Fr Alex Frost is the Vicar of St Matthew The Apostle with Holy Trinity (St Matthew’s for short), Burnley, an active and inclusive church. Fr Alex is also a prolific podcaster as host of ‘The God Cast’, interviewing all sorts of people “from bishops to nuns, comedians to celebrities, footballers to followers”.
The Revd Dr Charlie Bell, who somehow finds time to be a member of Equal’s organizing team on top of his many other responsibilities and activities, was interviewed by Fr Alex recently and the resultant 35-minute video is well worth watching.
Charlie talks about his “busy but exciting life” and his calling to the ordained ministry, prejudice in the Church against him as a gay man, the current rules that prohibit sexual intimacy, and the beginnings of change that may lead to greater acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people in the C of E.
He explains what keeps him in the Church despite the current campaigns by conservatives to delay or even reverse the moves towards inclusion, and puts forward his hopes and expectations for the Church over the next five to ten years.
The interview ends positively as Charlie tells Fr Alex how wonderful he finds his ministry in a diverse and vibrant parish that is “full of Gospel joy”; he wants the Church to move on from all the wrangling about sexuality and focus on proclaiming the Gospel and serving the people.