Lee Gatiss reports on Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic leaders’ meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace on LLF
“I was at a meeting on Friday with about 25 evangelical and Anglo-Catholic leaders, who met with Archbishop Justin Welby and his staff at Lambeth Palace Library in London, to discuss the proposed blessings for same-sex couples.
Asked what we thought about some clergy teaching a view which we considered to be a threat to people’s salvation, I said …”
– Read Lee Gatiss’ brief report at Anglican.ink – and give thanks for his uncompromising responses. The Archbishop of Canterbury had a busy day on Friday.
Archbishop of Canterbury invites representatives of “progressive organisations and networks” to Lambeth Palace
“On Friday afternoon, forty one people gathered forming a huge rectangle in the room on the top floor of the Lambeth Palace library. Thirty four were representatives of progressive organisations and networks seeking the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the Church of England.
I think the meeting represents a turning point in the decades-long movement in the Church of England towards achieving the full and equal inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in our church – but although progress may now be made, the future is still very uncertain. …
Archbishop Justin said he was totally and unequivocally committed to the goal of a radical new Christian inclusion that embraced LBTQIA+ people and he was surprised and shocked that we ever doubted that. A number of people said they had never heard him say that before. If only he had said this loud and clear before now, it would have made a huge difference. Indeed it would, but it has until now clearly been too difficult to say. He was surprised that people didn’t know this is his position. He compared himself with all other bishops saying he was making the most diverse appointments.…”
– This article by Colin Coward, long-time campaigner for ‘LGBTQIA+ rights’ in the Church of England, gives an insight into what is happening behind the scenes with regards to LLF.
Link via Anglican.ink. Photo: Jacqui J. Sze, archbishopofcanterbury.org.
Unpacking the CofE’s plan to bless same sex couples
From Christian Concern:
“The Church of England will shortly continue its muddle on marriage as the bishops intend to ‘commend’ prayers of blessing for same-sex couples.
Today’s Round the Table saw Tim, Andrea and Ben joined by Rev Dr Ian Paul to clear up the confusion and explain why this matters to Christians who go to other churches in England and beyond.
The Church of England has a disproportionate witness in our culture as the leaders speak – or fail to speak – of Jesus’ teaching to the wider culture.
And its orthodox doctrine on marriage also gives some legal protection to other Christians – if the Church of England gives in to the sexual revolution it will make things harder for all Christians.
Please pray, particularly ahead of the upcoming General Synod, that the faithful Christians would influence the church for good, so that the church would speak boldly of the goodness of God’s call for our lives as his redeemed, sanctified people.”
– With thanks to Anglican Mainstream for the link to the video.
Podcast: The Doctrine of the Church of England
The latest from Church Society:
“The podcast miniseries on the Church of England continues with an exploration of the Church of England’s doctrine. Ros Clarke, Kirsten Birkett and Lee Gatiss explain what doctrine is, how Anglican doctrine was established, what constitutes heresy, and how false teaching is supposed to be dealt with in the church.
Previous episodes in this series examine what the Church of England is, what the current crisis entails, and how the church can change.”
– Listen here.
Rolling out the Global Anglican rescue – with Archbishop Justin Badi Arama
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“Slowly, carefully, but quite deliberately, a new locus of leadership is emerging within the global Anglican Communion, a locus that significantly is intentionally focussed on Christ and biblical authority and not focussed on London, England or the Archbishop of Canterbury.
An important meeting of the Primates of the Global South and other leader of the Anglican Community has just wrapped up in Cairo.
Significantly and surprisingly the 13 orthodox Primates were joined at their meeting by Nicky Gumbel, the pioneer of the Alpha Course and London’s Holy Trinity Brompton’s massive UK church planting network.”
Young clergy and ordinands push back against gay blessings proposals
“Over one hundred men and women training for ordination in the Church of England have written a public letter warning the church was set to ‘fracture’ should the House of Bishops’ Living in Love and Faith (LLF) proposals on same-sex blessings be adopted.…”
– George Conger writes at Anglican.ink.
The letter begins:
“Dear Bishops and Archbishops,
We write to you from a broad coalition of those who share a call to ordained ministry in the Church of England. We include people within the discernment process, in training, and those in their diaconate year. At the time of writing we span ten training institutions and twenty-six dioceses. This group draws men and women from varied backgrounds including the HTB and New Wine networks, conservative evangelicals and traditional Anglicans, all of whom care deeply for and are heavily invested in the Church of England.
As those in whom you have invested, who you are preparing for decades of ministry, we need to convey our grief in seeing the current direction of travel concerning the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF). …”
– Read it all here. (PDF file)
Also in the Church of England:
Racial justice pilgrims [from London] visit Anglican Communion Office during tour of London – Anglican Communion News Service.
Who is Noticing?
Posted last week at the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches website, Bishop Keith Sinclair reflects on Ephesians 6 and asks who is noticing what is happening in the churches –
“It turns out that the ones who are noticing what is happening in the church are not disinterested observers, but those opposed to all that God has established in the gospel and made manifest in the life of the church.
What happens in the church matters not only to those in the church, but also in the cosmic struggle with the rulers of darkness and the powers of evil.”
Photo: Bishop Keith Sinclair at GAFCON IV in Kigali in April 2023.
(See his remarks here.)
Bishop of Rochester and Bishop of Ebbsfleet speak about the House of Bishops meeting and press statement
Two Bishops in the Church of England have issued their own statements in addition to the joint statement of dissenting bishops of 12 October 2023.
Statement from Bishop Jonathan Gibbs, Bishop of Rochester:
“I have always prayed that God would surprise us and open avenues that we have never conceived, in ways that would honour and affirm people with a wide diversity of views on these hugely important and sensitive issues, while remaining faithful to our inheritance of faith.
It is therefore with great sadness and reluctance that I have felt compelled to join with others in indicating that I cannot endorse the decisions taken at the meeting of the House of Bishops on Monday 9 October, or the press statement issued afterwards, which I believe does not adequately reflect the decisions made or the depth of disagreement within the House. …”
See also this statement from Bishop Rob Munro, Bishop of Ebbsfleet:
“The press release does not make clear the depth of disagreement within the House about these proposals. …
I am deeply concerned that the approach that is being proposed will ultimately harm our unity, sanctity, catholicity and apostolicity as a Church, and seriously impact our mission. I believe it is necessary, in commitment to my consecration vows- to uphold God’s Word, to teach the doctrine of Christ and refute error- to publicly raise these concerns, that I have been expressing in the House.
When the fuller details of the proposals are published, I hope to address specific concerns in more detail. I continue to be supportive of the approach of the CEEC and encourage you to keep in step with their collective response.”
– Read his full statement – via Anglican.ink.
Image: Bishop Jonathan Gibbs (left) and Bishop Rob Munro.
Letter in Church Times on the present crisis from an incumbent: “unity has already broken down”
A Letter published in Church Times:
“Sir, – For the first time in more than 20 years of ordained ministry, I have declined to give permission for a child of my parish to be baptised in a neighbouring parish where the parents have begun attending. The reason is that I have heard from several sources that the priest of that parish is teaching publicly that same-sex relationships can be blessed in church. This is contrary to scripture and 2000 years of Christian teaching and pastoral practice.
The Bishops of the Church of England have decided this week that they will put revised prayers to the General Synod in November, after a long and heated debate in July. So far, they have declined any appeal by the Church of England Evangelical Council and other bodies for a separate province for either revisionists or conservatives, claiming that they ‘want to maintain unity’.
I have to tell them now: unity has already broken down, when we cannot commend the ministry of a fellow Anglican minister (or indeed bishop). ‘Good separation’ has to be better than years of the breakdown of structures.”
– At Anglican Mainstream.
See also:
Dissenting bishops statement on LLF process.
Church Society Editorial: Good Lord!
“There’s been a lot of talk about the doctrine of the Church of England of late. The doctrine of the Church of England is clearly stated in Canon Law. Canon A5 says:
“The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures.
In particular such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal.”
I have devoted my life and ministry to these things. …”
– In this important editorial, Church Society’s Director, the Rev Dr Lee Gatiss, wonders what we can do when we are exasperated by bishops and the direction of the Church of England.
He goes on to say this about ‘canonical obedience’ to bishops –
“if bishops now require obedience or acquiescence in something neither lawful nor honest, and against the plain and public definition of Anglican doctrine, it is clearly not just a matter of conscience but my duty to the truth to say no. They should expect resistance.”
(Emphasis added.)
CofE conservatives cannot stop same-sex blessings from becoming facts on the ground
“Despite appearances, Church of England conservatives have not won a victory after the bishops announced that new services of blessing for same-sex couples now require two-thirds majorities in General Synod. The services are set to come into use anyway after November’s Synod.
The announcement from Church House Westminster on October 9, after the bishops made their decision on the legal route they are now pursuing, certainly highlighted the bishops’ commitment to get the new services into use. …”
– Julian Mann writes at Christian Today.
Update:
See also Lee Gatiss’ Church Society Editorial.
“Not fit for office” — The Anglican Network in Europe calls on the C of E House of Bishops to repent
Here’s a Press Release from The Anglican Network in Europe, 11th October 2023:
A response to the statement of the House of Bishops of the Church of England 9th October 2023
Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture! (Jeremiah 23:1)
We grieve with millions of faithful Anglicans around the world at the disastrous decision by the House of Bishops in the Church of England to agree in principle to commend Prayers of Love and Faith for same-sex couples. This action is offensive to the God of love. It replaces his wonderful gospel of grace with a distorted message, blessing what God calls sin. This is heart-breaking, wicked and outrageously arrogant.
Together the House of Bishops have embraced heresy by departing from the clear teaching of Scripture on matters of sexual conduct. As a result, they have betrayed their office. At their consecration service, each bishop was instructed to “be to the flock of Christ a shepherd, not a wolf; feed them, devour them not.” However, by introducing, and not banishing “erroneous and strange doctrine”, they have become wolves. Together they have demonstrated they are not fit for office. They stand under judgement as did the shepherds of Israel in Jeremiah’s day.
Their shame is further compounded by a seriously misleading and distorted appeal to reconciliation. In the House of Bishops’ statement, the Bishop of London asserts “the heart of the gospel is reconciliation.” However that reconciliation is first and foremost with our heavenly Father through the atoning death of Christ upon the cross, and only then, on that basis, to one another as forgiven sinners who serve Jesus as their Lord. To appeal to the cross as the grounds to “remain together as one Church in our uncertainty”, and, as a reason for embracing sin and failing to call for repentance, is an astonishing and blasphemous corruption of the grace of Christ and an entirely different gospel.
We call on the House of Bishops to repent.
We urge orthodox bishops, who have courageously fought for the truth, now to publicly dissent and distance themselves from their episcopal colleagues who are promoting these dangerous prayers.
We continue to pray for our faithful brothers and sisters in the Church of England as they weep, resist this apostasy and trust our Sovereign Lord.
With God’s help, we remain committed to the unchanging Biblical gospel which brings light, life and love to all who repent and put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit compel us to preach Christ faithfully to the nations.
Rt. Rev. Andy Lines (Presiding Bishop of ANiE)
Rt. Rev. Stuart Bell (Assistant Bishop of ACE)
Rt. Rev. Tim Davies (Assistant Bishop of AMiE)
Rt. Rev. Ian Ferguson (Assistant Bishop of ACE)
Rt. Rev. Lee McMunn (Assistant Bishop of AMiE)
11th October 2023
The Anglican Network in Europe (ANiE) is the provision of the Primates’ Council of Gafcon to provide a faithful ecclesial structure for Anglicans within Europe. It currently comprises two dioceses: The Anglican Convocation in Europe (ACE) and The Anglican Mission in England (AMiE).
(Received via e-mail.)
Who wants the Prayers of Love and Faith anyway?
“On Monday evening, at the end of the first day of the House of Bishops meeting, a press release was issued announcing that the Prayers of Love and Faith were being commended. Bishops are free to commend prayers at any time, without requiring synodical approval. However, such prayers should not constitute liturgy and should be consistent with the doctrine of the church.
The bishops think they have cleverly avoided the first requirement by telling us that there will be liturgy brought to General Synod for scrutiny in 2025…”
– Church Society’s Associate Director, Dr Ros Clarke, observes that “the word of a bishop, it seems, doesn’t count for much these days”.
CofE bishops commend prayers blessing same sex couples
“The Church of England’s House of Bishops has agreed in principle that prayers asking for God’s blessing for same-sex couples – known as Prayers of Love and Faith – should be commended for use when they are presented to the next meeting of the general synod from 13-15 November. …”
Image from the livestream of the Church of England General Synod, 09 February 2023.
“Why we left the Church of England”
Here’s news from The Anglican Convocation in Europe –
On Sunday 1 October 2023, Bishop Andy Lines inaugurated Wellfield Church, Leyland, Lancashire, into the Anglican Convocation in Europe and instituted Mark Simpson as Rector.
Mark reflects on their journey out of the Church of England and into ACE:
“When people used to ask me, ‘Why are you still in the CofE when (a) you have little to do with it; and (b) you don’t like where it’s going?’, my answer used to be the standard evangelical one: It’s a good boat to fish from, and the revisionists are the cuckoos in the nest, not us. The foundational teaching of the Book of Common Prayer and the Articles is excellent, even if many of the leaders don’t seem to believe it, follow it or teach it.
I still think that’s right. However, it’s also quite convenient to take view that mean means you don’t have to change anything. February 2023 was a turning point.
The more I (and church members) watched of that dreadful General Synod, the more we were utterly disgusted. There was the total ignorance of “the Scriptures and the power of God” that many of our leaders displayed; there was the way the Archbishop of York patronised those who appealed to Truth; it was even just that these basic issues were open for debate at that level. I’d taken part in ‘Shared Conversations’ several years ago; I know how disingenuous church leaders can be. But now here they were, not sworn to confidentiality, but in public.
When I said to people in church, for the first time, “I think we have to leave, don’t we?”, they all said yes. I’m not saying that choosing to stay in the CofE is a sin; but actually deciding, after all this time, to leave had the same feeling of repenting of a long-held sin. It felt right.
There were many parts of scripture that drove the conviction to leave. One in particular was Hebrews 13:13, to first-century Jewish Christians who were squeezed out of the life of the synagogue – “Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.” It must have been hard for them. Maybe, like us, they said, ‘They’re the cuckoos in the nest – this is our heritage!’ Maybe it was hard to hear the writer effectively saying, ‘Let them have it all – the buildings, the infrastructure, the familiarity and stability.’ But this is the way of Jesus and his kingdom.
In many ways it was easy for Wellfield Church to leave. We didn’t have to leave buildings, or church members or a vicarage behind. But really, that’s largely because we’d planned it that way for many years. We’d kept our finances separate from the diocese, bought our own house, got our church building owned in Trust. When the time came to act on our convictions, we were ready.
When we were looking for somewhere else to belong, we were glad to discover ACE. We’re so pleased to be able to stand clearly with the real men of God who lead GAFCON. The covid years showed us that the Conservative Evangelical world that we are a part of is really not the be-all-and-end-all, in terms of having courage and battle-readiness in a hostile world. People in ACE may not all agree on everything, but do agree on the gospel and the pressing issues of our generation, and seek to trust and obey our Lord. That’s the fellowship we were looking for. It might be small, young and fragile; but that’s our story as a church too. And I think it’s the story of the true church down the ages, and what Jesus taught us to expect.”
Photo: Mark Simpson is handed a Bible as a symbol of his pastoral office by Bishop Andy Lines.
Received by e-mail.
To learn more about Wellfield Church, see their website.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…