The Battle for the Bible - is there hope for Wales? Bishop Stuart Bell interview with Tony Rucinski

Bishop Bell on ‘the battle for the Bible’ – is there hope for Wales?
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Dear marriage supporter,

Is Wales a foretaste of where the Church of England is heading? Bishop Stuart Bell joins me to discuss. Stuart has been in ministry for 54 years. He left the Church in Wales after its 2021 vote to allow blessings for same-sex couples. He now serves as a bishop in the Anglican Convocation in Europe (ACE) and pastors a lively congregation near Aberystwyth. Watch the full video here:

Why does Wales matter? In September 2021, the Church in Wales authorised services to bless same-sex civil marriages and partnerships. In July this year, it elected Bishop Cherry Vann as the UK’s first female archbishop. She is in a same-sex civil partnership. Meanwhile, the Church of England has commended “Prayers of Love and Faith” for same-sex couples and, in July 2024, backed stand-alone services in principle.

Stuart is crystal clear about marriage. He says that to make the claim that “doctrine hasn’t changed”, while simultaneously blessing same-sex unions is “duplicitous really”. He says the presenting issue is “the battle for the Bible”. The Biblical pattern of marriage, he says, is simple and good for people: public, exclusive, between a man and a woman, with intimacy following covenant. Therefore, as he puts it: “We don’t need to revisit it. We need to obey it.” He emphasises that marriage is “exclusively for one man and one woman for life”.

He describes what many in Wales now face. Clergy and lay people committed to historic teaching feel pulled in every direction. Some are leaving for orthodox Anglican settings. Others are being replaced by revisionists and we’re seeing congregations collapse.

Stuart goes on to say the effects of what’s happening reach far beyond Wales. He warns the Welsh move “has torn the fabric of the communion”. Responses from across the Anglican world echo that concern, including statements from Gafcon and the Church of Nigeria rejecting the Welsh election. Stuart says that “the focus of the world is on Wales, but not for a good reason”.

Yet collapse is not inevitable, he insists.

The Bible Society’s England and Wales figures show monthly attendance among 18-24s rising from 4% to 16% in six years, with notable growth in streams outside the Anglican Church. And fresh UK polling shows most Gen Z (people born from 1997-2012) still want to marry, with fewer than in the past calling marriage ‘irrelevant’.

C4M supporters come from all faiths and none. Our priority is to champion real marriage in public life, defend the freedom to say it, and help the next generation choose it. The Church, established and otherwise, must play a huge part in achieving this vision, by returning to the Biblical definition of marriage.

If you’re not yet supporting C4M financially but would like to help, please click the donate button at http://www.c4m.org.uk

Dr Tony Rucinski

  / coalition4marriage