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Prominent Oxford Evangelical Vaughan Roberts Reveals Same-Sex Attraction

Well-known British evangelical chooses to remain celibate, believes in “greater openness to talk about these issues.”

Christianity Today September 27, 2012

Following in the footsteps of Jonathan Merritt, a prominent British evangelical leader has disclosed his same-sex attraction.

Vaughan Roberts, rector at St. Ebbe’s, Oxford, made the announcement as he re-released his book, Battles Christians Face, which describes eight struggles of Christian life and biblical sin (including homosexuality); Roberts says the book was written out of his own experience.

“As a single man I am celibate, because I believe the Bible teaches that the right context for sex is only in marriage between a man and a woman,” Roberts stated.

In an interview with Evangelicals Now, Roberts says his struggle with sexual sin does not define him as a homosexual.

“I’m not making a revelation about my fundamental identity, other than that, like all Christians, I am a sinner saved by grace, called to live in the brokenness of a fallen world until Christ returns and brings all our battles to an end,” he said.

Roberts is an ordained minister in the Church of England, which does not object to “people being church leaders because of a homosexual orientation,” he said.

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