Christianity Explored founder leaves C of E team over sexuality teaching

Prominent evangelist and founder of Christianity Explored Ministries Rico Tice has quit the Archbishop of Canterbury’s evangelism task group over the Bishop of Liverpool’s teaching on sexuality.

Revd Tice, who is Senior Minister at All Souls, Langham Place in London, had served on the task group for Justin Welby and Archbishop of York John Sentamu for many years.

He expressed his “profound disappointment” over the way some in the Church of England were pushing for the affirmation of same-sex relationships.

‘Road to destruction’

The Bishop of Liverpool, Paul Bayes, affirms same-sex relationships, and has called for the Church of England to “find appropriate ways of welcoming and affirming LGBTI people who want their love recognised by the Church”.

Tice says that in affirming same-sex relationships, Bayes is “putting people on the road to destruction”.

He said: “I don’t know how you could submit to his leadership. I had to leave that committee.”

He added: “Bishop Paul Bayes and I have a different religion and it’s around whether Scripture is authoritative in terms of human sexuality.”

‘Submit to scripture’

Tice made the revelation while being interviewed at the GAFCON conference 2018 in Jerusalem, where he also said he weeps “over the people who have turned their backs on the authority of Scripture”.

He compared the current Church of England to that of Wesley’s day, saying a similar departure from the established Church could soon occur, “where the Lord will take his power and his Spirit and his Gospel outside the institutions”.

He also gave a stark warning to the Church of England, saying: “The Spirit will depart the traditional Anglican Church unless we submit to scripture and unless we repent of our sin and call people to do that.”

Dominic, Rico and Pete from GAFCON Official on Vimeo.