The Primate of Australia has taken the extraordinary step of making public a letter that strongly criticises the Archbishop of Sydney and Bishop of Tasmania for their part in the  ACNA consecration of Andy Lines as a missionary bishop to Europe.

No doubt much will be made of this over the coming weeks and months. I’ve been asked by many for my comment on this letter. while there is much to say I think the following points are salient:

1. It is notable that the letter contains not a bit of criticism of the actions of the Scottish Episcopal Church in changing their canon of marriage yet concentrates on institutional questions.
2. Those institutional arguments have already been addressed by the letter from Glenn Davies, particularly the notion that this action is in breach of the canons of Nicaea.
3. Both Condie and Davies have made clear in their letters that they are very keen to maintain the bonds of collegiality as far as possible. This letter will serve the push those relationships in the opposite direction.
4. Over the past years davidould.net has documented the appointment to senior positions in the Anglican Church those who reject the historicity of the New Testament, deny the physical bodily resurrection of Christ, call for the approval of same-sex marriage, live openly in contradiction of Biblical sexual ethics, call for the Creeds to be rewritten, or deny the existence of heaven and hell. On not one of these matters has the Primate made any public comment, let alone criticism, despite each being in clear opposition to the Scriptural witness.