As I pointed out four months ago (http://johnpetley.weebly.com/1/post/2013/03/archbishop-welby-a-bad-start.html) Justin Welby got off to a bad start as Archbishop of Canterbury with his criticism of Iain Duncan-Smith's sensible welfare reforms. Things have gone from bad to worse. Instead of encouraging his fellow-bishops to take the lead in opposing the proposed same-sex legislation in the House of Lords, he has more or less caved in. "We may or may not like it but we must accept that there is a revolution in the area of sexuality", he said recently. Well, no one would dispute that, and for the record, the Archbishop voted against the legislation, suggesting that he one of those who is uncomfortable of some aspects of the sexual revolution. However, he is also understood to have approached the gay rights group Stonewall, which led the campaign in favour of gay marriage, to invite its members into church schools to teach up to a million children about homosexuality.
This is nothing less than throwing in the towel. If you believe something to be wrong, however unpopular it may make you, then you should stand by your principles. There have been plenty of instances in the past where society's attitudes - in some cases, attitudes even from within the "visbile" church - have altered for the worse. In the late 19th century, Darwinian evolution and German "Higher Criticism" made substantial inroads into formerly Evangelical denomiations. C.H. Sp;urgeon fought tooth and nail to keep these poisonous views out of the Baptist Union, even though he was much criticised for so doing. "Your duty is to do the right; consequences are with God." he said. Can one imagine this great man inviting overt theological liberals to lecture the students at his pastor's college about their obnoxious heresies?
The Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, reminds them of their way of life before their conversion. He lists various categories of sinners who will not "inherit the kingdom of God.", adding "and such were some of you." Alongside thieves and drunkards are "effeminate" and "abusers of themselves with mankind." Any Greek-English lexicon will tell you that this word, arsenokoites means "a man who lies with a man as a woman" - a homosexual in other words.
Of course, repentant sinners, whatever category their pre-conversion sins may come into, are accepted by God and must be made welcome in the 21st century church just as their predecessors were in 1st Century Corinth. The point is that none of the people from Stonewall whom Archbishop Welby wishes to invite into Church schools are repentant. Will he next be invited unrepentant armed robbers to teach children about the joys of burglary? or unrepantant alcoholics to wax lyrical to a class of seven-year olds about waking up with a hangover after downing a complete bottle of whisky? OK, society's attitues amy not have changes so much with regards theft or alcoholism, but that's beside the point. It's God's standards that count, and there is no evidence that He has suddenly had second thoughts about homosexuality.
What is particularly sad is that Archbishop Welby hails from the Evangelical wing of the Church of England, with links to the popular Charismatic Anglican church, Holy Trinity Brompton. Given that Evangelicals are meant to believe the Bible to be God's inerrant word, one dreads to think what a Bible-denying "liberal" Archbishop might have come out with on this subject.
God has been remarkably gracious to the C of E in spite of the shortcomings bequeathed to it by the Elizabethan settlement of 1559, but in the face of such compromise, His patience must surely be wearing very thin. Has the church of Hugh Latimer, of George Whitefield, and of J.C. Ryle finally lost the plot?
This is nothing less than throwing in the towel. If you believe something to be wrong, however unpopular it may make you, then you should stand by your principles. There have been plenty of instances in the past where society's attitudes - in some cases, attitudes even from within the "visbile" church - have altered for the worse. In the late 19th century, Darwinian evolution and German "Higher Criticism" made substantial inroads into formerly Evangelical denomiations. C.H. Sp;urgeon fought tooth and nail to keep these poisonous views out of the Baptist Union, even though he was much criticised for so doing. "Your duty is to do the right; consequences are with God." he said. Can one imagine this great man inviting overt theological liberals to lecture the students at his pastor's college about their obnoxious heresies?
The Apostle Paul in his first letter to the Christians in Corinth, reminds them of their way of life before their conversion. He lists various categories of sinners who will not "inherit the kingdom of God.", adding "and such were some of you." Alongside thieves and drunkards are "effeminate" and "abusers of themselves with mankind." Any Greek-English lexicon will tell you that this word, arsenokoites means "a man who lies with a man as a woman" - a homosexual in other words.
Of course, repentant sinners, whatever category their pre-conversion sins may come into, are accepted by God and must be made welcome in the 21st century church just as their predecessors were in 1st Century Corinth. The point is that none of the people from Stonewall whom Archbishop Welby wishes to invite into Church schools are repentant. Will he next be invited unrepentant armed robbers to teach children about the joys of burglary? or unrepantant alcoholics to wax lyrical to a class of seven-year olds about waking up with a hangover after downing a complete bottle of whisky? OK, society's attitues amy not have changes so much with regards theft or alcoholism, but that's beside the point. It's God's standards that count, and there is no evidence that He has suddenly had second thoughts about homosexuality.
What is particularly sad is that Archbishop Welby hails from the Evangelical wing of the Church of England, with links to the popular Charismatic Anglican church, Holy Trinity Brompton. Given that Evangelicals are meant to believe the Bible to be God's inerrant word, one dreads to think what a Bible-denying "liberal" Archbishop might have come out with on this subject.
God has been remarkably gracious to the C of E in spite of the shortcomings bequeathed to it by the Elizabethan settlement of 1559, but in the face of such compromise, His patience must surely be wearing very thin. Has the church of Hugh Latimer, of George Whitefield, and of J.C. Ryle finally lost the plot?