Does gay tolerance lose members?

‘The consecration of a gay Anglican bishop has led to sexual license, a new form of colonisation and ridicule for the church, it was claimed yesterday by bishops attending the Lambeth conference in Canterbury... “In some places [eg parts of Africa] the church is ridiculed as the gay church so membership is lost”’ (The Guardian 2 August).
Interesting argument. While GAFCON fulminates against the British and Americans for allowing their moral stances to be influenced by contemporary society instead of condemning homosexuality, these other bishops are positively demanding the right to be influenced by their societies instead of permitting homosexuality.
Well: should we allow ourselves to be influenced by our society or not? It depends how you think we find out what we ought to do. If you think all truth is bound up in a single big book with a black leather cover and anything not to be found in it is not to be trusted, then you ought to ignore the standards of the society around you. Put homosexuals to death, don’t eat pork or shellfish, and I’m not sure why you’re reading this because the Bible doesn’t say anything about the internet. On the other hand, if you think truth is to be found by learning from the people around us and the way God has created the world, then perhaps there are times when the will of God is discerned better outside the church than within it.
Jonathan Clatworthy