Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey: Same-Sex Marriage Legislation ‘Cultural and Theological Vandalism’

Joel Boersma
March 2, 2012

Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, recently denounced the United Kingdom’s aim to legislate for same-sex marriages by the year 2015. He addressed the Coalition for Marriage at the launch of the organization stating, “The government has no mandate from the people to redefine marriage, and that is why we are gathered here today.”

With the hope of preserving the “age-old” institution, Lord Carey warned that this critical and misguided act would threaten the balance of a well-ordered and well-structured society, as traditionally understood: “[We are] worried because an institution that has stood the test of time and is the building block of society is under threat, and disappointed that the government has taken upon itself to redefine the nature of marriage.”

He noted that the issue did not have to do with the civil role of marriage. Herein the government takes up its role in making a marriage or other partnership legally valid in the eyes of the state. “But let me make it clear…that civil partnerships themselves are not at the heart of our objections.” Carey drew a fundamental distinction and speaks to a two-tiered understanding: that which the church has called “marriage” and that which the state has called “civil union.”

Instead, the objection Lord Carey pointed to was the state’s “progressive” desire to uproot the theological grounding and biblical understanding that the church has maintained for over 2,000 years. Thus, for the state to step in and draw new boundaries for marriage, that which concerns the institution it had no part in founding, has been a source of debate and unrest both within the church and in the public square.

Carey also cited a version of the story that rarely is covered. He referenced a few of his personal friends that are homosexuals, who are “uncomfortable that their situation is being exploited to challenge the traditional view of marriage.” He then added, “They perceive that when marriage as we understand it is challenged, so is the centrality of the family at the heart of our society.”

Lord Carey concluded with an ominous assessment, speaking to the urgent consequences of adapting such laws that infringe upon the integrity of the church: “This matter is so serious and so important for our nation that we cannot allow this act of cultural and theological vandalism to happen.”

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