Final Approval of Draft Amending Canon No 28. This concerns Local Ecumenical Projects. At present a Bishop has to ensure that C of E worship is held ”˜reasonably frequently’ and also that communion must be celebrated at certain festivals. The proposed amendments removes the absolute requirement for the communions but not that relating to ”˜reasonable frequency’. Guidance is also to be offered to Bishops about what all this means in practice. Being final approval it required 2/3rd majority in each house. Bishops voted 19 to 2 in favour. Clergy 84 to 21 in favour and Laity 103 to 23 in favour. Therefore the amendment to the Canons was passed.
First, in response to Miller’s statement that:
[blockquote] People reject church experiences where there is fighting over anything, and rightfully so. [/blockquote]
An elementary reading of Scripture, Old and New Testaments, reveals without any fog whatsoever, that the Triune God and his people are caught up in a battle. It is both cosmic, worldy, and fought in the domain of the Church. Indeed, this is why we have much of the New Testament, particularly the epistles. My point? If Rev. (Fr.?) Miller is not teaching his people or new members that Christianity is not a cake walk, and that we are all called, even Anglicans, to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, then what is he teaching in such a time as this? Frankly, God is not concerned with the “experience” his flock is having, nor with a version of Church that is free of conflict. Is life?
Also a comment on this point:
[blockquote] The historical position of all our bishops for centuries is that there cannot be two different ecclesiastical authorities over one geographical area. [/blockquote]
I hate to state the obvious, but taken to it’s logical conclusion, this statement pulls the rug out from under Anglicans and Episcopalians. Are there not Catholic ecclesiastical authorities over the same geographical areas within which we minister? If this is the higher ground, then we should all tuck our tails and head back to Rome. And what of all the others – Pentecostals, Baptists, Brethren, Methodists, Presbyterians…. Are we to invalidate their ministries? Of course not. The real stick in the mud here is that there is not to be more than one [i] Anglican [/i] expression of Christianity in one geographical area. I agree, such overlap has its problems. We have it my diocese. But one wonders who the real Anglicans are when many of those who claim ecclesiastical authority refuse to stand up for the faith once delivered to the saints, while those who do are kicked around and treated worse than a neighbor.