The Australian Church Record (ACR) notes the announcement that Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed to the office of Archbishop of Canterbury, and as such, the Primate of All England and metropolitan bishop of the Province of Canterbury. The ACR regrets this appointment and laments the way it will likely accelerate the weakening of the Church of England and the bonds which hold together the Anglican Communion.
At the heart of the English Reformation in the sixteenth-century was the gospel of Jesus Christ. The supreme authority of the Holy Scriptures declared that the great problem of the sinfulness of mankind could only find its remedy in the once for all sacrifice of Christ on the cross. By faith, and faith in Christ alone, could anyone stand before almighty God, and that gift of faith was precisely that which the world needed. At the cost of his life, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer stood for these truths and bequeathed a noble theological heritage to the Church of England in the Book of Common Prayer, the 39 Articles of Religion, and the Ordinal.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is not merely a symbolic primate; historically, he is called to safeguard doctrine, discipline, and unity under the lordship of Christ. From Augustine of Canterbury to Thomas Cranmer to the modern incumbents, that office has borne the responsibility of upholding the priority of the gospel throughout the English church. As a global Anglican communion came into being the office took on a moral responsibility to keep calling churches back to the teaching of the Scriptures and the centrality of the crucified and risen Saviour. Yet in our day, the Anglican Communion is under heavy strain: progressive and permissive theological positions on sexuality and gender, episcopal neglect of guarding the faith, and growing hostility to the authority of the Bible. The Church of England and the Anglican Communion needed a godly man who stood for the Scriptures and proclaimed Christ crucified. Instead, the chair of Canterbury will receive a female archbishop, with minimal theological training, little ministry experience, and a track record of supporting progressive theological positions on abortion and same-sex relationships. The See of Canterbury will now increasingly lose relevance as GAFCON and the communion of faithful Anglicans in the Global South take up the challenge of global Anglican leadership.
While this does not bode well for the Church of England and will inevitably break the Canterbury Communion further apart, we do not despair. Our hope is not in a human office or individual, but in Christ alone (Col 1:18-20). The incoming Archbishop is not the Lord of the Church—Jesus is. We remember that the gates of hell will not prevail against Christ’s church (Matt 16:18). Even in seasons of schism and strain, God is building his churches for his glory.
In fact, we are not surprised that the Church of England and the Anglican Communion are wrestling with such upheavals. The apostle Paul warned that in the last days there would come a time when people would not endure sound doctrine, but would heap up teachers to suit their own passions (2 Tim 4:3-4). The weakening of ecclesial authority, the priority of cultural sensitivity over doctrinal clarity, and the inclination to shrink from confrontation with error—all these mark our age. Yet we are called to persevere. Just as the Reformers faced an age of confusion, so too we must fight the good fight, clinging to Scripture, affirming the supremacy of Christ, and equipping the saints for gospel ministry. Therefore, even with this saddening news, we pray on and encourage others to do likewise.
The ACR therefore calls on all faithful Anglicans in the UK, in Australia, and throughout the Anglican Communion to pray: that Christ would be exalted above all ecclesiastical office and that true gospel ministry be invigorated; that God would strengthen and protect those faithful clergy and laity in the Church of England who may now face increased pressure and marginalisation; that faithful Anglicans outside of the Church of England would respond to the deterioration of the Church of England with firm resolve and bold declarations of biblical truth; that Anglican provinces across the world would rally around the Scriptures, not around institutional convenience; that there may be unity in truth, not unity at the expense of the gospel; and that revival might break out in Britain, with church planting, gospel boldness, and a return to the biblical conviction that Christ Jesus came to save sinners.
May the Lord bless and increase all faithful and authentic Anglicans around the world, to the glory of Christ our Lord.