The Vancouver Sun reported on May 7, 2008 that one of the world’s most famous evangelical theologians quit the Anglican Church of Canada recently because he believes many of its bishops are “arguably heretical” for adhering to “poisonous liberalism.” James I. Packer, whom Time magazine recently named as one of the planet’s 25 most influential evangelicals, said he hesitated before using the harsh terms to describe the Anglican bishops, but believed he must do so in the name of truth. Packer, 81, said he can no longer serve under Vancouver-area Bishop Michael Ingham, who in 2002 sanctioned a diocesan vote that eventually permitted the blessing of same-sex couples at eight out of 67 parishes. “He is a bishop who appears heretical,” Packer said, comparing Ingham to high-profile progressive U.S. Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong and Church of England Bishop Richard Holloway. Packer is a long-time member of St. John’s Shaughnessy Anglican Church in Vancouver, which in February left the 640,000-member Anglican Church of Canada to join with 14 other congregations from across the nation to operate under the authority of the South American prelate.

[Editor’s note: The source for this document was originally published on canada.com/vancouversun – however, the original URL is no longer available.]