The Rev. Stockton Wulsin, pastor of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Evanston, resigned effective Sept. 30.

He told his congregation in a letter dated July 19 – the same day the church’s Vestry issued a letter to church members confirming that it had accepted the resignation.

In his letter, which Wulsin said was not intended for the public, the priest cited two reasons for his decision. “The Anglican Communion has been in a state of crisis for several years over the choice of the American Episcopal Church to ordain bishops living in openly homosexual relationships and to pronounce liturgical blessings on people living in same sex relationships.”

That we have reached this stage in our common life is a sign that as a Communion we have failed and are failing to present “a true sign of hope in a world of bitter conflict and rivalry”. Although the removal of provinces from representative ecumenical and faith and order functions is now a necessity this does not entail ”“ as the Archbishop has repeatedly stated ”“ an ending of all relationships. The issues of sexuality that have triggered this conflict will not go away and they continue to be live issues in many provinces of the Communion. The Continuing Indaba Project is one means of seeking to keep conversations going on various issues and to deepen mission relationships even in the midst of the differentiation now being implemented at other levels of the Communion and it would appear, from the letter, that other possible patterns of ongoing conversation are being discussed.

For almost a decade the actions of the American church and groups within it and the responses to these by other provinces have often dominated the life of the Instruments as well as damaging our united mission. The decision to confirm and consecrate Mary Glasspool was a clear signal that the American church is unwilling to heed the pleas of the wider Communion and desist from such divisive actions….

The Archbishop’s letter is perhaps in part an attempt to defuse the current difficulties by acknowledging that there is a fundamentally different vision of faith and order in TEC and releasing key Communion institutions ”“ the Instruments, faith and order and ecumenical bodies ”“ from being caught up in the tensions and conflicts that result from this reality. By removing those responsible for breaches of the moratoria from these bodies, they may be better able to focus on their task as Instruments of communion and the church’s mission. Alongside this, the tensions and disagreements over issues related to the moratoria may now be able to be addressed in other contexts which are less symbolically significant and where the issues that continue to divide us can be addressed without being distorted by the recent history of difficult meetings of the Instruments since at least 2003. As noted above, this will likely require carrying the logic of these decisions through into the Instruments, Standing Committee and covenant process. However, painful as it will be, if this is what is being done then it is possible that the Pentecost letter will ultimately be seen as having set a path which will assist the Communion’s renewal in the Spirit.

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It is as if the breath of the Spirit has the capacity to translate the gospel of the Word made flesh, not only into the different languages of the first day of Pentecost, and all the languages of our twenty-first century world; the Spirit can also translate into every culture of our world ”“ and between the inculturation of the gospel in different cultures. So, when we cannot understand each other, we must be sure that we have listened carefully to the still small voice of the Spirit. Is the Spirit speaking to each of us? Can we recognise the presence of Christ, which is the touchstone, the standard, of the true Spirit of God?

I am convinced that in our current situation within the Communion neither have we done, nor are we continuing to do, enough of this sort of listening to one another. We do not understand one another and one another’s contexts well enough, and we are not sufficiently sensitive to one another in the way we act. Autonomy has gone too far. I do not mean that we should seek a greater uniformity ”“ I hope it is clear I am saying nothing of the sort. But we risk acting in ways that are so independent of one another that it becomes hard for us, and for outsiders, to recognise either a committed interdependent mutuality or a common Christian, Anglican, DNA running through our appropriately contextualised and differentiated ways of being.

Bishop Katharine, what I am going to say next is painful to me, and I fear it may also be to you ”“ but I would rather say it to your face, than behind your back. And I shall be ready to hear from you also, for I cannot preach listening without doing listening. It sometimes seems to me that, though many have failed to listen adequately to the Spirit at work within The Episcopal Church, at the same time within your Province there has not been enough listening to the rest of the Anglican Communion. I had hoped that those of your Bishops who were at the Lambeth Conference would have grasped how sore and tender our common life is. I had hoped that even those who, after long reflection, are convinced that there is a case for the consecration of individuals in same sex partnerships, might nonetheless have seen how unhelpful it would be to the rest of us, for you to proceed as you have done.

There are times when it seems that your Province, or some within it, despite voicing concern for the rest of us, can nonetheless act in ways that communicate a measure of uncaring at the consequent difficulties for us. And such apparent lack of care for us increases the distress we feel. Much as we understand that you are in all sincerity attempting to discern the best way forward within your own mission context, the plea is: be sensitive to the rest of who are still drinking spiritual milk and are not yet eating solids.

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In essence, [Rowan] Williams and [katharine] Jefferts Schori are having a very old argument over local autonomy and central authority, Butler Bass said ”” two extreme and perhaps irreconcilable interpretations of Anglicanism.

“He’s trying to find coherent Anglican identity and enforce it in a top-down way, and she’s saying we’ve always been democratic, local, grass-roots.”

That argument seems to have reached a breaking point, the historian said.

“Scholars will look back on these letters in 150 years and say, ‘This is it. This is when it all went away,'” [Diana] Butler Bass said. “The Anglican Communion is not going to make it.”

[David] Hein agreed, saying, “A path has been chosen. It seems (Jefferts Schori) has prepared to pack her bags and go off on her own.”

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Why mince words here? For some years now ”“ since even before the Virginia Report of the late 1990’s ”” it has been stated formally over and over again that the structures of the Anglican Communion needed redefinition and rebuilding, so as to be able to function fruitfully. Key efforts were made to give direction to such reconstruction. A decade of failure, however, has simply borne out an already established and publicly stated fear.

But trying to set up alternative structures has not fared much better. If the recent Singapore meeting exposed a ten-year lapse in credibility for existing Communion structures, it also put the lie to any attractive claim for alternative structures that, in the past 10 years, some portions of the Communion have so assiduously been at work to erect: new provinces in North America; special “primatial councils” for common confessors; extra-jurisdictional missionary fiefdoms; episcopal netwoks of alternative oversight. Instead, the gathering proved to be what every other Anglican gathering has been in the past decade: in addition to faithful witness and counsel, also a time for political maneuver, secretive changing of agendas at the last moment, North Americans coming in and grabbing the microphones and running meetings, disagreements over this and that strategy and doctrine. That a common communiqué emerged at all was cause for surprise by the end; that it expressed little tangible except a shared dislike for Communion structures and for TEC and the Anglican Church of Canada was probably the most one could have predicted, which isn’t very much, let alone particularly edifying.

There are some obvious conclusions to draw from these ten years.

First, that Anglican Communion “structuralism” ”“ building offices and commissions and adjudicating bodies, in the wake of the 1963 Toronto Congress ”“ is at an end, at least in its presently imagined forms. This is true for the official structures; it is also true for the alternative structures. The drift now between national churches and confessional bodies is too great to ensure their continued functioning and support in any energetic fashion. Not that any of these structures, official or otherwise, are simply about to disappear; they won’t and they shouldn’t, given that they continue to provide important links to the wider Church and mission, and can, in any case, be renewed. But fewer and fewer really care for them, no one really trusts them, no one really wants to let them have power over their lives. If I were an employee of the Anglican Communion Office or of its shadow embodiments, I would look for a new job, if only for economic motives: the money is drying up.

Second, the Anglican Covenant is both a product of this descending drift, as well as a response to it….

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A split in the Anglican Communion would be better than constant squabbling over sexuality, British Anglican leaders believe. In the wake of the Episcopal Church consecrating the Rev Mary Glasspool last Saturday, the prevalent mood is that decisive action is needed from the Archbishop of Canterbury. ”˜Sitting on the fence’ will only prolong the fallout, leaders warn.

Ms Glasspool, 56, was ordained as assistant Los Angeles bishop and is the first homosexual woman bishop to be ordained in the USA. She will work alongside Diane Jardine Brice, who was consecrated the same day. They will serve LA Bishop J Jon Bruno. A statement from the UK LGBT Anglican Coalition said it welcomed the consecrations. “We rejoice that two more women will become bishops in the Anglican Communion. We send them our congratulations and welcome them as bishops with the many gifts that each will bring to the Church.”

Speaking to the CEN, the coalition’s spokesperson, Rev Canon Giles Goddard, said the dispute over homosexuality was damaging the Church. “I hope that we are making progress and I hope that it won’t be long before we can get past this argument and get back to preaching love and justice.” He added: “However, it maybe that some people in the communion will never accept the diversity of practice in the Anglican Communion.”

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Asked whether he would have to step down from the ACC’s Standing Committee due to his change in status from priest to bishop, Dr. [Ian] Douglas told CEN he would remain in place.

“Election to the Standing Committee by the ACC is irrespective of orders. Therefore, if I am elected the episcopal ACC member from TEC by the Executive Council in June, then I remain on the Standing Committee,” he said.

However conservatives have pushed for ACC chairman, Bishop James Tengatenga to replace Dr. Douglas, arguing that under the bylaws of the ACC a church cannot have two episcopal delegates. They state that upon his consecration as a bishop, Dr. Douglas ceased to be a clerical member of the ACC.

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There are several aspects of Ruth Gledhill’s argument that demand response. In the first place, it is shocking that she asserts with such breathtaking ease that the conservatives in the Anglican Communion ”” those who stand on clear teachings of the Bible, must give way to the liberals. There is no acknowledgment that this means the growing churches of the Anglican Communion surrendering to the agenda of the dying churches.

Second, the argument that an insistence on the importance of biblical sexuality means that these teachings are held to be more important than “the Resurrection, the Crucifixion, the Virgin Birth, and the Trinity,” is nothing less than ludicrous. The issue of homosexuality may now function to place persons “on the Christian spectrum,” but this is only because the liberal churches have forced the issue. Conservative Anglicans from Africa and South American did not raise the issue of sexuality ”” the Episcopal Church did.

One other aspect of this particular issue cries out for acknowledgment. One additional reason that the issue of homosexuality (and biblical authority) now functions so decisively is precisely because the liberal churches have already allowed liberal denials of everything mentioned by Gledhill on her list. It so happens that the churches that hold fast to those theological essentials are, almost without exception, the same churches that maintain biblical teachings on human sexuality. No real surprise there.

Third, the argument that the historic creeds and confessions and liturgies of the church do not mention homosexuality is obvious and simple ”” they did not need to.

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Many of the thousands of young people who never go to church in the UK but who are nominally baptised Anglicans cannot remember a time when sodomy was a criminal offence.

These are the people that Church leaders should be trying to attract. In a world facing the well-documented consequences of consumer and materialist greed the Church’s spiritual message is potentially of benefit to millions. If the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives can do it in Britain, surely the liberals and conservatives in the Christian world can form some sort of coalition to bring new leadership to the Anglican morass. They must put their differences behind them, for the sake of God, themselves and the common good.

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We are now less than six days from ECUSA’s “consecration” of a partnered lesbian to the (ECUSAn, at any rate) episcopacy. As I wrote in this earlier post, in so consecrating Canon Mary Glasspool, ECUSA will shoot itself in the foot. Even so, the silence from Lambeth Palace over the past weeks has been deafening.

Contrast to the present scenario the weeks following the confirmation of the election of V. Gene Robinson as bishop by both Houses at General Convention 2003….

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And not only do we need a big picture, we need a ”˜long’ picture. In today’s world, it is an ”˜instant’ world. Yes, you be able to get something done now, but it may cause damages in the long run. So we need have the big and long picture.

It is not going to be easy. When the first Prime Minister of China was asked about his evaluation of the French Revolution, which happened two hundred years ago. He was well-educated and serving in the very difficult cold war years of the 50’s and 60’s. And he said, gently and quietly, “It is too short to tell.” And many of those in the West and us are living under the shadow of 1789. The world has changed but it is “too soon to tell.” Taking the big and long perspective of things will help us to see things clearer. It may be slower but it will help us to see clearer and hopefully, in the end, do things in a more constructive way. Yet it is not an excuse for procrastinating.

This “both-and” thing is always difficult. That is why I put on this bi-focal spectacles. You see near and you see far. Sometimes it is blur in the middle, but if you know how to adjust yourselves….and today, it is not a uni-polar world anymore. The powers-that-be have come to learn that they cannot call the shots any more, It is a multi-polar world. But for us, the tremendous thing is we have a call that holds us united together in spite of our different cultural context. It is because of the pillar of the centrality of the cross of Jesus Christ, we have the same thing and yet can see our different context in the light of a common call.

This is very precious, something which the world does not have. They have either this or that. Now our challenges is how to strengthen ourselves, both within and without. We must be focus in the journey ahead.

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One reason why it fails to create a strong reaction is that it simply confirms the obvious. The crisis moment has now passed. Many of the Global South provinces have given up on the official North American Anglicans (TEC and the Canadian Church) and regard themselves as being out of communion with them. They renew the call for repentance but can see that, failing something like the Great Awakening, it will not occur. The positive side to this is that they are committed to achieving self-sufficiency so that they will cease to rely on the Western churches for aid. That is something the Global South has been working on for some time, with success.

In my judgment, the assembly was unresponsive to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s video greetings. I don’t think that what he said was obscure. It just seemed to be from another age, another world. His plea for patience misjudged the situation by several years and his talk of the Anglican covenant was not where the actual conference was at. He seemed to suggest that the consecration of a partnered lesbian Bishop will create a crisis. In fact the crisis itself has passed. We are now on the further side of the critical moment; the decisions have all been made; we are already living with the consequences. And it was in working out the consequences that the communiqué may eventually be seen to be historic.

The Global South Encounter could not in itself recognize the authenticity of churches. But the communiqué goes as far as is possible to recognizing the authenticity of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) and declaring this body to be the true heirs of the Anglican tradition on that continent. This is precisely what the GAFCON/FCA Primates Council did in 2009, and it really means that the leadership of the vast majority of the Anglican Communion regards itself as being in communion with ACNA and out of fellowship with the other North Americans. This was symbolized by the part played by Archbishop Bob Duncan at the conference, especially when he presided at Holy Communion. Furthermore the welcome accorded to the two bishops from the Communion Partners demonstrated the Global South commitment to Biblical standards as a test of fellowship.

In the meantime, of course, there are those, notably in the West, who want to play by the old institutional rules. They would argue that ACNA cannot be part of the Anglican Communion because it has not passed the tests of admission via the Anglican Consultative Council. This is so artificial as to be risible….

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As a watching world wonders if Anglicanism is falling apart, major players in the Anglican Communion are assured of unity. But it is an assurance that is mingled with a deep sorrow.

These were recurrent themes in conversations The Christian Post had with most of the Global South archbishops and representatives. This paper had met them at a significant summit held last week at St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

For the Global South archbishops, there is no question about whether there will be a split in the largest Protestant communion.

“There is really only one Anglican Communion,” said the Most Revd. Henri Kahwa Isingoma of Congo. “It is the North American Churches that have gone far from the roots of our common faith.”

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Thanks to the spiritual leadership of Churches in the southern hemisphere and Asia, the Anglican Communion looks set for more change. The next major milestone for the Communion appears to be the Anglican Covenant, a document leaders hope would clearly articulate the Anglican faith, and a real system of authority.

In this exclusive survey of the views of Anglican Global South archbishops and representatives, The Christian Post learns of their concerns and hopes as they eagerly draw the curtains to their collective future.

The following are full-length transcripts of interviews conducted with most of the archbishops and their representatives gathered at a summit held last week at St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

Read it all (15 pages).

We need leaders who know God’s word, not guessing what God might be doing, offering opinions on this or that gospel truth, but going deep into God’s word as a means of grace to shape how we enter the mind of Christ. The crisis we face as a Communion is theological at heart, and needs to be addressed with theological depth.

This is the painful lesson in New Zealand: how damaging it is when the theological education of men and women in ministry brings doubt and confusion, especially in matters where the word of Scripture is clear. And the impact on our churches after more than a generation of such theological education has been devastating.

I read the report to the House Of Bishops in TEC regarding questions of same sex relationships and sexual expression. To be perfectly honest, and speaking personally from an academic perspective, the case put forward to justify same sex blessings and marriage is extraordinary in its treatment of various scriptures. Passages that are actually quite clear are made to say the opposite of their plain meaning. The logic and reasoning is strained and at key points quite incoherent.

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We are encouraged by and welcome the Communique from the Fourth Anglican Global South to South Encounter in Singapore, with its positive emphasis on mission. We particularly endorse….

2. Their agreement that the future of the Communion lies in winning the next generation for Christ and therefore their call to each region to adopt initiatives to better understand the needs and characteristics of this new generation so that we might better communicate the Gospel and Christian values to them. [12]

3. Their statement of ”˜the absolute necessity and priority for the Church to disciple her members under the authority of the inspired Scriptures so that they may transform their societies and reach the nations with the Gospel’. [13]

4. Their recognition that TEC and ACC’s ”˜continued refusal to honor the many requests made of them by the various meetings of the Primates throughout the Windsor Process have brought discredit to our witness’; the urging of the Archbishop of Canterbury to implement the recommended actions’; and their encouragement to Provinces ”˜to reconsider their communion relationships with The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada until it becomes clear that there is genuine repentance’. [18 and 19]

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Archbishops representing three-quarters of the Anglican world are rallying for firm action against two Western Churches for ”˜celebrating’ homosexuality.

The decision by the top leadership of the Global South of the Anglican Communion was prompted by the recent election by The Episcopal Church (U.S.) of a partnered lesbian as a bishop.

Heads of Churches in the Anglican Global South will be persuading their representative assemblies to reconsider communion with the North American Churches. This is “until it becomes clear there is genuine repentance,” in the words of a communiqué. The ”˜Fourth Trumpet’ was released Friday after an Anglican Global South summit held throughout the week at St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

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Abp. Peter Jensen, Sydney. I want to begin with a special thanks to our host, Archbishop John Chew. Our thanks for your graciousness in inviting us. The Trumpet Sounds of the Global South have been one of the most significant elements in the Communion in the last 20 years. I trust this trumpet sound will be the same.

Remarkable moments for me came in my fellowship group. People from all over the world. To share with brothers and sisters in depth from their own life story. It was extraordinary . We were talking about covenant, quietly, gently, in a Global South way when one person mentioned the fact that whereas most people feel a covenant is a pretty significant and sacred thing, when dealing with people of the West, you are not sure that they mean what they say. We are so infected by postmodernism that our word cannot be trusted. It is true and creates a tension that lies between us, usually unspoken. We who have been infected by this need to repent. The beating heart of the Global South is that you say exactly what you mean.

I see something else about you that you take for granted. This conference was unremorsefully Scriptural. Every talk, every presentation, came straight out of scripture and expound the scriptures for us. The commitment of the Global South to Scripture is no platitude. That is a striking thing. You take it for granted. You keep saying to the West, “You have to live under the Scriptures.” I’m not sure they even know what that means.

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Anglican leaders in the Global South have been encouraged to reconsider their relationships with The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada “until it becomes clear that there is genuine repentance.”

“Some of our Provinces are already in a state of broken and impaired Communion with The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada. Their continued refusal to honor the many requests made of them … have brought discredit to our witness,” said some 130 Anglicans from 20 provinces at the conclusion of the Fourth Global South to South Encounter in Singapore.

They condemned the two western bodies for their continued “defiance” of Scripture and the rest of the global Anglican Communion with their pro-gay actions.

Specifically, the Global South leaders pointed to the upcoming consecration of the Rev. Mary Glasspool, a partnered lesbian, in Los Angeles. Despite calls by Anglican leaders worldwide to practice gracious restraint in regards to the ordination of partnered gays, Glasspool was confirmed to become the second openly gay bishop in The Episcopal Church. Her ordination is scheduled for May.

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The Churches of the Global South are not beggars, cannot be bought, and do not want any patronising handouts from the West, the Arch­bishop of Nigeria, the Most Revd Nicholas Okoh, told 150 delegates to the Fourth Global Anglican South to South Encounter (GSE4) in Singapore on Monday.

In the opening address, the Arch­bishop emphasised the “absolute necessity for economic empower­ment in the Global South”, and warned against “the treachery of another gospel which is afraid of and denies the deity of Christ”.

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Archbishop John Chew Hiang Chea has been elected head of the majority Global South Anglican bloc.

The announcement was made yesterday by outgoing Vice-Chairman Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda.

Archbishop Chew, who heads the 100,000-member Province of South East Asia, will succeed retired Archbishop Peter Jasper Akinola of Nigeria.

Previously Honorary General Secretary of the Anglican Global South, he was elected at the Primates’ Meeting on Wednesday night. His new official title is: Chairman of the Global South Primates Steering Committee (GSPSC).

“We covet your prayers together as a team,” said the Singaporean archbishop.

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The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged patience and forbearance upon Church leaders attending the Fourth Global South to South Encounter in Singapore, asking them not to take any hasty decisions over the future of the Anglican Communion.

However, the reception accorded to Dr Rowan Williams’ pleas for restraint from the leaders of the evangelical wing of the Communion was muted, with no applause or outward show of appreciation from the delegates at the close of his address. For most of those present, his words were too little, too late.

Delegates tell The Church of England Newspaper that Dr Williams has exhausted his political and personal capital with the overseas Church in the wake of successive disappointments in his leadership over the past few years. While the Global South continues to honour the office, Dr Williams’ stock has reached a nadir with many of those present.

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During our plenary sessions, bible studies and small group discussions we were called back to a fresh vision of God, of the Church and of Christian leadership. We saw God in His stunning holiness and absolute sovereignty through Isaiah’s vision (Is 6: 1-13), and correspondingly saw our own ingrained sinfulness and utter foolishness in trusting man rather than God alone. We caught a “ big” vision of the Church from her role as ”˜servant of the Lord’ (Is 42: 1-9) to bring God’s justice or ”˜right order of living’ to the nations of the world. This established the absolute necessity and priority for the Church to disciple her members under the authority of the inspired Scriptures so that they may transform their societies and reach the nations with the Gospel. The fresh call upon the Church’s leadership, from the Servant of the Lord’s costly obedience (Is 50: 4-9), is to be courageous and fully confident of the Lord’s sustaining grace and final vindication….

…we continue to grieve over the life of The Episcopal Church USA (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada and all those churches that have rejected the Way of the Lord as expressed in Holy Scripture. The recent action of TEC in the election and intended consecration of Mary Glasspool, a partnered lesbian, as a bishop in Los Angeles, has demonstrated, yet again, a total disregard for the mind of the Communion. These churches continue in their defiance as they set themselves on a course that contradicts the plain teaching of the Holy Scriptures on matters so fundamental that they affect the very salvation of those involved. Such actions violate the integrity of the Gospel, the Communion and our Christian witness to the rest of the world. In the face of this we dare not remain silent and must respond with appropriate action.

For many generations Anglicans have lived together with a shared understanding of our common faith; indeed among our great gifts has been the Book of Common Prayer that has provided a foundation for our common life. In recent years the peace of our Communion has been deeply wounded by those who continue to claim the name Anglican but who pursue an agenda of their own desire in opposition to historic norms of faith, teaching and practice. This has led to a number of developments including the GAFCON meeting that took place in Jerusalem in June 2008….

Global South leaders have been in the forefront of the development of the ”˜Anglican Covenant’ that seeks to articulate the essential elements of our faith together with means by which we might exercise meaningful and loving discipline for those who depart from the ”˜faith once for all delivered to the saints.’ We are currently reviewing the proposed Covenant to find ways to strengthen it in order for it to fulfill its purpose. For example, we believe that all those who adopt the Covenant must be in compliance with Lambeth 1.10. Meanwhile we recognize that the Primates Meeting, being responsible for Faith and Order, should be the body to oversee the Covenant in its implementation, not the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion.

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In discussing the papers we propose these questions may help us focus in areas resulting in specific action following this conference. We look forward to the outcome of your deliberations.

Q1–Is it true that within the Church of the Global South there is potential for the economic empowerment to be realised?

Q2–What types of partnerships would you like to have with other Provinces or Diocese within the Church in the Global South and the North?

Q3–Is capacity building necessary in the Church of the Global South, further, in your own context what areas needs capacity building, where do you think we should go from here in order to achieve economic empowerment?

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The reflecting and meditating has largely been done; day 4 of the 4th Anglican Global South-to-South Encounter was a time for action.

The day opened with the African delegates leading the Holy Communion Service, with Archbishop Ian Ernest in his homily urging the Global South participants to take up the challenge of the calling while being sensitive to God’s way. Bishop Rennis Ponniah followed with a bible study on Isaiah 50:4-9, calling for a fresh vision of leadership ”“ a leadership that flows from intimate communion, that expresses costly obedience, and which reflects holy confidence. He encouraged us that such leaders, though facing great shame, can overcome because of our God who vindicates us.

Before the start of the final plenary session, Elder Fu Xianwei, Chairman of the TSPM of China Christian Church, gave his farewell greetings to the Global South delegates. He noted a commonality of experience between the China Christian Church and the Anglican Global South. Elder Fu expressed his hope for future chances to work together with the Global South and invited all present to visit the Church in China. Before he left, Elder Fu presented two gifts ”“ one to the Global South and one to the Diocese of Singapore….

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(Please note: this is from a blog reader and is based with thanks on the Anglican TV video which may be found at this link or below. This is not an approved transcript and while transcribed carefully any errors it contains are this person’s own–KSH).

Global South Structures

Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini was very kind to give me the chance to speak first. I am very grateful to you.

This morning’s bible study, the very rich study that was given to us by Archbishop John Chew reminded me of a story, a story which happened in Egypt, and particularly it happened in Alexandria. It happened in the third century. There was a gifted preacher and intelligent priest and his name was Arius. And Arius had many followers, and he wanted to reconcile the Christian faith, and the essentials of faith with the Greek philosophy, so that the Greek philosophers who were living in Alexandria would actually accept the idea of the triune God. But by doing this he made Christ less divine. And because of this there was a division in the church in Alexandria. There were faithful people, and there were heretics. And the faithful people were getting less, and smaller and smaller. But they fought persistently and without ceasing. And the heretics started to increase and increase, and they got the support of the Emperor; one after another, until the Arians became a bigger church.

And the church fathers of the orthodox church, they fought, they stood for the truth, but they also felt that they should spend their time in a more productive way. They took the manuscripts and they went to the desert and they started to disciple many young people, who became later on the leaders of the orthodox church of Egypt and Alexandria. If you asked me: where are the Arians today? I would say, not one, there are no Arians in Egypt. They all died out. By 600 [ad] there were no Arians in Egypt. It is only the faithful, who keep the faith who started to grow, and started to disciple many leaders. And from these, the church fathers came, starting from Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, St Athanasius of Alexandria, St Clement, St Cyril. They all were defenders of faith, but they all were discipled by the desert fathers.
And this story tells us something of the bible study we got today. There are people who [were] hard-hearted, their hearts became very hard. The more they listened to the truth, they get very hard, and they get very difficult, and they grow! Amazingly they grow!

But this is not the end of the story. The end of the story is a light that comes; the truth overcomes, and the Gospel to be proclaimed. Today the Arians disappeared and the Coptic Orthodox church in Egypt is growing very fast in the Middle East and in all the world.

And we thank God for this story because it tells us something as Anglicans. While we stand firm for the truth and speak up, we should not waste our time just reacting, but we should spend our time bringing the Good News to the world: spend our time in discipling and baptizing people for Christ. It’s a good story that the two bible studies actually can tell us today.

There is another thing. I am telling you these stories because we had very heavy meals after Archbishop John [Chew] said this wonderful study about about the covenant, and these stories may be ”˜light’ and can help us. This is a holy Korban, or a holy bread that is used in the Orthodox Church; and also we use it in the Anglican Church in Egypt, in all our churches. We don’t use wafers, we use this. But there is a beautiful scene. If you attended the Coptic Orthodox mass, at the beginning of the mass, the celebrant, whether a priest, or a bishop or the Pope himself, and I attended the mass with His Holiness Pope Shenouda several times, when at the beginning of the mass they brought the basket, and in this basket: about ten, twelve of these holy Korban, holy bread. And it is a very exciting, interesting moment when the Pope or the priest or the bishop who is celebrating the Eucharist, takes one after another and looks at it, looks at it very well and leaves it, and takes another one and leaves it and takes another one until he gets the perfectly rounded holy bread, a bread without a fault. And in a way he is telling the story of the selection of the Passover lamb who was sinless and faultless. And even they call it the lamb, the lamb holy bread and it is a symbol of Christ. And you know that Jesus is our lamb, is the lamb of God. And when he broke the bread at the last supper he said: ”˜this is my body’, so he himself, the Passover lamb, the faultless, the sinless, who died for us. He was perfect.

But also St Paul told the church to be the body of Christ, so we are the body of Christ. But the problem here is that we are not perfect. But we are called to be perfect, like our Father who is perfect. I think we are on a journey to be perfect, and the only thing that guarantees our perfection is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as a church.

So what I am going to introduce you to today is not perfect, the structure is not perfect. We will continue to make it perfect. The church is not perfect, but we are on a journey to be perfect, because our Father is perfect.

Archbishop Kolini after I speak, will have his own remarks about the structures, but what I would like to talk about are four points:
– the history of the Global South;
– today’s context and challenges;
– and why do we need a structure; and
– a proposed Global South Structure.

The History:
The Global South ”“ I know some of the people here do not know the history, although in the book which is a very important book that Archbishop John [Chew] can raise it up, like this, so that you would know ”“ it’s all the history in this book, and it is very important.

It started in 1987, in Brisbane in Australia when the ACC meeting thought that it would be very important for the South provinces to meet together, and that happened. The first meeting was in Limuru in Kenya in 1994. And in Limuru they put two questions in front of them. The first question is: ”˜how can we be Anglican, while also true to our cultural contexts in the South?’ And the second question: ”˜how can we be more effectively used for God’s mission in the world in the power of the Holy Spirit?’ And part of the Communiqué says this, in Limuru Kenya in 1994:

“the church exists for the sake of God’s mission. God invites us to be His church, people who experience God’s salvation, and bear witness to God’s love, mercy, compassion, justice, peace and forgiveness for all people revealed finally and fully in Jesus Christ.”

Then the next Global South meeting or second Encounter was in Kuala Lumpur, and in Kuala Lumpur they made a statement about human sexuality. And I just quoted some of this statement. It says:

“Scripture bears witness to God’s will regarding human sexuality which is to be expressed only within the life-long union of a man and a woman in holy matrimony.”

The other thing in Kuala Lumpur is:

“The holy scriptures are clear in teaching that all sexual promiscuity is sin. We are convinced that this includes: homosexual practices between men or women as well as heterosexual relationships outside marriage.”

These were two important things from the communiqué of Kuala Lumpur.

The next year after Kuala Lumpur, in the Lambeth Conference 1998, I was not there, but many of the colleagues were there. The Global South bishops’ influence was crucial in the production of Resolution 1:10. Almost 88% of the bishops in the Lambeth Conference 1998 voted for Lambeth 1:10.

In Cairo in 2000, we didn’t know each other, Archbishop Akinola and Archbishop John [Chew], he was the bishop of Singapore then. We didn’t meet each other, we didn’t know each other, but we corresponded with each other and we decided to meet in Cairo in December 2000 and in Oxford in 2002, actually not 2001, we had another meeting where Archbishop Yong Ping Chong joined us in this meeting and we started to plan for the Third Encounter.

The Third Encounter happened at the Red Sea, Egypt, 2005, and we took some very important decisions in this Third Encounter. We reached a common understanding of the one holy catholic and apostolic church. This was a theme of the Encounter. We had a strong warning in regard to the Anglican Communion crisis; produced a big warning about this. And then we decided to make a track for self-reliance where my brother Keith Chua was actually in charge of this.

And then developing a Global South Catechism and the diocese of Singapore helped with others in developing this book and I think if you want to get a copy, perhaps get in touch with Archbishop John Chew and he will give you a copy of this Global South Catechism. And we were committed to advancing Christ’s mission.

Today’s Context and Challenges:
The first challenge is progressive revisions of the faith by TEC and Canada, and other provinces in the following way:
The first is: the ordination and consecration of clergy and bishops in active homosexual relations; blessings of same-sex unions in churches; denying the uniqueness of Christ – rejecting the authority of the Scripture.

And also the second challenge is the ecclesial deficit which was described by the Windsor Continuation Group, the ecclesial deficit. And I think Archbishop John Chew was part of this Windsor Continuation Group. They described the situation within the Anglican Communion as an ecclesial deficit. And this deficit is because the undermining the authority of the Primates and Lambeth Conference bishops – no follow through for the recommendations of the Windsor Report, the Primates Meetings – i.e. failure to take any disciplinary decision against the Episcopal Church and Canada ”“ the broken and impaired communion between provinces.

There are other challenges that we are facing, which is the strained ecumenical relations. Some of the churches, the ecumenical partners, stopped the dialogue with the Anglican Communion. An example of this is the Oriental Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church, and the Greek Orthodox Church. They all put on hold the dialogue with the Anglican Communion ”“ strained ecumenical relations.

There was no support given from the official Instruments of Communion to the faithful within the Episcopal Church ”“ the groups like the Communion Partners, and also of the ACNA, the Anglican Church in North America. The litigations, and the depositions of bishops, and the threats that comes from TEC, all the time, the Episcopal Church. And the strained relation between some orthodox Anglicans as a result. Also there was some tension between the orthodox Anglicans themselves.

That is the context and these are the challenges in front of us which we need to consider as we consider the structure.

Now I want to answer the question:

Why do we need a Structure?
We need a structure to enhance and sustain Christ’s mission which is entrusted to us by Him; to further activate the partnership in the Gospel; and guarantee our interdependence as provinces within the Global South, not only provinces, but also dioceses.

To compensate for the current ecclesial deficit, the ecclesial deficit resulting from the undermining of the authority of the bishops and the Primates, who at their consecration made vows in front of God to guard the faith, this was completely undermined. We have to compensate for this through our structure, and hold together and support the faithful within the Anglican Communion, and to avoid further division.

We need a structure to face the challenges together of course. We need a structure not to create another communion as we consider ourselves The Anglican Communion. The others have departed the faith. Not us, so we are the faithful Anglican Communion. By a structure we are not creating a new Anglican Communion, because we are the Anglican Communion.

We need a structure not to compete with the current dysfunctional structure of the Anglican Communion, but to move forward away from the distraction of the current crisis. As I told you in the first story, the fathers went to the desert, not just to sit in stillness, but they were preparing, studying, writing, discipling new leaders for the church, and I think we need to do this, as well; not just to be reactive and to be distracted by this crisis.

[A proposed Global South Structure]
Now this is the simple, very simple structure. The Primates’ Council, or primates’ meeting if we would like to call it like this. And coming out of this primates’ council is the General Assembly, like our general assembly now. And from the General Assembly there are two tracks. [(referring to slides presumably)I am sorry they are not”¦ it will be in the paper you will take after this session]:
Mission and evangelism track and economic empowerment track. [I am sorry that it is not appearing here yet but beside mission and evangelism, there is economic empowerment]. The Steering Committee felt that it is very important to put the Theological Commission directly under the Primates’ Meeting, because the Theological Commission and theological education is so important in shaping the future leaders of the Global South Movement and they need to be accountable all the time to the Primates. And in between meetings, of the Primates’ Meeting and the General Assembly, the Standing Committee, which is the steering committee, we call it, would be there, which is composed of Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and we added here Communications Officer, because communication is very very important.

Now the functions of the Primates’ Council are:
– discussing and deciding on matters of faith and order. Remember discussing, and DECIDING on matters of faith and order.
– Giving guidelines on the limit of the Anglican diversity in submission of the authority of the Scriptures.
– Appointing, and this is very important for the structure, appointing an ad hoc design group to work on a Global South Constitution.
– Oversight of the Global South Movement in accordance with its stated aims and principles of faith. This involves accepting new member churches and dioceses, and also taking necessary disciplinary actions.
– Calling the General Assembly to meet every three to five years.
– Discernment of consensus behind proposals from the General Assembly and initiation of projects.
– Taking the initiative in restoring unity among us, but also unity in the church world-wide, like starting dialogue with our ecumenical partners.
– Creation of working groups formed in accordance with the developing vision of the Global South Movement ”“ the Primates’ Council can form new groups.
– Promotion of regional bishops’ councils, like CAPA. The Global South would like to promote CAPA.
– And regional initiatives [for] mission.

Functions of the Standing Committee:
– Act on behalf of the Primates’ Council between its meetings and in harmony with its decisions.
– Follow up of matters decided by the Primates’ Council

The function of the General Assembly is to:
– bring together the vision, the concerns and the intervals [?] of all participants under God seeking a common vision.
– Support the Primates’ Council in formation of working groups.
– Receive for approval the reports of the Secretary, Treasurer and working groups.
– Elect an agreed number of representation from among their members to serve on the Primates’ Council.

I want to end by saying two things:

The movement to go further, and go further – we must have a financial commitment. Meetings like this cost quite a lot of money, and provinces need to subscribe and give an annual subscription that can be accumulated so that meetings like this would be funded – the resources, the financial resources.

Archbishop Peter Akinola, from the Third Encounter, after Kuala Lumpur – he said we must OWN the Global South Movement. The first two encounters were supported financially completely by the Anglican Communion Office. But we as the Global South, we said, we must own the movement. For this reason the Third Encounter, and this Encounter, is completely funded by the Global South. So we need to be financially committed to support the meetings and this commitment.

The other thing I want to say: that we need to focus! If we distributed our efforts, and divided again, this will hinder the progress and the moving forwards of the Global South. We have to really focus.

It is easy in this world to divide into groups, but it is difficult, but Paul is saying to us in his Letter to the Ephesians that we have to strive to keep the unity. So we have to strive, and make every effort to keep the unity within the Global South.

Thank you very much for your listening, and I would like to invite Archbishop Kolini to come.

[Applause]

Though it has been struggling with an internal crisis, the worldwide Anglican Communion is still attracting positive attention.

Casting sights on possible ecumenical partnerships with the Communion are the registered Protestant Church in China and Coptic Orthodox Church.

This is mainly due to the rise of the Anglican Global South.

Representatives of both church bodies were invited to the fourth Anglican Global South summit held this week in Singapore.

The church leaders have expressed an interest in deepening their relationship with the Anglican Communion.

Read it all.