The votes of the members of the General Synod of the Church of England in York on Monday, 8th July, 2024 approving the Living in Love and Faith, in the context of a Liturgy to bless same sex couples with the authorisation of Clergy to enter into same-sex marriages, have finally revealed the choice of the Church of England to walk away from our cherished Biblical truth and teaching on Marriage between man and woman; male and female which the Scripture affirms in Genesis 2:18-24 and Matthew 19:4-6.
Though the approval process has been described as a narrow win or victory by a vote by Houses:
Bishops 22 for, 12 against; Clergy 99 for, 88 against; and Laity 95 for, 91 against; it nevertheless shows the true state of a Church whose Bishops have abandoned the truth of God’s Word and have sacrificed the authority of the Scripture for a postmodern Cultural trapping.
It must be pointed out that these Archbishops and Bishops at their Consecration accepted and accented to the Doctrine and Historical Formularies of the Anglican Church, but by this recent decision of the General Synod on Same-sex marriage these Bishops have flagrantly jettisoned the fundamentals which they had publicly affirmed, and have certainly abandoned the faith once delivered to the Saints (Jude verse 3).
Should the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England proceed to give effect to the Approval of the Living in Love and Faith Liturgy and allow their Clergy to engage in same-sex marriage, the Church of England risks the danger of a Broken Sacramental Communion with the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and other Faithful Anglican Provinces.
At the wake of the moves of the Diocese of New Westminster, Canada and the Episcopal Church (USA) insistence on the same-sex marriage and the Consecration of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop, thereby redefining the Biblical teaching on Marriage and Human sexuality, the Meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion and Moderators of the United Churches held at the Lambeth Palace on 15th and 16th, October 2003 issued a Communique alerting the Church that “If his Consecration proceeds, we recognise that we have reached a crucial and critical point in the life of the Anglican Communion and we have had to conclude that the Future of the Communion itself will be put in jeopardy. In this case the ministry of this one Bishop will not be recognised by most of the Anglican world, and many Provinces are likely to consider themselves to be out of Communion with the Episcopal Church (USA).
This will tear the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level, and may lead to further issues…”
It is necessary that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England be reminded of the impact of their decision and action on Anglican Communion.
The Church of Nigeria is in solidarity with the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), GAFCON, and other faithful Anglicans all over the world in denouncing the unbiblical stance of the Church of England by adopting same-sex marriage and legitimising same for the Clergy. This violation of Biblical teaching on marriage should be condemned by the entire Body of Christ as an error of great magnitude, just as Article XIX of the Articles of Religion states that “As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred; so also the Church of Rome has erred, not only in their living and manner of ceremonies, but also in matters of faith”. Therefore, it is very sad that the Church of England has now joined the league of the Churches that have erred.
We commend the Bishops, Clergy and Laity who opted to stand for the Scripture as the authority and guide of the Church in Doctrine, Worship and Living. We offer Fellowship and support to the Faithful members and Parishes in the Church of England. We shall support interaction with them through the organs of GAFCON, GSFA, CEEC, the Alliance and other bodies with similar vision to keep alive “ …the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
The Church of Nigeria reaffirms its commitment to abide by the Truth (John 8:32), standing with those courageous and faithful Anglicans: Bishops, Clergy and lay members who stood up to challenge this evil during the debates and discussions at the Synod.
Although, through abuse of democratic process, their voices might appear to have been overwhelmed by the slim majority of the Synod delegates, we assure them that the Truth of God shall eventually prevail over falsehood, just as the Light is destined to always overcome darkness (John 1:5).
It is our earnest prayer for the faithful Anglicans in the Church of England who have chosen to walk the narrow path of obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ, that the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wing, beaming His light to lighten every darkness in His Church (Malachi 4:2). Peace be upon the Church of the Living God.
Amen.
The Most Rev. Dr. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba.
Primate, Church o f Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
