As debates around sexuality rumble on within certain sections of the church, and become increasingly entrenched and embittered, there is an increasing need from non-evangelicals and evangelicals alike to grasp the historical and cultural context in which current debates about sexuality are happening. Offering a detailed examination of the development, consolidation and fracturing of an evangelical Anglican consensus on the issue, this Defusing the Sexuality Debate seeks to explain why current disagreements are so intractible and offer some suggestions as to how all sides could facilitate a more constructive conversation. Author Mark Vasey-Saunders untangles the complexity of the issues, shows the limitations of some of the more simplistic analyses, and suggests some ways in which it is possible for evangelicals to engage constructively with one another across different sides of the conversation.

The Revd Dr Mark Vasey-Saunders is a priest in the Church of England and works as a tutor at St Hild College, Yorkshire, teaching anglicanism, doctrine and ethics. He has served in a variety of dioceses over the last twenty years and currently lives in Lancaster.