Church in Wales and what it means for the rest of us
By Stephen Kneale, Building Jerusalem:
[…] Anglicans in other places should take note. The warnings from your nonconformist brethren have been happening over and again. The trajectory of the former red lines that have long been crossed to the current ones being crossed time and again in different places does not bode well for the Church of England either. What has been around for a while in the United Reformed Church, recently passed in Methodism and now exists in the US and Scottish Episcopal churches and now the Church in Wales, is creeping inexorably closer to England. The chances of holding out is, in my view, close to zero. None of it can come as a surprise when the bishops to whom the church is accountable deny basic, fundamental Christian doctrines and affirm such things in their positions of influence. The only people who do not see it coming are those with their eyes closed.
No doubt there will be those who get upset that I think they should leave. I have been told that it is ‘discouraging’ and ‘unhelpful’. They tell me that other Christians shouldn’t be saying these things. But if nobody is allowed to even suggest that anyone should leave, that seems a bit like loading the conversation with a bias that makes it impossible for anyone to reach that conclusion. More to the point, it doesn’t strike me as ‘unkind’ or ‘unhelpful’ to call people to biblical fidelity and to do with the false teachers in their own communion what scriptures tells us we should do; namely, have nothing to do with them (which, in my view, minimally means not remaining in a church with them and affirming them as believers). Plenty of Anglicans – including Stott and Packer – said they would leave if same-sex marriage was brought in. Many Conservative Evangelicals who stand in their tradition have long said the same.
If we aren’t telling the truth, have we not disqualified ourselves from ministry? If we are telling the truth, and are people of integrity, our red lines ought to actually lead us toward the door once crossed.
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