Traditionalist Anglicans should consider leaving the Church of England after the appointment of Sarah Mullally as the next Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the global Anglican Communion, a pastor has suggested.
The two main objections to Mullally are that her appointment contravenes the principle of male leadership and that she takes a liberal view on issues such as sexuality.
Writing for Evangelicals Now, Pastor Dave Williams said it was time for evangelicals to leave the Church of England, describing it as a “burning building”.
Williams argued that the liberal direction of the Church of England was decided years ago when vicars and bishops decided it was acceptable to question the validity of scripture and "water down the gospel".
"Brothers and sisters, those of us who are elders in the church have been given a serious charge to provide for and protect the flock. We don’t do that by trying to care for them in the middle of a den of wolves. We do that by leading them to safe, green pastures. This is now your task," he said.
Other critics, while urging prayer for Mullally, suggested that she should turn to the “true gospel”.
Graham Nicholls, Director of the evangelical church network Affinity, said he was "concerned" by her appointment.
He added, “This person would seem to be by all reports a theologically liberal on issues of biblical truth and exclusivity about Jesus but also on matters of sexuality and sexual practice.”
Nichols urged prayer that “this leader, Sarah, would turn to the true gospel and repent of those things where they’re contradicting the Bible’s clear teaching.”
Mark Thompson, principal of Moore Theological College, called Mullally "unfit" for the role and said her appointment would not solve the Church of England's "profound drift away from the biblical Christian faith that has accelerated into a gallop in recent decades".
Writing for The Gospel Coalition, he said, "She certainly can’t do this apart from her own personal repentance and a willingness to openly and unapologetically obey 'the whole counsel of God', not just isolated expressions taken entirely out of context and recast into the image of the prevailing culture."
Archbishop Justin Badi Arama, Chairman of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) has already said that Mulally’s endorsement of same-sex blessings in the Church of England means the GSFA cannot accept her as spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion.
Archbishop Badi described the appointment of Mullally as “a missed opportunity to reunite and reform the Anglican Communion."
These sentiments were echoed by Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Gafcon), who said that orthodox Anglicans would be unable to recognise her spiritual authority if she did not repent for supporting same-sex blessings.
