Why do I think College of Bishops have made the right decision? Well, most obviously because their response to Pilling is exactly the one I said in November was needed. The reason for this is more and more evident in public responses, particularly on social media, from all sides of the debate.<\/p>\n
On the one hand, many \u201d\u02dcconservatives\u2019 say that there is nothing to be done, and no need any further discussion. I don\u2019t think this takes into account sufficiently the need for the Church of England to develop more credible pastoral response, taking into account what Justin Welby described as the revolution in attitudes within society on this issue.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, many \u201d\u02dcrevisionists\u2019 agree there is no need for further discussion, but for exactly the opposite reason. It is clear what God is doing in society, and the Church needs to catch up without any further delay. You can see this very clearly in the fulminating responses to yesterday\u2019s announcement on the Thinking Anglicans website (was there ever more irony in a website name?).<\/p>\n