Several clergy acknowledged the struggles they had on the issue. The Revd Richard Wood (Bangor) believed that those opposed to the Bill had been misrepresented: \u201cWe disagree how we read scripture. I stand here not as a bigot, but as someone who has struggled to a point where I believe this Bill would be crossing a boundary,\u201d he said. \u201cMy position has been maligned. A pastoral response is not to offer kindness for kindness\u2019s sake….\u201d<\/p>\n
Bishop Cameron, summing up the debate, described it as \u201cthe most difficult job I\u2019ve ever been given\u201d. He sought to assure the Evangelical constituency that he had not chosen to misrepresent or condemn their views.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I talked about my understanding of scripture, I was speaking autobiographically. It was not intended as rubbishing of conservative Evangelical thinking, theology, or ministry.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t agree with you that the Bible can only be read as hostile to gay relationships. I refuse to be told that I am \u2018unorthodox\u2019. . . We should not \u2018disfellowship\u2019 each other because we do not agree on this issue. . . Christ compels me to stand with the vulnerable and oppressed. I will not betray them at any price in this world or the next.\u201d<\/p>\n