EVEN before he takes up office as Archbishop, a number of conservative Christian groups are calling for Rowan Williams to withdraw because of his views concerning human sexuality.

I am saddened by this because the best thing I have ever read on sexuality is a short article by Rowan Williams called The Body's Grace. His argument is that a simple rule based to sex is inadequate. We have to have a deeper understanding of God's grace and the way in which we human beings express that grace, but not only by our attitudes, also by our bodies. Sex becomes a physical way of sharing the abundance of God's grace through human grace.

Those people who are calling for Rowan Williams to withdraw want to have a simple rule based ethic instead. They say that the traditional Christian ethic of no sex outside marriage, and certainly no homosexual sex, is the only approach we can have to the subject.

This is unfortunate for two reasons. First, because Christian morality should never be based on rules, it must always be based on grace. No matter how many rules we keep, we can never please God. God is much more than a rule giver, He is a grace and love giver.

Second, these conservative Christians want to make their approach to sex the only approach.

People who subscribe to the view that sex is only proper within heterosexual marriage deserve our respect. If they live by that rule faithfully, they certainly have my respect. But it is not right for them to insist that this is the only Christian approach to human sexuality. They have no right to force their views on me or on Rowan Williams.

They argue that their views are based on the Bible and so should be obeyed. My response would be that they have turned the Bible into a rulebook, the very thing I am keen to avoid because of my Evangelical background.

Human sexuality is a complex area. It cannot be easily summed up by simple rules. We need the kind of careful thinking that Rowan Williams has brought to this and other subjects. We don't have to agree with him, but I think that we should respect his freedom to explore these difficult areas.

With Rowan Williams, I believe that committed gay and lesbian relationships can be part of God's grace. But even though I hold this view, I do not insist that others have to live by it.

Michael Williams, Vicar of Bolton Parish Church