Sarah Mullally, Archbishop-Elect
Justin Welby, Retired Archbishop of Canterbury
A new Archbishop of Canterbury
You may have heard that England has selected its new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally. Mullally was previously appointed Bishop of London and before that a cancer nurse. You can read more about her in this bio published by Canterbury. I am sure some of you are wondering what my opinion is on the matter. Frankly, I am saddened, but not surprised. The Church of England has been traveling down the same path of heterodoxy as the Episcopal Church for some time. The Church of England’s descent has been slower, but key players in the establishment are anxious to introduce theologically progressive doctrines and unbiblical practices. For example, the previous Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, entered the Archbishop’s office in 2013 as an Evangelical formed by Holy Trinity, Brompton (a faithful parish that began the Alpha Movement). Many - including myself - were hopeful. But he quickly showed that he was not a defender of the Faith delivered or friend of GAFCON or faithful Anglicans but an institutionalist. His words and actions showed his desired was to preserve the Church of England’s place in the British Establishment. For example, he quickly declared he was not only in favor of but “delighted” by the innovation and departure from Scripture and tradition regarding women bishops in the Church of England in 2014. This further broke the Anglican Communion, as Welby tried to have his cake and eat it too presenting himself as a theological liberal to the British press but as an orthodox conservative to the Primates (head bishops) of the Anglican Communion specifically on the subject of same-sex relationships. He lost all credibility and was rejected by GAFCON (of which our Archbishop, Foley Beach was then president) and others. The sad fact is that both Welby and Mullally were fast-tracked into leadership without serving long tenures as rectors or vicars.
Much ado will be made about Sarah Mullally being a woman from both sides of that issue. The ACNA and many other churches in the Anglican Communion (as well as other historic churches) do not believe the Church is permitted by Scripture or Tradition to admit a woman to the episcopate (bishop). Entire national churches do not believe the Church may admit them to the presbyterate (priesthood) for the same reason (cf. 1 Tim.2). Whatever is behind England’s choice, the Church of England’s move signals an indifference to the vast majority of the Anglican Communion and a doubling-down on positions that have fractured it. Perhaps this is good for clarity. Mullally does not have the veneer of moderation that Welby had. She is openly theologically liberal on many issues such as abortion and same-sex relationships which bespeak a troublesome underlying modernist/revisionist hermeneutic.
Local impact
If you are new to the Anglican world, you might be scratching your head about all of this. There is a lot of backstory in recent church history. You might be disheartened at the news today and tempted to despair. (I know I was.) But this development was not unexpected and has little impact on the ACNA or St. Anselm Anglican Church. Unlike the Roman Catholic Communion, the Anglican Communion follows a more ancient governance structure called “Councilarity” where Archbishops and head Archbishops (known and
”Primates” because they are first amongst the bishops in their country) govern the Church in Council. This is the same way that the Eastern Orthodox are governed. It is in councils that the Holy Spirit makes His will known. (ex. the Nicene Creed from 325) We do not have a pope. We have a true Communion of Churches each with its own Primate and Archbishops. While Archbishop of Canterbury has been deferred to historically as first among equals, he is - ultimately - only Archbishop of England.
The election of Mullally will have effects on the Communion and Church history. We need to pray for England. And it will push the rest of the Anglican Communion to formalize a new post-colonial structure but that has been happening for years now. GAFCON (Global Confessing Anglicans) AND GSFA (Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches) are two groupings of faithful Anglican churches that encompass the vast majority of Anglicans who are orthodox in belief and practice and devoted to the Scriptures and historic teachings of the historic Church. I encourage you to read the GAFCON statement here. I would also encourage you to read the GSFA statement as well. I began my ministry in the midst of this turmoil and it won’t be going away anytime soon. Be assured by Church history. There are many attacks on the Church and there are lions of the Faith and quislings in every generation. But God is true to His promise that she will endure. If you have questions about Anglican polity or how godly authority works or this news I will be hosting Collects, Coffee, and Conversation this Sunday at 10:00AM.