Justin Welby’s resignation as Archbishop of Canterbury in November was prompted by the exposure of safeguarding mistakes, but some commentators are suggesting that the writing was on the wall earlier than that.
by Andrew Holloway
Welby decided the time had come to resign only days after revealing that he had changed his mind on gay relationships, thus adopting a non-biblical stance. In a statement on 13 November, Voice for Justice UK decried Welby’s announcement that “he regarded all sex as permissible, provided only it took place within a stable, albeit temporary, relationship” and attacked his support for “the imposition of trans ideology on Church of England schools”. The statement added: “Could it perhaps be, therefore – whisper who dare – that God’s patience has at last run out, and that he is even now moving to purify and reclaim his Church?”
(Photo – official portrait of the Archbishop of Canterbury)
Welby had said in a podcast: “Where we’ve come to, is to say that all sexual activity should be within a committed relationship whether it’s straight or gay.” When asked why, he was vague, and even in a follow-up statement made no attempt to justify his position from the Bible, merely saying that his thinking had “evolved”. Evangelical Alliance UK Director Peter Lynas commented in Premier Christianity magazine that the Archbishop seemed to have accepted the postmodern perspective where personal truth trumps biblical truth: “We know Church doctrine says ‘x’, but I and a number of other bishops sincerely feel ‘y’ is better.”
Earlier in 2024, Welby had also been criticised in a joint letter from pro-Israel Christian ministries for his support of the International Court of Justice’s prosecution of Israel for ‘genocide’ in Gaza. He had also retreated from the biblical understanding of Israel’s right to her land. This prompted speculation that God took a dim view of this denial of the Bible.
See also – Church called to repent over Covid response – Health Watch