Dexter2020
Faithful Servant
e heads of the Anglican church in Singapore, South East Asia, and the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GFSA), which includes provinces from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe, have expressed their “unease and reservation” over the appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, due to her position on same-sex marriage.
As Archbishop, she serves as leader of the Church of England and the “first among equals” in the worldwide Anglican denomination.
“As a Province we must express our unease and reservation over her appointment,” the Most Revd Dr Titus Chung – the Bishop of Singapore who also serves as Primate of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia – wrote in a letter circulated to Anglican churches.
“Bishop Sarah chaired the Living in Love and Faith project in the Church of England which led to the decision in 2023 to allow the blessings of same-sex marriages. She described the decision as a ‘moment of hope’. This is a departure and total mis-alignment from what Scripture teaches regarding marriage and sexuality. It is also a departure from traditional Anglican orthodoxy.
“With respect, under God’s overarching presidency, we will not be able to recognise her as the ‘first amongst equals’, both in terms of leadership and influence within the Global Anglican Communion.”
Also represented in the letter were the Bishop of Kuching, Rt Revd Datuk Danald Jute; Bishop of Sabah, Rt Revd Datuk Melter Jiki Tais; and Bishop of West Malaysia, Rt Revd Dr Steven Abbarow.
Added the Most Revd Dr Justin Badi Arama, Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Chairman of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, in a letter circulated to churches: “We are deeply saddened that the person still perceived by many to be the spiritual leader of now some 100 million Anglicans worldwide has played a leading role in the Church of England’s departure from Anglican tradition and the clear teaching of Scripture in matters of marriage and sexuality.
“When the Church of England’s General Synod opened the door to the blessing of same-sex relationships at its February 2023 General Synod … it was a moment of lament because we believe that the teaching of Jesus and the whole of Scripture is fundamental to human flourishing, both now and for eternity, and should not be compromised by the pressures of a particular culture.
“Sadly therefore, our position must remain … that we are no longer able to recognise the then-Archbishop of Canterbury as the ‘first amongst equals’ leader of the global Communion.”
“As a Province we must express our unease and reservation over her appointment. Bishop Sarah chaired the Living in Love and Faith project in the Church of England which led to the decision in 2023 to allow the blessings of same-sex marriages. She described the decision as a ‘moment of hope’.
“This is a departure and total mis-alignment from what Scripture teaches regarding marriage and sexuality. It is also a departure from traditional Anglican orthodoxy. Article 20 of the 39 Articles of Religion states that ‘it is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God’s Word written’.
“On one hand, from a Provincial perspective, the appointment of Bishop Sarah does not affect us substantively because each province is autonomous. At the same time, we cannot deny that the Archbishop of Canterbury has played a role of significant influence in the history of the Anglican Communion. As such, the appointment of an Archbishop of Canterbury who, in the course of her work, was instrumental in the unacceptable compromise of Scripture places us in a challenging and invidious position.
“With respect, under God’s overarching presidency, we will not be able to recognise her as the ‘first amongst equals’, both in terms of leadership and influence within the Global Anglican Communion.
“We had earlier prayed in hope that the next appointee of the Archbishop of Canterbury would be a candidate who upholds Scripture and the same God-given principles of orthodox faith that we practice and affirm in our Province. The failure to do so was a missed opportunity for the Global Anglican Communion to find common cause and re-unite through the affirmation of traditional teachings of God’s Word.
“We recognise that many members of our Dioceses are understandably concerned about the appointment and the state of the Anglican Communion. As a Province we are well-versed and committed to the principles that we stand for, and we urge you to join us in prayer for God’s truth and purpose to ultimately prevail. May He grant us discernment and use us to shine forth His light in a time of darkness.”
“In June, we issued an open letter to the Crown Nominations Commission urging that ‘the next Archbishop of Canterbury should be someone who will uphold the orthodox faith shared by the great majority of global Anglicans’. So we are deeply saddened that the person still perceived by many to be the spiritual leader of now some 100 million Anglicans worldwide has played a leading role in the Church of England’s departure from Anglican tradition and the clear teaching of Scripture in matters of marriage and sexuality.
“When the Church of England’s General Synod opened the door to the blessing of same-sex relationships at its February 2023 General Synod she described this as ‘a moment of hope’. For us, it was a moment of lament because we believe that the teaching of Jesus and the whole of Scripture is fundamental to human flourishing, both now and for eternity, and should not be compromised by the pressures of a particular culture.
“Sadly therefore, our position must remain as it was in our Ash Wednesday statement of February 2023 when we stated that we were no longer able to recognise the then Archbishop of Canterbury as the ‘first amongst equals’ leader of the global Communion.
“Grievous though this turn of events is, it is not unexpected and is one further symptom of the crisis of faith and authority that has afflicted the Anglican Communion for the past quarter of a century. To remedy this, the GSFA offers to all orthodox Provinces a framework of covenanted relationships, rooted in an explicit commitment to orthodox Anglican doctrine and mutual accountability which we commend to the whole Communion as a matter of urgency.
“Only in this way, we believe, will it be possible to restore confidence, clarity and unity as we continue to obey our Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.”
As Archbishop, she serves as leader of the Church of England and the “first among equals” in the worldwide Anglican denomination.
“As a Province we must express our unease and reservation over her appointment,” the Most Revd Dr Titus Chung – the Bishop of Singapore who also serves as Primate of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia – wrote in a letter circulated to Anglican churches.
“Bishop Sarah chaired the Living in Love and Faith project in the Church of England which led to the decision in 2023 to allow the blessings of same-sex marriages. She described the decision as a ‘moment of hope’. This is a departure and total mis-alignment from what Scripture teaches regarding marriage and sexuality. It is also a departure from traditional Anglican orthodoxy.
“With respect, under God’s overarching presidency, we will not be able to recognise her as the ‘first amongst equals’, both in terms of leadership and influence within the Global Anglican Communion.”
Also represented in the letter were the Bishop of Kuching, Rt Revd Datuk Danald Jute; Bishop of Sabah, Rt Revd Datuk Melter Jiki Tais; and Bishop of West Malaysia, Rt Revd Dr Steven Abbarow.
Added the Most Revd Dr Justin Badi Arama, Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Chairman of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, in a letter circulated to churches: “We are deeply saddened that the person still perceived by many to be the spiritual leader of now some 100 million Anglicans worldwide has played a leading role in the Church of England’s departure from Anglican tradition and the clear teaching of Scripture in matters of marriage and sexuality.
“When the Church of England’s General Synod opened the door to the blessing of same-sex relationships at its February 2023 General Synod … it was a moment of lament because we believe that the teaching of Jesus and the whole of Scripture is fundamental to human flourishing, both now and for eternity, and should not be compromised by the pressures of a particular culture.
“Sadly therefore, our position must remain … that we are no longer able to recognise the then-Archbishop of Canterbury as the ‘first amongst equals’ leader of the global Communion.”
Full text from Rev Dr Titus Chung, Bishop of Singapore and Primate of the Province of the Anglican Church in South East Asia
“The recent announcement of the appointment of Right Reverend Dame Sarah Mullally as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury has been the subject of much attention and response. We continue to pray for the Church of England and the See of Canterbury as Bishop Sarah takes on this role.“As a Province we must express our unease and reservation over her appointment. Bishop Sarah chaired the Living in Love and Faith project in the Church of England which led to the decision in 2023 to allow the blessings of same-sex marriages. She described the decision as a ‘moment of hope’.
“This is a departure and total mis-alignment from what Scripture teaches regarding marriage and sexuality. It is also a departure from traditional Anglican orthodoxy. Article 20 of the 39 Articles of Religion states that ‘it is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God’s Word written’.
“On one hand, from a Provincial perspective, the appointment of Bishop Sarah does not affect us substantively because each province is autonomous. At the same time, we cannot deny that the Archbishop of Canterbury has played a role of significant influence in the history of the Anglican Communion. As such, the appointment of an Archbishop of Canterbury who, in the course of her work, was instrumental in the unacceptable compromise of Scripture places us in a challenging and invidious position.
“With respect, under God’s overarching presidency, we will not be able to recognise her as the ‘first amongst equals’, both in terms of leadership and influence within the Global Anglican Communion.
“We had earlier prayed in hope that the next appointee of the Archbishop of Canterbury would be a candidate who upholds Scripture and the same God-given principles of orthodox faith that we practice and affirm in our Province. The failure to do so was a missed opportunity for the Global Anglican Communion to find common cause and re-unite through the affirmation of traditional teachings of God’s Word.
“We recognise that many members of our Dioceses are understandably concerned about the appointment and the state of the Anglican Communion. As a Province we are well-versed and committed to the principles that we stand for, and we urge you to join us in prayer for God’s truth and purpose to ultimately prevail. May He grant us discernment and use us to shine forth His light in a time of darkness.”
GSFA Statement by Most Rev Dr Justin Badi Arama, Primate of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Chairman of the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches
“While we shall of course pray for Bishop Mullally as she assumes this historic position, we feel compelled to say that we feel this appointment is a missed opportunity to reunite and reform the Anglican Communion.“In June, we issued an open letter to the Crown Nominations Commission urging that ‘the next Archbishop of Canterbury should be someone who will uphold the orthodox faith shared by the great majority of global Anglicans’. So we are deeply saddened that the person still perceived by many to be the spiritual leader of now some 100 million Anglicans worldwide has played a leading role in the Church of England’s departure from Anglican tradition and the clear teaching of Scripture in matters of marriage and sexuality.
“When the Church of England’s General Synod opened the door to the blessing of same-sex relationships at its February 2023 General Synod she described this as ‘a moment of hope’. For us, it was a moment of lament because we believe that the teaching of Jesus and the whole of Scripture is fundamental to human flourishing, both now and for eternity, and should not be compromised by the pressures of a particular culture.
“Sadly therefore, our position must remain as it was in our Ash Wednesday statement of February 2023 when we stated that we were no longer able to recognise the then Archbishop of Canterbury as the ‘first amongst equals’ leader of the global Communion.
“Grievous though this turn of events is, it is not unexpected and is one further symptom of the crisis of faith and authority that has afflicted the Anglican Communion for the past quarter of a century. To remedy this, the GSFA offers to all orthodox Provinces a framework of covenanted relationships, rooted in an explicit commitment to orthodox Anglican doctrine and mutual accountability which we commend to the whole Communion as a matter of urgency.
“Only in this way, we believe, will it be possible to restore confidence, clarity and unity as we continue to obey our Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.”
