In commending the move by the Nigerian Anglican community to cut ties with the Church of England over its appointment of pro-LGBTQ advocate Bishop Sarah Mullally as the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, local clergyman Pastor Joseph Buckland is hoping Jamaica’s Anglican community will do likewise.
Bishop Mullally will be the first female archbishop in the Church of England, often called the “mother church” of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which is estimated to have between 85 and 100 million members. Her ascension has garnered mixed reactions, with several Anglican communions rejecting her appointment on the basis that she is a female and she endorses the blessing of same-sex unions.
“Whether man or woman, anyone who is appointed to some leadership role, or even if it is not a leadership role, and does not respect and follow what God says in the Bible, is going to have a negative impact on the rest of the church. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump,” Pastor Buckland told the Freedom Come Rain newspaper.
“I believe that there comes a time when people have to separate themselves from those that are not upholding the truth of the Word of God. If you continue to work together with them, they will try to pressure you to compromise, and this union with them will send the wrong signal, as if we approve or the church approves of what that group is doing. So even though the Lord Jesus wants union or unity, if there is any group of persons who say they’re Christians, who are not doing what God wants, and they refuse to repent, the time comes when there has to be a separation,” he admonished.
The Church of England has been chastised by several Anglicans for its failure to “guard the faith”. A communique from the chairman of the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON) Primates Council said that global Anglicans received the news with sorrow and that it left them “abandoned”. The Anglican Church of Nigeria officially severed spiritual ties with the Church of England following Mullally’s appointment, further fracturing an already fragile global communion.
Mullally, a former Chief Nursing Officer for England, is not only pro-LGBTQ; she is also pro-choice. She had supported the 2023 decision to allow same-sex blessings, calling it a “moment of hope”. Mullally, who will be the 106th archbishop of Canterbury, has been described as a “theological liberal”.
Pastor Buckland said he would not be surprised if the local Anglican community endorses Mullally, since several Jamaican priests have been pushing the LGBTQ agenda locally.
“There should be no compromise where same-sex unions are concerned,” he said.
Mullally, 63, will formally become Archbishop of Canterbury during a legal ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral in January. She is expected to attend an enthronement service afterward, which will likely be attended by members of the Royal Family, senior clergy, and national leaders.