Relationships not rules

If Christianity is more about relationships than rules and rituals, how does that express itself in contentious areas?

Justin Welby seems keen to develop a relational approach to his leadership of Anglicans. Perhaps this springs from his own relationship with Christ. Asked by the Daily Telegraph recently, ‘Do you know Jesus?’ the Archbishop responded: ‘Yes. I do. He’s both someone one knows and someone one scarcely knows at all, an utterly intimate friend and yet with indescribable majesty’.

An emphasis on relationship is something that characterises his approach to resolving conflict. Recent discussions at General Synod about the ordination of women as bishops followed a whole day in which members were put into groups to share their views more informally.