Two weeks ago, I went to London and met with Archbishop Justin specifically to ask the question, ‘Will this also apply to us if we complete the process of Canonical change in 2017?’ The answer is that it will. Most directly, I will be removed from the role of Anglican Co-Chair of the International Anglican-Reformed Dialogue. But other effects are limited. Our bishops will be present and fully involved in the Lambeth Conference planned for 2020. We shall continue to be actively involved in our network of Diocesan Companionships and in the Anglican Networks.
Let me try and explain to you what has happened and what has changed.
The Anglican Communion does not have a central authority, The Provinces – of which our own SEC is one – are autonomous. But clearly we owe a duty and respect to other Provinces, We sometimes say ‘autonomous and interdependent’. That delicate balance becomes stressed when Provinces which live in very different contexts address the changing context in which they live in very different ways.
The Global North is experiencing massive social change in respect of human sexuality – not that the church simply follows that. The Global South – and in particular Sub-Saharan Africa – remains deeply conservative and is under pressure from the Islamisation of Africa. The legacy of colonialism makes measured and respectful dialogue very difficult. Different understandings of collegiality and leadership confuse expectations about how issues will be addressed.
1. This claim, “The votes we take will express a decision but, as every other church discovers, the need to maintain unity is paramount” seems to be blatantly untrue. There are various courses of actions one could take if one wished to maintain unity above all things: taking this sort of decision is not one of them.
I’m unsure whether I like the more direct American style or the gentle and winsome style that is natural to British bishops. The actual content is, of course, more or less the same.
2. There’s lots of context but no text. Scripture is entirely absent. Theology has been replaced by sociology.