by Ruth Gledhill
Theologian Jim Packer, 81, who had his Anglican licence removed and is now a priest with the Anglican Network in Canada, under Gregory Venables' jurisdiction, has called on the Archbishop of Canterbury to resign. He was speaking at Holy Trinity, Eastbourne and Dave Walker has more details at his Church Times blog. My contention, voiced here at Gafcon, is that the views of a preacher unlikely to be recognised by Cantuar and who according to David Virtue does not deign to use mobile, computer or any of the new technologies actually do not matter very much. But Virtue in the press room here at Gafcon tells me he is still important. Am interested in what readers here think and have posted full text of his remarks below.
Packer was asked: 'If you were to have five minutes with the Archbishop of Canterbury, what would you say?'
He replied: ‘Well if I said to him all that I think, and I might and I might not, I would have to say to him, look sir, you are not qualified just at the moment to lead the Anglican Communion, for on this issue of whether or not people should yield to homosexual temptation, you are over a barrel.
'Before you became Archbishop, you went in to print cautiously approving gay relationships. It is known, and you don’t deny, that you have ordained at least one person who is a practising homosexual. Now you say that you are seeking to uphold the Anglican consensus of the Lambeth conference of 1998 which says that homosexual behaviour is absolutely off limits, but when asked whether you have changed your own mind on this matter, you say no. I cannot pretend to believe what I don’t believe and all of this of course is documented. He has been asked that question and that is the answer he has given.
'I would say with great respect Archbishop, I believe that the way of wisdom is for you to resign. Now that of course is very bold and tough talk and if I wasn’t in my 80’s, I might not feel that I had the gall to answer your question in the direct way that I have done, but that is what I would like to say to the Archbishop and I believe that it would be the kindest thing to say to him. He really is over a barrel on this matter.’
Posted by Ruth Gledhill on June 26, 2008 at 09:49 AM
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