Orthodox Christians opposed to the Labour Government’s Conversion Practices Bill should expect no support from the 26 Church of England bishops in the House of Lords. 

The Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, a prominent supporter of the LGBT agenda in Parliament, fired a warning shot across the bows of any fellow bishop feeling lukewarm about the draft Bill, which the government published on June 25.

In rather gushing terms, The Church Times reported Walker’s warm support for the measure: “The Bishop of Manchester, Dr David Walker, has welcomed the Government’s ‘long overdue’ move to protect LGBTQ+ people in England and Wales from physical and psychological abuse by proposing a legal ban on conversion practices.”

Walker said: “These have harmed LGBT+ people over many years, leaving many with lifelong trauma. This work is long overdue and comes after the General Synod of the Church of England voted, by a very large majority, in favour of the Government bringing forward a ban in 2017. I am pleased that this will bring an opportunity for consultation and scrutiny, so that substantial progress can at last be made.”

Walker’s reminder that back in 2017 the C of E’s General Synod voted overwhelmingly in favour of a conversion therapy ban was calculated. Any bishop who expresses concerns about the implications of the Bill for free speech or religious freedom risks being isolated by his or her episcopal peers.

The Free Speech Union (FSU) has serious concerns about the Bill and has just launched a petition to stop the conversion therapy ban.

Read it all in Christian Today