Canon Phil Ashey on the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury

If you haven’t been following developments in the UK, this reaction by Canon Phil Ashey of the American Anglican Council will help explain things:

John Smyth was a Canadian-born British barrister, actively involved with children in the Anglican Communion through several different ministries. He was the chairman of the Iwerne Trust, which ran the Iwerne camps, where he had access and opportunity to abuse hundreds of children and young men. His abuse was not only sexual but physical, performing sadistic beatings on schoolboys and young men attending these camps, as well as attendees at other Christian groups dedicated to the discipleship of young men. This abuse occurred in England but continued in Africa, when Smyth moved to Zimbabwe in the early 80s and continued to run children’s camps. He moved to South Africa in 2001.

Independent investigations revealed that Smyth inflicted sexual, emotional, spiritual, and physical abuse on at least 100 people. The greatest display of hypocrisy within the Church that Smyth participated in was his role as a lawyer representing morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse, prosecuting those accused of blasphemy and immorality. While living in South Africa, he ran the Justice Alliance of South Africa, an organization dedicated to upholding high moral standards in society. He also unsuccessfully opposed the legalization of same-sex marriage in South Africa, claiming that such activity would result in “violence to mind and spirit”. The irony of all this can’t be overstated.

Smyth died before he could be brought to trial.

This past year, the independent review called the Makin Report was commissioned by the Church of England and published this last week, revealing the details on what church authorities knew about the abuse and how they intentionally covered it up or ignored it. Smyth moved to different locations and was allowed to take up posts where he had close contact with young men, even though church leaders knew what was going on. One of those leaders was Archbishop Justin Welby who, in 2013, was informed of Smyth’s abuse but took no action against him. His level of culpability remains to be seen, but he resigned today as Archbishop of Canterbury in a shocking statement.

Though he claimed to take responsibility, much of the statement reads as if he was not so culpable, with hardly an apology but with a pledge to continue entrusting the Church and himself to Jesus Christ. It makes one wonder why this hadn’t happened sooner, when he continued to harbor and abet leaders who destroyed the fabric of Christian morality in the very Christian Church itself. The Smyth case was one horrific example of a leadership style that buries rather than resurrects; hides rather than clarifies; and, frankly, misrepresents rather than speaks the whole truth. This moral failure with regards to Anglicans in England and Africa completely compromises all his leadership and previous pledges from the Canterbury communion towards the majority of the Global South.

Again, the way Abp. Welby dealt with these allegations shows not just an issue with a particular scandal but a recurring practice of burying hard truth and hoping it will go away. It never goes away; truth always comes back to haunt you. That’s the case with the Makin Review and that’s the case with the “Living in Love and Faith” prayers for the blessing of same sex unions in the Church of England– a debacle throughout, in which Welby tried to play both sides and cover up the painful truth that there is no compromise. It’s this desire to stay neutral that, in the end, isn’t neutrality at all. He did nothing when he heard about what Smyth was doing, just like he did nothing to bring discipline to wayward churches and leaders in the Anglican Communion.

The larger debate on human sexuality within the Church of England and increasingly elsewhere in the Anglican Communion is certainly not a case of individual abuse. But with regards to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s “spiritual leadership” of the Anglican Communion, it is spiritual abuse at a corporate level that is damaging countless souls under his care; he has refused to deal with it. In his statement today, he wrote, “It is my duty to honour my Constitutional and church responsibilities, so exact timings will be decided once a review of necessary obligations has been completed.” But where was his duty to honor and defend the Faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3), including the Church’s unbroken biblical teaching on marriage, not only as a bishop but as an archbishop and the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion? So now he resigns for this particular scandal, at this time, in the Church of England—but without regard  for the myriad of spiritual scandals he oversaw over his tenure in the See of Canterbury?

Welby’s leaving leaves a lot of questions for the future of the Anglican Communion.

What kind of successor will take his place, and will he or she continue the fracturing or help bring unity based on biblical truth and faithfulness to the unbroken teaching of the Church?

How does this affect Gafcon and the Global South? Does his resignation really matter to them? And what does the See of Canterbury mean for the identity of global Anglicanism, when its highest leader utterly compromised his spiritual and temporal leadership of the Mother Church by aiding and abetting the worst serial abuser in the history of the Anglican Church?

Is this the final nail in the coffin of Canterbury’s post-colonial domination of the Communion?

Isn’t now the time, at this moment, for the Global South and GAFCON to rally the rest of the Communion around repentance? What better moment to proclaim Christ faithfully to the nations and draw other national and regional Anglican churches into the covenantal structures of the Cairo Covenant, ratified in June in Egypt, to carry on the Anglican Communion under biblically-faithful commitments?

Archbishop Welby’s resignation has been a long time coming. What a sad and tragic end to what had been a much hoped for beginning of a return to biblical-faithfulness in the Mother Church. Please pray for the victims of this horrific abuse, and for Anglicans to walk everywhere in the light (I John 1:7-9) as we move forward.

– Received by e-mail. Now also posted on the American Anglican Council website.

Idolatry and the Church of England

“The Archbishop of Canterbury recently commented about his changing views, admitting that he no longer believes the doctrine of the Church of England on sexuality.…

These comments have rightly been met with a wide backlash from evangelicals in the Church of England. This is an Archbishop leading his people astray. This is an Archbishop saying ‘Enter through the wide gate to destruction’ (Matthew 7:13-14).

But the reality is that Justin Welby and the Bishops have been saying this for years. …

All false religions ultimately destroy us. We are promised salvation by the things in the world, but they will never satisfy, they will never deliver. They will never save.”

– Strong words from Benjamin John, writing at Christian Concern.

Image: Ben John speaking at the Church of England’s General Synod in February 2023.

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.

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)

Does the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship have a Better Story?

“The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship is a new and impressive organisation which in its own words is ‘an international community with a vision for a better world where every citizen can prosper, contribute and flourish’. A key member, Os Guinness, argues that we are at a ‘civilisational moment’ in the Western world, and that we need to act, not despair.

It was with some degree of anticipation that I, and 700 other delegates, attended their first Australian conference. …

I loved the whole day – and as I write this on the train home to Newcastle – I am deeply thankful to the Lord for such an inspiring time and the leadership provided by John Anderson and Philippa Stroud. The aim of the day was to tell a better story – or rather to encourage us to tell a better story. Did it succeed? Yes and no. …

– At AP, David Roberston shares his thoughts.

Church Revitalisation

“The Presbyterian Church in Australia has a new minister – yours truly!  I have signed the formula and have officially become the minister of Scots Kirk in Hamilton, Newcastle. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and wrote a letter reflecting on the journey that has taken us to this place – Letter from Australia 122 – A Return to my Radical Roots.

Some people felt that the basic principles for church revitalisation I listed in that letter might be worth sharing in a wider context so I have added to them a little and hope that they will indeed prove helpful.

I have no great plans. I have dreams and visions – for without that I would perish. But I also have this certainty  that God’s word will not return to him empty and will accomplish the purpose for which he sent it. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. I do have some basic principles/aims/ideas which are as follows …”

– At AP, David Robertson – not Minister at Scots Kirk, Newcastle – shares his thoughts on church revitalisation. Doubtless, many Anglican churches would benefit from at least some of his suggestions.

Lausanne – with Mark Thompson and Chris Edwards

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“5,000 believers gathered from more than 200 nations last month in South Korea.

It is 50 years since Billy Graham and John Stott first launched the Lausanne movement in Switzerland.

Anglican Bishop of North Sydney Chris Edwards has described the congress as like an all you can eat buffet – ‘where some parts tasted amazing / fantastic and I kept wanting more and yet other parts even a mouthful made me feel nauseous’.

Principal of Sydney’s Moore Theological College Mark Thompson says there were some great highlights including a presentation by Vaughan Roberts on sexuality but also areas of concern.”

– Watch or listen here.

Related:

The photo of Billy Graham and Jack Dain mentioned in the conversation can be seen here on the Lausanne website.

Read the original Lausanne Covenant here.

Update:

The challenges of mid-life – a spiritual buffet for a 50-year-old – Bishop Chris Edwards at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Archbishop to Decide as Perth Synod Weakens Faithfulness in Service

“The Synod of the Diocese of Perth met this last weekend amid ever-growing concern about the direction that the Diocese is heading under the leadership of Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy.

The matter which davidould.net has received most correspondence about is the proposed changes to Faithfulness in Service to effectively weaken moral requirements for church workers.

We’ll come to that in a moment but, perhaps to set the scene of what is happening in Perth, here is a fascinating set of answers to questions. All documentation for this article comes from photos provided by attendees at the synod since the Diocese of Perth no longer publishes any of their synod documentation online (including the Presidential Address). …”

– Do read the latest at davidould.net.

Photo: Diocese of Perth.

A Day of Infamy for Israel and the Civilised World

In his The Briefing broadcast for Monday 7th October 2024, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Dr. Albert Mohler comments on what the year since the attacks on Israel has revealed.

– Listen here.

A Moderate Argument for Paper Bulletins

“For many, the idea of paper bulletins in church is archaic. …. Yet the mediums we choose can shape our worship in subtle ways.

Here are six reasons paper bulletins, while far from essential, are useful in corporate worship.

It’s been well-documented that reading something on a page rather than a screen encourages clarity of thought and greater comprehension. When we hold a book (or bulletin) in our hands, it engages more of the senses and helps us remember what we read or sing. …”

– At 9Marks, Mike McGregor suggests some advantages in taking a step back to printed church bulletins and orders of service.

The lessons Bluey can teach greedy developers and politicians about resurrecting the true Australian dream

“Australian politics is not family friendly – and it’s time the major parties woke up to this. …”

– At Sky News Australia, Kel Richards shares some thoughts after watching a popular kids TV show.

Where was the Serious Exchange of Ideas? The American People Need More Than What Happened Last Night in the ‘24 Presidential ‘Debate’

Albert Mohler shares his thoughts on “The Debate”.

– Listen here if you’re interested.

Keith Green, Bill Hybels, and the Loss of Steeples and Bells

“I used to love Keith Green’s music and singing when I was a younger Christian. Not to say I don’t still retain some warm memories of his songs.  But in my early twenties I found him to be the one singer who spoke to me. And he was already dead by the time I first heard of him.  A big influence in my early Christian walk.

Okay I loved Larry Norman and his lyricism and irreverent attitude (I once saw him play live in Belfast and he was scarier than a paramilitary with a few pints in him). And I enjoyed early Randy Stonehill (especially the Welcome to Paradise classic).

But there was something sincere and deep and otherworldly about Keith Green. I still find myself singing those songs in my head from time to time. …”

– Here’s a thoughtful piece by Stephen McAlpine.

Lead us not into temptation

“Is not Britain an example of a nation in which the decline of self-control has led to a massive increase in the power of the State?

The permissive society of the 1960s gave permission to throw off the internal moral restraints that a broadly Christian country had encouraged. But when people cannot or will not control themselves, does that not provide a plum opportunity for authoritarians to take over? …

Today’s Book of Common Prayer Epistle reading is from the Apostle Paul’s New Testament letter to the Christians in 1st Century Galatia. It is a call to Christian people to exercise self-restraint in dependence upon God’s Holy Spirit. …”

– At The Conservative Woman, Julian Mann reflects on the Epistle for today.

Also at The Conservative Woman:

The Sunday Hymn: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Margaret Ashworth.

A Missed Opportunity: The Benefits of Bivocational Ministry

“Since February of this year, I have had the great joy and privilege of studying at Bible College. Initially, I enrolled to equip myself to serve faithfully as a layperson in a church – a role I greatly admire. However, after much consideration, I have decided to pursue chaplaincy work at the completion of my Diploma – rather than returning to my previous work or pursuing ordained church-based ministry (I’ll save this story for another day).

During this time, as I considered vocational ministry for myself, something has been bothering me… Why does Australia have so few bivocational ministry workers? Along with many others, I have been growing increasingly convinced that we should consider this more seriously. I am not saying this is a silver bullet to our problems, nor that I want to see fewer people in full-time gospel ministry. Rather, my question is: are we missing out on something good and helpful by failing to equip and support bivocational ministry workers?…”

– Cooper Rispin, who is studying at Moore College, wants to help us consider the value and appropriateness of bivocational ministry. At AP, the Australian Presbyterian online journal.

(You can read about Cooper, and his fellow Moore College students, in the 2024 issue of Societas.)

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