A few months ago, a writer who reported in EN about 'Reform' expressed his wonder at why Anglican evangelicals stay in a compromised denomination. Steve Donald writes here in response to that comment.
To leave or stay?
This question has been my dilemma over the last two years and it is not set to go away. I am unhappy about the moral confusion in our denomination over issues like that of practising homosexuals. At the moment it is permissible for lay people in the Church of England but not for clergy. This is an intolerable fudge. While a higher standard is expected of ministers, it is making a false separation between two things that should stay together, namely, if it wrong for leaders it is wrong for lay people. Whatever the outcome of the debate about homosexuality going on within the church, it has raised for me the issue of what circumstances lead to someone leaving a church. I use the Bible as my authority and I have been seeking to see what it has to say on this matter.
What does the Bible say?
The Old Testament is consistently for sticking with God's people through thick and thin. Take Moses, for example. When the children of Israel kept rebelling against God, the Lord decided to wipe them out and start again, but Moses pleaded passionately, even at the cost of his own life, for God to stay his hand (Exodus 32.1-32). Moses had a passion for the people of God, even though many of them were stiff-necked and rebellious.
Elijah felt that only he was faithful to God (1 Kings 19.9-21), but was told that there were 7,000 other people who had not bowed the knee to Baal. He was told to get back on the job rather than give up on God's people. While the prophets called Israel to repentance and faith, they never asked the remnant to separate from Israel as a whole.
Jeremiah told those remaining in Judah not to rebel against Babylon, but they did not heed his warning. He could have gone to Babylon, but instead stayed with his people when they fled to Egypt (Jeremiah 42 and 43).
The New Testament
It was the custom of Jesus to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4.16) and to take part in worship at the Temple. The apostles followed this example until they were thrown out. They did not separate from a structure that was corrupt.
Jesus praised a poor widow who gave her last two coins to the temple treasury because she had given to God from her heart(Luke 21.1-4). But this was run by the Sadducees, who were the theological liberals of the day. Surely Jesus would not have commended the widow if he held to a separatist position.
Paul at Corinth
When Paul was involved with the church at Corinth, it had serious moral and theological problems. There was blatant, open moral failure and some of them even denied the resurrection (which is fundamental to the Christian faith). Paul says that if there is no resurrection, we are preaching a lie. We may as well pack up and go home, and eat, drink and be merry, because tomorrow we die, and that's the end of the story (1 Corinthians 15). Paul stands firm on the truth of the bodily resurrection, though some at Corinth did not believe it. But Paul did not say to the believers: 'Leave this lot and form yourselves into a church which is doctrinally and morally pure.'
A right sort of separation
Does all this mean that we stand by while error is taught? Certainly the believers in the Bible mentioned earlier did not! Paul tells Timothy to silence the false teachers in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1.3). He commands the Corinthians to throw out the immoral brother (I Cor. 5.2).
Through 'Reform' we want first to teach the truth by distancing ourselves from those clearly teaching error. We need to seek to channel our resources to gospel ministries. As someone has rightly said: 'We can only leave once'. We can exert more influence by staying put and actively contending for the gospel from within.
Basis of church unity
The only example of complete separation in the New Testament church was a group of unbelievers who left. John writes in his first letter of those who 'went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us' (1 John 2.19).
Those who argue for separation often point to 2 Corinthians 6.17: 'Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord', quoting from the Old Testament. If you look at the context, what is being commanded is not separating from other parts of the body of Christ, but a sanction against mixing true worship with pagan worship. Paul would not agree with Christians today attending interfaith services with Muslims or Hindus, because that would mean being mismated with unbelievers.
When we look at the heart-searching teaching of Jesus about church unity in John 17, the implications of separation are serious. In his prayer, he prays that his people will be united in a way that demonstrates to a watching world that he came from the Father. In other words, our division denies that Christ is God made flesh. Jesus prays for a unity that is not just spiritual, because how can the world see that? No, his desire is for unity in the visible church that is always a mixture of good and bad. Of course, true unity must be based upon truth. I am not suggesting for a moment that it should be unity at any price! What I'm saying relates to the fact that the world cannot see the invisible church, only the visible one and this will always be a mixture of truth and error, true believers and nominal ones.
The Reformation
Did not our Protestant forefathers separate from the organisation of the mediaeval church? Yes, they did. But it must be remembered that at the first they didn't leave - they were thrown out. Leaving was not their purpose. They wanted to reform the Church from within. When attitudes hardened they took up more extreme positions.
A similar thing happened with Wesley and Whitefield. The Church refused to hear their reforming word and they were forced out.
Reform and the C of E
If we stay in the Church of England we can be the remnant which allows God to bring back his erring Church. I agree with Jim Packer who said recently: 'I am an Anglican today, for what the Anglican church can be tomorrow'. We will need to take radical steps to bring pressure to bear as we deliver our reforming word to the Church. It may be that we will face ejection in some form.
If homosexual clergy are openly approved we will need great wisdom and courage. Plans and proposals are being drawn up by a Reform think-tank for decision at our annual conference in March.
I believe it is biblical to stay and fight rather than separate. Who will pastor the small churches in difficult areas like Kendray if ministers like myself leave? At the moment I am free to preach the gospel with no interference. No one is trying to stop me. To leave now would give up a wonderful open door for the gospel. We have just opened a £300,000 church centre here in Kendray that is a great springboard for the gospel. Folk here still look to the Church of England for spiritual help. How can I leave this behind? I would need to be convinced that to do so would further the gospel and I don't think it would. It is better that we are forced out than we leave voluntarily. We need to stay in as long as we can, and seek to stand humbly but courageously for biblical truth and righteous living.
