Justin Welby and the Continued Erosion of the Faith in the Church of England
“The Australian Church Record (ACR) is deeply grieved by the recent remarks made by the Archbishop of Canterbury in ‘The Rest is Politics’ podcast episode released on 21 October 2024.
In the context of the current turbulence in the Church of England over matters related to human sexuality, Archbishop Justin Welby stated that ‘All sexual activity should be within a committed relationship and whether its straight or gay.’ (51:49).
Despite the subsequent Lambeth Palace statement issued on 22 October 2024 which defended this interview as merely Archbishop Welby’s ‘personal view’, this remark represents a serious and public breach of biblical orthodoxy from the most senior representative of world Anglicanism.…”
— Read the full statement just released by The Australian Church Record.
What Happened on Reformation Day?
“On October 31, much of the culture will be focussed on candy and things that go bump in the night. Protestants, however, have something far more significant to celebrate on October 31.
It’s Reformation day, which commemorates what was perhaps the greatest move of God’s Spirit since the days of the Apostles.
But what is the significance of Reformation Day, and how should we consider the events it commemorates? …”
– At Ligonier Ministries, Robert Rothwell writes about the significance of Reformation Day.
Image: Martin Luther in 1532, by Lucas Cranach the Elder.
Archbishop Steve Wood — A Primate of Prayer
From GAFCON:
“Meet Archbishop Steve Wood, who will be invested this week as Primate of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a province established and celebrated by Gafcon.
In this extended interview, Archbishop Steve shares intimate insights into his daily devotional life, his emotional journey through his near-fatal COVID-19 illness, and his personal experience of leaving The Episcopal Church to join the ACNA.
General Secretary Paul Donison speaks with Archbishop Steve, as he candidly describes his deep fellowship within Gafcon, and his personal experiences of becoming Primate.”
– Listen here – or direct link to Spotify.
Very encouraging – and a reminder of what a belessing the Gafcon movement has been to so many.
Related:
One of Archbishop Foley Beach’s Christmas messages (this one from December 2022).
Praying for those in authority — and for the US Elections
With the US elections a week away, Christians understand that no human leader can deliver the salvation and security we need.
But we also know that leaders can promote peace, and they can promote strife.
For that reason, do remember, and be encouraged to act on, these words from 1 Timothy 2:1-4:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – ESV.
Win the complete set of Donald Robinson’s Works! — ACR
The Australian Church Record is giving away one set of the five volumes of Donald Robinson’s selected works.
Vaughan Roberts on Justin Welby’s rejection of Church of England teaching on sex
“In a significant interview on the Rest is Politics Podcast England’s Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, has denied the teaching of the Bible, and the teaching of his church.
It is Archbishop Welby’s most public betrayal of his ordination and consecration vow to ‘banish error and to uphold and defend the truth taught in Scripture.’
Archbishop Welby’s comments came on the eve of an important House of Bishops meeting in the UK, which considered a request from a group called The Alliance, consisting of 2360 clergy whose churches represent 42% of the Church of England’s Sunday attendance, and who hold to the Bible’s teaching on sexuality.
They are asking for a separate orthodox province to be created within the Church of England.
Vaughan Roberts is the senior minister of St. Ebbe’s in Oxford, and is one of the signatories of the request from The Alliance.”
Preaching through January
“This year, the quieter period of church life when families are away and thoughts turn to cricket test matches, begins on Sunday 29 December and continues through 5, 12, 19 and 26 January.
A total of 5 Sundays before life returns to normal on 2 February.
Some preachers use these Sundays to give younger preachers an opportunity to preach, others take a series on Psalms at each holiday period, so they continue with the next consecutive Psalm.
Why not make a special event of these Sundays because it is a special time as we turn the page on one year and get ready for 2025. …”
– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook has some helpful suggestions for preachers.
Church of England accused of ‘virtue-signalling’ after laying into small parish for not meeting ‘bureaucratic’ Net Zero demands
“The Church of England has been blasted after it reprimanded a small Newcastle parish for buying gas heaters rather than a Net Zero-compliant boiler.
The Consistory Court of the Diocese of Newcastle said the Holy Cross church in Fenham, in the city’s West End, was ‘embarrassing’ over the eco-fracas – with the CofE pushing for net zero carbon emissions by 2030. …”
– Story from GB News, via Anglican Mainstream.
Related:
Going net zero by 2023 – video from the Church of England. (It would be nice to preach the cross of Christ too.)
Christianity is not Colonial: An Autobiographical Account
“ ‘Christianity is colonial!’ I’m sure we’ve all heard variations on that theme. It’s a useful way to demoralise and demonise Christians in both the minority ‘western’ world and the majority world.
In our current historical moment, the nations in Europe and North America as well as Australia and New Zealand are reckoning with the consequences of 400 years of international influence – of ‘colonising’ the rest of the world. This colonialism, so it is said, was advanced through the following mutually reinforcing attitudes. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Canada, Sydney-based Kamal Weerakoon answers the charge of ‘colonialism’ from personal experience.
Justin Welby claims ‘Gay sex is not sinful’
“The Archbishop of Canterbury has shocked evangelicals in the Church of England by publicly abandoning the Church’s historic teaching on sexual ethics.
While the CofE officially maintains that sexual activity should only take place within marriage, and that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, Justin Welby has now said sexual activity is permissible within ‘committed relationships’, and that the ‘majority’ of bishops are in agreement.
The remark has deepened fractures in an already divided CofE, with some suggesting he is no longer fit to lead it if he is not prepared to uphold its doctrine. …
Lambeth Palace said the Archbishop’s views are his own, and are not the official stance of the Church of England.”
– from The Christian Institute in the UK.
See also:
Welby’s comments on gay sex will only deepen divisions in the Church of England and Anglican Communion – Julian Mann at Christian Today.
Lambeth Palace statement – 22 October 2024.
Photo: Justin Welby, via The Archbishop of Canterbury’s website. Credit: Jacqui J. Sze
Welby and Wambunya : a Warning for the Alliance
“This week the Alliance published the eighth letter in their campaign to persuade the bishops and General Synod to create a permanent, structural space in the Church of England for orthodox Anglicans.
As this blog sets out, the events of the past few weeks show that despite their best efforts, the Alliance is being undermined and thwarted at every end and turn and some serious rethinking is required. …”
– Anglican Futures has this commentary on the increasingly bleak future for evangelicals in the Church of England.
It would be good to continue to pray for wisdom for all in the Church of England who are committed to ‘contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints’ (Jude 1:3)
J. C. Ryle’s Revival Lessons — Andrew Atherstone
From Church Society’s Fellowship of Word and Spirit Conference –
“Andrew Atherstone examines the lessons on revival to be learned from J. C. Ryle’s writings and ministry– at the 2024 FWS Conference.”
Fascinating, encouraging and well worth hearing as we seek to reach Sydney for Christ.
– Listen here.
Archbishop of Canterbury: an arresting admission
From The Church of England Evangelical Council:
“In a staggering set of statements recorded by The Rest is Politics podcast, the Archbishop of Canterbury has laid his cards on the table with regards to sexual ethics in the Church of England.
In a wide-ranging interview where the Archbishop of Canterbury courageously discusses his own struggles with mental health, his upbringing, and his view on religion and politics, among other things, he also publicly admitted:
“What the Archbishop of York and I, and the bishops, by a majority, by no means unanimous…Where we’ve come to is to say that all sexual activity should be within a committed relationship and whether it’s straight or gay.”
Provoking widespread disbelief, the Archbishop of Canterbury has used this interview to indicate his view that:
- Sexual intimacy is no longer limited to marriage;
- Sexual intimacy in gay relationships is ok;
- The church should bless sexual relations outside of marriage. …”
– Read Dr Andrew Goddard’s post here.
Latest letter from The Alliance
On Tuesday, The Alliance sent this letter to the House of Bishops of the Church of England, prior to their meeting yesterday:
“Dear Archbishops and Bishops,
Thank you so much for the generous invitation to pre circulate a letter to the House of Bishops ahead of your meeting on Wednesday.
We continue to lament the pastoral pain and division the current LLF debate and its subsequent direction of travel is causing to the fabric of the Church of England at a local, national and global level, and at deep personal cost to many on all sides of the debate.
We gratefully welcome this opportunity to communicate the scale of pain and confusion felt by those we represent while seeking to bring clarity about who the Alliance represents and what we are prayerfully seeking to achieve for the sake of the future flourishing of the whole church in our nation. We humbly appeal to each of you to seek to understand us and, in your episcopal leadership as focal points of Christ’s unity, to find a way to support those we represent. …”
– Read the full letter here on The Alliance website.
Archbishop Steve Wood on where the ACNA has been, and where it’s headed
“Before he was elected as the third archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Steve Wood was one of the earliest COVID-19 patients in the United States, placed on a ventilator for 10 days in March 2020.
Two years earlier, as bishop of the Carolinas and rector of St. Andrew’s Church in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Wood watched as his church building was engulfed in a fire.
‘I wouldn’t trade any of those experiences for where I am right now, because God has been so extraordinarily gracious to me through every one of them,’ said Wood. …”
– Religion News Service speaks with ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood.
Photo: ACNA.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…