Further to End-times Briefing 23: Bible Prophecy on Anglican Apostasy of last October and its references to Sarah Mullally replacing Justin Welby, her ceremonial installation at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday came with a lone dissenting voice, as reported at Maranatha Express (Facebook) in two posts on Saturday:
‘A Shouted Dissent: Priest Removed After Protesting Historic Appointment
A landmark ceremony was interrupted on Wednesday when a priest loudly objected to the confirmation of Dame Sarah Mullally as the 113th—and first female—Archbishop of Canterbury.
Moments after an official declared “no objections” to the appointment, Rev. Paul Williamson, 77, shouted his dissent. A longstanding opponent of female clergy, Williamson was escorted from Canterbury Cathedral as proceedings paused.
The protest was not unprecedented. In 2015, Williamson voiced the same objection—”Not in the Bible”—during the consecration of Rev. Libby Lane as the first woman bishop in the Church of England.
Mullally’s appointment symbolizes a profound shift for the Anglican Communion. A former nurse, hospital executive, and Bishop of London, she is known as a progressive voice who supports LGBTQ+ inclusion and women’s reproductive rights.
Today’s disruption lays bare the continuing struggle within global Anglicanism between reform and tradition—a tension now centered in its most historic seat of authority.’
He was removed for saying what many believe: “A female bishop is not found in the Bible.”
📅 The Protest: This past Wednesday, January 28th, Rev. Paul Williamson was escorted from Canterbury Cathedral after shouting his objection during the historic confirmation of Dame Sarah Mullally as Archbishop.
🎙️ The Interview: In a revealing interview, the 77-year-old priest expanded on the biblical conviction behind his disruptive protest.
✝️ On Female Bishops:
“I felt a marker should be put down to say clearly… that a female bishop is not found in the Bible… The Lord Jesus Christ made a very deliberate choice… We cannot turn around and say it is wrong.”
🔄 On Church Evolution:
“Things had evolved. Surely the church should evolve like that? …We cannot turn around… and say that it is wrong.”
📉 On Female Leadership & Growth:
“They have not filled the churches. That is a fact.”
⚖️ On Gender Roles:
“God created male and female… They have different things to do in his design and we can’t swap it over. Motherhood and priesthood are not things that could be changed around.”
🔇 On Being “An Isolated Voice”:
“That is what the media wish to say… A lot of ordinary people have walked out of church because they’re fed up with it.”
This interview lays bare the profound theological and cultural rift at the heart of the Church of England’s modern identity—a clash between historical tradition and progressive change, where scripture, society, and authority are all in dispute.’
SAFEGUARDING & ABUSE SCANDALS
Richard's Watch 
It’s interesting. I with a friend took part in a demonstration in 2008 against Archbishop Rowan Williams who had said he would welcome Sharia law in the UK. Our signs said “no to Sharia Law ” and “Support persecuted Christians”. WE were arrested but the prosecutor said he didn’t think we’d done anything wrong so the case was dropped. This has meant as long as no violence is used or insulting language anyone can shout out and confront unbiblical actions in Canterbury Cathedral.
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Appreciate your testimonial Sid and will copy to my Fbk posting with CPAUK link.
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The Cof E, and many denominations, are sleep-walking into the pit of globalism.
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I find it a bit strange. The priest dissenting there is obviously not (or not explicitly) dissenting because of Sarah Mullally’s views on this or that, but simply because she’s a woman. If you believe that necessarily constitutes apostasy, then you presumably also have to believe that practically all the Protestant denominations are apostate, and even for example that the Salvation Army has been apostate right from the start. I can go along with the idea that it’s mistaken or wrong (though I don’t agree), but the idea that it’s a sure sign of apostasy doesn’t make any sense to me.
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Of his 5 points 3 are scripturally relevant per Paul’s instruction about male rulership and their spiritual covering of women (1 Cor 11, 1 Tim 2.12).
Therefore, I expect he regards that as being construed as Apostasy, which is false teaching and prophesied at 2 Thess 2.3 and 1 Tim 4.1 (The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons), which Mullally and many in CoE House of Bishops are on record as encouraging and practising.
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Yes, I don’t mean to imply what he’s saying isn’t grounded in scripture – all I mean is that it strikes me as strange to pick this one particular issue, when it seems so obvious that people can disagree without being apostate (i.e. abandoning the faith) – who would dare to say that the Salvation Army has always been an apostate church?
I suppose what I am thinking is that the C of E gets so much wrong, as you point out, that it’s strange to pick the one issue of woman priests in preference to all those other open goals that are available!
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I suppose he’s getting back to NT early church principles of male headship as a prime point.
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