In Depth:  David Baker

There are two schools of thought about the way forward for evangelicals in the Church of England at the moment.

The first school of thought is what might be called the ‘into the lifeboats’ approach. This ‘boats’ view believes the CofE is lost. Those who think otherwise, it is implied, are wasting their time. People should be planning to leave – perhaps to the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE) or the Free Church of England; furthermore, to put any energy into other strategies is merely to repeat the same failed actions of the last 50 years, it is argued. If we keep on with the same tactics we will merely replicate the same results.

As we look back on 2018 and forward to 2019 – and beyond – where are Anglican evangelicals in relation to the wider CofE ?

Here are some things I think we can be thankful for and encouraged by from 2018.

We need to be so careful when discussing the Church of England.

We live in an era of social media where too often facts are replaced by assertions and accusations, even in Christian circles. And assertions and accusations – if repeated – can then be assumed to be true, even when not. Here are some statements I believe to be true.

Inevitably, there has been debate among Anglican evangelicals about the pros and cons of this summer’s GAFCON gathering in Jerusalem.

Among the more thoughtful critiques was one from Fulcrum, the group which describes itself as aiming to ‘renew the evangelical centre’. I once heard Fulcrum witheringly dismissed by a prominent figure as ‘not proper evangelicals’ – by which I think he meant that they didn’t agree with him about everything! But they hold to the Church of England Evangelical Council’s statement of faith, believe ‘the proper context for sexual expression is the union of a man and a woman in marriage’ and have some very thoughtful people among them (Andrew Goddard, Ian Paul, Rachel Marszalek and Alastair Cutting, to name but a few). And it seems to me that it has become theological sharper in recent years.

1. Church Society reports there was overwhelming support for the merger of Church Society with Reform and the Fellowship of Word and Spirit (FWS) at the Church Society AGM on 12 May.

At a packed meeting, former Reform Chairman Bishop Rod Thomas was elected President of Church Society to succeed Wallace Benn. A new Council was elected unopposed, with members from both FWS and Reform, including Rob Munro, the Chairman of FWS and Mark Burkill, the Chairman of Reform.

• Church Society reports that it was ‘glad to approve several hundred new members, mainly from Reform and the Fellowship of Word and Spirit’. Associate Director Ros Clarke said: ‘We look forward to working together with all our members as we move forward with plans for the merger of these organisations.’

• The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse heard from a number of witnesses connected with the Church of England and its failings. General Synod member Rosie Harper wrote online: ‘It will take some time before we know where this will all go. We will get Part Two in June…’

The Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) has issued a landmark document designed to provide a united evangelical witness, as discussions about marriage and sexuality continue within Anglicanism.

The CEEC is an important body, as it brings together representatives of many different groups – including AMiE, Anglican Mainstream, Awesome, CMS, Crosslinks, Church Society, the Fellowship of Word and Spirit, Fulcrum, New Wine, Reform – as well as bishops and theological college principals.

A bit of a different column this month – consisting of prayers to use for the Church of England (and other Anglican groups) in your devotional times.

(1). A prayer for gospel ministers by J. C. Ryle, first Bishop of Liverpool: ‘Pray that we may be kept humble and sensible of our own weakness, and ever mindful that in the Lord alone can we be strong. Pray that we may have wisdom to take the right step, to do the right thing in the right way, and to do nothing to cause the gospel to be blamed. Pray, above all, that we may go straight on, even unto the end – that we may never lose our first love, and go back from first principles; that it may never be said of us, that we are not the people we once were, but that we may go on consistently and faithfully, die in harness, and finish our course with joy, and the ministry which we have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.’ Amen.

Confusion abounds – both inside and outside the Church of England.

(1) Justin Welby gave an interview in which he was asked: ‘Is gay sex sinful?’ He replied: ‘You know very well that is a question I can’t give a straight answer to.’ The interview transcript then states: ‘[Pause, mildly embarrassed.]’ Pressed on why he couldn’t give an answer he said: ‘Because I don’t do blanket condemnation and I haven’t got a good answer to the question. I’ll be really honest about that.’

General Synod met in July and was generally reckoned shocking by evangelicals. Motions were passed both in relation to liturgy for transgender people and counselling for gay people which were considered theologically vacuous by many. Evangelical amendments on both were rejected. Most bishops said little.

I wrote an analysis for Christian Today (google ‘Church of England Synod was so shocking’).

Let’s consider some possible futures for Anglican evangelicals concerned about the Church of England.

Option 1: Remain and resist

This is the strategy from Lee Gatiss of Church Society, Bishop Rod Thomas and many others. In this view, the battle is not lost. As I write, the next bishops’ report on marriage and sexuality is awaited. Southwell bishop Paul Williams – who spoke at a Proclamation Trust conference a few years ago – says: ‘Whatever some would like to claim, the Church of England is and remains faithful to the teaching of Scripture on these matters…’ The new document ‘will be deeply rooted in and faithful to Scripture,’ he claims.

Do you know the future? Unless you have a very distinct gift of predictive prophecy, it is unlikely any of us can declare with certainty how things in the Church of England will now unfold.

And that means that, under God, and prayerfully seeking much wisdom, we have an opportunity and an obligation to help make the future of UK Anglicanism as gospel-orientated as possible. Wisdom is key.

And lo, in those days, the bishops of the Church of England spake unto their denomination saying: ‘There shalt be no change in our doctrine of marriage; there shalt be no blessing of same sex marriages; we shalt henceforth ask all ordinands (not just the gay ones) questions about their morality; and there shalt be, within that framework, maximum liberty, once we have worked out what that means.’

And behold, some of the party known as the evangelicals rejoiceth, saying: ‘This be alright, then, and much better than we had feared.’ But others of the evangelicals sayeth: ‘This is more unto us such as a curate’s egg, being pleasing in part greatly, but in other parts, it stinketh.’ And yet other evangelicals declareth: ‘The bishops faileth to teach clearly, and, verily, we trusteth not their trajectory.’

As evangelicals we are clear that we need to ‘contend for the faith’ – but are we biblical in the way we contend?

By that I mean things such as snide put-downs on Facebook, casual expressions of contempt in online comments – both towards bishops and towards evangelicals of slightly different shades from us who we ought to be seeking to win as allies – and press releases of questionable efficacy.

Unless the Lord builds the house, Psalm 127 tells us, its builders labour in vain.

In September’s en I wrote about how we Anglican evangelicals need a biblical theology of unity and separation, which we seem to lack. Theology is always practical of course – for it is about how we follow Jesus. So this month I want to write about another theological essential for our current situation, and that is humility.

Read the pages of the NT and you will quickly see that there have always been issues of false teaching in the church.

Jesus warns us: ‘Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves’ (Matthew 7.15). Likewise, Paul counsels: ‘I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears’ (Acts 20.29-31).

I have just participated in a Bible study led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

Well, I say ‘participated’. What I mean in fact is that I have watched a recording of a 20-minute study he conducted live online a little while ago. If I am honest, I did so in order to write about it now.

I write this as a penitent (sometimes) but far-from-wholly-transformed sinner. Here is a true story from many years ago – another time, another place.

I was in a Christian library somewhere (I shall not say where) and someone I knew slightly (who I shall not name) came up to me, eyes bright, and pointed at a new book which had just been written by Alister McGrath, the evangelical academic.

Almost 450 church leaders met together for the 2015 ReNew Conference at Chesford Grange – the third conference that Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), Church Society, and Reform had organised together with the purpose of encouraging church leaders to pioneer, establish, and secure healthy local Anglican churches throughout England.

Although I had hoped to attend, I was not able to, so am grateful to Brian O'Donoghue of St Helen’s Bishopsgate for most of the following report. In his chairman’s address, William Taylor of St Helen’s outlined the history, necessity, and strategy of ReNew and introduced this year’s theme - ‘Shoulder to Shoulder; partnering together in mission and ministry’. He stressed the need for interdependence – in prayer, people, and finance.

It’s very easy to lament all that is wrong about the Church of England – after all, there is quite a lot to choose from!

Sometimes, however, it’s also good to reflect on some of the positives that still exist. For example, as a national church, the CofE still has a voice that carries some weight in a way that other denominations do not. Thus, in recent discussions about the migrant crisis at Calais and its effect on the UK, the Bishop of Dover was on hand to offer a much needed Christian comment on how we view those seeking to come here.

Should evangelicals be participating in the current ‘Facilitated Conversations’ in the Church of England about sexuality or not?

Many people I greatly respect have argued strongly that even to take part is to legitimise dialogue with false teaching and therefore should not be considered – full stop.

What is going on in the Diocese of Southwark? When I worked there a while ago we used to have a standing joke on the Church Council, as we examined the diocesan annual report year after year to see if we could find any mention of Jesus.

Recently a large group of Anglican evangelicals signed a document called the Southwark Declaration which begins: ‘We affirm the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures and their supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. We affirm ... that “it is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God’s Word written”. We affirm the teaching of Scripture (Genesis 2.24, Mark 10.7, Matthew 19.5), the Book of Common Prayer, and Canon B30 (“Of Holy Matrimony”) that marriage is the union of one man and one woman for life.’

Recently someone discovered and posted on Facebook a list entitled A Short Guide to the Duties of Church Membership issued at the requests of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York. Here it is:

1. To follow the example of Christ in home and daily life and to bear witness to him.

The Church of England is to keep its promise and appoint a conservative evangelical bishop who takes a complementarian view of men’s and women’s ministry.

In a press statement it was announced that ‘the Dioceses Commission unanimously agreed with a proposal received from the Archbishop of Canterbury to fill the vacant see of Maidstone. The see, which had been vacant since 2009, had been identified by the archbishop as one that should be filled by a bishop who takes a conservative evangelical view on headship.’

Will there ever be a conservative evangelical bishop who believes in complementarianism in the Church of England again?

According to the Archbishop of Canterbury, there will. Justin Welby was explaining to members of Parliament’s Ecclesiastical Committee a previously-made promise to appoint such a conservative evangelical bishop ‘within a matter of months’.

Someone once remarked that we shouldn’t be aiming for a ‘balance’ of grace and truth – but rather, a full measure of both.

Such is certainly the need as Anglican evangelicals seek to be faithful to the gospel in a denomination full of difficulties – but also, still, many opportunities.

This month’s Anglican Update takes us into the world of the Church of England through the lives of some individuals within it.

First of all, it would be impossible to start anywhere else but by paying tribute to the long-term co-writer of this column, John Richardson, who has passed away. A fuller obituary can be found here. But John was a doughty campaigner for evangelical causes within the Church of England, not least in the Diocese of Chelmsford, where he ministered for many years, and through his involvement with the Junior Anglican Evangelical Conference, begun in 2010.

This month’s Anglican Update is a significant one – for me, anyway!

For, amazingly, it is now ten years since I started writing this column. But, before you rush to hang out the bunting or indeed to send congratulatory gifts of whisky or cheeses, I thought it would be worth taking a moment to review where we are now – one decade on.

So then, did he, or didn’t he? Or, more to the point, will he or won’t he in the future?

The Daily Telegraph seemed to be in no doubt: ‘Archbishop urges Christians to “repent” over “wicked” attitude to homosexuality’, it proclaimed in a headline, boldly. Over on the conservative Virtue Online website — the self-proclaimed ‘voice for global orthodox Anglicanism’ — commentator Father Dale Matson said he believed the Archbishop was developing ‘an “evolved” response to contemporary sexual issues... based on polling data rather than Scripture’.

If Christianity is more about relationships than rules and rituals, how does that express itself in contentious areas?

Justin Welby seems keen to develop a relational approach to his leadership of Anglicans. Perhaps this springs from his own relationship with Christ. Asked by the Daily Telegraph recently, ‘Do you know Jesus?’ the Archbishop responded: ‘Yes. I do. He’s both someone one knows and someone one scarcely knows at all, an utterly intimate friend and yet with indescribable majesty’.