Archbishop of canterbury gay rights

For several years, Mullally led the Living in Love and Faith project, which produced the prayers, though she stepped back from holding a prominent role as churches implemented the blessings. Conservatives call on Sarah Mullally, the first woman at the spiritual helm of the Church of England, to uphold biblical faith amid same-sex blessings debate.

By the time Welby left under pressure, he had burned through much of his goodwill among fellow evangelicals. As she takes office, Mullally inherits the safeguarding scandals, which have continued unabated since Welby left, and the same-sex blessings saga.

Women have been able to become bishops in the Church of England since only Bishop of Ebbsfleet Rob Munro, the complementarian evangelical flying bishop, welcomed her promotion. Daniel Silliman. And while gay couples can today request blessings as part of regular Sunday services, the church continues to debate adding standalone blessings closer to weddings, as well as relaxing the ban on gay clergy getting married themselves.

Where the new Archbishop of Canterbury stands on same-sex marriage Dame Sarah Mullally, as the first female archbishop of Canterbury, faces a unique set of challenges. Some evangelicals have opted to remain in the Church of England, reasoning that their liberal opponents will fade out faster than their more populous congregations, allowing them to eventually steer the church back toward their positions.

The fractures with Gafcon and conservative Anglicans globally were largely irreconcilable long before Mullally was tapped as the th Archbishop of Canterbury.

Church of England says

Similar sentiments landed from Church Society, another group of evangelical Anglicans. John Dunnett, the head of the Church of England Evangelical Council, noted that as bishop she has shown a knack for strategic flexibility and a graciousness to compromise across deep theological divides.

The evangelical council, which has led opposition to the blessings, has called for prayers for Mullally as she takes up the role, warning of the difficult and fractured inheritance she takes on. Their leaders in groups such as Church Society and the Church of England Evangelical Council have demanded the hierarchy carve out a new ecclesiastical structure for them with their own bishops, synods, and canon law—effectively a church within a church—as their price for staying.

A female archbishop was a bigger issue for Gafcon, the international network of conservative Anglican churches beyond the UK. Kate Shellnutt. Get the most recent headlines and stories from Christianity Today delivered to your inbox daily. The bishops have shown no interest in meeting this demand and are instead considering an expanded version of the flying bishops setup, officially known as delegated episcopal oversight.

He had held the position since Many evangelicals—who make up around a third of the Church of England—had welcomed his leadership. Welby stepped down in November over a scandal involving church abuse cover-up. Madeleine Davies in London. Closer to home, many conservative clergy and parishes have warned they too may formally quit the church if it does not turn back from blessing gay couples.

Some evangelical leaders have cautiously welcomed her appointment, despite their deep theological disagreements. The appointment of Dame Sarah Mullally as the first female archbishop of Canterbury has drawn sharp criticism from Gafcon, a global Anglican movement, which accused the Church of England of abandoning biblical teaching by choosing a leader who has affirmed blessings for same-sex relationships.

The former archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, was forced to resign following revelations about how he and other senior church leaders handled historic cases of child abuse. LONDON (RNS) — The Rt. Rev. Sarah Mullally has been named the th archbishop of Canterbury, a historic decision by the Church of England that places a woman as leader of the church and as.

Bishops approved in principle plan to outsource safeguarding investigations and discipline to an independent body beyond the control of the bishops, but much of the detail remains to be worked out. Cementing a break already declared with her predecessorMbanda said the Church of England had in effect relinquished its leadership of the Anglican Communion.

As archbishop, Welby advanced significant reforms, turbocharging church planting and streamlining bureaucracy to kickstart evangelism. Gafcon plans to hold a conference of conservative bishops in Nigeria in March—shortly before Mullally is formally installed as archbishop—to take the lead on resetting the Communion.

But he also became associated with a highly divisive plan to introduce services of blessings for gay coupleswhich triggered a bitter civil war between mostly evangelical conservatives and their liberal antagonists.