Traditionalist Anglicans should consider leaving the Church of England after the appointment of Sarah Mullally as the subsequent Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, a pastor has suggested.
The two foremost objections to Mullally are that her appointment contravenes the principle of male leadership and that she takes a liberal view on issues comparable to sexuality.
Writing for Evangelicals Now, Pastor Dave Williams said it was time for evangelicals to depart the Church of England, describing it as a “burning constructing”.
Williams argued that the liberal direction of the Church of England was decided years ago when vicars and bishops decided it was acceptable to query the validity of scripture and “water down the gospel”.
“Brothers and sisters, those of us who’re elders within the church have been given a serious charge to supply for and protect the flock. We don’t do this by attempting to look after them in the midst of a den of wolves. We do this by leading them to secure, green pastures. This is now your task,” he said.
Other critics, while urging prayer for Mullally, suggested that she should turn to the “true gospel”.
Graham Nicholls, Director of the evangelical church network Affinity, said he was “concerned” by her appointment.
He added, “This person would appear to be by all reports a theologically liberal on problems with biblical truth and exclusivity about Jesus but additionally on matters of sexuality and sexual practice.”
Nichols urged prayer that “this leader, Sarah, would turn to the true gospel and repent of those things where they’re contradicting the Bible’s clear teaching.”
Mark Thompson, principal of Moore Theological College, called Mullally “unfit” for the role and said her appointment wouldn’t solve the Church of England’s “profound drift away from the biblical Christian faith that has accelerated right into a gallop in recent a long time”.
Writing for The Gospel Coalition, he said, “She actually can’t do that other than her own personal repentance and a willingness to openly and unapologetically obey ‘the entire counsel of God’, not only isolated expressions taken entirely out of context and recast into the image of the prevailing culture.”
Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, Chairman of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) has already said that Mulally’s endorsement of same-sex blessings within the Church of England means the GSFA cannot accept her as spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion.
Archbishop Badi described the appointment of Mullally as “a missed opportunity to reunite and reform the Anglican Communion.”
These sentiments were echoed by Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), who said that orthodox Anglicans could be unable to recognise her spiritual authority if she didn’t repent for supporting same-sex blessings.
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