Chorlton Central Church

The Christian Church is commonly thought to oppose homosexuality and condemn homosexuals.

But this is NOT the belief of all Christians, nor can it be 'proved' from the Bible.

The Revd Sarah Brewerton writes ...

As usual, is was quite an occasion!

The "Christians Walking with Pride" were the smallest group taking part in the Parade - there were four of us - but we were effective! Before the parade started, two men approached us and asked to take our photograph, and blew us a kiss in thanks. At the end, a man came up to me, took my hand and said "Bless you." Both occasions brought a lump to my throat. If we had made a difference to those three people, then it had been worthwhile.

But there were many more bystanders who cheered us on our way, some of whom we recognised, but many we didn't. I was glad that I decided to wear a clerical collar (the first ever time in 25 years of ministry!). While normally I don't like to be set apart by what I wear, on this occasion it gave an immediate and clear message.

As we expected, there was a group of Christians standing at the side of the parade, protesting, with what can only be described as homophobic messages on their placards. We heard several jeers as we walked past, but this was drowned out by the applause from other people standing near by.

But what was even more moving was the presence of a group of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered) people dressed as angels. This is why they were there;

"We are here to protect you from the offensive comments of the Christian group stood behind us. Matthew Sheppard was a gay man who was killed in a homophobic attack in Wyoming in the USA. At his funeral, a band of "God hates fags" protesters turned up. At the court hearing of his murderers, a group of angels turned up to block the view of the horrible placards from Matthew's family. We are re-enacting this scene to show that LGBT history is still relevant and important, and we have to keep fighting bigotry."

As Christians, we too have to keep opposing hatred. That's why I was proud to be on the parade.

We hope that next year we'll have a stronger presence. Will you join us?

Sarah Brewerton

follow this link for Bible study material on the subject of sexuality

new page 28 August 2010