Gay vicar, Colin Coward aged 65, is set to enter into civil partnership with his 23 year-old Nigerian ‘boyfriend’, Bobby Egbele.

The vicar’s announcement has stunned his superiors in the church and thrown them into confusion because the couple intends to receive ‘blessing’ in church after tying the knot.



One would begin to wonder why Colin would be making such a decision at an age when people usually begin to realize that the greater part of their lives has gone past and theyare moving towards the twilight of their existence here on earth. Such realization often draws one closer to one’s creator because only God gives us assurance of life beyond this world.

On his reason to seek ‘blessing’ for the union, the vicar says, ‘My goal is for everyone within the church to feel comfortable with the situation because at the moment the majority of gay Christians marry secretly. ' It is a taboo subject but the church is now under huge pressure to change its stance and that pressure will only increase in the future”

How did Colin expect Christians to feel comfortable with joining a man to a man or a woman to a woman? Clearly the Bible defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. “For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife and they will be come one flesh” (Gen 2:24, Matt 19:5, Mark 10:7). There is no ambiguity in that statement.  This statement was not inserted carelessly immediately God created the woman and handed her over to the man. It was an ordinance that was established from that first union and sanctioned by God. For emphasis, Jesus quoted Gen 2:24 in Matthew 19:5 during a discourse on the subject of marriage and divorce.

I struggle to understand the vicar when he says, “Clearly the blessing is going to be quite a sensitive issue. I know that many people will see it and view it with horror.

But we are both deeply committed Christians so it would be unthinkable for me not to do it in church and not to do it with the congregation and with all of our friends.”

How can one be a committed Christian and blatantly ignores or rejects a clear, direct command from God? Which blessing does he want to receive on this ‘union’? Surely not the same Christ who quoted the above scripture?  Wouldn’t it have been better for him to toe the same line as his other gays who got married in secret than to invite God’s wrath by seeking His blessing on the very same thing that runs contrary to His divine command?

This is not an attack against gays. I believe God loves them as much as he loves every sinner. What I am against is someone’s attempt to invite God’s sanction upon something that God clearly detests.  “Do not have sex with a man as you would have sex with a woman, I hate that” (Lev 18:22)

Did our dear vicar read and understand the above scripture, which is clear and unambiguous?  What about Lev 20:13?  “Suppose a man has sex with another man as he would have sex with a woman. I hate what they have done. They must be put to death. Anything that happens to them will be their own fault.“. These scripture references need no interpretation or translation. They clearly show that God does not in any way condone homosexuality just like he does not condone adultery, fornication or stealing.

God has definitely not changed His mind about same-sex marriage. It was not His original plan and there is nowhere in the Bible where it was implied in any way. Clearly, no man is born gay. Colin was said to have realized he was gay as a teenager. How come he clearly knew he was a boy when he was a child?  Obviously the distinction in a baby’s sex is so clear that even in the mother’s womb, a foetus’ sex can be determined through medical science. I am yet to see any doctor who has claimed to know that a child is or will be born gay.

The church definitely should be uncomfortable to bless such a union because such a blessing will clearly not come from God. As long as the laws of God in the Bible remain, nothing will change my mind, nor should change the mind of any true Christian about the sinful practice of same-sex marriage.

What part do we have to play as this practice gains momentum? We have to pray for them and trust God to open their eyes of understand and see the sinfulness of this practice. It is not our place to condemn them, however we must not just stand by and let our faith be used as justification for something which God clearly says He hates.  We must condemn the practice and preach the gospel of reconciliation to those who are caught up in this growing cancer that has spread into the church.
Steve O. Popoola
© Biblepraise Fellowship Online, August, 2010.

Steve Popoola is the editor of Biblepraise Newsletter and the webmaster of Biblepraise Fellowship Online at http://www.biblepraise.org.

He currently resides in London where he works as an IT professional. He serves in the ministerial team of his local church as well as in the music ministry. He is the Moderator/Editor of Biblepraise Newsletter. He can be reached through His email address, steve@biblepraise.org