The first full day of business at the Primates meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, has been held in a relaxed atmosphere with primates generally positive about the days ahead.
The media spokesman for the primates meeting, Australia’s Primate, Archbishop Dr Phillip Aspinall, said day two of the meeting included a presentation by five Primates about the impact of the current situation on province mission priorities.
Archbishops Fred Hiltz from Canada, Thabo Makgoba from Southern Africa, Henry Orombi from Uganda, Stephen Oo from Myanmar and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori from the United States made presentations.
OK, so we stop talking about teeth, carrots, and sticks. The Bible has many other action words, both OT and NT. Just as long as there is action, whatever you call it.
I think the thing that is just so baffling to many of us on the reasserting side is the insistence of reappraisers that (1) in them the Holy Spirit in doing a “new thing” and AT THE SAME TIME insisting that (2) they be part of the very traditional body that they are defying (both doctrinally and ecclesially).
This is SOOOOO strange.
There is certainly precedent inside Christianity for a person or group to break with his or their inherited religion. Galatians and Acts is in part a record of St Paul’s sharp break with his inherited Judaism — because he regarded as his doctrinal insights into Christ as trumping his former affiliation. Luther and the other Reformers (including Cranmer!!!) accepted that the consequence of their bold instence on sola gratia and justification was leading to a break with Rome. And so on.
What you don’t find any of these people doing is demanding that they be able to defy their former religion at its deepest ecclesial and doctrinal levels and AT THE SAME TIME remain practicing members of it.
In other words, it’s not an issue of the Big Bad Global South with their sticks; it’s just an issue of honesty. The history of Anglicanism (which traces its pedigree all the way back to Abraham) has ample precedent for major breaks with a previous religious tradition. Maybe KJS is, like Paul and Cranmer, in the right. But if so, then have the courage of your convictions and accept the consequences. Quit squirting out ink like a cuttlefish to hide your real intentions. Gently but boldly clarify what you want your new church to be based on, as Paul and Cranmer did, and accept that this involves a break.
contexts….
Correction: “Archbishop Aspinall says that Primates Meeting Questions the Language of Sanctions”.
Keep spinning Archbishop – you will turn into a top.
I wonder to what extent the Primates are prepared to be managed by the ABC and his appointed spokesman for the Meeting. We seem to have a basic problem of truthfullness somewhere.
Once again, we see that the problem lies not only in TEC but in the greater AC. That release is typical Episcobabble and fits right into the “Nothing to see here, folks, move along!” attitude that has been prevalent all along. We are seeing a split in North America now, and can an AC split be far behind?
[blockquote]Aspinall, however, indicated that the primates, at least, were softening their position and recognising the disadvantages to a strident covenant.
“There is a pulling back from the language about sanction and teeth and a growing appreciation for the covenant as a framework for communion and reconciliation. It’s not about hitting people over the head with sticks.”
[b]He admitted that the covenant would have no legal basis, saying instead that it should be viewed as a moral obligation.[/b][/blockquote]
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/02/anglican-archbishop-rowan-williams-church
So, at the end of the day, what is the purpose of the covenant?
Not sure Aspinall is the one to listen to at this point. I think much happens in the last days of these meetings. Reasserting Primates may be lying in the weeds, waiting … or they may simply not care anymore and know they are going to split. I can’t imagine the GAFCON Primates agreeing with what Ab Aspinall is putting out to the press.
#9, LOL. Sorry, misfortunate use of words. I understand your misterpretation of what I meant to say. I did not mean the reasserting Primates were “lying in the weeds,” waiting to attack. I meant to indicate that they may just have pulled themselves back from the center of things into the weeds, waiting for this meeting to be over, so they can go ahead with their recognition of ACNA and, basically, ignore the apparently meaningless jabber that is going on at this meeting. As another person has pointed out on another thread, if there is to be no covenant with consequences, then what is the difference in what we have now in the AC. Might as well not waste the time and money to continue this charade.
Aspinall is certainly correct that there will be no covenant with consequences.
If there had been a real possibility of this there would have been no need for Gafcon.
Gafcon was based on the fact that there is no point in waiting for the communion structures to do anything. they are incapable.
hence Gafcon (like the left) is free to set its own course. Which it will.
In the mean time there is no point in being rude, so the Gafcon primates will attend the Alexandria meeting without having great expectations of it.
NOTHING will be accomplished until the next meeting. At which time, action will be deferred to the meeting following that one. And so on.
I wouldn’t write off this meeting yet whatever ‘line’ +Aspinall wants to get out. The reality is one of the useful things it can achieve is to proceed with the Covenant. If it is a toothless wonder then it will confirm the scepticism of the Global South and frankly a lot of the rest of us will regard it as as useless as the “bonds of affection” proved to be.
I think one of the urgent things which needs to be addressed is the failure to deal with the position of persecuted conservatives in North America. The ABC has failed to proceed with his “pastoral forum” as far as we know, although who knows what has been going on in the background. It may be that he recognises that without assistance from TEC it is not going to fly any more than the other initiatives have.
The Presiding Bishop has told the TEC Bishops that they are off the hook. Everyone suspects that there will be no discipline. The PB and EC have appointed Mr Beers’ assistant as in house Persecuter General and all the indications are that the unrepentant and vicious PB intends to go full speed ahead with her canon abuse and tyranny. However the Primates meeting can deal with this if it if they are so minded. Let’s see if they are prepared to allow the current management to stymie all discipline of the Western Zimbabwe.
However there is something useful we can all do – and that is to hold the Primates and their meeting in Prayer
One more thing – the Primates should fix the date of their next meeting – within 6 months to a year I suggest, the ABC has already proved that he cannot be trusted on this matter.