Evangelical bishop warns split may be necessary as he spearheads resistance to liberalising CofE

Aug 9, 2017 by

by Harry Farley, Christian Today:

A senior evangelical bishop in the Church of England is spearheading resistance to a perceived drift in teaching on sexuality, hinting that some form of schism may be necessary.

Julian Henderson, the Bishop of Blackburn and president of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), told evangelical leaders across the CofE that ‘behind the scenes’ initiatives were under way to bolster traditionalist teaching and support in the Church.

But he went on to warn that some form of split or church-within-a-church may be necessary if the apparent liberalising trajectory continues.

‘We are being realistic and thinking through what “visible differentiation” might look like, should the Church depart from its current teaching, whether in law or in fact, and make such differentiation necessary,’ he wrote in a letter to evangelical Anglican leaders this week.

The phrase ‘visible differentiation’ comes from a report by the CEEC in 2016. Guarding the deposit argued unless bishops restated and reinforced the teaching that any sex outside heterosexual marriage is sinful, with ‘effective sanctions’ for gay clergy and others who transgressed, ‘the Church of England might need to be divided in two’.

Read here

Read the text of the letter from CEEC leaders here

Have C of E evangelical leaders suggested that a Rubicon has been crossed? By Andrew Symes, Anglican Mainstream

 

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