A Woman Archbishop: Reflections

A Historic Moment

Watching the enthronement of the new Archbishop of Canterbury left me with both a sense of awe and the resignation of acceptance. When the last Archbishop resigned in November 2024, it did occur to me that there was a likelihood the next person appointed to the office might radically shift from the norm, a woman perhaps.

I stated then that I was not particularly ready for that kind of change when the Church of England had only begun appointing female bishops barely a decade ago. Yet, with my Pentecostal exposure, I was already familiar with women teaching from the pulpit and leading Christian ministries.

Tradition and Change

The traditions of the Church of England have a history, constancy, and stability that I felt should not be defined by speed, but by the gentle persuasion of clergy and laity alike towards necessary aims. Obviously, there have been insurmountable issues in certain provinces of the global Anglican Communion: the ordination of women priests, the issue of sexual orientation, and the blessing of same-sex unions. The conversation must continue, even if agreement remains distant.

Generally, I have accepted the ministry of women in the Church of England, as canons, priests, archdeacons, and bishops. I also recognise that at ordinations, a separate service attends to those who do not accept the ministry of women, with a flying bishop of that persuasion presiding in that setting. I must confess, I have only seen female bishops in the media; I have never met one or been in a service with them in attendance.

The Ceremony Itself

The enthronement service brought the spectacle of religion, politics, and ceremony, along with the pomp and pageantry that the English excel at exhibiting. Representatives of all the different religious communities attended, including the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, one of those flying bishops of a different persuasion mentioned earlier.

For all the acclamation and pronouncements, I was surprised that the ceremony included no laying on of hands. It was more the dainty holding of a hand.

Moving Forward

This process was one in which I had no influence, apart from individually deciding whether appointing a woman as Archbishop sat well with my belief system. There was enough precedent in other provinces to suggest this would settle down into a kind of détente that demands both dexterity and political nous from the office holder.

I know I won't be rushing out to a service presided over by The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, yet I wish her term is blessed with success and the reconciliation of the church in whatever way possible. May we, in our misgivings or concerns, see the grace and beauty in what we as mere mortals fail to appreciate in the growth of the church.

Blog - England: We have a new Archbishop of Canterbury, she's a woman

Blog - Losing my religion in this reformation split

A Google NotebookLM AI Podcast on this blog

Losing my religion in this reformation split

A Rift Turns into a Schism

On Thursday, the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON) announced a plan to reform the Anglican Communion into the Global Anglican Communion. This development appeared to be intensified by the nomination of a woman for the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury. [GAFCON: Communique: The Future Has Arrived]

However, GAFCON's rejection of the Instruments of Communion; namely the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the Primates Meeting, has led to a schism. Some deny that this split aims to reconstitute the Global Anglican Communion as a majority representation of about 75% of its previous reach. It is a major development when what is left in the Anglican Communion is a rump of the original whole.

The core issues that have brought matters to a head revolve mainly around sexuality, as some GAFCON provinces ordain women into the diaconate, priesthood, and bishopric. Yet, we must be careful not to assume that only ‘conservatives’ or those ‘stuck in patriarchy’ are concerned or impacted by the appointment of a female Archbishop of Canterbury.

Refocusing on the Word

As an Anglican communicant, I am encouraged by the warmth and humanity of the congregations I attend in Manchester and Cape Town. There are wider community issues that many grapple with; conservatives, progressives, and all believers alike earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints. [Bible Gateway: Jude 3 (KJV)]

The focus must remain on the resurrected Christ, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and adherence to the inerrant Word of God. My beliefs are shaped by a Pentecostal inclination; I am equally comfortable anywhere God is glorified and the Word is preached with purpose, according to the level of revelation given to the preacher. My spirit and understanding allow me to agree, disagree, or seek further study after hearing.

While I am saddened by developments within the Anglican Communion, no one should be surprised that a new reformation is underway, as the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) and GAFCON affirm only one foundation of communion, namely, the Holy Bible, “translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.”

Breaking religion, affirming faith

In response, the letter from The Rt Reverend and Rt Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, the Archbishop of Canterbury designate, appears to be written from a position of weakness; the people she hopes to engage with are unlikely to attend the Anglican Consultative Council in Belfast next year. [Anglican Ink: Letter from Bishop Sarah Mullally on LLF, GAFCON and abuse]

This news coincides with King Charles III, the head of the Anglican Church, meeting with Pope Leo, marking the first occasion in about 500 years that a British monarch has prayed with the Pope. [BBC News: King to be first British monarch to pray with Pope in at least 500 years]

How this affects the King’s role in the Anglican Communion or the new Global Anglican Communion remains uncertain. Many moving parts are at play as we all try to understand the issues involved, some of which I have not directly addressed here. I find myself asking whether I am losing my religion, or if my religion is losing me?

My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary. [Hymnal.net: My faith looks up to Thee]

Blog - England: We have a new Archbishop of Canterbury, she's a woman

GSFA Statement on the Appointment of the Rt Revd Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, as the Archbishop of Canterbury

GAFCON: Communique: Canterbury Appointment Abandons Anglicans

England: We have a new Archbishop of Canterbury, she's a woman

The lots of conversion

When Archbishop Justin Welby, the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury resigned his archbishopric with an announcement late last year, I confided in my best friend about how I might not be ready for a female to succeed him, but I had a premonition that the direction of travel was towards something unprecedented.

The selection, election, and appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury as the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion closely resembles the story in Acts of the Apostles, where the disciples cast lots for Apostle Matthias, about whom we hear little after that event. In contrast, Saul of Tarsus’s conversion on the road to Damascus, from Pharisee to Apostle Paul, who authored about half of the New Testament, is a remarkable transformation.

The politics of enthronement

This nomination is both an administrative process conducted by the Crown Nominations Commission and a political one, where the Prime Minister, who could easily be non-Christian, presents the nominated candidate to the monarch, the titular head of the Church of England, for approval.

The enthronement of the Archbishop of Canterbury follows a legal Confirmation of Election, after which the individual legally becomes the Archbishop, followed by the Installation service at Canterbury Cathedral, signalling the start of their tenure.

Yesterday, the Bishop of London, The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, was appointed as the archbishop designate, to be installed as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury in March 2026.

A precedent in perspective

It was not until 1994 that women were ordained to the priesthood within the Church of England; this progressive move had already begun in some other Anglican provinces globally.

The first female bishops in the Church of England were elected in 2014, and by early 2026, we will have the first female Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of All England and Metropolitan. [Wikipedia: List of female Anglican bishops]

I do not consider myself particularly conservative within the Anglican Communion. I am encouraged by the progress in ordaining women, improvements in safeguarding, and the church’s embrace of a broader understanding of spirituality across different sexual orientations, including even blessing same-sex relationships where churches are receptive.

Faith, however, is a journey with no final destination; only a continuous pursuit to understand more of God’s love and mercy, and how His Spirit leads and inspires the church to become more Christ-like.

The frayed bonds of unity

From a human perspective, I am uncertain whether, amidst ongoing disagreements about women’s ordination, even within my own diocese portends toward uniting the Anglican Communion.

Typically, two sets of ordinations occur: one for those who accept women bishops, and then a visiting bishop, representing those who do not, comes to ordain those of that persuasion. The debate over same-sex relationships keeps the church divided doctrinally and morally, yet this exists in a fragile détente.

Personally, I remain unsure whether the church has gained enough stature to fully weather these changes. It’s only been eleven years since the first female bishop was appointed. But this makes one reflect on the well-known African proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.”

The journey of persuasion

The church has come quite far, whether it is now the time to go fast, leaves me in a quandary of my Anglican faith, something that might have to grow on me, because the hierarchy in this selection seems way ahead of my current conviction.

While I have fleeting thoughts about exploring Catholicism, I have yet to find a way or a path to reach the gates of the Vatican and kiss the fisherman’s ring of the Bishop of Rome.

Nevertheless, there is work to be done; much like with other Church of England initiatives, to pause on some of these advances and draw into full fellowship those left unpersuaded of these fast forms of modernisation and progressiveness that we might all travel far together for the amazing aims of the gospel.

Ultimately, we pray that the ministry of the new Archbishop of Canterbury be blessed with purpose, insight, and unity within the church. An essential truth about our humanity is that we all struggle and seek to be persuaded beyond our narrow perspectives.

The sketch from Yes, Prime Minister, offers an intriguing perspective on the Church of England.

Choosing a New Bishop | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats [YouTube]

References

Wikipedia: Archbishop of Canterbury

Wikipedia: Ordination of women in the Anglican Communion

The Church of England: Appointing a new Archbishop of Canterbury

The Church of England: Members of the Canterbury Crown Nominations Commission

The agreed teaching of the Anglican Communion on sexual orientation

He leads the Anglican Communion

The Archbishop of Canterbury fills four main roles in the Anglican Communion, as diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury, as the metropolitan archbishop of the Province of Canterbury, as the senior primate and chief religious figure of the Church of England, and as the spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, though without legal authority outside England, by convention is recognised as the first amongst equals of all Anglican primates worldwide.

In that capacity, he can speak for all Anglicans in England and worldwide. The position whilst ecumenical with interfaith ramifications and political as it might appear is significant and the utterances of the Archbishop whilst well-considered are of great import to all Anglicans.

Words that dehumanise

I return to the Statement by the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding comments by the Primate of Nigeria published yesterday, to highlight a particularly forceful comment made by the Archbishop of Canterbury that I hope the Primate of Nigeria will take into consideration and reflect on deeply, if he decides to provide a public response in due course. [Archbishop of Canterbury: Statement]

“I completely disagree with and condemn this language. It is unacceptable. It dehumanises those human beings of whom the statement speaks.”

The Archbishop was unequivocal in that he disagreed, condemned, and found unacceptable what the Primate of Nigeria says clearly indicating that there can be no tolerance of the dehumanisation of other human beings, no matter what a religious leader believes or what they might think motivates them.

Baptised, believing and faithful members

Whilst the Anglican Communion may agree on matters of doctrine, the liturgy and sacraments amongst the many aspects of doctrine that governs the expression of faith, the service of the church is to humanity, to reach and to heal, to bless and to lift out of distress, to give life and humanise, to succour, and to care.

It would appear that even amongst leaders of the Anglican Communion, some might need to be reminded of that and how their use of language lacks the mind of Christ or the Christian spirit. At once, the Archbishop of Canterbury points the Primate of Nigeria to the fact that he has deviated from the agreed teaching of the Anglican Communion, that “all baptised, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ.”

Reflect on your words

Consequently, if the Primate of Nigeria has a problem with the agreed teaching of the Anglican Communion, he might want to reflect on his position, his ministry, and what purpose he serves in the church.

For all the hurt many of us have suffered as the hands of the church and many who profess to be men of God, we are grateful to those in the church who have welcomed us to fellowship with them out of love and their humanity rather than in judgement and vitriolic un-Christlike dehumanising condemnation.

Academic theologians creating Islamic disquiet

The Purview and the voice

The Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Benedict XVI are superb intellectuals and formidable theologians – it would be far from me to suggest with my little learning and experience the ability advice on any matter that decides to offer an additional erudite perspective on their pronouncements.

However, I can recall that when the Pope gave an academic lecture at Regensburg University in September 2006 entitled Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections; he touched on a topic that should probably entertain the purview of the learned but not the voice of the powerful.

Debate and reason

There, he alluded to the seventh conversation between a Byzantine Emperor and a Persian scholar on the subject of the truth of Christianity and Islam.

Emperor Manuel II Paleologus said “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”

This was a conversation recorded in the 14^th Century and I am sure the Persian scholar would have reasoned intelligently and probably answered with views and ideas that validate Islam and Muhammad positively whilst trying to broaden the view of the Emperor to an enlightened perspective of Islam.

Unfortunately, very few would have taken time to put this all in context of the 14^th Century conversation or the academic lecture of the 21^st Century.

Whilst that question or statement should have offered the opportunity for those most concerned to reflect and offer a “gospel” of Mohammedanism that makes that view insignificant, many rose to the gathering of the mob and gave credence to that contention.

Stirring troubled waters

The wisdom of the Pope in giving voice to a latent view of the violence of Islam is still a matter for debate and history; in the end, he was able to placate the offended and make peace with those who mattered.

Lessons should have been learnt from the fact that Christian leaders are better suited to commentary on their areas of specialisation than on their appreciation, understanding or even ignorance of other religions where they hold no offices.

For Sharia Law relevance

Whoever the advisors of the Archbishop of Canterbury are, they surely must be pensioned off because in an academic lecture - Civil and Religious Law in England: a religious perspective - delivered to lawyers in London preceded by an interview (BBC audio) on Radio 4’s World at One the archbishop did touch on viewing aspects of Islamic law in a favourable light but it has created another set of unintended consequences.

It is quite revealing not a squeak has been heard from any of the major Anglican Archbishops in England in support of Dr. Rowan Williams, he might just weather this storm with the voice of support from the Presbyterian Prime Minister .

Considering the furore this has created, this great knight of the Anglican faith might just fall on his sword.

Allowances of the law for conscience

One cannot dispute the fact that certain aspects of conscience or conscientious inclinations by reason of religious belief are given the benefit of exception from legal duress in civil law.

However, the primacy of civil law must remain when a conflict arises that either removes the premise of equality before the law or religious law allows for illegal or unlawful actions.

Sharia law might be used to settle disputes for adherents of that faith but in cases where the female sex does not have equal access, evidence and representation before those courts; it becomes incompatible to existence in broad Western democratic societies as the interviewer stated when chatting to the Archbishop.

The popular Sharia view is scary

Obviously, the concern that has drawn the greatest opprobrium has been the vision of the more dramatic Sharia law judgements that include floggings, amputations and beheadings – these definitely have no place in the Western criminal justice systems, they should for all intents and purposes of a modern civilised world be consigned to history.

Meting out those punishments are considered deterrents that instil fear in the general populace acting as an opiate of contrived civility though they are as cruel and as barbaric as anything dragged out of the darkest ages.

Failed to convey understanding

Dr. Williams whilst understanding these complexities in his interview failed to demonstrate those differences clearly enough for people to appreciate the facts and temper their reactions to the possible visitation of the presumed evils of Sharia on our liberal Western comforts.

As one commentator stated on one of the Daily Telegraph columns; it is amazing that a man whose job it is to be clearly understood failed to convey understanding that he has become so misunderstood and left many seriously displeased.

Like smart person knows well to stick to their own knitting; the leaders of the church should stick to matters that concern the church and stop peering over the wall into mosques with academic lectures that get delivered to select audiences but create an unedifying rumpus amongst the masses.

If he survives, the grace of God with the munificence of Allah does abound towards him, he might find mercy but he would need to do a lot for the forgiveness of men. I, for one can see their points but the wisdom in giving voice to issues that can be so easily hijacked, misinterpreted and manipulated for unintended ulterior ends leaves one rather suspect of their good judgement.

The Archbishop of CounterBury

The Bishop's bad move

The furore over the Archbishop of Canterbury's comments about the inevitability of Sharia Law in the UK is gathering considerable moss and it might just roll over the man who started it off.

Now we have to deal with clarifications and re-interpretations of what the archbishop said so that we do not all get in a tizzy about the balance of conservative adherence to the role of the Church in the State and the development of liberal contemporary ideas from the headship of the church that questions the basis of our faith.

One only has to read the synopsis of the Bishop's Gambit episode of Yes, Prime Minister to realise that the appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury is probably more a political than a spiritually lead anointing.

The Prime Minister of the day recommends names to the Queen who is the defender of the Faith on the advise of the Church of England and influenced by political and religious leaders.

Between adherents and atheists

It was interesting to note that Sir Humphrey Appleby argued that the government had to keep a balance of bishops in the Church between those who believed in God and those who were agnostic bordering on atheists.

The problem is, unlike the papacy, this position is only available to archbishops in England, and if any ethnic minority of the larger representation of the church in Africa were to assume that position, they would have to lead diocesan archbishoprics in England.

The greater risk is to find a heretic or an apostate leading the Church.

In a time when the Anglican Communion worldwide is undergoing the turmoil of schism regarding the ordination of woman bishops and the acceptance of homosexual clergy, it beggars belief that the Archbishop of Canterbury would suggest that the cradle of Anglican Christianity, flawed as its inception might be would suggest that Sharia law be juxtaposed with civil law in the UK.

This is England NOT Arabia

Indeed, The UK is now accommodating larger numbers of Islamic faith adherents, but they very well recognise that the UK is not an outpost of Arabia, we all have a clear equality before the law in terms of civil law.

One is however not encouraged when even in the Netherlands, a Calvinist/Catholic entity that it once was, not one person in my office challenged the view that Easter was 27 days after Ash Wednesday - maybe, it is indeed time to allow all these alien cultures and traditions to subsume our traditional identities.

The need for conservatism

This encroachment however, should never be encouraged by the leader of the Church, having veered into Pentecostalism; I still hold my High Church Anglican upbringing dear and would rather be at a traditional Christmas service than the raucous cacophony of a happy-clappy bazaar.

Before long, with this man at the helm, would allow the Anglican Book of Common Prayer to be infiltrated with references to Quranic Suras and worse. Gone are the days when the tower served its function, then it was believers in God would were executed, it is time for apostates, just as you have in Sharia Law to be decapitated forthwith.

In other words, maybe, it is time for Dr. Rowan Williams to vacate his office and seek the counsel that returns him to the core tenets of the Faith.

He is acknowledged as a formidable theologian but cannot continue to counter our beliefs and bury the faith, erudite and liberal as his thinking might be.