Thinking Anglicans

General Synod: Questions about ACNA

The Revd Angus MacLeay (Rochester) asked the Chairman of the House of Bishops:

Q. What representation did the House of Bishops have at the recent inauguration of Bishop Bob Duncan as the Primate of the Anglican Church of North America on June 24?

The Bishop of Bristol replied on behalf of the Chairman:

A. None. It is not the practice of the House to arrange such representation.

Mrs Lorna Ashworth (Chichester) asked the Chairman of the House of Bishops:

Q. Has the House of Bishops considered the relationship of the Church of England to the new Anglican Church in North America?

Mrs Alison Ruoff (London) asked the Chairman of the Ministry Division:

Q. Has the House of Bishops considered what degree of recognition and welcome the Church of England can offer to the new Anglican Church in North America?

The Bishop of Bristol, Michael Hill, replied to both these questions:

A. The House has not specifically considered this matter.

Supplementary questions were asked. These revealed, according to my contemporaneous notes, that:

  • The HoB Theology Group had that same day tabled the ACNA Constitution and Canons for future consideration (according to Bishop Tom Wright)
  • The question of who can properly consider the issue of recognition was, said the Bishop of Bristol, something that should be considered by the House of Bishops in the first instance, but no precedents exist.
  • He was unable to say if any individual bishop in the CofE considered himself in communion with ACNA.

The audio recording of these supplementaries is available from this page, but I have not yet had time to listen to it. My notes may be inaccurate.

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Joan_of_Quark
15 years ago

Gotta love those leading questions.. in what sense is ACNA Anglican? Using a word doesn’t make it true – see East Germany calling itself Democratic. Via Media? Broad church? Nope. didn’t think so.

Lois Keen
15 years ago

I have a follow up question: Should the House of Bishops indeed extend recognition to ACNA, will they then also extend that recognition to a similar, separate province parallel to the Church of England?

caterpillar2009
caterpillar2009
15 years ago

ACNA Anglican? It has been reconised as such by many within the Anglican church and is aspouse the tenants of the Anglican communion- 39 articles and all that.

As for ‘in communion with’ presumable all the Bishops who made it to the end of Monday’s FCA launch are in communion with ++Duncan?

JCF
JCF
15 years ago

“ACNA Anglican? It has been reconised as such by many within the Anglican church”

First of all: NB to you, caterillar AND Rowan Cantuar, there is NO “Anglican church”

Second, WHO and on WHAT AUTHORITY have this so-called “many” recognized ACNA?

Finally, “aspouse the tenants of the Anglican communion- 39 articles and all that.”

It ain’t 1662, and the 39 Articles (NEVER adopted as anything other than a “Historical Document” by TEC, a co-founder of the Anglican Communion) don’t cut it anymore! [I wager that MOST Anglicans couldn’t name *one* of them, if their lives depended on it]

Robert Ian Williams
Robert Ian Williams
15 years ago

A complication is that the Reformed Episcopal component of ACNA ( still a denomination in its own right within the ACNA ) is in full communion with the Free Church of England, a tiny ( 400 member church ) and that could have complications . The C of E has never recognised REC orders.

I belive one prominent Anglican writer and ecumenist was first ordained in that group and then had to be re-ordained in the C of E.

ettu
ettu
15 years ago

If you merely equate 2 terms often enough some will believe – or at least not disbelieve.
It would be wise for anyone who does NOT equate ACNA with “Anglican” to speak up now – loudly,repetitively and, if necessary, obnoxiously – this is the moment to call the bluff of bullies OR to live with the consequences.

Emily H
Emily H
15 years ago

Can you help with a question from across the pond re CofE’s organization and particularly the Faith and Order Committee, its membership and power. Specific issues are George Conger’s report that that +Wright said that the ACNA situation would be referred to them and they would review it in the fall? and this letter from it to Sweeden: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/info/ccu/europe/notices/replytoabsweeden.pdf Since this letter is being touted on the conservative blog, Stand Firm as of consequence and, possibly, as if this committee was speaking with authority for the entire CofE, your input on clarifying who and what this committee are and the… Read more »

Simon Sarmiento
15 years ago

Emily The ACNA constitutions and canons is, it appears, being taken up by a body named the House of Bishops Theology Group, whose current chair is the Bishop of Rochester. Presumably, it will have a new chair from 1 September. I am not aware that its full membership is listed publicly, but will check. This is distinct from the Faith and Order Group, which is chaired by the Bishop of Chichester. It is the latter which is responsible for most of the text of the Swedish letter, although it is issued as a joint effort from FOAG and the Council… Read more »

Göran Koch-Swahne
15 years ago

“It ain’t 1662, and the 39 Articles (NEVER adopted as anything other than a “Historical Document” by TEC, a co-founder of the Anglican Communion) don’t cut it anymore! [I wager that MOST Anglicans couldn’t name *one* of them, if their lives depended on it]”

Which would very probably apply to most of tne schizmatics as well ;=)

Rev L Roberts
Rev L Roberts
15 years ago

Hard to imagine the bishops doing theology -even in a discrete little group of the like-minded !

Do they have a prayer group as well, I wonder ?

Ford Elms
Ford Elms
15 years ago

“It(ACNA) has been recognised as such by many within the Anglican church”

And others have recently made the claim that they were alarmed at the ideas espoused by ACNA et al, calling them more Pentecostal or Baptist than Anglican, so there you go.

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