Arriving in Kigali [this past weekend], the capital of Rwanda, Archbishop Justin said: “It gives me great joy to visit Rwanda with my wife Caroline at the invitation of the Anglican Archbishop, Onesphore Rwaje. Rwanda is a country so important to the East African revival and the church continues courageously to hold the Gospel before its nation and the wider world.”
As many of you know, AB Rwaje is one of the biggest supporters of orthodox alternatives for Anglicans in North America. He does not consider himself in communion with TEC. He is my Archbishop. I have no idea if the fact Welby met with him first is a coincedence or if he is making some statement to the larger Communion. I hope it is the latter. As an aside, I have met all but one of the Rwandan bishops and they are all remarkable men. AB Rwaje came to Denver in 2012 for PEARUSA’s inagural meeting and to Columbia, SC for the ordination of my bishop, David Bryan. He is amazing!
It is the Bishops of Africa who are speaking the Gospel Truth to power. Just look at what they have written over the last couple of weeks as Welby, Schori, et al continue with the false Gospel of “radical reconciliation”, and “facilitated discussions”, and the “new thangs” being “done” by the Holy Spirit.
Interesting objective to his visit:
All very laudable, but of course it would be much cheaper to ask the Primates to meet together when they can explain to him their local context, and the impact his words and the actions of TEC and the Church of England have on their mission in their local contexts. But of course that would not be one on one, when he can pick them off rather than having to listen and take note of what he is being told en masse. Of course before his involvement as a Facilitator in the Dublin Primates’ Meeting, it would also have been a decision-making body of Primates. So, what is the explanation for his personal visits to each and every province at vast expense? The seasoned observer would have to conclude it is the only way he has of gathering intelligence, deciding who can be swayed and how, picking the Primates off one by one and continuing the Lambeth Palace policy of divide and rule.
Certainly a laudable aim in relation to the Rwandan genocide, and something the Rwandans with the help of Rwandan Anglicans have been making remarkable progress with on their own.
Then again there is the subtext from Welby’s aim and his use of key Welby terms: ‘Reconciliationâ„¢’; ‘Healingâ„¢’; and ‘Fearâ„¢’
Reconciliationâ„¢ and Healingâ„¢ are pretty self-explanatory and to be achieved by ‘Facilitated Conversationâ„¢’. Fearâ„¢ is however more complicated jargon and is defined as the attitude which must be overcome in order to achieve the state of Reconciliaionâ„¢.
Theological differences in Welby World are not the consequence of important matters to do with the authority of Scripture, who Jesus is or what he calls us to do and the way he calls us to live, but the result of Fearâ„¢.
In order to overcome Fearâ„¢ according to the ‘Gospel of Reconciliationâ„¢’ we must be made to commit Indaba together – meeting, listening to each others stories, eating, listening, praying, laughing and crying together, recognising the humanity of each other, talking about grandchildren, the fact we share so much together – two eyes, ears, a nose and a mouth, indeed in so many ways we have so much in common. Thus we are to be brought to a state where we accept that whatever theological differences we have, we recognise what we have in common, and that this makes any differences in what we beleive about who Christ is or what he teaches completely unimportant because we have by committing Indaba come to recognise and overcome our Fearâ„¢.
Reconciliationâ„¢ and the overcoming of Fearâ„¢ through the Healingâ„¢ of committing Indaba is a hard state for mere mortals to achieve and needs the intercession of the High Priests of the Gospel of Reconciliationâ„¢ who live in Lambeth Palace and Coventry Cathedral where they practise the mysteries of Facilitated Conversationâ„¢. After many long years of study and contemplation of their navels, a few of these Holy Facilitated Conversationalists have been now been sent into the world to bring Reconciliationâ„¢ to the Anglican Communion, backed by generous American believers in the Gospel of Reconciliationâ„¢ who have generously agreed to pay for rolling out this ministry and for Archbishop Justin and Canon David Porter to be supported financially.
I do hope Archbishops Deng Bul, Rwaje, Ntahoturi and Isingoma will take the opportunity ask Justin Welby some questions:
1. Who is paying for him to visit each Primate?
2. Who is paying for David Porter?
3. Who is paying for the Facilitated Conversation roll out in the Communion?
4. Why has he not called a Primates’ Meeting or asked them before rolling out Facilitated Conversationâ„¢ unilaterally?
Pageantmaster, I am afraid you’re right. So many times in the U.S. conservatives have been told that we “Hate” the same-sex attracted because we just don’t know any of them, and if we knew them, we would accept the behavior and not “Hate” them any more. It’s preposterous and it ignores the underlying theological disagreement.
Rwandans have reconciled among themselves by acknowledging, to begin with, that the murders were horrible actions which were morally very wrong. There has been no pretending that this was just “miscommunication.” Sins were committed, sin is being acknowledged and repented of, and that’s the ground of the reconciliation. In the case of +Welby, he’s touring the world and asking bishops to ignore their faith and just play nicely together. It’s not the same thing.
I am afraid so, Katherine. The same game plan I have watched being rolled out in TEC over the time I have been reading the US blogs is now being rolled out in the CofE and if he can manage it the Anglican Communion by a man who claims the name and mantle of an evangelical. It is scheming, manipulative and wicked in the extreme, but in England, even the conservatives are taken in by him it seems, although in the Communion they are beginning to rumble what his game is.
#3 is a post rivaling Sarah’s highest use of TMs. Well done, Pageantmaster! TEC/Welby/Sentamu are just Big Brother, 30 years after the novel. Welcome to the Church of Anglitology, where one is indaba’ed until one reaches a state of Clear from Fear.