Vaughan Roberts, rector of St Ebbe’s, Oxford, and co-director of the Alliance movement of traditionalist Anglicans within the Church of England, recently attended the Lausanne 4 Congress in Incheon, South Korea, where he called on churches within the West and the Majority World to unite in opposing the sexual revolution. Christian Today spoke to Rev Roberts about why he felt this was a very important message for Lausanne, and his hopes for the UK.
At the Lausanne 4 Congress, you said that the worldwide Church must work together to confront the sexual revolution, and that the Western churches and Majority World churches need one another. Why did you should bring this message to the congress?
We need to interact globally because while every a part of the worldwide Church could have natural areas of strength or weakness in respect to this, and although we could be in several cultural contexts, the truth of globalisation implies that we’re all increasingly facing similar issues. Quite simply, we want each other.
On the one hand, the Western Church is in peril of moving away from what the Bible says on problems with marriage and sexuality – it’s losing its nerve and clarity, and that’s disastrous all round. On the opposite hand, churches within the Majority World have been very strong and clear on this issue, and that could be a huge encouragement to us within the West to follow what the Church has at all times believed. But by the identical token, those of us within the Western world who’ve been facing these issues for quite a while now could be of help to those within the Majority World as they grapple with increasing numbers of young people who find themselves being discipled by the worldwide media and every kind of messages.
It’s vital to assist people recognise that that is a problem that affects them; it isn’t only a political issue. So often, we only engage with it politically, however it’s also a pastoral issue. And the opposite thing to recognise is that the people facing these issues aren’t just non-Christians or liberal Christians on the earth; also they are orthodox committed Christians within the West and in our very churches.
So, I’m really grateful to the Majority World for encouraging us within the West to face firm. But I also want the Majority World to take into consideration how the people affected by this issue are in our churches and the way we will engage pastorally.
What do you consider what’s happening within the Church of England with the introduction of same-sex blessings?
The reality is that that is being pushed by a margin of just over 50 per cent within the General Synod when, in truth, very large numbers of the Church of England still hold to what’s, for now, its official teaching – which can be where the worldwide Anglican Communion stands on this issue. Many within the House of Bishops are attempting to guide us in a special direction but there are various other Anglicans who’re saying: no, this will not be authentic Anglicanism, it isn’t what the Bible teaches, and we’re not only going handy over the CofE to this teaching; we’re determined to face.
It’s been very encouraging to be a part of the Alliance standing against these changes. It brings together quite a breadth of charismatic and conservative evangelicals and traditional Anglo-Catholics who’re saying together: no, we won’t associate with this. We do need to interact properly with this issue but that does not imply changing our doctrine. We’ll see what we will do.
What do you’re thinking that are among the biggest obstacles to effective witness and evangelism within the UK context?
I do not think it’s on the market within the culture; it’s within the hearts of Christians. When we realise the wonders and fantastic thing about Christ and His Gospel, that is when we’ll get out and tell the world with confidence that He’s the Lord and the risen Saviour. But I feel we have allowed an excessive amount of discouragement to enter in and there’s some hesitation to talk out about this, when our brothers and sisters in much harder settings take much greater risks than we do after they speak out. The worst we would face is being cancelled or thought to be a bit odd or extreme, but they face prison and massive penalties. So why do they keep speaking out? It’s because they’ve a vibrant relationship with Christ.
So I feel the challenge for us within the West is to recollect how beautiful Christ is and the way wonderful the Gospel is. When we’re gripped by that, nothing will stop us. We’re too often specializing in the issues on the market fairly than praying that the Spirit would massage the Gospel into our hearts again.
It’s easy to take into consideration how much harder things are actually than they was, and be focused only on external hardships. Looking around us, it is simple to think it’s unattainable and we will get right into a minority mindset, but after we look up and see the sunshine in Christ and remember His power, then it doesn’t seem so unattainable. Just consider Britain before the Gospel got here. It was a really dark place. Christ’s power is amazing and that, God-willing, will encourage us to maintain going with confidence and joy.
Were you encouraged by your time on the Lausanne Congress?
When we get out of our little bubbles and see the Church of Christ in very different contexts, it puts things in perspective. We think we’re going through a tough time within the UK and that things are tough within the Church of England but that is nothing in comparison with our brothers and sisters in some contexts who risk their lives and yet have a vibrant faith and witness. To see that’s hugely inspiring. We could be very, very small in our little denominational bubbles, let alone national and cultural bubbles, so it’s inspiring to see that we’re one in Christ and to see the enjoyment in believers who’re in very hard settings. It’s inspiring and wonderful.
