The Standing Committee of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has resolved unanimously to be “in abiding and full communion” with the emerging Anglican Church in North America. The Church of Nigeria, which counts more than a quarter of the world’s Anglican Christians as members, is the first Anglican province to formally accept the Anglican Church in North America as its North American partner within the Anglican Communion.
In making their decision, the leaders of the Church of Nigeria’s more than 140 dioceses also recommended that their province send a delegation to the Anglican Church in North America’s inaugural Provincial Assembly, to be held June 22-25 in Bedford, TX, “to demonstrate our enduring partnership in the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Bold. Courageous. Clear. Christianly. Glorious!
No surprise.
With, or without the +++ABC’s “blessing”, the North American Province of Anglicanism is emerging. Now, the Lord is calling all Faithful Anglican men and women in North America to choose this day…..
Way to go, Nigeria!
Fr. Kingsley Jon-Ubabuco
Arlington, Texas
Once again, events are moving realignment forward with or without the official leadership of the Communion. Developments such as this demonstrate that profound change is coming to the global Communion whether the existing instruments of Communion want it or not. They have waited too long and their relevance to the process has increasingly slipped away from them. Now, they can finally lead, follow, or just get out of the way. However, no matter what they do in the end may not be that important, because the dam has broken.
All glory, laud, and honour to Thee, Redeemer! King!
I wonder if it’s as simple as suggested above. That Nigeria should embrace ACNA is unsurprising (CANA is a vital part of ACNA); what the rest of Africa (other than Kenya and Uganda) ultimately choose to do is surely more pertinent. I wish I felt more optimistic about the final outcome.
the Lord is calling all Faithful Anglican men and women in North America to choose this day…..
I wonder what unfaithful people who ignore the Lord’s calling think?
“I wonder if it’s as simple as suggested above. That Nigeria should embrace ACNA is unsurprising (CANA is a vital part of ACNA); what the rest of Africa (other than Kenya and Uganda) ultimately choose to do is surely more pertinent. I wish I felt more optimistic about the final outcome.”
The Anglican churches in Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda constitute the great majority of Anglicans in that continent.
Other than the liberal leadership in South Africa, none of the others is happy about directions in Tec. The West African church is small and maybe susceptible to blandishments from the West. That has also been tried – witohut success – in Malawi. Sudan and Tanzania are firmly with the Global South.
I think Rowan Williams has truly missed the bus on this.
What seems unclear to me is whether the proposed ACNA still seeks to be an officially recognized province of the Anglican Communion. Posted stories suggest that ACNA intends to establish itself as a realigned entity with or without the approval of the other provinces of the Anglican Communion. I guess if it obtains the required number of “Yeas” from the other provinces we will have a new Anglican province in North America. But if it doesn’t, then what? Will the ACNA be yet another break-away conglomeration of other break-away groups “in communion” with the Church of Nigeria? And what is the significance of that? Just musing over coffee early on a Saturday morning.
Sigh, again sarcasm is the order of the day for some. There are faithful Christians in TEC and in the forming Anglican Church in North America. Nigeria has been clear that they are not in communion with TEC. They have rejected TEC and embraced the ACNA.
TEC is fracturing and will not face what is happening. The leadership of TEC is way past denial. We will see what GC09 brings, but I do not expect it to be good. We see resolutions being prepared by Dioceses to repudiate B033 and dioceses saying openly they are embracing the Gospel of Full Inclusion. No, it is not official, yet! But it could become so with GC09. This is the strategy TEC has used. We have not OFFICIALLY changed our Christian Faith, but Dioceses are free to do so and are doing so more each day. This is incredibly dishonest but honesty seems to have gone out the window. Dialogue is used as a delaying tactic to mollify the Reasserters as the bar continues to be moved to the Reappraisers Theological side.
But there will always be a remnant of a remnant in TEC…but if the pattern continues it will continue to decline and become smaller and smaller and eventually will lose its prominence and influence it once enjoyed in the USA and the Anglican Communion (especially as Provinces distance themselves from the innovations of the EC and refuse to accept its money).
The ABC will never do anything to exclude TEC, but the EC may self exclude itself as it continue on it path of New Revelation. As it does so, more will continue to leave priests, Churches, people, and maybe even more dioceses down the road.
Eventually, the ACNA will grow and become the future of Anglicanism in North America.
The Anglican Province of Nigeria is used by the Reappraising side as the poster child for homophobia….and this will never change. But they are clear what they believe is the Gospel of Christ and will decide who they will and will not be in Communion with.
I find this witness refreshing and pray for all on both sides…but TEC is fracturing and I do not see this changing in the future.
God have mercy on us all
[i] Off topic comment deleted by elf. [/i]
[i] Off topic. [/i]
[i] Off topic comment deleted by elf, [/i]
Hmmm…seems to me “interpretation” is what got us here to begin with. Just saying..
[i] Off topic response to Kevin. [/i]
[i]Off topic response to Kevin.[/i]
Hardly nonsensical at all. If Nigeria is embracing ACNA, it is perfectly appropriate to ask how mutual the embrace is. Maybe my assumption is wrong about tacit support, but if so, prove me wrong. All it takes is a simple statement saying that Akinola does not speak for all “reasserters” on this issue PERIOD, no qualifications, no spin. I have yet to hear or read such a statement.
[i] Any comments about Archbishop Akinola will be deleted. [/i]
It’s hardly off-topic. It’s a question about the Nigerian Church as a whole as well as it’s leader and about ACNA’s support. If you think it’s so off-topic, but up a post regarding the Nigerian legislation and the Nigerian Church’s full, total, and unequivocal support of it. This needs to be discussed.
put a post, that is.
The Anglican Province of Nigeria is used by the Reappraising side as the poster child for homophobia….and this will never change.
It could. It depends on the statements and actions of the Anglican Province of Nigeria. The problem is that in leaving one extreme, people have embraced another polar-opposite extreme. For people who are so deeply concerned about who they are associated with, there are better choices. I would suggest the Church of Uganda as one. Under ++Orombi they have managed to remain faithful to traditional orthodoxy without adding extremism.
I see nothing but hope and a promise for the future of our new province. Call me optimistic, if you will, but that’s my nature!
RE: “The Anglican Province of Nigeria is used by the Reappraising side as the poster child for homophobia. . . . ”
Naw — the revisionists just see Nigeria as a linchpin leader.
If Uganda were seen as the linchpin leader they’d parse the laws in that country and it’d be the same thing. If Kenya — same thing. They’d find something. It’s par for the course — goes with being perceived as one of [i]The Hated Leaders of the Resistance[/i]. ; > )
I wouldn’t take it all that seriously.
Well, I had some hope that at least one person would step up, but that hope has been dashed. I guess I was right in my assumption of tacit support for the jailing of gays and their supporters in Nigeria (probably also accompanied by severe beatings either before or during imprisonment). It might be guilt by association, but if you associate yourself with someone advocating such unChristian violence yet say nothing, don’t be surprised that people see you as complicit.
RE: “I guess I was right in my assumption of tacit support for the jailing of gays and their supporters in Nigeria (probably also accompanied by severe beatings either before or during imprisonment).”
Kevin Montgomery may assume as he wishes. I couldn’t care less what he assumes, and I can’t particularly think of any attempted insults that I would be any more than amused at from him.
And there we are.
The two gospels represented in TEC don’t really assume a basis for discussion of much in the way of values, morality, principles and all the other accoutrements of a shared foundational worldview.
[Comment deleted by Elf – please do not disobey our instructions.]
Complicity cuts both ways. Those advocating the gay agenda are therefore complicit in the violence and death of Christians killed by Muslims on the grounds that they are complicit in the ECUSA/TEC/GCC/EO-PAC abandonment of the Faith and Doctrine of the Church.
These aren’t pretend scenarios such as alleged by the agendites on a certain Nigerian which had no basis in fact. Check out the reports on Muslim attacks on Christians by independent fact finders. You can try the Barnabus Fund for starters.
Wow! Complicit in their deaths? Now you’re really getting into the realm of the absurd. I did look at that Barnabus Fund website and found absolutely nothing about any relation between advocating for human rights for all and the persecution and deaths of Christians. (Of course, I wouldn’t call the anti-Muslim Barnabus Fund an objective source of information.)
Now are you saying that the accounts of the harassment, assaults, rape, and murder of gays and lesbians in Nigeria have no basis in fact? Have you ever thought that your support of Akinola and his like makes YOU complicit in people’s deaths?
Surely, SOMEONE on here can step up to say that this continued persecution should stop. What is so hard about that? Can anyone here do that without trying to change the subject or turning back on the victims of these assaults? No, the homos don’t have it coming to them. No, they don’t bring it on themselves. Stand up and do the Christian thing. Speak out against this. Surely, there is some ounce of compassion in here.
Sorry, I can’t let this go unanswered. Complicit in their deaths? Now you’re really getting into the realm of the absurd. I did look at that Barnabus Fund website and found absolutely nothing about any relation between advocating for human rights for all and the persecution and deaths of Christians. (Of course, I wouldn’t call the anti-Muslim Barnabus Fund an objective source of information.)
Now are you saying that the accounts of the harassment, assaults, rape, and murder of gays and lesbians in Nigeria have no basis in fact? Have you ever thought that your support of Akinola and his like makes YOU complicit in people’s deaths?
Surely, SOMEONE on here can step up to say that this continued persecution should stop. What is so hard about that? Can anyone here do that without trying to change the subject or turning back on the victims of these assaults? No, the homos don’t have it coming to them. No, they don’t bring it on themselves. Stand up and do the Christian thing. Speak out against this. Surely, there is some ounce of compassion in here.
Elves, this needs to be discussed. Someone needs to say that this is wrong.