Synod—To Stand Or Not to Stand?
Dear Sir,
Synod – to stand or not to stand – that is the question. Of course, each must be persuaded in their own mind. Personally, I am unable to support the notion of standing. In the article Anglican Futures, EC 8085 several comments make me very uneasy but to highlight one: the use of the word accommodate. Briefly, recent history of the Evangelical position in Synod has been one of a constant hopefulness of receiving some form of accommodation by the liberal agenda. We ask, e.g. in the forming of the document LFL, where were the Evangelicals protesting that the Anglican position on Scripture was not stated in the 7 options? Or why did they not refuse to discuss this document any further for this was an accommodation too far, a forsaking of what it means to be Biblically and historically Anglican?
Of course, no clarion voice was raised and thus, Evangelicals were accommodated. It is known that Evangelicals will accept whatever accommodating crumbs fall from synod’s table, even though it is in a liberal, pansexual agenda. Synod will accept any Evangelical proposal as long as the boat is not rocked and that they stay in and, of course, pay the quota. Younger Evangelicals are growing up in this atmosphere of accommodation and, to my mind, the clarity of Evangelicalism has now been blurred to such an extent that this is seen as what it means to be an Evangelical. The weasel word, of course, is comprehensiveness which now, in reality, means anything goes. I suggest it is this form of comprehensiveness that now lies at the heart of being an Anglican Evangelical [please note the deliberate reversal of the words]. I think the ungodliness has gone too far for any Biblical voice even to be heard, let alone acted upon.
The subsequent reason given in Anglican Futures for standing for synod make no sense to me for the work amongst the poor etc. most certainly does not depend on being in synod and many are the free churches doing such sterling work. In sum: Evangelicalism has become too effete to stand with boldness and refuse the spiralling compromises, to call synod back to an accepted Biblical, Evangelical Anglican position, the reason for synod’s existence. This position has long been deliberately abandoned by synod. But this, surely, is the only position we ought to fight for. Evangelicals must stop accommodating themselves to the destructive , anti-Biblical, immoral decisions of synod which have already gone far in destroying the nature of the Gospel. Besides how many Evangelicals does it take to stand in synod and give the clarion call to faithfulness? Few or many, they must stand and be counted – they’ll soon be shown the door. Peter accommodated himself to the Judaizers in Gal.1: Paul’s reaction was clear enough! Accommodation is compromise and leads to the eventual destruction of the Gospel!
John Dunn
Isle of Wight
