6. The rich experience of sharing fellowship as we met in Nairobi encourages our sense of needing to maintain our common life in faithfulness to Christ. Meeting shortly after the recognition in English law of same sex marriage, which we cannot recognise as compatible with the law of God, we look to the Church of England to give clear leadership as moral confusion about the status of marriage in this country deepens. The Archbishop of Canterbury has rightly noted that the decisions of the Church of England have a global impact and we urge that as a matter of simple integrity, its historic and biblical teaching should be articulated clearly.
7. We are particularly concerned about the state of lay and clerical discipline. The House of Bishops’ guidance that those in same sex marriages should be admitted to the full sacramental life of the church is an abandonment of pastoral discipline. While we welcome their clear statement that clergy must not enter same sex marriage, it is very concerning that this discipline is, apparently, being openly disregarded. We pray for the recovery of a sense of confidence in the whole of the truth Anglicans are called to proclaim, including that compassionate call for repentance to which we all need to respond in our different ways.
The Church of England’s problems are coming thick and fast. It is so strapped for cash that parishes across the country have claimed tens of thousands of pounds against more than 12,000 local property owners for chancel repairs – this has caused a furore because most of these property owners have no particular connection with the parish church which hits them with repair bills, no more than any other property lying within parish boundaries.
See http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/not-very-christian-rural-communities-in-uproar-as-250-anglican-churches-use-ancient-rules-that-could-leave-them-facing-bills-for-thousands-in-repairs-9289590.html
This issue has the potential to do significant damage to the CofE’s standing among the general British populace. But its only the start.
Of course, wise observers note that it is precisely the Church of Englands wishy-washy liberalism which has led to such an exodus from its pews that it cannot pay for upkeep of parish buildings and must go searching ancient laws for legal ways to plunder local landowners, the same liberalism against which Gafcon is warning.
The money issue is starting to affect the government too – the Chancellor was forced to set aside £20 million in the last budget to pay for Cathedral upkeep. Why is this the government’s problem? Because the British tourist industry depends on having pretty cathedrals for tourists to look at, and without parishioners in the pews, the CofE can’t pay for the upkeep of said pretty cathedrals.
The British government can’t complain about this – it has actively encouraged the spread of liberalism in the Church of England, and now it is (literally) paying the price.
It’s interesting to see how the varying efforts internationally have played out. The Covenant — deeply flawed as it was — appears to be a sidenote, and the FCA/Gafcon entity appears to have garnered all of 6-8 active Primates of provinces of the Anglican Communion, along with various other Anglican leaders.
I’m not opposed to confessional statements, and don’t necessarily think that a group’s confessional statement precludes conciliar practice and decision-making. But I wonder if there’s any chance of a confessional statement, coupled with appropriate reforming mission/vision, etc., sculpted for a larger group of Primates of Provinces of the Anglican Communion who believe the Gospel.
I wish the national media of the (imperialist-named) first world countries would publish this statement, if for no other reason than to keep in front of their viewers/readers the issue of Christians being persecuted in the third world by Moslems and by that most-favored nation trading partner of ours, Communist China. Say what you will of the Archbishop of Canterbury, at least Justin Cantuar alerted the blind press to the ghastly repercussions of liberal so-called Christianity’s stand on moral issues.
Thank you and God bless you GAFCON Primates.
The Covenant became a side note through the manipulation of Rowan Williams–implementing the Covenant through the JSC, rather than the primates; commissioning a group of six Brits to do a study paper; highly irregular parliamentary handling of the vote on the Covenant at the Kingston ACC meeting; appointing an ad hoc committee to rewrite section 4, rather than the Covenant Design Group–all the while secretly developing a new constitution inconsistent, both in vision and in detail, with the Covenant. A highly controlled deceit and a disgrace.
Trust was killed. We are a resurrection people, and trust can be reborn through confession (Daniel 9) and repentance, through the rebuilding of relationships, something that does not require Canterbury. Canterbury is irrelevant. Rebuild the trust, and the conciliarity will follow.
I am grateful for the leadership of the global south. May God bless them.
“I am grateful for the leadership of the global south.” Amen. May it flourish at its widest.
Confessional statements come in historical cycles as the sins of our fathers catch up on us. The wheel of history does seem to be turning in that direction for Angilcans.
Off topic allegation deleted by Elf
I argued in Pro Ecclesia when Rowan Williams was elected that a genuine conciliarism was the way forward: The Primates in Council. +WI worked very hard for that, as did many others, and the documents that emerged in the years not long past held up the ‘enhanced role’ envisaged for the Primates. Maybe with the declining role of the CofE in the wider AC, such a vision might come into its own for reasons not contemplated at that earlier time. As +Canterbury is now leveraged in the affairs of the CofE, a wider primatial leadership could be called for out of simple necessity. It would not be the first time in church history that an historic see was caught up in its own cultural challenges.
Prof. Seitz at #10, you may well be right.
I am frankly stunned at the way the CofE hierarchy seems hell-bent on creating conditions ripe for an English version of ACNA, when they could avoid it with only a little accommodation to traditionalists. Yet, like Scandinavian rodents, they just rush on.
I think the most troubling section of the Communique’ is:
5. We are equally concerned for the affected communities in Chile from the recent earthquake, terrorist attacks in Kenya, and the backlash from the international community in Uganda from their new legislation. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters and pray for the comfort of the Holy Spirit to sustain families and churches.
While we can take comfort that there is no longer a death sentence in the legislation, life imprisonment for homosexual acts is extreme by most standards. To stand in solidarity against the backlash denotes support for the legislation. It is my understanding that the reasserter movement has been very clear that they are opposed to persecution of homosexuals.
Brian, #12, agree about the legislation. Haven’t followed the story closely and don’t know what form the backlash took.
[blockquote] “To stand in solidarity against the backlash denotes support for the legislation.”[/blockquote]
And I suppose black is white, also?
Would you mind at least attempting to provide some support for your assertion?
I do wonder if there is an actual copy anywhere of what was passed by Uganda’s parliament. There are any number of articles telling us what it said, or what it meant- but these (in the rare instance when a document is quoted) range from out of date (what 1 member originally proposed) to completely fictitious.
Here is a PDF of the actual text:
http://wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blogs/warrenthrockmorton/files/2014/02/Anti-Homosexuality-Act-2014.pdf
Thank you Brian.
TJ
less talk please more action. how many of these statements have come out and still nothing definitive is done? in the meantime our denomination appears to be dying a slow death in the west…
Actually, magnolia, quite a lot has been done. GAFCON has distinguished itself as an instrument of Communion. The last meeting was on the scale of Lambeth and ended with a large financial surplus. GAFCON has a weightiness through the Jerusalem Declaration, in its development as an instrument of Communion, and its internal structure. I believe they will withstand the test of time.
It is my hope that as trust is rebuilt, more and more global south primates and provinces will walk alongside one another. IMO, many of the differences among the global south leaders were brought in by the west.
TEC has chosen its course. It will not change in our lifetime. If you are called to remain in TEC, you must recognize this truth.
Brian from T19, I am just wondering when you are going to answer my question?
I asked you what was the justification for your assertion that : “To stand in solidarity against the backlash denotes support for the legislation.â€
In response, you gave a link to the legislation – that makes as much sense as answering “fish”!
As repellent as it is to defend BrianFromT19 . . . ; > )
I think the pdf he supplied was in respond to TJ’s question here: “I do wonder if there is an actual copy anywhere of what was passed by Uganda’s parliament.”
I agree with MichaelA that standing against backlash to whatever doesn’t necessarily denote support for that whatever.
You are right Sarah, many thanks. And my apologies to Brian from T19, for wrongly accusing him of attempting to answer my question!
magnolia,
If you are looking for action, you are looking in the wrong place. The Gafcon provinces and several others in the Global South broke communion with TEC 10 years ago, there is not much else they can do. The Archbishops of Canterbury have reneged on their office, and have not followed through on decisions taken at Dar Es Salaam in 2007, or the numerous other Communion decisions. In fact, they have allowed their own CoE to follow the TEC banner and are now on the verge of joining TEC outside of orthodox Christianity.
There has been plenty of action by the Global South, up to and including recognition of ACNA and de-recognition of TEC as the representative of North America within Anglicanism. It just hasn’t had any impact, because TEC controls the money and through it, the Communion apparatus. And regrettably, the CoE is racing to overtake them in casting out orthodoxy. But if you are looking for action, look to the Archbishop of Canterbury- he is the one who isn’t taking action.
To clarify my own previous- the GS has not had any impact on the heretics in TEC or CoE, because the latter do not care one iota what the GS thinks, and in fact, want to be rid of them entirely.
The GS has had a huge impact on Anglican Christians worldwide, by providing leadership and alternative oversight in those areas of the Communion overtaken by heretics.
The upcoming election next month of ++Duncan’s successor at ACNA should prove illuminating. The College of Bishops don’t have a lot of strong candidates from whom to choose for our next five-year leader, but they do have a good choice amongst bishops who are strongly familiar with Anglican primates outside the USA and those who are not, but who could still be very good for ACNA.
My wife and I will be at the ACNA General Assembly in Latrobe, PA; could not miss the opportunity. We’ll know who our new leader is either as we open the meeting, or just after. It will provided much excitement and conversation, I’m sure. Really looking forward to it.
thanks for the responses, i left TEC several years ago but i was so hoping we could remain with the anglicans, but i agree with every sad news item welby is slipping over to the dark side. i cannot believe they are so blind as to think that skipping along the same primrose path as TEC that they will fill the pews over there. lessons they refuse to learn it seems.