Over the last half-century, the American Church has become an embarrassment to the global Church. They ceased to be Anglican in any meaningful sense, or in some cases even Christian, and the rest of the Anglican world finally decided to clean house. Certain people hijacked the American Anglican “family name,” but had no real ideological connection to the historic faith.
The world is telling them to go find their own house.
Only the most narrow minded person, whose vision of Christianity is parochial enough to see the Church as primarily European and North American, could be confused about the situation. The amazing thing is how patient the global majority has been with the struggling, shrinking American church.
Global Anglicans are a tolerant group, but are finally telling the liberal interlopers to go their own way and stop pretending to be Anglican. They are reaching out to the actual Anglicans that remain in North America and are working to rebuild the American branch of the movement. Worldwide Anglicanism is trying to save the brand!
I agree with John’s description of what [i]has[/i] happened, but I respectfully disagree with his assessment of what [i]is[/i] happening. I wish that he had cited particulars in evidence for his assertion that “Worldwide Anglicanism is trying to save the brand.” The effort to “self-establish” an orthodox Anglican franchise in North America has been impressive, but can hardly be said to have been an enterprise by “Worldwide Anglicanism.” I think that “southern hemisphere Anglicanism” would be a better description for the source of the effort to “save the brand.” If a majority of the Primates acknowledge/recognize the nascent province, then it would be appropriate to characterize this as a “Worldwide” effort; until then, this is just more wishful thinking. That being said, I continue to pray for orthodox Anglicanism and its leaders.
“…..the liberal interlopers to go their own way and stop pretending to be Anglican”.
What I love is how Mark Harris over at Preludium, and many of his traveler/bloggers fired up the keys for months talking about how the upcoming TEC split was nothing but a few malcontents and that it really isn’t much to see. Now they use massive volumes to criticize what clearly was their own failure to get it by downing the reformation of North American Anglicanism.
Mark…you and your kind have been and ARE the problem that caused much of this. If it IS really nothing, stop wasting acres of cyber-print on the issue. But, methinks that they know that it’s worse than their cerebral power wrapped around…and are they now scared…or just jealous.
why has it taken us so long to reach this obvious conclusion: Out with TEC. It is not not by any definition one of us, and its presence is a grave evil. Is there anyone who really doubts that? Larry
I would like to believe that this is what is happening/ will happen.
I do hope 815 2nd Avenue NY and most of the diocesan offices in the US are stocked with high blood pressure pills and defibrillators to prepare for reading this article! 🙂
Um… When did the Episcopal church ever call itself “Anglican?”
I believe it started calling itself “Anglican” sometime in the 1970’s. And then it started paying for all the networks.
He is deeply ignorant about what is going on.
As a member province of the Anglican Communion, TEC was (but now demonstrates that they are not, except in appearance only) part of Anglicanism.
[blockquote]Some people thought Christianity had to change, and quietly brought on this change in America by using old Christian words to describe very different ideas.[/blockquote]
An excellent example of an attempt to change the meaning of the word “Sabbath” can be found in an article by Debo Dykes on page 10 of this months “Mississippi Episcopalian”:
“Participants of the LLM conference were invited to choose a ‘Sabbath station’ and immerse one’s self in the experience of ‘rest’. Among their options were rock polishing, sweeping, planting, ironing, painting, Weaving, hammering and labyrinth walking.”
When I read of attempts to confound our language I am reminded of the tower of Babel.
Genesis 11
6. And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
8. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all earth: and they left off to build the city.
Hopper
I wonder what your take would be if say the Anglican Church of New Zealand and lets say Ireland were taken over by neo-Nazis. My guess is that TEC and its minions within the Communion – plus SA and Canada would be demanding the same things that the GAFCON primates are demanding. It all depends on whose ox is being gored.
I think the AC is much like the Commonwealth – the Queen is the head but only in title. However, I would hope that if a commonwealth country went commie or facist that there a mechanism for getting the boot. Rhodesia left – Zimbabwe needs to be booted.
Chips, if you think TEC is like neo-nazis, then God bless you. For your own sake, you should leave. James Alison, the gay theologian, did once remark that the Catholic Church thought of the gay movement as a bunch of stormtroopers.
Neo-nazis generally have a hard time with Christ, but not a hard time with killing gays.