Perhaps my favorite time in Orlando was spent in a small group with Dr. J. I. Packer. It is hard to overestimate Packer’s impact on evangelical Christianity. The graciousness he afforded me to sit on a couch and ask him questions for more than an hour was humbling and helpful. He is very clear minded at age eighty-two and he remains incredibly conversant, insightful, and witty. Impressively, his words are impeccably precise.
As we sat on the couch together, he explained that Anglicanism is patterned after the ancient Roman governmental system so that a bishop has jurisdiction over a geographic area. However, this long-established ecclesiological pattern has been breached because Anglicanism is suffering from “heretical bishops.” By “heretical bishops,” Packer was referring to those bishops who sanction homosexual activity. He explained that the “heretical bishops” won support for their position following much lobbying. This sadly required Bible-believing Anglican churches to come under the authority of other orthodox bishops outside of their geographic area rather than remain under “heretical bishops.”
When asked about calling those who support homosexuality and profess to be Christian “heretical,” Packer very carefully and insightfully explained what he meant.
Of all the so-called emergent church leaders, I believe Mark Driscoll and his network (including J. I. Packer apparently) is one of the few heading in the right direction. Urban Anglican priests and churches could learn a lot from Mark Driscoll and Mars Hill Church. Frankly, Lambeth would have been a lot better off with Driscoll as a speaker than Brian McLaren. In my reading and hearing of Brian, who is clearly a gifted writer and speaker, he simply takes Christians deeper into the confusion of our day, to embrace a post-modern approach to truth (which can be liberating for some) and a Christian faith marked by theological diversity and inclusivity (wait, maybe he is perfect for Lambeth). Mark on the other hand points people to Jesus. He is very Packeresque and Pauline in that way.
A lot of us Anglicans need to imitate Driscoll and sit at the feet of the many gifted mentors and theologians we have in the Anglican church in our day. May I suggest (with special attention to the [i]Collected Shorter Writings[/i] Series):
http://www.jipackeronline.com/
Frankly, Mark Driscoll doesn’t (thank God!) seem a part of the emergent church movement at all, but as the website is aptly titled of the Resurgence of the invisible church evengelizing and living out the true Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.