Seventy-four priests who are affiliated with Communion Partners have pledged to fulfill non-episcopal requests made by bishops who met with the Archbishop of Canterbury on Sept. 1.
The priests, who lead parishes with a collective baptized membership of 60,000, list five commitments regarding their response to the Anglican Communion Covenant. The priests say they will:
Ӣ Continue to study the covenant and to pray and work for its adoption.
This is good, but I would be more impressed if they were pledged to endorse all four sections of the Ridley Draft and demanding that the unrevised section four be offered the Communion for adoption. but, I dream. Frances Scott
This is all in line with the ACI strategy I suppose, but it further reveals how truly minuscule the orthodox opposition within TEC is now, and how totally ineffective they are. I’m sure this sort of statement will be greeting with a disinterested yawn in most quarters within TEC. The establishment at 815 knows that the only thing the “Communion Partners” will ever do is issue yet another statement — a statement which will simultaneously declare their fidelity to the historic faith and their determination never to separate themselves from the TEC. It’s like a faithful wife who, having caught her husband, yet again in another adulterous affair, declares firmly: “I will never accept your violation of the sanctity of our marriage, but I will never leave you.” I suppose that there maybe some men in such a situation who might be so moved by the faithful witness of their wife that they eventually repent and reform, but I certainly wouldn’t count on it, nor would I counsel a woman I loved and cared about to cling to her unfaithful husband in the hope that her witness might ultimately reform him. The possibility of redemption is never lost, of course, but that lies with God’s grace, not with us or the witness we think we (or those we are leading) are bearing. The sad reality is that it is possible to think one is bearing faithful witness when, in fact, all that you are really doing is enabling and encouraging exactly the opposite response than what you are hoping and praying for. Is the faithful and long suffering wife of the adulterous husband bearing witness, or is she enabling her husband’s sin by the particular witness she is bearing? There is considerable literature in the field of addiction that suggests that her commitment to the marriage, regardless of what her spouse does, may actually prolong the very problem she hopes to reform.
The priests, who lead parishes with a collective baptized membership of 60,000
Let’s see, that is 2.73% of all ‘baptized members’ of TEC. And how many of those ‘baptized members’ have read or will read what their rectors are doing?
As a percentage, Brian, I would guess way more than the “baptized members” of TEC will have been informed as to the actions of their church. How many TEC parishioners know that their church did away with Evangelism or Women’s ministries? How many, in light of the Presiding Bishop’s comments on the sanctity of human life know that their church supports abortion rights? How many know the amount of money being spent on lawsuits?
Brian T19,
Why are you so bothered? We’re just a “few” who don’t want to be with “us”. Polish up your pews for the massive influx awaiting you and let the few be as insignificant as the PB extolled 3 years ago.
Not bothered, Choir Stall, just observant.
manna, not sure what your point is. I know all of those facts, but I doubt that 90% of TEC parishioners do.
Don’t blame the messenger for the message. I think Brian is accurately reflecting EXACTLY how this statement will be viewed by TEC leadership – YAWN.
Actually 60,000 makes the Communion Partner Rectors’ parishes larger than the Provinces of either Wales or Scotland.
Just observant.
Communion Partners. What a great name. Who came up with that in this age of “partners”?