcopal polities. The existence of LGBTQ bishops in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist an ...
**
Jeffrey John
Jeffrey Philip Hywel John (born 10 February 1953) is a Church of England priest, who served as the Dean of St Albans from 2004 until 2021. He made headlines in 2003 when he was the first person to have openly been in a same-sex relationshi ...
(Dean of St Albans)
**
Gene Robinson
Vicky Gene Robinson (born May 29, 1947) is a former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Robinson was elected bishop coadjutor in 2003 and succeeded as bishop diocesan in March 2004. Before becoming bishop, he served as Canon to th ...
(Bishop of New Hampshire)
*The "Soho masses" at the
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory
The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory is a Catholic church on Warwick Street, Westminster. It was formerly known as the Royal Bavarian Chapel, because like several Catholic churches in London it originated as a chapel within ...
References
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External links
LGCM websiteArchivedin 2011
Outcome (formerly the LGCM Methodist Caucus)Young Lesbian and Gay ChristiansEvangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay ChristiansChanging AttitudeGay Christian NetworkChristianGays.comWhosoever Magazine website(the first online magazine for GLBT Christians founded in 1996)
Christian movements
LGBT Christian organizations
LGBT and Christianity
LGBT organisations in the United Kingdom
LGBT history in the United Kingdom
Christian organizations established in 1976
1976 establishments in the United Kingdom
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