‘Get with the Program’ — The Church of England Votes to Ordain Women Bishops – AlbertMohler.com

Al Mohler gives an insightful overview of the recent CofE Synod vote to allow women Bishops.

‘Get with the Program’ — The Church of England Votes to Ordain Women Bishops – AlbertMohler.com.

I fully realise that Conservative Evangelical CofE congregations are able to use the CofE mechanism to further their own evangelistic efforts. But having said that, surely the time is now for those Conservative Ministers & leaders to take their congregation (and  their cash) out of the CofE and to form something else (I have no idea what – but it could be done) that will have doctrinal (Biblical) and historical integrity.

Perhaps Conservative congregations that are ‘bolted’ on to a failing structure also ‘need to get with the program’ and get out. Such a move would I believe be applauded by the general public for taking a stand even if they didn’t fully realise why.

I know, I know, we are all institutionalised to some extent and this makes it very hard to sever the ties. Nevertheless I’m wondering just how far the CofE will need go before conservative Evangelicals will say enough. Personally from where I’m sitting (I’m not an Anglican) it will never happen because in the end the structure no matter how rickety it is will always be more important. I confess to not understanding that.

Women Bishops – Intended Consequences?

If you listen to the news, Prime Ministers Question Time, ‘BBC’s Question Time’ & ‘BBC’s Any Questions’ (haven’t listened to ‘Any Answers’ on this yet) you will quickly realise the decision has not gone down well. You will realise the poverty of Gospel input. There is next to no mention of God, certainly no mention of sin in the Gospel sense and no mention of the Bible. Obviously many of the comments are cherry picked to suit particular biases and interviews are mediated through the gatekeepers. We are told ‘the people’ are outraged by this. I’d like to know how they know that – I’m a people and I’ve never been asked! But we do know some surprising views. On Any Question one Rosie Harper said she would like those that are opposed to Women Priests to be ‘thrown out’. Now that wasn’t edited. I’ve been to an Any Questions broadcast and it isn’t edited – apart from a 7 second loop maybe. I’m guessing that view is not uncommon. The problem with the Anglican Church is its connection to the State. It’s the State Church and the State now wants its pound of flesh! In other words, agree politically or we’ll make you agree. What The State wants – whatever it tells you – is a church it can control.

A very good summary report was on the dreaded ‘Sunday:Religious News’ programme this morning. From what I can tell the piece does tell us where the Cof E is at on this topic. If you can get it on iTunes or via the BBC  iPlayer the relevant segment starts at 25m 10s till the end. For those outside the UK I’ll try and edit the segment out and post it up here for you to have a listen.

Now here’s why the title of this post is ‘Intended Consequences’. We all know about the law of unintended consequences but in this case in view of other debates and further decisions ‘coming down the pike’ it really is – I think – intended consequences.

The decisions to be made concern Homosexuals (LGB&T) in the church. Get women priests through first and it should be a formality to get the Homosexual issue sorted. In fact, not getting the women priests vote through actually helps the case. How so? Make the country so sick of all the debates and turn the ‘Traditionalists’ into a pariah and the outcry at the possibility of Homosexuals being barred in any way will be so strong the church will have no other way to go. Why? Because they are more concerned – or even only concerned – at what ‘the people’ think and not what God thinks. You will hear of how the church needs to come into the 21st or even into the 20th Century and at how the decision is not democratic. Well, if it’s a question of what ‘people’ think the church is not concerned about what people think ultimately.

The Bible – that’s God – says unless a person will repent of their sins and call upon Jesus Christ for Salvation they will be turned into hell forever. Now democracy will not solve that! Except you repent says Jesus, you will perish.

In many ways these debates are really about something else. The issue is really about the place and authority of God’s Word. ‘The People’ do not want the Bible and do not want King Jesus to rule over them. ‘The People’ want to rule themselves, to be in charge of their own destiny but it’s a lie. God is in control and His rule is not a democracy. All people will bow the knee to King Jesus one day either as Saviour & Lord or as Judge. That’s the real issue. And finally, in my view, Evangelicals, Reformed and Bible believing Christians should come out of the Anglican Church and get on with proclaiming the Gospel of the Grace of God. After all isn’t this reason for the Church of Jesus Christ?

Minority Report

Just an observation:

(en) Monitor lizards' forked tongue. (fr) La l...

Apparently the current Archbishop is a champion of minorities – as are several other outspoken Bishops and MP’s

Yet, when a minority blocks the appointment of women Bishops they are classed as outdated, sect like and not going with what the majority want.

There are several ways to describe this – speaking with forked tongue, speaking out of two sides of the mouth or just plain lying. They only support a minority when it furthers their own view and has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with Bible teaching or Truth.

The Reformed and Evangelicals should come out – but they won’t. The policy is keep the CoE together at all costs!

Tony Baldry MP said “A broad church is being held to ransom by a few narrow minds.” Well Tony, it’s a narrow way.

Archbishop Williams Bows Out – The Legacy

The next Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, in head gear at his induction as a DruidJust the other day I sat at work listening to the news that Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury is to end his time in post this coming  December. I had the desire to write on this, and many have already, but only today has what to write formulated in my mind. And so what to say about this. It’s important to say that I am not an Anglican so the subtitles and the intricacies of polite policy is beyond me. So any comments are formulated by the impression received through a number of sources. typically these are: the occasional service aired on BBC Radio 4, Sunday (a religious broadcast on a Sunday morning) BBC Radio 4, debates such as the recent one at the Sheldonian with Richard Dawkins and the news.

So over the last 10 years of his tenure I have listened out for some sort of Gospel message and I’m sorry to say it hasn’t been forthcoming. Admittedly, not having access to him on a personal level, those closer to him will probably tell another story. The Archbishop is I have no doubt a nice man, a polite man, and most people would say an inoffensive man. But is he a Gospel man – that’s the question.

It strikes me that if he really were a Gospel man he would take the opportunity to speak of it. And this sadly raises a fundamental yet awkward question – does he know what the Gospel is. Some will reply ‘of course he does – how ridiculous to even suggest it’. I listened to the Sheldonian debate – or was it an academic love in, it was difficult to tell at times – and was struck by the absence of anything Gospel related.

What do I mean Gospel related? And I put this to any high-profile ‘Christian’. For starters I find the absence of any mention of Sin, Judgement, Hell, Holiness of God, Uniqueness of Christ as the ONLY Saviour and Justification through Faith ALONE and by Grace ALONE and by Christ ALONE rather alarming. This man is (supposed to be) a minister of the Gospel of Christ. The fact is if people do not repent, turning to Christ for forgiveness and Salvation they will be lost. You say ‘The Church of England is a broad Church’. I say what about the 39 Articles? Are these not in order that the Church might know what it believes. As a Non-Anglican I would have some disagreement with some of the Articles, but, at its heart is The Gospel of Christ.

It’s sad also to hear so-called C of E Gospel men distracted. The Apostle said ‘Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel’. These days it seems to be ‘There goes my public image if I preach the Gospel’.

Who will follow on from Rowan Williams? Will it be a true Gospel man calling the nation to Faith in Christ and Repentance – unlikely. I see Tom Wright saying what a wonderful fellow Rowan is – all academics together!. It’s the Gospel we need!!  Maybe our Lord will grant me the gift of faith to pray otherwise. Personally, I believe all the true Gospel men should leave the Church of England and let it slide into complete apostasy because that way we would at least know where it stands. As it is it’s just a mass of contradictions and confusion and has no credible Gospel witness to our Nation – sadly it’s a joke!

And lest we become proud of our independence and in any way arrogant. WE should pray for humility, grace and perseverance in the face of total apathy and continue to hold forth the Words of Eternal through Jesus Christ our Lord.