I watched Tousi TV on YouTube today about The Reverend Canon Father Phil Harris, an Anglo-Catholic priest from St James Church in the West Midlands, who the Anglican Church recently sacked.

His viral social media posts criticising Prime Minister Keir Starmer, possibly over Southport or “Islam apologism”, sparked an uproar, with many calling it an attack on Christianity. The Charity Commission investigated, and his dismissal followed, igniting debates about free speech and faith in the UK. But as a Born-Again Christian, I see this differently.

Harris’s Anglo-Catholicism, part of the Church of England under the Archbishop of Canterbury, not Rome’s Pope, leans on seven sacraments, priestly rituals, and tradition alongside Scripture.

To me, this isn’t biblical Christianity. At Born Again Christians, we hold to sola scriptura, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Baptism and Communion are ordinances of obedience, not grace-dispensing rites. The other five “sacraments” Harris embraced, Confession, Confirmation, and the rest, feel like works-based add-ons, echoing pagan roots more than the New Testament church (Acts 2:42).

The uproar claims that Christianity is under siege, but Harris’s faith is not mine. While I view salvation as Christ’s finished work (John 19:30), his system suggests ongoing rituals and a priestly mediator- elements that stuff bornagainchristians.org rejects as unbiblical baggage.

Historically, Protestants like me have criticised such traditions as Roman Catholic distortions, and Anglo-Catholicism, despite lacking a pope, still retains that vibe. The archbishop’s authority may not align with Rome’s, but any hierarchy beyond the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9) feels misplaced.

Sure, Harris’s silencing, maybe for jabbing Starmer or Islam, raises free speech flags. I get the frustration with a government or church clamping down, but rallying him as a Christian martyr misses the mark when his theology is more about artificial rules than God’s grace.

This scenario leaves me uneasy: it’s not my faith under attack, but a “Catholic-ish” remix that I’d argue strays from the truth. The real issue? A world is blurring what Christianity even means. For me, it’s not about defending Harris; it’s about clinging to the Gospel, untainted by ritual or tradition.