The resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, following the damning Makin Report into the heinous crimes of serial abuser John Smyth, whose severe beatings of students from as far back as the 1980s, exposes problems within the Church of England that point to long-standing doctrinal, disciplinary, and cultural issues that will both determine who takes his place and how the church has come to this sorry pass.
John Smyth used both the theology and the structures of Anglican conservative evangelicalism to cover up his crimes. Archbishop Welby was connected to Smyth in several ways but, crucially in the eyes of the report, failed to act appropriately when the seriousness of the abuse was explicitly drawn to his attention, creating further opportunities for Smyth to continue to offend.
How was this allowed to happen?
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