Revised on 19 December
The Church of England Newspaper has this article by George Conger Canterbury won’t block or bless new province:
The Archbishop of Canterbury will not block the creation of a third Anglican province in North America, sources familiar with Dr. Rowan Williams’ Dec 5 meeting with five traditionalist archbishops, tell The Church of England Newspaper.
However, the archbishop will not give it his endorsement either, arguing his office does not have the legal authority to make, or un-make, Anglicans.
On Dec 5, five members of the Gafcon primates council: Archbishops Benjamin Nzimbi of Kenya, Peter Akinola of Nigeria, Emmanuel Kolini of Rwanda, Gregory Venables of the Southern Cone, and Henry Orombi of Uganda met with Dr. Williams in Canterbury for approximately five hours to discuss the current state of affairs within the Communion…
The Church Times has this article by Pat Ashworth New Anglican province comes into being in US together with a sidebar, Members of the Group (scroll down below the main article for this):
SOME members of the new Church began breaking away before the present crisis. One ACNA partner, the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), split from the Episcopal Church in the United States as long ago as 1873. The Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA), affiliated to Rwanda, was, in 2000, already moving towards establishing a separate province, after the irregular consecrations of Bishop John Rodgers and Bishop Chuck Murphy in Singapore. The AMiA had 23 parishes in 2000. Now it says it has 140, including 12 in Canada (who are members of the Anglican Coalition in Canada, its subsidiary)…
The Church Times also has an article by Bishop Duncan on its Comment pages, which is at present only now available to subscribers. This makes it harder possible to appreciate the Leader article A new Church in the United States which says:
WHETHER it is viewed with sympathy or suspicion, there is no doubt that the new Anglican Church in North America changes the Anglican map. To be more accurate, it lays a new map (a relief map, perhaps?) on top of the old one, so that in his otherwise factual article (See Comment ) the new Archbishop, the Most Revd Bob Duncan, can say artlessly that the charge of boundary-crossing, condemned by the Windsor report, “is most effectively and completely addressed by general acceptance of the new province”. Although territorial confusion matters less where a church is defined more by congregational membership than place of abode, the parish ideal is none the less strong…
I deeply value the analysis here, however, does anyone other than a purported ‘new province’ member or a journalist actually care about this ‘province’? On a wet night in Australia where the papers are full of headlines about cholera in Zimbabwe, and where I regret more and more the loss of David Beetge as a bishop who might do something about it, nothing seems less relevant or meaningful.
Mrs Barlow wrote: #I deeply value the analysis here, however, does anyone other than a purported ‘new province’ member or a journalist actually care about this ‘province’?”
George Conger in not chiefly a neutral journalist in this, reporting on something “happening” on its own, but one of the prime campaigners, a mover and a member of the purported “new province”. I find it strange that people haven’t noticed.
George Conger can speak for himself, but let me jump in and say that as he is a priest of the Central Florida diocese, he is not even in a Network diocese, any more, let alone a member of the new province.
While I have questioned George Congers journalistic professionalism, and even his honesty, I can’t agree with calling him a campaigner in this. But he isn’t a neutral journalist, either.
He is most accurately described as a journalist with a bias. Most “beat reporters” have a bias. The issue is whether or not their reporting is fair (not the same as balanced) despite their bias. George often fails that test, IMHO.
Of course, the only neutral journalist is one who is covering a story where he has no idea what anyone is talking about. Such journalists are all too common.
The believers most impressed with Duncan and Company edging into this new virtual province are mainly those directly involved. From the little I know, Duncan has always pretty much been highly impressed with himself, especially compared to queer folks and others over which he probably perceives his own towering superiorities. Rowan’s hands off approach may prove to be wise in the longest run – I believe Proverbs counsels us not to grab barking dogs by the ears too quickly lest the animal turn on us. Or Rowan may simply yet again be aiding and abetting those whose faith witness heavily… Read more »
‘The Rt Revd Martyn Minns, a bishop for the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, told the paper: “One of the questions a number of the Primates are asking is, why do we still need to be operating under the rules of an English charity, which is what the ACC does? Why is England still considered the centre of the universe?” ‘ – Pat Ashworth, Church Times – So that is how Bishop Minns, a former member, summarises the work and outreach of the historic Church of England, in it’s continuing connection with the family of constituent Provinces around the… Read more »
If you ever needed a reason to avoid GAFCON like the plague, here’s one. The Anglican Wanderings blog – http://anglicanwanderings.blogspot.com/2008/11/if-you-think-this-is-future-look-away.html – has pointed out that the ‘loony left’ of the Anglican ‘continuum’ (you know, more bishops than laity) are now signing up – like those churches comprising the Anglican Independent Communion, which states on its website: “The Global Anglican Conference (GAFCON) has now formally established the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) and with that news from the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen of the Church of Australia who will head-up the International Secretariat of FCA, has come the news… Read more »
“Firstly, defend the gospel and the people of God against their spiritual adversaries, notably the liberal theology which has become so prevalent in the West; and Secondly, provide aid to those faithful Anglicans who have been forced to disaffiliate from their original spiritual homes by false teaching and practice.”
Oh for God’s sake! Could they be any more persecuted?
“If you ever needed a reason to avoid GAFCON like the plague, here’s one. The Anglican Wanderings blog – http://anglicanwanderings.blogspot.com/2008/11/if-you-think-this-is-future-look-away.html – has pointed out that the ‘loony left’ of the Anglican ‘continuum’ (you know, more bishops than laity) are now signing up – like those churches comprising the Anglican Independent Communion, which states on its website.” MJ
It looks more like the “whacky right” to me.
This is a good one from the Ang. Indep. Comm:
“Venerable Rev Dr Canon Jack Skelton-Wallace, BA (Dual Hons), MA, PhD, FRGS, FCollP, PGCE, Cert TESOL (Trinity Coll., London)”
http://ukaic.org.uk/
Why just stop at a new Anglican province?
Why not start a whole new Anglican Communion?
http://www.liturgy.co.nz/blog/true-anglican-communion/246
Fr. Ron, The quote from Bishop Minns that you highlight shows an apparent division in ACNA that has yet to come to the forefront. Akinola and his mouthpiece Minns (or is it the other way around?) have both repeatedly stated that they don’t necessarily see Canterbury as the sine qua non of the Anglican Communion, and indeed the CoN dropped reference to Canterbury from its constitution. Akinola seems quite happy to strike out on his own if the rest of the AC will not follow him. Duncan, Venables and a good number of others see Canterbury as central, and they… Read more »
Thank you, Jim, for your observation on the prospective dichotomy already operating within the establishment of the new ACNA Province. It seems to me that there is now a distinct possibility that there may be in-fighting between Minns/Akinola and prospective Primate Bob Duncan on who is actually ‘in charge’ of the new ‘Church of the Elect’ in North America – local former Episcopalians, or the African & South American sponsors of their politics of disaffection? Could it be, do you think, that with Canterbury’s the majority of the Anglican Primates’, and the ACC’s reluctance to grant *persona grata* status in… Read more »