Thank you Glen your thoughts were most helpful to me, I suffered abuse by a clergyman when I was cathedral Chorister I am now 72. For all of my life I have lived with the trauma of that abuse which has affected me. I was lucky to find an understanding wife and we have been married 49 years. I have had regular times of what was diagnosed as PTSD as a result of my childhood abuse. As a child I and many of my friends raised the abuse but our families did nothing and no one wanted to listen. Although Welby has taken a long time to resign on the issues he is taking responsibility on behalf of the church. I am saddened however that some of those responding and maybe supporting the Archbishop are missing the point there should be no place in the Church for abuse of any kind. It is not our church we are the church of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Please forget reputations and concentrate on victims like myself who have suffered for so many years. One important point to make is through all of this is my faith in Christ Jesus has never weakened..
A millstone will be around their necks unless they truly repent, God sees the heart and they cannot pretend to be contrite with Him. May God bless you brother for your testimony.
I, too, were abused and Glen’s words here are not helpful to me at all. There is nothing complicated here. Abusing power over another is completely unacceptable within the Church. That’s it, that’s all we need to know. Instead it is dressed up in fine words, endless safeguarding protocols and the like, while some people use others. People like you and I have a Christian ‘right’ to call out lies and Glen is peddling those here. The CE, the bishops, have actively covered up many acts of abuse over an extended period. It has damaged the body of Christ and I believe will destroy the CE. Glen has shown himself to be a fool. Either incredibly naive or worse ultimately complicit by association. In my circle there were many people who knew what was going on, but guess what they said and did nothing, in case they had to face unpleasant things, have their vision of the world shattered, or their careers being damaged. I have just about had enough of the obfuscating in the CE and am preparing myself to leave it. Welby has been involved in a sin against the Holy Spirit, and as such if there is a literal judgement day he will be found gravely wanting.
I kindly disagree, brother. There is nothing "honourable" about his resignation. I would have accepted it as honourable if he had taken the initiative to resign himself, rather than being pressured to resign.
Totally agree. Welby has been neither honourable nor a Christian in his continued cover up of Smythe's terrible abuse of the young boys & men. There can be no excuse and Welby should be held culpable for the abuse of those who were subjected to Smythe's abominable practices after Welby became aware & it appears that was as early as the 80s. Nobody was well meaning. They were all trying to cover their own backs.
Rose Hudson cites 'biblical literalism' as the issue. I would dearly love Bishop Hudson to show me where in scripture God commands us to take boys to sound proof rooms and beat them whilst reciting scripture. It's a sad day when even a bishop stoops low to score points.
Rose Hudson appears to be part of the C of E's problem. Welby created women 'bishopettes' as hI believe his plan was to subvert the C of E.....I believe he was installed to do just that....and in that he has been successful.
Biblical literalism…So, The Bible is wrong is it? I think not. Clearly, most clergy and those individuals that make up the Christian congregations would not take a literal view of scripture if it advocated secretive physical punishment and abuse for sexual pleasure (or some misplaced form of correction) of young boys. Where in Scripture is that found to be advocated? Or is this just another excuse to accept the unacceptable. This allegedly woke ideology has no place in the C of E or any other religion . It is satanic. Cleanse Gods House of such people.
Glen, respectfully you are wrong. Welby did not resign because of the report and the abuse. He would have gone as soon as the report came out if that were the case. Instead he pointedly refused to go and was trying to ride out the storm. That he was unable to do so was likely due to pressure from politicians. There is no noble sacrifice here.
This is true. But my point is not to praise Welby. It’s to say that, whatever else the resignation does and however late it came, it focuses us on the cause - Smyth.
Pressure from politicians? Possibly. But mounting pressure from Social Media , both larger platforms and concerned individual ,was growing stronger. As was the voices from those ordained, who had felt so disillusioned, dissatisfied and disassociated by Welbys leadership, and who felt so strongly, that they took the decision to break away from The C of E…it was their voices united with the black African Churches, to bring One Loud International Voice, …that possibly would have demanded a full investigation of Welby himself….that made him jump, before being pushed.
@@SpeakLifeMedia Frankly, that response is as vacuous as it gets. The cause of the resignation is not Smyth's abuse. The cause of the resignation is Welby's failure to report that abuse. That, not Smyth's behaviour, is what makes Welby culpable. That is what his resignation should focus us on.
So when gods elected representatives are complicit of cover ups (at best), they are still honourable, and god still gets the credit when a secular journalist lifts the lid on the maggot pile. Gods a clever guy/gal.
Especially when you consider the case of CofE against Dr.Randall - ref.dismissed re issue of gender & real biblical teaching . The secular justice system pronounced he said nothing wrong & should be reinstated but Welby says no !?
But he didn’t resign when the Makin review was published and he was asked whether he would resign in light of it. In fact he said i think on Monday that he would NOT resign. He resigned ONLY when public pressure to resign became overwhelming... so wasn't public pressure and the loss of his credibility and authority the true reason for his resignation?
I’m certainly not trying to defend Justin Welby. I major on how long it took him to finally resign. The honour is relative - as you say he should have gone earlier. My point is not to be pro-Welby, my point is to direct people to the abuse scandal that prompted the resignation.
@@SpeakLifeMedia Your review was excellent and I thank you for the clarity and honestly. Most people take offence at the idea that Welby finally did the honorable thing, again it's a cover up as he only resigned because he was forced to. To claim "he did the honorable thing" is pure gaslighting.
@@marcoamesso9447 Well, he wasn't *forced* to. If he didn't resign, what was anyone going to do, a heresy trial? However, at this point he'd lost the confidence of the church. As archbishop he has very little hard power, so without a sense of trust he probably wouldn't have been able to exert the influence needed to function in his role.
Our PM was Director of Public Prosecution in 2013 and MUST have made the decision not prosecute Smyth. Welby reported Smyth but Starmer failed the CofE.
@@FinnCosgrove-y2b I don't think that's likely either. His subordinates might have made that decision (and you can criticise him for his choice of subordinates), but Starmer wouldn't have personally looked into every potential prosecution in the country.
Spot on. I also appreciate how in Mike Winger's review of Ravi Zacharias he spent important time asking us to look at our own accountability, reporting, and power structures. Whether in sport, school, or church, the vulnerable are hunted by wolves.
He tried to get away with it. He said so to Cathy Newman. Some senior Bishops apparently agreed in conversation with him that he should try to get away with it. He failed, primarily because Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley spoke out and the dam broke. There is no honour in or after that.
I saw Bishop Rose on the television and what she said reminded me of a batty aunt popping up in a family crisis and saying something hopelessly inappropriate.
Do not be fooled people like Rose are a curse. She is making her way and wants power, as all on the Left do. She is a political animal as much as an ordained person. She will probably be made AoC. watch?
Thank you for this. I have been aghast at the commentators seeing this as nothing other than an opportunity to cast abuse at Anglicans in general rather than looking at the underlying and crucially important issues. It's almost as if some of them have been actually glad to have the chance to disparage another Christian denomination and are rubbing their hands in glee regardless of the victims. So I really appreciated your measured and thoughtful response.
So much valuable insight here and much very familiar going back to a church we attended in the 1970s and 80s which covered up a scandal involving yes, young men and boys and a wolf. Thank you Glen for nailing it here.
American church insurers require churches to always have two adults in the room with children and windows in all doors. American law requires ministers, teachers, everyone who works with children, to report suspected abuse. If you tell your priest or therapist that you abused a child, they are mandated by law to report it. Do better, Britain!
May be true, but according to reports the heinous acts of John Smyth occurred not in churches but in separate buildings. So your point about American insurers and law is not really relevant to the crimes of John Smyth. Furthermore, you should watch “Sanctuary of Sin” or read “Report on Catholic Clergy Child Sex in Illinois” and you will find that even with insurers requirements and the child protection laws, similar heinous acts are committed in the United States.
This was 1970s and 80s Britain. I doubt America was so prepared back then. But Justin makes the point it should still have been reported to police. In 2013 they spoke to police but apparently didn’t follow the proper process for a referral. In all 5 different police forces were told something but no action happened.
Can’t believe the extent of the abuse by so called religious people. Just can’t wrap my head around it. Such cruelty meted out to children and young people!
Who is ever qualified for this top job? The C of E tends to rotate through the theological wings of the denomination. It was the turn for an Evangelical. If you are asked to serve, and you feel lacking in qualifications, what do you say & do? I seem to remember he prayed and as he took it he asked us to pray for him because he felt very unqualified.
@@nigelwylie01 Someone who can remain faithful to the gospel and the Scriptures to start with,.Maybe just start there. How sad for the Church of England
Every minister pastor and church leader should make clear from the pulpit that any crime especially against a child should first be reported to the police.
Honestly, I disagree with probably 90% of your theological views (as I am a progressive atheist); but I hope your voice grows louder because in all the videos of yours I've seen you are well reasoned, precise and clear. If every Christian I'd met was like you, I would have far fewer issues with Christianity as a political and sociological force.
And yet Glen is part of the problem here, and as such my enemy. He has used his sophistry to excuse the inexcusable. Welby hid this, that’s all that needs to be known.
This is incredibly helpful thank you. I hope we can all learn from this so that some good comes out of such evil. We really need God to show us our own blind spots and accept his correction with humility.
@@scinformation7229 he said himself that he was informed in 2013. I can understand and differenciate that there are evil persons who do horrendous things in the name of God, Jesus or religion and I still wont turn my back at Christ. That a Bishop doesn’t act with determination to call out abuse on children and let justice on earth play out in the most clear way as possible is what many people struggle about the ‘institution of church’. Unfortunately to have a well educated bishop or manager in a corpoation doesn’t mean automatically they are ‘better and wiser people’.
Thank you for your analysis of Welby's resignation. I was one of the petition on his resignation. For NOT ONLY this abused children/adults but his WOKE IDEOLOGY rather than his Church Theology. I think the truth prevail at the end. Is it A Divine Intervention? God bless you all.
Weak response. He should never have been entrusted with this role in the first place. It is a sacred calling, and his actions have caused immeasurable damage to the wider church in countless ways over an extended period. There is no excuse for the damage he has inflicted. To whom much is given, much will be required.
Thank you Glen for so helpfully putting clear words where I've been trying to find them. What you've shared here helps me to lead the people that the Lord has entrusted to me.
This is so strong and insightful and important. The church keeps falling into the same evil hole because it makes certain people (almost always men) too important and then protects them when they fall. There can never be any more excuse for covering up abuse.
@@homemaintenance1234 Quite probable. Welby is an enemy of the Gospel, always has been. We honour the victims better if we simply acknowledge this and not as some do damage limitation by attempting to give him some credibility.
Love your clarity and passion Glen. I am a church councilor at St James Old Cathedral in Melbourne (where I got Paul Vander Klay to lead a conference in 2019, called Understanding the Jordan Peterson phenomenon) I suggest a couple more actions are required, particularly here in OZ. Priests in Charge must be made personally accountable for the assessment of suitability of all local appointments by face-to-face interview, especially re sexual behavior. I think the concept of Church "safety" training a fundamental error in safety compliance and management terms, and theologically. Safety management is in this case, both a systems/organizational problem where the problem transcends local control, and a practical problem of how are you going to fix it? Where there is a legal requirement imposed on organizations and individuals by Regulation such as in this case to report to the police etc, then there is no discussion required. You just have to prove you have done it. Otherwise, persons (or organizations) responsible for activities involving legal or safety risk, have to identify hazards and assess and control risk etc to the extent that is "reasonably practicable", which means reasonable and practical, ie, common sense. Theologically, any concept of God's Glory or righteousness always includes mercy, justice and compassion which by definition must include proper relationships involving truth telling, fairness and compliance with the law. While the Anglican church tries to accommodate diverse sexual behavior at an organizational level, then there is no hope of compliance at a local level. Best regards Warren Mills.
The first reaction of many of my friends upon hearing the news of his resignation was jubilation. I've never been a fan of Welby either but I couldn't be enthusiastic about it myself. I wasn't able to put my finger on why, but I think you've hit the nail on the head. The issue of spiritual abuse hits close to my home too and we should be taking a good look in the mirror. But all everyone seems to be doing is using this tragedy as yet another chance to complain about Welby.
Let’s be clear. The entire leadership of the CofE is at fault, not just Welby! For a start, the safeguarding policy (available to view online) does not specifically require the leadership to report sexual abuse of minors to the Police, it simply references the Police as a body that can help in such circumstances. Health & Safety policies should include “mandatory” instructions to ensure a defined reporting process is followed when dealing with such serious matters……the church placed self protection of senior members and it’s reputation before the wellbeing of those it was supposed to protect. It;s that simple.
🎯 It's about not minimizing abuse, not hiding it, not silencing, not ignoring but DOing something. It's about church-institution being the Body of Christ, not an organization to protect but instead protecting ppl from wolves as Jesus told us to do!
Blood on their hands ....utterly discusting. Shame on him as he should never been in a church position but belongs behind bars. A wolf in sheeps clothing
This humbled me and brought me out of the world of social media tribalism and seeking one more self-righteous, self-glorifying bit of content for just a precious half-hour. Thanks Glen.
Would you say that if you had been abused? I think not. These fine words may make you feel that ‘God is in his heaven and everything is alright in the world’, but that is the deception in all this. The naked truth is that there was an unpleasant abuse of power, and everyone wants to run away from it.
Because there are still orthodox, Scripture centered, Jesus following churches within the CofE that are putting up a fight against a very loud minority that seeks to destroy it.
@@aidanwatson3499 I'm an American Baptist who does not want to see the Church of England fail. Do you see any signs of a resurgence of faith? Do you know of a website that is monitoring spiritual health in the church? I keep up with Justin Brierly's podcasts as my only source of information.
@aidanwatson3499 Are you REALLY called to it??!🤔🤔 I grew up Anglican, in Africa, and attended Htb for about 23yrs with all my heart... Then The Lord said 'that is not of me, come out from among them'. At first I thought it must be the devil😅, but over months He made it patently clear and even made it physically challenging for me to attend so I stopped and He has been ordering my steps since. That was 2017. I am now 60. Yes it is a journey, and fraught with much deception, but there is a walk to walk and 'churchianity' (name your choice of church denomination) is NOT one of them.
Thanks for this. From here in the US, I had no idea what this was about. Very sparse coverage here and little explanation. I also appreciate your take on the issues that are most important.
Glen - you are totally wrong. The Archbishop of Canterbury must have a personal relationship with God through Jesus and live in total accordance with the scriptures. He must advocate for God and not allow his malformed political or commercial views to interfere with his leadership of the church. God bless you.
Flawed video, I agree. He is a drip of a man who lives in an elitist, woke bubble. He has been manifesting terrible judgement about a raft of things for decades.
Nothing was said against the idea that the ABC should be faithful and not be overly political. But a lot was said that was humbling and valuable for those not looking for a quick confirmation of their priors.
This was never a good man. There is NOTHING HONOURABLE about covering up or turning a convenient blind eye to HORRIFIC CRIMINAL ABUSE. To even imply anything honourable here is despicable. Would it be OK to tell the victims that Welby was honourable in finally bowing to the pressure as he continued to resist pressure and said "I am not going to resign over THIS" AS IF IT WAS A SMALL THING
The focus should be on the way bishops are selected in the C of E: that's where it all starts. We've had not shepherds and leaders but 'hirelings' and managers who put their own and the institution's interests before moral integrity. Too many lack character and courage yet believe they should be there: the careerism in the C of E and the pursuit of various agendas rather than faithfulness is appalling.
Thank you, this is exactly the problem. I know, I am ordained, I have been abused, I have silence the whole thing close up. Glenn here is totally out of his depth.
Well said Glen. The tribalism and pile on for political and theological differences is offensive to victims. It just silences them yet again. Very frustrating
No, it does not. I was abused by a notable figure in the CE. Myself, like others, got nothing. I wanted and want justice, righteous justice. We want to see contrition, confession and actions which fit. Any number of words mean nothing, and Glenn is full of words as ever, to make us all feel good. Not this time, they are hollow. The politics and theology is a red herring. Welby knew about this and did nothing. NOTHING can excuse that, especially because of the responsibility in his shoulders, NOTHING. You are wrong and deceived by what you are reading and hearing. Glen, sadly, is part of that it appears.
He knew there were problems with Smythe in 1981. He had a conversation with Canon Mark Ruston concerning this over breakfast. He has lied and lied and covered this up. He did not "do the honourable thing" - that would have been a full disclosure and action. He left when the creschendo of critical voices became intolerably painful to himself. Thisxwas not honour - thisxwas his usual self preservation. I knew Welby in the 1980's. I know he could not/would not take responsibility for his own actions.
Michael Ramsey predicted that the Church of England would fall. But then he was originally a Congregationalist. Having been raised Episcopalian [USA] I give all of these various Anglican churches in the developed world maybe another 25 years before they all collapse.
You are wrong IMO, I give them 10 years no more. The CE is already dying inside and Welby just helped it on its way. Having invested my life in this institution - my live hood, my family, everything - I am preparing to leave. Relentless destruction and nothing to offer the world which is distinctive, basically an organ of the secular state now. The death knell will be the new Archbishop who will be black or a woman and woke.
You could argue that if Welby was busy with the gospel and not political ideology/causes and his own power, he would have focused on pursuing justice for the victims.
Thank you Glen for speaking from your Christlike compassionate heart. You are rightfully angry and distressed. Thanks for calling us in the worldwide church to be protecting the vulnerable sheep from the wolves that Jesus told us would be here. 😢 Thanks for calling us to take responsibility to make our churches safe places.
Glen, this is useful. For all of us in Christ and in whatEVER group. Oh, Glen. Thank you. Im in America and of a group you haven't mentioned today. Except that list of 8 mentions all of us. Oh, Glen. This is useful. Thank you.
Welby should have gone a long time ago….he has been at odds with the Word of God for years falling far short of the example he should have been setting in line with Paul’s command….”imitate me as I imitate Christ.” 1 Cor 11:1
In my point of view of the legacy media (I'm an American), when they deal with negative and scandalous issues in religion, they become old-school investigative journalists. The Houston Chronicle has been among the best sources for the sexual abuse scandals of the Southern Baptist Convention, for instance.
Sorry, but this is bs. Had enough time to learn the lesson! He could have been a couragous voice against child molesting! And he and OTHERS were the opposite!
Thanks Glen - a timely reminder as I consider Ordination within the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne! Would I be better placed to do Gods work outside the Church? Because at the moment I can do God’s work without the weight of institutional politics and the savagery of abuse weighing in on my shoulders 😊
Nope not an isolated matter. The C of E has a wider responsibility for schools where Welby has intervened directly to support ultra woke identity politics intruding into schools even when caught out. The whole C of E structure overseeing the activities of school trusts needs revisiting by non woke. Whilst listening to Welby in a recent left wing podcast was like hearing a delinquent public school boy tittering over a cache of pornography as the boasted of the next woke thing he was going to get past colleagues.
He should have been sacked. Anyone irrespective of religious beliefs knows that beating and abusing of anyone is totally wrong. No amount of hand wringing from him will make me believe a word he says. It’s almost as if he condoned that behaviour.
Yeah, it's honourable when he weighs it up, thinks long and hard, listens to someone's advice and decides not to resign and the next day decides to take responsibility & resign, nice, at last
Aiming to reach the nation through the brightest and best boys set up this terrible fall. There is something about valuing gifting and worldly criteria that I would add to your 8. Perhaps it’s in “reputation is everything” but it’s more than that. It’s believing (functionally at least) we can lift and shift worldly gifts to Christ’s work and it leads to greater fruit. It pervades today. I heard someone describe their ministry amongst private schools as “reach the few to reach the many”. I don’t think the terrible risk of that this is being examined. Anyway I’m personally devastated at the moment, thanks for helping articulate my mixed up thoughts
Yeah, well it won’t. I. Was abused and it was derisory. In my case, which I was loathe to bring, they had a team of four lawyers who over a 8 hour period chipped away, then some more, then more. They acted as corporate lawyers, with no clergy involved at all. It was shocking, so don’t go away thinking that the right thing will be done, it won’t.
Iwene Trust was not an Cof E body but an interdenominational one as far as I know. So the CofE is not liable even if a lot of involved people were CofE. I am puzzled that the leader of the Cof E takes the can for what was an interdenominanational problem.
Abuse is not an event to be compensated with money is an abuse of power which need to be healed.. giving a cheque and telling people to go away after signing an NDA is as bad as the abuse itself
Stop victim shaming. Justify and make excuses for him all you want. It is a blessing that he is gone. You claim it dishonors the victims. What dishonors them more is his lack of response until now. Considering the level of wokism of the current head of the CofE his replacement will be of the same ilk.
Why is no one holding whoever was responsible for the Iwerne camps and for the school to account? It was they who facilitated Smyth's access to these children.
Being in the process of deconstructing from conservative evangelicalism, I struggle to see this outrage as anything but a manifestation of that cult. It focusses on personality, authority, false loyalty to the cult, exclusiveness and judgement.
![ร้อยพ่อพันแม่ - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/XY2pNYASEbg/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you Glen your thoughts were most helpful to me, I suffered abuse by a clergyman when I was cathedral Chorister I am now 72. For all of my life I have lived with the trauma of that abuse which has affected me. I was lucky to find an understanding wife and we have been married 49 years. I have had regular times of what was diagnosed as PTSD as a result of my childhood abuse. As a child I and many of my friends raised the abuse but our families did nothing and no one wanted to listen.
Although Welby has taken a long time to resign on the issues he is taking responsibility on behalf of the church. I am saddened however that some of those responding and maybe supporting the Archbishop are missing the point there should be no place in the Church for abuse of any kind. It is not our church we are the church of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Please forget reputations and concentrate on victims like myself who have suffered for so many years. One important point to make is through all of this is my faith in Christ Jesus has never weakened..
A millstone will be around their necks unless they truly repent, God sees the heart and they cannot pretend to be contrite with Him. May God bless you brother for your testimony.
I, too, were abused and Glen’s words here are not helpful to me at all. There is nothing complicated here. Abusing power over another is completely unacceptable within the Church. That’s it, that’s all we need to know. Instead it is dressed up in fine words, endless safeguarding protocols and the like, while some people use others. People like you and I have a Christian ‘right’ to call out lies and Glen is peddling those here. The CE, the bishops, have actively covered up many acts of abuse over an extended period. It has damaged the body of Christ and I believe will destroy the CE. Glen has shown himself to be a fool. Either incredibly naive or worse ultimately complicit by association. In my circle there were many people who knew what was going on, but guess what they said and did nothing, in case they had to face unpleasant things, have their vision of the world shattered, or their careers being damaged. I have just about had enough of the obfuscating in the CE and am preparing myself to leave it. Welby has been involved in a sin against the Holy Spirit, and as such if there is a literal judgement day he will be found gravely wanting.
🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@homemaintenance1234
No church is ‘worth it’ only Jesus and his offer to us. Horrified by all of this.
This is why I have no faith in organised religion only God
I kindly disagree, brother. There is nothing "honourable" about his resignation. I would have accepted it as honourable if he had taken the initiative to resign himself, rather than being pressured to resign.
I certainly agree that he should have gone earlier. I hope the whole video gives enough context to see that I’m using the term relatively
Nicely said.
No. He should never have been in this role from the start.
Totally agree. Welby has been neither honourable nor a Christian in his continued cover up of Smythe's terrible abuse of the young boys & men. There can be no excuse and Welby should be held culpable for the abuse of those who were subjected to Smythe's abominable practices after Welby became aware & it appears that was as early as the 80s. Nobody was well meaning. They were all trying to cover their own backs.
May we please know where exactly did Smyth work in South Africa and Zimbabwe..
Rose Hudson cites 'biblical literalism' as the issue. I would dearly love Bishop Hudson to show me where in scripture God commands us to take boys to sound proof rooms and beat them whilst reciting scripture. It's a sad day when even a bishop stoops low to score points.
Women shouldn’t be bishops. It’s ironic that Welby created women bishops & they are the ones that did him in.
I would expect nothing else from her. Have seen her on S of P on a Sunday before.
Rose Hudson appears to be part of the C of E's problem. Welby created women 'bishopettes' as hI believe his plan was to subvert the C of E.....I believe he was installed to do just that....and in that he has been successful.
Yes R Hudson is sounding like a part of the problem, not the solution, sadly.
Biblical literalism…So, The Bible is wrong is it? I think not. Clearly, most clergy and those individuals that make up the Christian congregations would not take a literal view of scripture if it advocated secretive physical punishment and abuse for sexual pleasure (or some misplaced form of correction) of young boys. Where in Scripture is that found to be advocated? Or is this just another excuse to accept the unacceptable. This allegedly woke ideology has no place in the C of E or any other religion . It is satanic. Cleanse Gods House of such people.
Glen, respectfully you are wrong. Welby did not resign because of the report and the abuse. He would have gone as soon as the report came out if that were the case. Instead he pointedly refused to go and was trying to ride out the storm. That he was unable to do so was likely due to pressure from politicians. There is no noble sacrifice here.
This is true. But my point is not to praise Welby. It’s to say that, whatever else the resignation does and however late it came, it focuses us on the cause - Smyth.
Pressure from politicians? Possibly. But mounting pressure from Social Media , both larger platforms and concerned individual ,was growing stronger. As was the voices from those ordained, who had felt so disillusioned, dissatisfied and disassociated by Welbys leadership, and who felt so strongly, that they took the decision to break away from The C of E…it was their voices united with the black African Churches, to bring One Loud International Voice, …that possibly would have demanded a full investigation of Welby himself….that made him jump, before being pushed.
@@SpeakLifeMedia Frankly, that response is as vacuous as it gets. The cause of the resignation is not Smyth's abuse. The cause of the resignation is Welby's failure to report that abuse. That, not Smyth's behaviour, is what makes Welby culpable. That is what his resignation should focus us on.
So when gods elected representatives are complicit of cover ups (at best), they are still honourable, and god still gets the credit when a secular journalist lifts the lid on the maggot pile. Gods a clever guy/gal.
@johnw1743 Exactly!
He was sacked by public opinion ... Hypocrisy is not and should not be tolerated in a clergyman especially if you hold the top job.
Especially when you consider the case of CofE against Dr.Randall - ref.dismissed re issue of gender & real biblical teaching . The secular justice system pronounced he said nothing wrong & should be reinstated but Welby says no !?
But he didn’t resign when the Makin review was published and he was asked whether he would resign in light of it. In fact he said i think on Monday that he would NOT resign. He resigned ONLY when public pressure to resign became overwhelming... so wasn't public pressure and the loss of his credibility and authority the true reason for his resignation?
I’m certainly not trying to defend Justin Welby. I major on how long it took him to finally resign. The honour is relative - as you say he should have gone earlier. My point is not to be pro-Welby, my point is to direct people to the abuse scandal that prompted the resignation.
@@SpeakLifeMedia Your review was excellent and I thank you for the clarity and honestly. Most people take offence at the idea that Welby finally did the honorable thing, again it's a cover up as he only resigned because he was forced to. To claim "he did the honorable thing" is pure gaslighting.
@@marcoamesso9447
Well, he wasn't *forced* to. If he didn't resign, what was anyone going to do, a heresy trial?
However, at this point he'd lost the confidence of the church. As archbishop he has very little hard power, so without a sense of trust he probably wouldn't have been able to exert the influence needed to function in his role.
Our PM was Director of Public Prosecution in 2013 and MUST have made the decision not prosecute Smyth. Welby reported Smyth but Starmer failed the CofE.
@@FinnCosgrove-y2b
I don't think that's likely either. His subordinates might have made that decision (and you can criticise him for his choice of subordinates), but Starmer wouldn't have personally looked into every potential prosecution in the country.
Spot on. I also appreciate how in Mike Winger's review of Ravi Zacharias he spent important time asking us to look at our own accountability, reporting, and power structures.
Whether in sport, school, or church, the vulnerable are hunted by wolves.
So we are now supossed to let Welby frame our reaction to these events?
Let's be honest. He resigned because he was forced to.
Thank you Glen, a helpful and courageous reflection
He tried to get away with it. He said so to Cathy Newman. Some senior Bishops apparently agreed in conversation with him that he should try to get away with it. He failed, primarily because Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley spoke out and the dam broke. There is no honour in or after that.
I can’t say why but this has been so so helpful. Being prepared to look at our own tribe. Thank you thank you
p.s. You are absolutely correct. Rule 1. The Good Shepherd protects his sheep.
I saw Bishop Rose on the television and what she said reminded me of a batty aunt popping up in a family crisis and saying something hopelessly inappropriate.
Do not be fooled people like Rose are a curse. She is making her way and wants power, as all on the Left do. She is a political animal as much as an ordained person. She will probably be made AoC. watch?
Matthew 7:12
Thank you for this. I have been aghast at the commentators seeing this as nothing other than an opportunity to cast abuse at Anglicans in general rather than looking at the underlying and crucially important issues. It's almost as if some of them have been actually glad to have the chance to disparage another Christian denomination and are rubbing their hands in glee regardless of the victims. So I really appreciated your measured and thoughtful response.
So much valuable insight here and much very familiar going back to a church we attended in the 1970s and 80s which covered up a scandal involving yes, young men and boys and a wolf. Thank you Glen for nailing it here.
I lost Glen in the first 2 minutes. Total gaslighting.
American church insurers require churches to always have two adults in the room with children and windows in all doors. American law requires ministers, teachers, everyone who works with children, to report suspected abuse. If you tell your priest or therapist that you abused a child, they are mandated by law to report it. Do better, Britain!
May be true, but according to reports the heinous acts of John Smyth occurred not in churches but in separate buildings. So your point about American insurers and law is not really relevant to the crimes of John Smyth. Furthermore, you should watch “Sanctuary of Sin” or read “Report on Catholic Clergy Child Sex in Illinois” and you will find that even with insurers requirements and the child protection laws, similar heinous acts are committed in the United States.
This was 1970s and 80s Britain. I doubt America was so prepared back then. But Justin makes the point it should still have been reported to police. In 2013 they spoke to police but apparently didn’t follow the proper process for a referral. In all 5 different police forces were told something but no action happened.
That is now the case here (UK).
Sadly at the time it wasn't.
Can’t believe the extent of the abuse by so called religious people. Just can’t wrap my head around it. Such cruelty meted out to children and young people!
Welby was a wolf, should have resigned years ago.
a wolf when appointed.
Old boy networks will always protect themselves 😢 with no regard for the suffering of the children by one of their own.
Exactly, and the Church of England is such a network. Total hypocrisy.
Good point
Welby was unqualified for this position from the start.
Who is ever qualified for this top job? The C of E tends to rotate through the theological wings of the denomination. It was the turn for an Evangelical. If you are asked to serve, and you feel lacking in qualifications, what do you say & do? I seem to remember he prayed and as he took it he asked us to pray for him because he felt very unqualified.
@@nigelwylie01 Someone who can remain faithful to the gospel and the Scriptures to start with,.Maybe just start there. How sad for the Church of England
Every minister pastor and church leader should make clear from the pulpit that any crime especially against a child should first be reported to the police.
The focus should be on the victims.
And Glen does not do that here does he?
"Honourably resigned" there not an honourable bone in his body.
Oxymoronic
Honestly, I disagree with probably 90% of your theological views (as I am a progressive atheist); but I hope your voice grows louder because in all the videos of yours I've seen you are well reasoned, precise and clear. If every Christian I'd met was like you, I would have far fewer issues with Christianity as a political and sociological force.
Means a lot. Thank you
Justin Welby says he informed police in 2013 about child molester cover-up
Who was running CPS in 2013?
Sir Keir Starmer
Not quite. He didn’t but his colleagues spoke to police. Unfortunately they didn’t make a formal referral and the police did nothing.
...so it never got near the CPS
Welby sat in the House of Lords and had access to people in authority the rest of us could only imagine. Still nothing was done. It doesn't ring true.
Glen this was masterly and honest and done with surgical precision.thankyou so much,.please keep giving your understanding/thoughts .we need them.
And yet Glen is part of the problem here, and as such my enemy. He has used his sophistry to excuse the inexcusable. Welby hid this, that’s all that needs to be known.
This is incredibly helpful thank you. I hope we can all learn from this so that some good comes out of such evil. We really need God to show us our own blind spots and accept his correction with humility.
In Switzerland the headline was he knew about abuse over years and didn’t act.
And that is the truth. He probably knew about this in his early 20s.
@@homemaintenance1234 I don't think he knew
@@scinformation7229 he said himself that he was informed in 2013.
I can understand and differenciate that there are evil persons who do horrendous things in the name of God, Jesus or religion and I still wont turn my back at Christ.
That a Bishop doesn’t act with determination to call out abuse on children and let justice on earth play out in the most clear way as possible is what many people struggle about the ‘institution of church’.
Unfortunately to have a well educated bishop or manager in a corpoation doesn’t mean automatically they are ‘better and wiser people’.
When in life, you act in self interest and ego, you have Welby. It's as simple as that.
Thank you for your analysis of Welby's resignation. I was one of the petition on his resignation. For NOT ONLY this abused children/adults but his WOKE IDEOLOGY rather than his Church Theology. I think the truth prevail at the end. Is it A Divine Intervention? God bless you all.
Weak response. He should never have been entrusted with this role in the first place. It is a sacred calling, and his actions have caused immeasurable damage to the wider church in countless ways over an extended period. There is no excuse for the damage he has inflicted. To whom much is given, much will be required.
Thank you Glen for so helpfully putting clear words where I've been trying to find them. What you've shared here helps me to lead the people that the Lord has entrusted to me.
Bless you Dave
This is so strong and insightful and important. The church keeps falling into the same evil hole because it makes certain people (almost always men) too important and then protects them when they fall. There can never be any more excuse for covering up abuse.
While pleased to see Welby gone we can 100% expect another hypocrite to fill his position soon.
Here’s hoping we don’t🤞🤞🤞🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
They will be worse. Firstly, it will be an activist, and a woman activist at that. Probably black, very ‘strong’, but it will be all words.
@@homemaintenance1234 Quite probable. Welby is an enemy of the Gospel, always has been.
We honour the victims better if we simply acknowledge this and not as some do damage limitation by attempting to give him some credibility.
Thank you Glen, you are en pointe par excellence… every blessing and SDG 🙏
Love your clarity and passion Glen. I am a church councilor at St James Old Cathedral in Melbourne (where I got Paul Vander Klay to lead a conference in 2019, called Understanding the Jordan Peterson phenomenon) I suggest a couple more actions are required, particularly here in OZ. Priests in Charge must be made personally accountable for the assessment of suitability of all local appointments by face-to-face interview, especially re sexual behavior. I think the concept of Church "safety" training a fundamental error in safety compliance and management terms, and theologically. Safety management is in this case, both a systems/organizational problem where the problem transcends local control, and a practical problem of how are you going to fix it? Where there is a legal requirement imposed on organizations and individuals by Regulation such as in this case to report to the police etc, then there is no discussion required. You just have to prove you have done it. Otherwise, persons (or organizations) responsible for activities involving legal or safety risk, have to identify hazards and assess and control risk etc to the extent that is "reasonably practicable", which means reasonable and practical, ie, common sense. Theologically, any concept of God's Glory or righteousness always includes mercy, justice and compassion which by definition must include proper relationships involving truth telling, fairness and compliance with the law. While the Anglican church tries to accommodate diverse sexual behavior at an organizational level, then there is no hope of compliance at a local level. Best regards Warren Mills.
A classic example of what happens when you try to please everyone..... all the time. Goodwill doesn't always bringforth good fruit.
Thank you for this fair and balanced video on this horrible scandal.
Makes you feel good does it? Glenn’s fine words and all! Not balanced at all.
The first reaction of many of my friends upon hearing the news of his resignation was jubilation. I've never been a fan of Welby either but I couldn't be enthusiastic about it myself. I wasn't able to put my finger on why, but I think you've hit the nail on the head. The issue of spiritual abuse hits close to my home too and we should be taking a good look in the mirror. But all everyone seems to be doing is using this tragedy as yet another chance to complain about Welby.
that's exactly it :-/
Thank you. We need shepherds will protect the sheep not shelter the wolves.
Glen, I don't know you and am not a follower, but I saw your post. It is most helpful and spot on. Thanks,
This is a really thoughtful and useful look at this difficult topic
Let’s be clear. The entire leadership of the CofE is at fault, not just Welby! For a start, the safeguarding policy (available to view online) does not specifically require the leadership to report sexual abuse of minors to the Police, it simply references the Police as a body that can help in such circumstances. Health & Safety policies should include “mandatory” instructions to ensure a defined reporting process is followed when dealing with such serious matters……the church placed self protection of senior members and it’s reputation before the wellbeing of those it was supposed to protect. It;s that simple.
This is extremely insightful, and spot on. It should be shown to all priests, ministers and ordinands.
🎯
It's about not minimizing abuse, not hiding it, not silencing, not ignoring but DOing something. It's about church-institution being the Body of Christ, not an organization to protect but instead protecting ppl from wolves as Jesus told us to do!
So so helpful you always talk sense. We do have to speak out the only one we should fear is the Lord no one else. Thank you
Thank you Glenn, you taught me something really important here.
Thank you Glen. Much needed truth. It looks like the Lord has started to clean house. The foxes are being kicked out of the hen house at last.
Honourably resigned….not…. he should have been sacked and investigated for his part in this vile affair…🤐
Your praise of Cathy Newman is nonpareil. I have heard and seen little praise for her in the media. I salute you!
Blood on their hands ....utterly discusting. Shame on him as he should never been in a church position but belongs behind bars. A wolf in sheeps clothing
Right on. Your points are excellent. Very helpful for me right now.
This humbled me and brought me out of the world of social media tribalism and seeking one more self-righteous, self-glorifying bit of content for just a precious half-hour.
Thanks Glen.
Would you say that if you had been abused? I think not. These fine words may make you feel that ‘God is in his heaven and everything is alright in the world’, but that is the deception in all this. The naked truth is that there was an unpleasant abuse of power, and everyone wants to run away from it.
How any Bible-believing Christian can stay in the Church of England is beyond me.
Because there are still orthodox, Scripture centered, Jesus following churches within the CofE that are putting up a fight against a very loud minority that seeks to destroy it.
Wheat and tares. Every denomination, every local church is susceptible!
Because some of us are called to it in spite of its shortcomings. God uses broken people and even broken organisations and broken churches.
@@aidanwatson3499 I'm an American Baptist who does not want to see the Church of England fail. Do you see any signs of a resurgence of faith? Do you know of a website that is monitoring spiritual health in the church? I keep up with Justin Brierly's podcasts as my only source of information.
@aidanwatson3499 Are you REALLY called to it??!🤔🤔 I grew up Anglican, in Africa, and attended Htb for about 23yrs with all my heart... Then The Lord said 'that is not of me, come out from among them'. At first I thought it must be the devil😅, but over months He made it patently clear and even made it physically challenging for me to attend so I stopped and He has been ordering my steps since. That was 2017. I am now 60. Yes it is a journey, and fraught with much deception, but there is a walk to walk and 'churchianity' (name your choice of church denomination) is NOT one of them.
This was a perfectly good video, and then suddenly from 22:14 it became a great one. Very insightful, thank you.
And just 18:43
Thanks for this. From here in the US, I had no idea what this was about. Very sparse coverage here and little explanation. I also appreciate your take on the issues that are most important.
Good. I saw this and I hoped you would offer your perspective on this.
Thanks Paul!
Glen - you are totally wrong.
The Archbishop of Canterbury must have a personal relationship with God through Jesus and live in total accordance with the scriptures. He must advocate for God and not allow his malformed political or commercial views to interfere with his leadership of the church.
God bless you.
Flawed video, I agree. He is a drip of a man who lives in an elitist, woke bubble. He has been manifesting terrible judgement about a raft of things for decades.
An honourable resignation? He was pushed by the public
@@RosieMcGee-u8v He is a despicable man who should be doing time.
Nothing was said against the idea that the ABC should be faithful and not be overly political. But a lot was said that was humbling and valuable for those not looking for a quick confirmation of their priors.
For what crime sorry?
This was never a good man. There is NOTHING HONOURABLE about covering up or turning a convenient blind eye to HORRIFIC CRIMINAL ABUSE. To even imply anything honourable here is despicable. Would it be OK to tell the victims that Welby was honourable in finally bowing to the pressure as he continued to resist pressure and said "I am not going to resign over THIS" AS IF IT WAS A SMALL THING
The focus should be on the way bishops are selected in the C of E: that's where it all starts. We've had not shepherds and leaders but 'hirelings' and managers who put their own and the institution's interests before moral integrity. Too many lack character and courage yet believe they should be there: the careerism in the C of E and the pursuit of various agendas rather than faithfulness is appalling.
Absolutely.
Thank you, this is exactly the problem. I know, I am ordained, I have been abused, I have silence the whole thing close up. Glenn here is totally out of his depth.
Well said Glen. The tribalism and pile on for political and theological differences is offensive to victims. It just silences them yet again. Very frustrating
No, it does not. I was abused by a notable figure in the CE. Myself, like others, got nothing. I wanted and want justice, righteous justice. We want to see contrition, confession and actions which fit. Any number of words mean nothing, and Glenn is full of words as ever, to make us all feel good. Not this time, they are hollow. The politics and theology is a red herring. Welby knew about this and did nothing. NOTHING can excuse that, especially because of the responsibility in his shoulders, NOTHING. You are wrong and deceived by what you are reading and hearing. Glen, sadly, is part of that it appears.
Glad I listened to this
He has resigned because it was impossible to stay any longer, but he doesnt know right from wrong, he stood by his friend.
Thank you!
He knew there were problems with Smythe in 1981. He had a conversation with Canon Mark Ruston concerning this over breakfast.
He has lied and lied and covered this up.
He did not "do the honourable thing" - that would have been a full disclosure and action.
He left when the creschendo of critical voices became intolerably painful to himself. Thisxwas not honour - thisxwas his usual self preservation.
I knew Welby in the 1980's. I know he could not/would not take responsibility for his own actions.
He’s a good friend of King Charles ….say no more.
There’s hundreds of them time will shine the light in the festering darkness 😢
Gordonstoun!
Michael Ramsey predicted that the Church of England would fall. But then he was originally a Congregationalist. Having been raised Episcopalian [USA] I give all of these various Anglican churches in the developed world maybe another 25 years before they all collapse.
You are wrong IMO, I give them 10 years no more. The CE is already dying inside and Welby just helped it on its way. Having invested my life in this institution - my live hood, my family, everything - I am preparing to leave. Relentless destruction and nothing to offer the world which is distinctive, basically an organ of the secular state now. The death knell will be the new Archbishop who will be black or a woman and woke.
You could argue that if Welby was busy with the gospel and not political ideology/causes and his own power, he would have focused on pursuing justice for the victims.
Indeed one would hope so…but I would nt hold my breath. 11 years to leave victims suffering when he could have acted?
Thank you Glen
Impressed. The best analysis I saw or read, and I must confess I was by now looking for someone with a sincere take on the case. Thank you.
You are spot on -
Well said ✅
I found your message very persuasive. I still haven't found faith but the search continues.
We have an online course designed for people looking for faith - and it's free. Check out 321course.com. Love to know what you make of it.
Thank you Glen for speaking from your Christlike compassionate heart. You are rightfully angry and distressed. Thanks for calling us in the worldwide church to be protecting the vulnerable sheep from the wolves that Jesus told us would be here. 😢 Thanks for calling us to take responsibility to make our churches safe places.
Glen, this is useful. For all of us in Christ and in whatEVER group. Oh, Glen. Thank you. Im in America and of a group you haven't mentioned today. Except that list of 8 mentions all of us. Oh, Glen. This is useful. Thank you.
How many chances must we give this criminal organisation? Disestablish the church now
No mention of Jesus - Jesus cleanses his church that is what happened
Welby should have gone a long time ago….he has been at odds with the Word of God for years falling far short of the example he should have been setting in line with Paul’s command….”imitate me as I imitate Christ.” 1 Cor 11:1
In my point of view of the legacy media (I'm an American), when they deal with negative and scandalous issues in religion, they become old-school investigative journalists. The Houston Chronicle has been among the best sources for the sexual abuse scandals of the Southern Baptist Convention, for instance.
Thank you for sharing this..
He resigned cos he got caught.
Thank you for the rebuke against tribalism. I could feel myself slipping into some of the attitudes you mentioned.
How refreshing to read a humble, honest raw comment. Thank you. Amen.
Sorry, but this is bs. Had enough time to learn the lesson! He could have been a couragous voice against child molesting! And he and OTHERS were the opposite!
Glenn dropped the ball here. Worse, part of the problem.
Thanks Glen - a timely reminder as I consider Ordination within the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne!
Would I be better placed to do Gods work outside the Church? Because at the moment I can do God’s work without the weight of institutional politics and the savagery of abuse weighing in on my shoulders 😊
He resigned because he had been outed, if he had not he would still be in post.
it was getting too close to Charles III.
We need to remember how to hate sin
Nope not an isolated matter. The C of E has a wider responsibility for schools where Welby has intervened directly to support ultra woke identity politics intruding into schools even when caught out. The whole C of E structure overseeing the activities of school trusts needs revisiting by non woke. Whilst listening to Welby in a recent left wing podcast was like hearing a delinquent public school boy tittering over a cache of pornography as the boasted of the next woke thing he was going to get past colleagues.
He should have been sacked. Anyone irrespective of religious beliefs knows that beating and abusing of anyone is totally wrong. No amount of hand wringing from him will make me believe a word he says. It’s almost as if he condoned that behaviour.
Perfectly put.
Absolutely . Now, the Church of England must learn the lessons and put measures in place to make the Church of England a safer place.
The camps were not CofE camps
Yeah, it's honourable when he weighs it up, thinks long and hard, listens to someone's advice and decides not to resign and the next day decides to take responsibility & resign, nice, at last
Welby is a lost soul. He has abandoned sound Biblical theology. Calvin Robinson has been vindicated.
Aiming to reach the nation through the brightest and best boys set up this terrible fall. There is something about valuing gifting and worldly criteria that I would add to your 8. Perhaps it’s in “reputation is everything” but it’s more than that. It’s believing (functionally at least) we can lift and shift worldly gifts to Christ’s work and it leads to greater fruit. It pervades today. I heard someone describe their ministry amongst private schools as “reach the few to reach the many”. I don’t think the terrible risk of that this is being examined. Anyway I’m personally devastated at the moment, thanks for helping articulate my mixed up thoughts
The CofE needs to put its hands in its deep pockets and pay compensation to the victims
Yeah, well it won’t. I. Was abused and it was derisory. In my case, which I was loathe to bring, they had a team of four lawyers who over a 8 hour period chipped away, then some more, then more. They acted as corporate lawyers, with no clergy involved at all. It was shocking, so don’t go away thinking that the right thing will be done, it won’t.
Iwene Trust was not an Cof E body but an interdenominational one as far as I know. So the CofE is not liable even if a lot of involved people were CofE. I am puzzled that the leader of the Cof E takes the can for what was an interdenominanational problem.
Abuse is not an event to be compensated with money is an abuse of power which need to be healed.. giving a cheque and telling people to go away after signing an NDA is as bad as the abuse itself
This must be a definition of "honourably" that I've never come across.
In broad agreement with all that. Well done.
Stop victim shaming. Justify and make excuses for him all you want. It is a blessing that he is gone. You claim it dishonors the victims. What dishonors them more is his lack of response until now. Considering the level of wokism of the current head of the CofE his replacement will be of the same ilk.
Who's victim shaming?
Superb clear thinking thank you …
Why is no one holding whoever was responsible for the Iwerne camps and for the school to account? It was they who facilitated Smyth's access to these children.
Being in the process of deconstructing from conservative evangelicalism, I struggle to see this outrage as anything but a manifestation of that cult. It focusses on personality, authority, false loyalty to the cult, exclusiveness and judgement.