Christian Magazine Editor Warns About Dangers of Masonry

by Jim Brown
December 18, 2003

(AgapePress) - An evangelical Episcopalian is not expecting current discord over freemasonry in some dioceses to lead to another major controversy in the Anglican Church worldwide.

The Sydney Anglican Synod in Australia recently urged its members to choose between lodge and church, and told congregations not to allow masons to use their facilities. However, just months earlier, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams apologized to freemasons for saying their beliefs were incompatible with Christianity and that he would not appoint them to senior positions in his diocese.

Douglas LeBlanc is an associate editor at Christianity Today and a lifelong Episcopalian. He says he is less surprised that Williams apologized than that the Archbishop made the "gutsy and true" remarks in the first place.

"I hope that enough Anglican bishops and priests will honor the original intent of his words," LeBlanc says, "especially when it comes down to simple things like masons insisting on having a separate burial service for masons and trying to really intrude on the turf of the church."

The Christian magazine editor considers masonry to be based on false religious and spiritual beliefs, and he says for clergy to ignore the truth about it is "pastorally irresponsible." He urges Anglican clergy and lay people not to downplay the dangers of freemasonry.

"A lot of people perceive masonry as just a harmless little civic club where people get together and do good deeds," LeBlanc says, "and for many members that's probably the case. But you'd have to be totally ignorant of history to miss that masonry carries a package of great hostility to the Church."

Although many Episcopal and Anglican clergy are masons, LeBlanc says he doubts the debate over freemasonry will ever reach the level of controversy surrounding the issue of homosexual Anglican clergy.