Sydney Anglican leaders should be speaking out in "unambiguous support' of a "good and godly' English pastor suspended from ministry because of his Bible-beliefs, says the Rev Dr Mark Thompson, president of the Anglican Church League.
"I want our bishops to lend their unambiguous support to Richard Coekin," Dr Thompson says. "We ought to be praying that the bishop changes his mind. His actions are totally unwarranted."
The Rev Richard Coekin, senior pastor of Dundonald Church in Wimbledon, was stripped of his license by the Bishop of Southwark, Tom Butler, because he organised for three local men to be ordained by a visiting bishop from the Church of England in South Africa (CESA).
Earlier, Mr Coekin had said he felt himself in "impaired' communion with Bishop Butler because, along with other bishops, he had lent support for priests entering civil partnerships with their homosexual partners, as long as they didn't have sex.
Mr Coekin told UK paper The Telegraph it effectively gave lay Christians carte blanche to enter the partnerships, and prevented clergy such as him from challenging their lifestyles.
“Some bishops in the Church of England think they can re-invent the Christian faith by tearing difficult pages out of the Bible in the name of political correctness and their latest statement on civil partnerships is the last straw,” he has been reported as saying.
Dr Thompson says Bishop Butler's response to the ordination service was "not unexpected' but "totally unwarranted because what Richard has done is seek support and help from a like-minded bishop'.
"In the end the Bishop's reaction enforces conformity to structures rather than encourage faithfulness to the truth," he says.
Also behind the suspension, according to Bishop Butler, is the fact that Mr Coekin has "spear-headed the planting of several congregations in the Diocese of Southwark'.
"Parish clergy, Archdeacons and Bishops alike have been involved in an ongoing exchange with Richard concerning the necessity for such church plants to occur only with the agreement of the vicar of the parish in which the plant is set. This has not always been the case," Bishop Butler said in a letter to Southwark clergy.
The three men ordained " Andy Fenton, Richard Perkins, and Loots Lambrechts - are the well trained and theologically astute pastors of these church plants.
Dr Thompson says Sydney Anglicans should be also be praying "for the growth of these congregations led by three godly men'.
Mr Coekin is the latest in a long list of clergy to be suspended from ministry in recent months for their Bible-beliefs, says Dr Thompson, citing examples from Canada, the US, and Brazil.
Photos Premier Online website and Anglican Media Sydney
