The Archbishop of Canterbury was recently interviewed for The Rest is Politics podcast. The wide-ranging interview is also available on YouTube. The topics covered are listed below with links to where they start in the YouTube video.
The section “Is LGBT love sinful?” has attracted much comment. The Church Times has covered the interview and there has been a statement from Lambeth Palace.
Links to YouTube video
00:00 Intro
00:20 The Archbishop’s dad
03:50 The Archbishop’s mum
06:43 Alcoholism in his house
09:10 How he found his faith
10:00 How he found being a teenager
11:48 What did he want to do with his life
14:05 How he decided he wanted to be a priest
19:00 Archbishop’s relationship with politics
23:40 His experience of the war on terror
30:30 Israel and Palestine
36:47 How to feel hopeful
39:05 Peace building
41:05 The death of Queen Elizabeth II
45:50 The Coronation of Charles III
48:35 Is LGBT love sinful?
52:50 The Church as a broad coalition
54:50 The Church is growing
55:25 Mental health
59:40 What Christ brought to the world
1:01:35 Trump
1:04:37 Politics and power
1:07:10 Is he going to criticise keir starmer
1:07:41 Debrief
Until this point I was holding up hope that he actually personally held to the doctrine of the Church of England that sexual intimacy belongs in marriage (between a man and a woman) only but was just getting weak-willed about enforcing it. It seems that was wishful thinking.
Lord, have mercy.
Sadly it’s not just Welby but Cottrell as well plus a majority of the bishops too. They have renounced their vows.
Bishops: Will you teach the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it, will you refute error (Titus 1:9) and will you hand on entire the faith that is entrusted to you?
Their answer is an emphatic NO!
Have you considered that they are, in fact, teaching doctrine as they understand it correctly to be? You disagree with them. As do many in the Alliance.
Given the behaviour of the Alliance, I don’t think good disagreement is a valid option any longer. The best would be for the Alliance to take the matter to court and get it definitively settled one way or another.
Are they teaching the faith as received? As set out in the Book of Common prayer?
Indeed. This is classic Book VIII of Hooker’s Lawes, interpreting Deuteronomy 17:9-12.
Have a look at Psephizo for Andrew Goddard’s forensic takedowns of the Archbishop’s catastrophic utterances.
Thanks. I have done so. I have also listened to him, and read the attempts to clarify the comments as his personal views.
The fuller version of Dr Goddard’s analysis is here
https://www.theologyethics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Lambeth-Statement-on-podcast-final.pdf
Kyrie eleison
The Christian Faith is not contingent on what people do with their wobbly bits.
Why have sections of the Church become obsessed with physical sex rather than focussing on relationships and love.
I believe you have missed the point of my comment. The bishops said yes to the following charge: “Will you teach the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it.” They are clearly not doing so.
I am not sure that the DOCTRINE of the CofE has much to say about human sexuality. Far too hot to handle.
But I did understand the point of your comment.
I suspect you are claiming a non existent authority from the CofE for your own particular hang up about sex.
Do otherwise tell me where this ‘doctrine’ is to be found in the historic authoritative documents of the CofE….but please spare me a proof text.
Exactly, well said.
It’s a shame you have you have only focused on the sex. He spoke honestly and openly about lots of things and came across very well.
I have not done so. I have focused on the vows taken by the bishops. They said yes to the following charge: “Will you teach the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it.” They are clearly not doing so.
They obviously have come to believe that it’s not error. You’re not infallible yourself.
Never claimed to be! The bishops said yes to the following charge:
“Will you teach the doctrine of Christ as the Church of England has received it.” They are not doing so.
I listened and had a sense of vacuity and politics. I wonder if this is simply the inevitable result of an establishment polity coupled with enforcers of it lacking any genuine theological/historical training. The Church of England will be what England is. One might note that this is also a view emptying the pews.
We can be thankful the Episcopal Church isn’t what America is. Fifty per cent of the English aren’t in thrall to a madman.
Seems to have been taken off youtube
still there
I am struggling to understand why clergy had licences denied, and why others were subject to clergy discipline and ordinands had to assent to the House of Bishops guidelines on human sexuality for such a long time, if it was not a doctrinal issue.
Would such people now have a case to take against the C of E given this archiepiscopal uttering?
Well, Maungy, you’re not alone, if it makes you feel a little less mangy.
Maungy, obviously. It is upsetting however, and you are absolutely right.
No fan at all of Welby, indeed I think he is a disaster as ABC.
This was a remarkably soft interview, but hysterical overreaction towards parts of it by those on conevo wing of CofE is a sad reminder that some Christians love to hate.
Sorry to inject a cynical note, but it is as easy as pie for the leader of a political party to say, “Look, I don’t believe in the death penalty / Brexit/ defence cuts etc but that’s not where our party is at the moment. I recognise that the mood of the country has changed, but our party delegates, and those who they represent, remain of the same mind, so while my personal views are clear, I’m afraid this is where we are at.” Welby is doing what he does best: playing to the press gallery which is ill equipped… Read more »
And with a bit of luck the noise of the baying of the Alliance and chums about section G this or that and false teachers will drown out a lot of the response to the Smyth report, which , after all, is only overdue safeguarding
What has the Alliance got to do with Smyth report? I don’t understand.
Hi Martin, I always enjoy your contributions and I agree about Welby playing to the press gallery and the failure to challenge him on safeguarding. However, I’m confused by your “change in doctrine” comments. I agree that the doctrine of marriage was one of the key issues at stake in the English Reformation: “Can clergy marry?” “Is marriage a sacrament?” Important questions! Clear and controversial answers were given to those questions and were part of why the CofE broke from Rome. This means that the CofE does have a defined set of teachings about marriage, i.e. a doctrine of marriage.… Read more »
Compare and contrast the comments of self-styled Thinking Anglicans on this thread with the much more ‘understanding’ and appreciative comments appended to the ‘The Rest is Politics’ You Tube podcast- where is the disconnect, where the charity, the compassion, the judgement …?
The medium is the message.