Two things happened recently, separately, but on the same day. Coming together their impact was more pronounced than either would have been on their own.

The first thing was that I sought and received advice from a NZ Anglican organization concerning where I might find a “church home”, a place to belong and worship within the NZ Anglican province, but one that upheld the conservative, Biblically orthodox and traditional teachings of the early Church fathers, just as Anglicanism did at the time I was baptised and confirmed in that church.

The advice I received confirmed my own search. There was no such parish in the diocese in which I live, and the nearest one is over 300 miles away. The NZ Anglican province has gone largely liberal in it’s theology, that is, inclined towards secular humanism, egalitarian feminism, revisionism, and an anthrocentric view of what is Christian belief.

The second thing is something that happened on an official Anglican forum, one with a “conservative” ethos. It happened at the hands of an Anglican priest. This clergyman claimed his right to “call a spade, a spade” which is all very well… provided the spade really is indeed a spade. This priest and I do not agree on matters of theology. He is considerably more liberal in his position than I, and as a result the wrongly identified “spade” was described with a quite uncharming string of invective. So much for the fruit of liberal theology.

But to change tack just a little…

In an article published recently in The Daily Telegraph of Sydney, Australia, the following was reported:

Reverend Sue Emeleus, a deacon at St George’s Church, Paddington, said Sydney Anglicans take a very literal view of passages in the Bible that forbid women to have leadership roles over men.

“But given the way Jesus listened to women went against all cultural mores at the time, I think he would do the same now in encouraging women to speak up and let their opinion be known,” she said.

Source

The interesting thing is that nowhere in Scripture justifies this idea that Jesus considered the opinions of women, or anyone for that matter, over and above the immutable will and word of God. In all things the words and ways of men were measured against the wisdom and truth that came from the Father - not the other way around. Jesus spoke to us that which He heard from the Father, and those were His teachings. (John 14)

I would say this is a human-centred speculation (anthrocentric), not an insight revealed by the Spirit of God. And as such, it gives an example of how liberal theology creeps in to separate us from Spiritual wisdom and contaminate one’s understanding of Biblical truth.

Puritan Lad, of Covenant Theology blog fame, links to an article headed Church of England to consider introducing “super-bishops” to avert crisis over women and asks the so simple and most sensible question:

Why not just obey the Scriptures to begin with?

Yes, why not indeed?

I could go on with so many examples of how abandoning the plain truth of Scripture has lead to such a mess in Anglicanism at present, but this will do for the time being.

And now back again on my previous tack…

It seems I don’t have a “home” in Anglican circles, or not for just now. There are other good people on that forum, ones who are faithful loyal servants of Christ, but a forum is not a church - not the visible church although its members may well be a part of the invisible church. I find it profoundly sad that Anglicanism is struggling the way it is due to the “enemy within”, the influence of liberal theology (and those priests and bishops who subscibe to it) that makes a mockery of true Christian belief and turns fruit totally rotten. Liberal theology is nothing short of disobedience and idolatry leading to unbelief. There seems very little that I can do personally but pray.

But there is considerable hope in some recent happenings, such as GAFCON (Global Anglican Future), and the true faith of the Global South and Southern Cone provinces of the Anglican Communion. They remain true to orthodoxy and are encouraging and supportive of those other faithful Anglicans in otherwise heterodox parishes and provinces elsewhere. So in spite of all the press to the contrary, it should be made known that there are still Anglicans faithful to the true gospel everywhere, often just “getting on with the job” in spite of the ecclesiastical politics going on around them. Good things are happening.

I was raised an Anglican, not a Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, or anything else, and while the Invisible Church has no denominational barriers and in that sense nor do I, I still wish to remain as one of the faithful in my own church inheritance… if that can be possible.