Summary
In 2004 the Christian Union of the University of Cambridge was reported to the police following its distribution of St John's gospel to students and hosting an evangelistic meeting where the Dean of Sydney Cathedral put forward "a traditional biblical view on homosexuality".1
In the first week of February 2004 the Cambridge Intercollegiate Christian Union (CICCU) held an evangelistic mission called 'Promise'. During this week students distributed some 12,000 copies of the Gospel of St. John and held a series of talks. At one of these talks Phillip Jensen, the Dean of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney, Australia, put forward "a traditional biblical view on homosexuality".2
As part of the mission, Christian students handed out copies of St. John's Gospel to other students. Some homosexual students took great offence, and claimed they were being "targeted" by the CICCU. The CICCU denied that homosexuals were targeted in the evangelistic mission.3
After the mission ended a letter appeared in the Cambridge University student newspaper, Varsity, from William Hutton urging homosexuals to "write to whoever offended you and give them the choice of a written apology or the matter being referred to both University authorities and to the Police."4
The Revd Dr David Gosling, a former assistant Anglican minister at the University Church, sent a letter of complaint to the Chief Constable that some of the statements that had been made were "likely to incite homophobic violence". However the Revd Malcolm Guite, Chaplain of Girton College, said that the CICCU had no intention of causing trouble. Cambridgeshire Police said that their Minorities Liaison Officer would look into the issues raised.5
- 1See http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/churchtimes/website/pages.nsf/
httppublicpages/C3216CE0EDA0CAFF80256FA2000DAB1F as at 16 June 2006 - 2See http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/churchtimes/website/pages.nsf/
httppublicpages/C3216CE0EDA0CAFF80256FA2000DAB1F as at 16 June 2006; and http://www.varsity.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7585&Itemid=26 as at 16 June 2006 - 3See http://www.varsity.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7585&Itemid=26 as at 16 June 2006
- 4See http://www.varsity.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7633&Itemid=27 as at 16 June 2006
- 5See http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/churchtimes/website/pages.nsf/
httppublicpages/C3216CE0EDA0CAFF80256FA2000DAB1F as at 16 June 2006
