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A sad day, but the sadness has been a long time in the making

A sad day, but the sadness has  been a long time in the making
Justin Welby | Anglican Archives/Flickr
Mike Judge
Mike Judge Mike Judge. Editor of Evangelical Times, and pastor of Chorlton Evangelical Church in Manchester.
17 February, 2023 2 min read

The decision by the Church of England Synod to approve the blessing of same-sex couples is yet another sad departure from scriptural truth by the Church of England. But it is just the latest symptom of a much older and more serious problem – the Church of England is a theologically compromised denomination.

Back in 1966, Martyn Lloyd-Jones and John Stott famously divided over the question of whether evangelicals should come out from the Church of England. For Lloyd-Jones it was unthinkable that evangelicals should be visibly united in the Anglican church with those who reject the gospel. Stott believed otherwise, and many were persuaded to stay, although some opted to leave.

This newspaper was established one year later, in 1967, partly to support those who were freshly arriving on the independent scene. Men who had left theologically mixed denominations had paid a high price for their commitment to the gospel, and we should not forget their costly sacrifice. Moreover, their contribution to non-conformist evangelical churches has been a rich one.

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