I HOPE the public of Bolton do not think that the views of the Rev Michael Williams, Vicar of Bolton Parish Church, on homosexual and lesbian relationships are the authentic Christian position on this subject (Thought for the Week, October 14).

As a church leader in Bolton myself, I am saddened that a clergyman of Mr Williams' standing can publicly declare that such "committed" sexual relationships are acceptable to God and indeed can be a "physical way of sharing the abundance of God's grace" when we are clearly told in the Bible that God finds those acts "detestable".

In both the Old and New Testaments, there is ample evidence that God is angered by them. However, in His love and grace, He has provided a way of forgiveness and salvation for those who sin against Him in this and in any other way. And that is to renounce all we know to be wrong and to put our trust in Jesus Christ alone as our Lord and Saviour. If we truly do this, He will give us the power of His Holy Spirit to live in a way that pleases Him.

Yes, the Bible is more than a rule book. It is a revelation, for one thing, of the sacrificial love of God to mankind expressed perfectly in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

But if Mr Williams says he is "keen to avoid turning the Bible into a rule book", he is opening the way for a "please yourself" morality -- with unthinkable consequences. I hope he changes his mind.

Brian Smith

Hughes Avenue

Horwich, Bolton