An open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury: False teaching and its response

Dec 21, 2023 by Dave Doveton

By Brian Shersby, from Anglican Ink.

It is with profound sadness that I write to you today. I have been a follower of Jesus since my conversion in 1963 and an ordained member of the Church of England since 1971.

Following the press release by the House of Bishops that prayers for same sex blessings will be permitted from Sunday 17th December 2023, I am writing to let you know that I can no longer be in communion with you, or any archbishop or bishop who voted for, or is in favour of the Commendation of PLF. I humbly call upon you to repent of your action, which is plainly forbidden by Holy Scripture, for the sake of your own spiritual wellbeing, as well as that of many same sex couples who may be misled into believing a ‘different gospel’ (Galatians 1:6) that their lifestyle and behaviour is approved by God.

The blessing of same sex couples is not a matter of adiaphora, it is a first order, or salvation issue. Scripture teaches that same sex activity (arsenokoitai and malakoi) (1 Corinthians 6:9,10) is sin which if not repented of, will exclude people from heaven. To say, or even give the impression of saying, that the Lord approves of same sex activity, is not a part of the biblical gospel. The biblical gospel requires repentance of sin as well as a trust in Christ.

Therefore, your action in promoting the blessing of same sex unions puts you into the category of a false teacher, for which Scripture has strong words. The apostle Paul is worried that the Corinthian Christians are being led astray from the true gospel.

2 Corinthians 11:3,4

“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough…”

2 Corinthians 11:13 – 15

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

Read here.