Mark Russell talk at 'Drenched in Grace'

Thinking Anglicans has posted this link to Mark Russells excellent closing address at the recent Drenched in Grace' conference.

Russell is the new head honcho at the Church Army, a mission-minded evangelical, and the conference was organised by 'Inclusive Church', an organisation campaigning under the following rubric:

We affirm that the Church's mission, in obedience to Holy Scripture, is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every generation.

We acknowledge that this is Good News for people regardless of their sex, race or sexual orientation.

We believe that, in order to strengthen the Gospel's proclamation of justice to the world, and for the greater glory of God, the Church's own common life must be justly ordered.
To that end, we call on our Church to live out the promise of the Gospel; to celebrate the diverse gifts of all members of the body of Christ; and in the ordering of our common life to open the ministries of deacon, priest and bishop to those so called to serve by God, regardless of their sex, race or sexual orientation

All of which I agree with, though for IC there seems to be the subtext that sexual orientation and sexual practice are all of a piece, and therefore all sexual orientations other than heterosexual should be treated as on a par with male-female relationships. (That's not something I agree with.)

Which makes it all the more impressive that they should invite an evangelical like Mark Russell to speak at their conference, so well done to them, and well done to Mark for what reads like an excellent address, and if it looks good on paper, it probably sounded even better in person. Coming from Northern Ireland, he has a vital perspective on how fundamental disagreements can be overcome and worked through, something the Anglican church needs to hear at the moment.