DID THE C OF E’S MARRIAGE FAULT LINES JUST GET BIGGER OR SMALLER?

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Amidst sharp criticism of the new appointment, Archbishop’s Council member Revd Dr Ian Paul talks to me about whether the Dame Sarah Mullally announcement marks the beginning of the end for the Church of England, or the start of something new. You can listen to our candid ten minute discussion online here.

Criticism of the new appointment was immediate and global. The Global Anglican Futures Conference rejected it outright, and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans called it a “missed opportunity to reunite and reform”.

Her appointment will have significant implications. As Ian highlights, the Church’s own law still defines marriage in Canon B30 as between one man and one woman. But the 2023 move to authorise “Prayers of Love and Faith” shows why the fight is live, with Bishop Sarah herself calling that vote “a moment of hope for the Church”.

Ian is candid but hopeful. He says “she’s someone who wants to listen”. He notes that “she has actually gone along and sat in the pews”. He expects a decisive end to the present LLF phase, with legal and theological work at last in the open. He says the Church should “draw a line and that’s the end of the discussion”. On changing marriage doctrine by fiat Ian is blunt: “It’s simply not possible.”

So does this mark the end of the Church of England, or the start of renewal? Some argue it signifies terminal decline, while others point to structural proposals to contain schism. Ian, however, sketches another path. Her tenure is short, he tells us. A new cohort of orthodox leaders can rise. As he puts it, “in six years time, we could have evangelicals in all the five main leading Episcopal posts in the Church of England”. Time will tell.

At C4M, our focus is simple and unchanging. Real marriage is one man and one woman, for life. That remains the Church of England’s doctrine in law and liturgy, and it remains the best foundation for family and society. The pressure to replace man‑woman marriage with something else is real and relentless. The answer is clarity in doctrine, courage in leadership and public confidence that the Church means what it says – and acts accordingly.