The motion is “not about interfering in the polity of other Anglican provinces”, Ms [Lorna] Ashworth says in her background paper. She questions whether the use of the canons for solving property disputes or deposing bishops and clergy in both the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada has “in every regard been proper or in accordance with natural justice”.
It is “not acceptable” that those who have not left either of those Churches for another jurisdiction should be “deposed without canonical process because of what they might do, or that they should be formally advised that they have abandoned their ministry when they have done nothing of the kind”, Ms Ashworth suggests.
Of the 83-year-old Dr Packer, she says: “It is ironic as well as hurtful that a man who, as a young priest, was a doughty defender of the inheritance and doctrine of the Church of England against its detractors should be presumed to have abandoned the ordained ministry.”
[blockquote]Passing this resolution, or one like it, will make it harder for the Covenant to get a fair hearing in the Episcopal Church.[/blockquote] And just what does the CoE passing the resolution have to do with whether TEC signs the Covenant? This sounds like a threat.
Not to worry, Deacon Dale. In terms of the Episcopal Church and how it conducts its procedures, “fair hearing” is an oxymoron. Did Bishops Cox, Schofield, Duncan, Iker, Wantland, Scriven and MacBurney receive a “fair hearing”? The powers that be in the Episcopal Church will go through the motions of looking at the Covenant, but the outcome will be managed from the beginning, just as it was with each of those “depositions.”
Mr Naughton needs to be reminded that PB Schori has made it quite clear that General Convention has no intention of giving the Anglican Covenant a fair hearing, and therefore the possibility of the Church of England’s General Synod passing the resolution really won’t make any difference.
TEC won’t sign onto the Covenant in any case.
Mr Naughton was quoted in the article:
“When you look at ACNA’s numbers, then subtract the folks who were never EpiscopalÂians to begin with, you see that they’ve spent millions of dollars to draw away about three per cent of our Church.”
Useless asking where Naughton got his figures from – he probably just made them up! But, there is a wonderful twist in his claim – he appears to be saying that most of ACNA is the fruit of evangelism among the unchurched! If Naughton thinks that is a negative comment, then he truly has no idea…
Anyway, pray for General Synod, that the Lord gives them the courage and conviction to pass this motion. It will be a powerful indicator of public disapproval against the apostates who have gained control of the hierarchy of TEC.
May the resolution bring closer the day when the faithful in ACNA, TEC and other anglican bodies in North America worship as one, and the liberals are driven out.