Welby proposes pulling Canterbury out of Anglican instruments of communion
“The Archbishop of Canterbury will surrender his authority as first among equals among the primates of the Anglican Communion in light of the General Synod of the Church of England’s adoption of gay blessings.
Speaking to the opening ceremony of the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Accra, Ghana on 12 February 2023, the Most Rev. Justin Welby stated ‘I will not cling to place or position as an Instrument of Communion.’
His concession comes the day before 12 of the primates affiliated with the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans meet to offer a united response to last week’s vote in General Synod. The decision to introduce same-sex blessings, without seeking a Scriptural or theological foundation for the decision, or respecting the church’s agreements with other Anglican provinces has prompted the largest provinces: Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya to break fellowship. …”
– Is the Archbishop of Canterbury offering to jump before he is pushed? George Conger has this report at Anglican.ink.
Photo credit: Jaqui J Sze, Archbishop of Canterbury’s office.
George Carey, Former Archbishop of Canterbury, writes to The Times
The Right Rev Lord Carey of Clifton, Archbishop of Canterbury 1991-2002, writes to The Times –
“Sir, I have no doubt that General Synod’s decision to allow blessings to same-sex couples will delight many (report, Feb 9). It will concern others, including me, who believe that marriage can be a true sacramental rite only between a man and a woman in a lifelong union of love. It is obvious that the next step can only be the acceptance of same-sex marriages. …”
– via Anglican Ink.
On not snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory
“In the immediate aftermath of the Synod vote, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York declared that the vote meant that; ‘For the first time, the Church of England will publicly, unreservedly and joyfully welcome same-sex couples in church’ …
The problem with this interpretation, however, is that it fails to do justice to the motion which Synod passed. When we look at this motion carefully, we find that what Synod actually voted for makes any general liturgical affirmation of same-sex relationships by the Church of England impossible. …”
– Martin Davie expands on the same point made earlier by Dr Ian Paul. That is, the addition to the Bishops’ proposed motion of an amendment – paragraph g – limits what the Bishops can do.
The paragraph reads –
“g) endorse the decision of the College and House of Bishops not to propose any change to the doctrine of marriage, and their intention that the final version of the Prayers of Love and Faith should not be contrary to or indicative of a departure from the doctrine of the Church of England.” (bold added)
He continues,
“… the addition of clause (g) to the Synod motion was a great victory. This is because when taken seriously it will mean that the Church of England continues to maintain an orthodox biblical position. However, in order to avoid ‘snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory’ traditionalist Anglicans need to do three things. …”
Image: Several members stand to seek the call during the debate in the Church if England’s General Synod.
“As for me and the Church of Uganda, we will serve the Lord.”
“There is a lot of sexual sin in Uganda. I know that, and you know that. Nevertheless, we haven’t changed our message. Our message is the message of the Bible, which is, ‘Go, and sin no more.’
The Church of England, on the other hand, has now departed from the Bible and their new message is the opposite message of the Bible. They are now saying, ‘Go, and sin some more.’
They are even offering to bless that sin. …
We now want to ask the Church of England, ‘Do you have the integrity to step out of the Anglican Communion because you have departed from the Anglican faith?’ God called you to preach a Gospel of repentance and faith. Instead, you’re like Jonah. You have disobeyed and are running in the opposite direction.
God called the church to go to Nineveh and preach repentance, but the Church of England is running to Tarshish and preaching acceptance of sin. There is no way we are walking together.”
‘Jesus tells the world a better story. Does the church still believe it?’
Here’s another encouraging and Christ-honouring speech given at the Church of England General Synod on Thursday morning.
In her maiden speech at the assembly, Sophie Clarke, Senior Parliamentary Assistant and lay member of General Synod, urges the Church of England to uphold Jesus’ teaching on sex and marriage.
This video clip with thanks to Christian Concern.
Related:
The C of E has forgotten its better story about sex – Peter Ladd. (Link via Anglican Mainstream.)
What exactly happened at Synod on the Prayers for Love and Faith?
At Psephizo, Dr Ian Paul gives some much-needed clarity on what the Church of England General Synod voted for –
“In reflecting about anything in the Church of England, and especially in relation to General Synod, it is worth bearing in mind this mantra from the Troubles in Northern Ireland:
‘If you are not confused, you don’t really know what is going on.’
The newspapers seemed to be very clear what had happened:
‘The Church of England has approved blessings for gay couples for the first time. In a historic vote, the General Synod, the Church’s legislative body, voted to officially recognise same-sex couples on Thursday.’
You can understand why they would understand the vote in that way—since the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have both used that language. Unfortunately, that is not what happened!
The proposals that the bishops brought to Synod were that the doctrine of marriage, as a lifelong union between one man and one woman, would not change, but within the constraints of that they would propose some ‘Prayers of Love and Faith’ which might be used to bless those people in same-sex relationships of some forms or other (as yet unspecified), but not function as a proclamation of God’s blessing on the relationship itself. (Please refer to my opening mantra!).
What Synod narrowly voted for, after about eight hours of debate on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, was for the bishops to continue to work on this, with some serious qualifications. For ecclesiastical nerds, this is the wording of the final motion as amended …”
Later, he sums up,
“If this is any kind of ‘victory’ for those who wanted to moved forward, it looks very much like a Pyrrhic victory. ‘If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined’ (Plutarch’s account of Pyrrhus of Epirus).
The motion was passed, with a significant addition which explicitly limits the scope for manoeuvre, so the work will continue. But I think the cost has been immense damage to the reputation and standing of Justin Welby, the final nail in the coffin of the Anglican Communion, damage to ecumenical relations, a further loss of confidence in the leadership of bishops within the Church, and the first signs of fracture at local and diocesans levels. And for what gain?”
Image: Dr Paul speaks at General Synod on Wednesday.
Living in Love and Faith: Moving Forward — a 3 minute promo video
Video just released by the Church of England. Must have taken some time to put together.
Says the Archbishop of Canterbury:
“Over the last six years, the Church of England has been travelling together through our Living in Love and Faith process as we consider questions around identity, sexuality, relationships, and marriage.”
Says the Archbishop of York:
“We’ve studied the scriptures, paid attention to the Church’s tradition, and listened to the wider Church through your responses.”
Says one commenter under the video,
How to say “we do not believe in the authority of scripture” without saying “we do not believe in the authority of scripture”?
Australian Church Record Statement on the Church of England’s Green Light to Bless Same-Sex Couples
“The Australian Church Record laments the regrettable decision of the Church of England to pass a motion to proceed with further steps towards the blessing of same-sex unions. This decision is contrary to the clear teaching of the Holy Scriptures on human sexuality and dishonours the gracious God who so loved the world that he sent his only-begotten Son for us and for our salvation.
The ACR considers the approval of liturgy to bless same-sex unions as tantamount to a change in the Church of England’s doctrine of marriage. What a church prays demonstrates what a church believes, and the Church of England now believes that it is right to bless behaviour that Scripture deems to be sinful and, if not repented of, will exclude people from the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). …”
EFAC Statement on the vote at the Church of England General Synod
From The Evangelical Fellowship in the Anglican Communion:
“There has already been a great deal of reaction to the vote at General Synod to allow prayers of blessing for same sex couples. We believe it is a crucial moment in the life of the Church of England and, indeed, in the life of the Anglican Communion. Much will be written and said over the next few weeks and months.
We note that the General Synod motion included an amendment, adding paragraph (g):
“Endorse the decision of the College and House of Bishops not to propose any change to the doctrine of marriage, and their intention that the final version of the Prayers of Love and Faith should not be contrary to or indicative of a departure from the doctrine of the Church of England”.
This means that, when the Bishops come to make a formal proposal, the only prayers which they could legally permit would be those which were faithful to the doctrine. If they comply with this stricture, it is hard to see which of the draft prayers would survive, without a clear public statement at any service that they MAY NOT be used to bless sexually active relationships.
For the moment we would commend to you as members of the EFAC Global family this declaration:
We declare that the Church of England, in making this change, has departed from the faith which is revealed in the holy scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds to which the historic formularies of the Church of England bear witness.
Our desire is to remain faithful to the inheritance of faith as members of the Church of England and in communion with those Provinces of the Anglican Communion who also maintain the biblical and historic teaching of the Church. We will therefore resist all attempts to marginalise us or to declare our understanding of these matters as but one option among many.
Bishop Henry Scriven (EFAC General Secretary)
Bishop Stephen Hale (EFAC Council Chairman).
– Source: EFAC Global.
The Church of England chooses de facto relationship rather than marriage to the lamb
“This is a historical moment. This is the undoing of centuries of agreed and believed doctrine for the sake of fitting in with a culture that is proud of its sex without borders ethics. The self is King and no one is to object or disagree with the sexual preferences of anyone. And as numerous MPs have said over the past week, the Church of England must embrace same sex marriage or be cast aside.
There are many parishes scattered around England that have declared their faithfulness to the Lord of the Church over and above an errant English Church. How they proceed now will require much wisdom and strength and courage. May the Lord honour their faithfulness to Jesus. …”
– Murray Campbell speaks bluntly about what the Church of England is doing.
Sydney Diocese response to the Church of England General Synod’s decision
Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney
Media Statement
UK Synod rejects the clear teaching of the Bible
The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, has described the decision of the Church of England General Synod to offer prayers of blessing to couples in same-sex marriages and civil partnerships as a rejection of biblical teaching.
“In adopting these proposals, the UK General Synod has rejected the clear teaching of Scripture that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and that sexual activity outside the context of marriage is sin.” the Archbishop said.
Archbishop Raffel cited the Global Anglican Fellowship (Gafcon) and the Global South Fellowship, two international groups which he said, “not only represent the vast majority of the world’s Anglicans, but also the historic, universal and apostolic teaching of the bible.”
“Last year, when the 24 diocesan bishops of the Australian General Synod failed to affirm the bible’s teaching on marriage and sexuality, I said that they had left the Australian Anglican Church in a ‘perilous’ state. Today, statements from both Gafcon and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans have made the same assessment of the impact of the Church of England’s decision on the Anglican Communion. I agree with that assessment.”
“Nevertheless, it is reason for thanksgiving that where some Anglican provinces have departed from Scripture’s teaching in these matters, faithful brothers and sisters have stood for the trustworthiness, goodness and authority of Scripture. This was certainly true in the UK General Synod debate.”
“It is the opposite of loving care for people to deny, distort or downplay the life-giving truth of Scripture on matters of vital importance to understanding ourselves and God’s good plans for our lives, including matters of human sexuality and marriage. We must lament the decision of the Church of England General Synod.”
“God’s people are called to honour all people, and humbly, prayerfully and faithfully to hold out to all, the teaching of Jesus as words of eternal life. With God’s help, we will continue to do so.”
Kanishka Raffel
Archbishop of Sydney
February 10, 2023
Source: Diocese of Sydney.
A Catastrophic Failure of Leadership
Principal of Moore Theological College, Dr. Mark Thompson, responds to the Church of England’s General Synod vote late last night:
Tragically, overnight, the Church of England continued its headlong plunge into irrelevance. A catastrophic failure of leadership, in particular from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, led to the General Synod agreeing to allow the blessing of same-sex civil unions. The bishops of the Church of England pledged at their consecration to guard and uphold the faith, yet, with their behaviour during this General Synod, despite public displays of empty piety, this is precisely what they did not do. They have shown themselves to be theologically bankrupt, pastorally inept and without both courage and wisdom.
Many faithful members of the General Synod of the Church of England grieve with us today at this outcome. As was said in debate, it is a perverse folly to call on God to bless what he has declared in his word to be sin. This vote will not change that and so it becomes one more sign that the leadership structures of the Church of England are under judgment.
We need to pray for the churches in England. We in this country owe so much to gospel-hearted men and women who came from England to share the news of salvation and life in Jesus with those who had lived here for millennia and those who travelled to these shores in more recent times. There is a wonderful heritage in the Church of England that, for many years, has been squandered by its leaders.
Where things will go from here is difficult to say. We must pray that those leaders still holding fast to the teaching of God’s word will be given extraordinary wisdom as they respond to this heart-breaking turn of events. Britain is crying out to be re-evangelised. The gospel we have to share is such good news, for same-sex attracted people as much as for any others. Our sin, together with the shame and guilt it brings, can be forgiven. A new life of hope and purpose and joy can be ours, if we will come to Jesus. He is the Saviour who reaches out to men and women where they are, in our various forms of brokenness and lostness, but loves us too much to leave us where we are.
Heavenly Father, please guard and guide your people in the United Kingdom. Give them courage and hope at this moment and please do such a work amongst them that we may look back and see the good that came even in the midst of this moment of terrible unfaithfulness. For the glory of Jesus and the extension of his kingdom, Amen.
Gafcon Press Release in response to Church of England General Synod Vote
Archbishop Foley Beach, Chairman of the GAFCON Primates’ Council, has strong words about the leadership of the Church of England:
“It is time for the Primate of All England to step down from his role as ‘first among equals’ in leading the Anglican Communion. It is now time for the Primates of the Anglican Communion to choose for themselves their “first among equals” rather than having a secular government of only one nation appoint our leader. We are no longer colonies of Great Britain.”
Full statement below:
10 February 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the Name of God our Father and His Son our Lord Jesus Christ!
Blessings to you as you behold the beauty of the Lord and his immense truth and grace on display through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul so eloquently writes, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”’ (Rom 1:16-17).
The decision taken today by the General Synod of the Church of England and the explanations given are clear indications that the Church of England is moving a step at a time to fully accept the practice of homosexuality as part of the life and practice of the English Church. To some of us who have been hoping that the Church would remain with her distinctive identity from those who don’t believe the teaching of Scripture, this hope is diminishing.
We have lived through this with other Western Anglican Provinces that continually wavered on the ‘faith once delivered’ (Jude 3) and now outright deny the doctrine of biblical anthropology regarding gender identity and moral behavior. Those in the secular press and culture will argue that these are matters of justice, but God’s justice can never contradict God’s righteousness, and we know these changes attack the very core of biblical authority. Have the Scriptures been clear on human sexuality through the centuries? Yes, they have. The majority of Anglicans around the world have concluded the same. And yet, now, the Church of England has authorized the blessing of sin and declared that sin is no longer sin.
From Lambeth Conference 1998 (and its overwhelming endorsement of Resolution I:10), following the Kuala Lumpur Statement in 1997, to Dar Es Salaam in 2007, to the Jerusalem Declaration at GAFCON 2008, to the Nairobi Communique at GAFCON II 2013, and the Letter to the Churches at GAFCON III 2018, we have remained resolute in speaking both the truth of Christian witness on matters of practice and ethics and calling the Anglican Communion Establishment to repent and return to the teaching of Scripture and the historical teaching of the Church.
This decision by the Church of England raises questions regarding the relationship of Anglican Provinces around the world with the Church of England and the continued role of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Gafcon provinces and other Global South provinces are already in impaired Communion with The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Episcopal Church of Brazil, The Scottish Episcopal Church, The Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, and the Church in Wales. We shall now have to make a decision about the Church of England.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has abrogated his fiduciary responsibility and violated his consecration vows to “banish and drive away from the Church all erroneous and strange doctrine contrary to God’s Word” with his advocating this change in the Church of England. He is shredding the last remaining fragile fabric of the Anglican Communion. It is time for the Primate of All England to step down from his role as “first among equals” in leading the Anglican Communion. It is now time for the Primates of the Anglican Communion to choose for themselves their “first among equals” rather than having a secular government of only one nation appoint our leader. We are no longer colonies of Great Britain.
In 2017 the Gafcon Primates (representing more than 60 Million Anglicans worldwide) authorized the creation of a new mission into England because unbiblical practices had already been occurring in many dioceses of the Church of England. Many faithful Anglicans could no longer serve under bishops who had departed from the teaching of Scripture. We consecrated the Rev. Andy Lines to be its first Missionary Bishop, and have since constituted the Anglican Network in Europe. Last year the GAFCON Primates consecrated the Rev. Lee McMunn, the Rev. Tim Davies and the Rev. Ian Ferguson, to assist in the growing work in the United Kingdom. The Rev. Stuart Bell will be consecrated in March. We believe the Lord is raising up a biblical alternative for the Christian faithful in Great Britain.
Many in the Church of England have made faithful and courageous speeches upholding biblical teaching. We thank God for them and acknowledge their faithfulness to the Gospel, and our ongoing fellowship with and support for them. For those who are feeling alone and vulnerable during this time, please be assured of the fervent prayers of your brothers and sisters around the world. You are not alone. And you do not have to endure this alone. The Lord will guide you as you honor him and seek to follow His will.
In April the Gafcon Primates will be hosting over 1,100 participants in GAFCON IV in Kigali, Rwanda. In collaboration with the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans (GSFA), we shall have more to say and do about these matters. Please come, and we’ll make room at the table for you.
On behalf of the Gafcon Primates, I am
Yours in Christ,
The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach
Chair of the Gafcon Primates Council
A lamentable departure
Here is a Press Release from Bishop Andy Lines and his colleagues:
It is with great sadness and heaviness of heart we note the lamentable decision of the General Synod of the Church of England to depart the teaching of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church throughout history and across the world by accepting the House of Bishops’ proposals arising from the Living in Love and Faith process.
We grieve with those who have been dismayed and heartbroken by this betrayal in the abandonment of the sufficiency and supremacy of scripture which has until now been the bedrock and rule of the Church of England. We honour those who have courageously contended for orthodoxy and those who continue to hold out the biblical life-giving teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. We especially feel the pain of those who continue to make costly stands for godliness and have been abandoned by those who were meant to shepherd and protect them.
Whilst individuals will need time to prayerfully process the implications of this apostasy and to seek the Lord’s leading for their own positions and ministry, they should know ‘they are not alone and they have a home’ within the global Gafcon family; that continuing a faithful Anglican is possible and remains a good and godly expression of the gospel; and further, that the Gafcon Primates’ Council have made provision for them of faithful (alternative) episcopal oversight through the Anglican Network in Europe.
“Time will tell if this is a lampstand removing moment.”
Bishop Andy Lines (presiding Bishop of ANiE) Lee McMunn (Bishop of AMiE)
Tim Davies (Bishop of AMiE)
Ian Ferguson (Bishop of ACE)
Stuart Bell (Bishop-elect of ACE)
Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches responds to C of E General Synod vote
“The role of the Archbishop of Canterbury in leading the House of Bishops to make the recommendations that undergird the Motion, together with his statements, alongside the Archbishop of York, and the Bishop of London leading up to the General Synod, cause the GSFA to question his fitness to lead what is still a largely orthodox world-wide Communion.”
Here is the full statement released shortly after the Church of England General Synod vote:
RESPONSE FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH FELLOWSHIP OF ANGLICAN CHURCHES TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND ‘BLESSING’ OF GAY UNIONS
The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) deeply regrets the decision of the Church of England’s General Synod today, supporting the House of Bishops’ proposals to ‘bless’ Same Sex Unions – which goes against the overwhelming mind of the Anglican Communion.
Whatever the legal advice that the CofE’s Doctrine of Marriage has not changed, we hold the well-established view that Anglican liturgy expresses its doctrine. Furthermore, with the adoption of the Motion, the ‘public perception’ and reality at parish level shall be that the Church no longer sees the Union of one man to one woman for life as the only way intended and blessed by God, for the flourishing of marriage, family, communities, and national life.
The Church cannot ‘bless’ in God’s name the union of same sex partnered individuals, much less sexual relationships between same-sex persons which in God’s Word He declares to be sinful.
The role of the Archbishop of Canterbury in leading the House of Bishops to make the recommendations that undergird the Motion, together with his statements, alongside the Archbishop of York, and the Bishop of London leading up to the General Synod, cause the GSFA to question his fitness to lead what is still a largely orthodox world-wide Communion.
In view of these developments, the GSFA will be taking decisive steps towards re-setting the Anglican Communion (as outlined in our ‘Communique’ following the 2022 Lambeth Conference). Orthodox Provinces in GSFA are not leaving the Anglican Communion, but with great sadness must recognise that the Church of England has now joined those Provinces with which communion is impaired. The historical Church which spawned the global Communion, and which for centuries was accorded ‘first among equals’ status, has now triggered a widespread loss of confidence in her leadership of the Communion.
Next Monday the Global South Primates shall meet to consider more fully the decision by the General Synod and shall release a more detailed response in due course. Whilst the GSFA is giving its full attention to developments in CofE, it is also in much prayer and practical concern for the earthquake tragedy in Turkey & Syria. We invite the General Synod to join us in prayer and practical action.
ENDS
Editor’s Note:
The GSFA is a worldwide fellowship of orthodox Anglican Provinces and Dioceses. Presently, 25 Provinces belong to, or are associated with the Fellowship. See www.thegsfa.org
This copy via Anglican Mainstream.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…