Author Symon Hill steps out against homophobia

Published: 8th April, 2011
by JOSH LOEB

A CHRISTIAN writer planning a “pilgrimage of repentance” to the West End has called on church leaders to be more vocal in condemning homophobia.

Symon Hill, who is associate director of religious think-tank Ekklesia and the author of The No-Nonsense Guide to Religion, will walk from Birmingham to the Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church in Shaftesbury Avenue this summer to raise awareness of anti-gay feeling among some Christians. He is undertaking his pilgrimage “in repentance of homophobia” and said he had been guilty of such prejudice in the past.

“I didn’t have a problem with homosexuality until I became a Christian in my late teens, and when I became a religious I thought opposition to same sex relationships was part of the deal,” he said. “I suppressed my own sexuality as a result. I became quite extreme and campaigned against the ordination of LGBT clergy. I find that quite difficult to say now and I am ashamed of it.”

Mr Hill said he was “very alarmed” that groups of Christians are “leading the campaign for homophobia”.

He added: “Christians on the whole are not speaking up due to a desire to not rock the boat. In the long run I don’t think that’s helpful.” 

A spokeswoman for the Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church said that while they had no official affiliation with Mr Hill, their church supported his work. 

• Mr Hill will give a talk at the church on July 1, before joining in the Pride march the next day.