After more than three hours of debate, the Church of Scotland's General Assembly meeting in Edinburgh has avoided a confrontation on sexuality and ministry, after a motion from anti-gay hardliners was withdrawn before it could be voted on.

Evangelical Christians have been deeply immersed in the anti-gay problem, says Simon Barrow. But as they re-read the biblical message in the light of its living centre, Jesus Christ, they can be part of a historic change.

Actor Sean Penn, who won an Oscar this week for his portrayal of assassinated gay politician Harvey Milk, told members of anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church to reach beyond hate to their better selves.

Six churches and Christian groups have spoken out against US anti-gay hate group Westboro Baptist Church, who proposed to picket in the UK on Friday. But some of them have been challenged about their own policies.

In a campaign comment ahead of today's election in Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe has condemned Archbishop Rowan Williams as lacking a "moral compass" and said that gays in the church are a sign of "moral degeneracy".

Some church leaders caught up in the sexuality row not only refuse to consider scholarship which does not conform to their own perspective but also demand the right to prohibit others from acting on the fruits of study, says Savi Hensman. Anglicans need to be learners not warriors.

The Church of England and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England have expressed concerns about a government amendment to the Public Order Act 1986 creating a new offence of incitement to hatred on grounds of sexual orientation.

Nobel Peace Laureate and South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu says that Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams should be tackling homophobia in the church and making it a welcoming place for lesbian and gay people.