Welsh Election of Lesbian Archbishop will Jeopardize Evangelism in the Islamic Global South

COMMENTARY

By David W. Virtue, DD

www.virtueonline.org

August 18, 2025

As the news trickles out about the election of an avowed lesbian archbishop to lead the Church in Wales, it is not surprising that Global South Anglicans, which are predominantly theologically evangelical, are saddened, angry and rightly fear pushback from the Islamic community who view homosexuality as a grave sin.

“The crime of homosexuality is one of the greatest of crimes, the worst of sins and the most abhorrent of deeds, and Allah punished those who did it in a way that He did not punish other nations. It is indicative of violation of the fitrah, total misguidance, weak intellect and lack of religious commitment, and it is a sign of doom and deprivation of the mercy of Allah,” according to official Islamic teaching.

In Islam, sodomy is viewed as a reprehensible act. The Quran addresses this issue in several verses, particularly in the context of the people of Prophet Lut (Lot), who were warned about their practice of sodomy. Allah condemned them for their actions, stating that they were committing a sin that no one before them had committed. Sodomy is contrary to human nature and is considered a greater sin than adultery, with severe consequences for those who engage in it. Scholars and religious authorities have consistently condemned sodomy, advocating for the preservation of sexual morality and the sanctity of marriage.

Global South Anglicans who are overwhelmingly orthodox in faith and morals, are experiencing persecution on a scale never before seen with over 7,000 Nigerian Christians killed in the first seven months of 2025 by jihadist groups in various parts of Nigeria, a new report by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) has revealed. An additional 7,800 people in the West African country were seized and abducted. This averages out at 30 Christians a day.

As a result, but not surprisingly, The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) officially cut all ties with the Anglican Church of Wales following the election of the bishop. The Nigerian Church also cut ties with the Episcopal Church when the homosexual Gene Robinson was consecrated the Bishop of New Hampshire.

Over the decades Global South Christians have had to fight colonialism, imperialism, racism and the use of money by Western liberals to manipulate them; but sodomy is perhaps the most egregious of behaviors because of its inherent violation of creation and because it makes evangelism of Muslims nearly impossible.

If Islam hates sodomy and Muslims fear God, should Christians who know and revere their bible not have the same fear of God’s judgement on sodomy?

The Apostle Paul in Romans 1: 26-27 is explicit in that God reveals his wrath from heaven against all ungodliness…with God handing them over to their depraved minds. “For this reason, God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature (para physin); and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.” Those who indulge in sexual sin. . . or practice homosexuality . . . will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

It is not surprising then that Egyptian Archbishop Emeritus Mouneer Anis said that this decision (by Wales) further strains our ecumenical relationships and undermines the credibility of our mission, especially in the Islamic world, where fidelity to revealed truth is both respected and expected from Christian leaders.

There you have it. The Welsh archbishop’s self-centered, ego-driven, sexually abhorrent lifestyle, while honored by a church that is rapidly dying, directly affects evangelistic efforts in the Global South where the church is growing by leaps and bounds. Sex matters. When you go against the Law of Nature and Nature’s God there are penalties and the Global South will pay the price not the Church in Wales.

Liberal protestant churches that have embraced the full range of LGBTQ sexualities, have not seen their churches grow; if anything, they have continued to empty and die even faster.

Never mind that this election not only deepens the existing divisions within the Anglican Communion it also diminishes the catholicity of the Church in Wales—its continuity with the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. It isolates the Church in Wales from the wider body of global Christianity, both within and beyond the Anglican tradition.

Do the Welsh bishops even care? Why was there not a word from York Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, the temporary head of the Church of England? He is happy to rail on about Palestinian statehood but not a word about the Welsh election, largely we suspect, because he agrees with it and who knows what rocky road the Church of England will march down as they consider a new Archbishop of Canterbury! His silence speaks volumes.

The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) described it as a “divisive rejection of the historic Biblical and Anglican teaching on marriage and human sexuality.”

The tear in the fabric of the communion was just made worse by this act. There is no going back, the Nigerian Primate called for orthodox Welsh Anglicans to leave their church for greener spiritual pastures. Hopefully they will listen.

Archbishop Vann’s vanity is clear for all to see. Her election is another nail in the coffin of Western Anglicanism. There can be no doubt that GAFCON and the GSFA are contemplating their next move. We wait with bated breath.

END