since same-sex \u201d\u02dcmarriages\u2019 became legal in Great Britain in 2014 a number of Church of England laity and clergy have entered into them. In addition the majority report of the House of Bishops Working Group on Human Sexuality (the \u201d\u02dcPilling\u2019 report) recommended in 2013 that priests should \u201d\u02dcbe free to mark the formation of a permanent same sex relationship in a public service\u2019 and if this recommendation eventually becomes Church of England policy the pressure to move from this half way house to the solemnization of same-sex \u201d\u02dcmarriages\u2019 will become acute.<\/p>\n
What all this means is that although the debate about the blessing of same-sex relationships and the ordination and consecration of those in such relationships have not gone away the new storm centre in the Anglican Communion is going to be same-sex \u201d\u02dcmarriage.\u2019<\/p>\n
In this paper I provide an introduction to this debate by setting out and assessing the arguments for same-sex \u201d\u02dcmarriage\u2019 put forward in reports from the Scottish Episcopal Church, The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. At the end of the paper I will give an overview of what I think we have learned about the key issues in the debate and the challenges facing the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.<\/p>\n