The InclusiveChurch and Changing Attitude response was already published here.
Fulcrum has published two documents: Fulcrum response to the Communiqué of the Primates’ Meeting February 2007 and Fulcrum response to the Covenant for the Anglican Communion.
Integrity has published Primates Choose Bigotry Over Baptized.
Affirming Catholicism Primates aim to keep Americans in the fold
Inclusive Church another press release here. The official copy is here.
Via Media USA Initial Statement on the February 2007 Communique from the Primates of the Anglican Communion
I will add links to other group statements here as I discover them.
See also Episcopal groups react to Primates’ communiqué from ENS.
There is no unity without justice. I have a vision of giving away the priesthood, but because some who were examining me for ordination were threatened by the words “give away”, I was taught to say “share”. “Share” means to me that I get to keep my position of unwarranted privilege as a white, straight priest, deciding with whom to share, how much, and what bits to share. To say “share” instead of “give away” is for me dishonest. But I learned to do it. White, euro-centric males, and straight males of any culture or origin, have a position of… Read more »
This is a mess. If anything it is getting worse rather than better. I truly despair of this Primates Group and think it laughable that having exacerbated this difficult situation they now expect the Communion to trust them with almost untrammelled power. It seems that we have not been loud enough in what we say or oganised enough in our thinking and strategy. The introduction to the Covenant document says that it comes about with hardly anyone dissenting from the need for it. I will be writing this week to all the necessary individuals expressing my firm opposition. I suggest… Read more »
Lois, “Unity” is a value. “Justice” is a value. These are worthwhile things which we are right to value. But, in a broken world, we are sometimes forced to choose one value over another. I see no support in Scripture that Justice as a value trumps all others.
“I am unwilling to see the Anglican experiment so curtailed. I do not want to become a poor imitation of other churches.”
Then come back to catholic faith and practice, Martin. The innovations you have promoted have pushed things to this point. Or join H.E. the Most Rev. Jonty Blake in the ‘Open Episcopal Church’. Or Cardinal Elizabeth Stuart in the Liberal Catholic Church. There are plenty of options today.
This is dreadful, I am disappointed beyond words.
The unfounded and judgemental stance that some in the church take on sexuality is continually damaging our witness to the world. [See today’s times: timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/libby_purves/article1409368.ece]
Putting this right seems so urgent to me, yet we seem to be going backwards.
Martin —
I think that the Covenant is (at least in theory) salvageable (although I don’t really see the point) — the Communique, however, reminds one of the definition of a camel as a horse designed by a committee — ALL of the problems the fault of TEC? I think not — the real problem is the level of hypocrisy outside of TEC.
Time will tell.
Martin, May I say that I wholeheartedly agree that more people should have spoken up by now and closed the whole covenant idea down as a nonsense. The problem is that leaders have been talking amongst themsleves and assume that the vocal evangelical voices are ‘where it is at’. This is a completely wrong assumption and I awoke to the seriousness of possibly losing the CofE to these narrow voices rather late in the day. I am a traditional Anglo Catholic but have recognised that the freedom to be such has hitherto always been predicated upon a broad, liberal, generous… Read more »
I’m a gay Anglican and I do not feel that my “prayers have been discounted, ignored and disregarded in this Anglican Communion”. Treated shabbily? Judged unfairly? By some. Been lied about and slandered? By some. Been treated as an outsider? By some. But my prayers ignored? No. God does not ignore my prayers, neither does Our Lady of Walsingham. I also do not feel that being denied the Sacrament of Matrimony is some sort of great oppression. I can accept that Sacramental Marriage is only meant for straight people. If so, I’m no more oppressed by that than I am… Read more »
Thirded: Martin, I’d like to see what you come up with too.
If the Anglican church is going in this conservative direction, it will surely leave a considerable gap in the “market”. If this were a business, I double a marketing advisor would recommend a move in this direction. Of course the church isn’t a business and it should be directed by it’s conscience rather than market forces. But the fact remains that conservatives within anglicanism have many other conservative churches they could choose to go to, protestant and catholic. The choice for liberals is more limited.
Where should liberal anglo catholics go?
he is holy too, Ford – we have to take him on his own terms
Ah, Mr. Elms… Because Akinola as the leading conservative realignment voice in our cherished tilting worldwide communion is going to support his government in putting people just like you, along with any friends or family members who support them, in prison? And that is by all accounts a de facto death sentence? And if that is indeed good and right in Nigeria, why shouldn’t it be a standard for the rest of us? So you do not wish to get married because objectively that is just not mystically-sacramentally possible by traditional definition. Okay. How do you plan to legally protect… Read more »
First, Akinola’s actions shouldn’t become the standard for the rest of us because they are evil. Second, I have given power of attourney to my partner and my will makes him inheritor. Civil marriage is a different matter entirely than Sacramental marriage, and I support it though I would not choose it for myself. As to my acceptance in my parish, well, I started going there because of the way they worshipped, the humility and reverence I find in that stuffy, old fashioned, “don’t even change the music because it’s the way we’ve always done it” type parish where, 18… Read more »
I would like to ‘four’ that Martin !
What a good idea–and a pressing need.
I agree with everything you say in your post.
“he is holy too, Ford – we have to take him on his own terms”
Oooooooooooo How Horrible!
NP, had you read the Good Book, you would know that we cannot “take” God on any terms – not ours, certainly not God’s.
Ford,
That’s a good word.
Chris
“The Windsor Report is proving more and more the real obstacle to our continued life together rather than a source of blessing. Of course the sexuality issue should not be a communion breaking matter, of course we can and have lived with a wide variation of opinions here and these are not going to be disguised.” Yes, the Tanzania event is coming into focus as a perfect debacle, and as proof that the Windsor Report was basically flawed to begin with. The Anglican Communion at parish level is far more human and Christian than it appears to be when Primates… Read more »
I think both Ford’s and drdanfee’s positions are valid and respectable, just a smallish point though – the communique has requested is not that ECUSA stop offering LGBT people the sacrament of marriage but rites of blessing. I too do not want to get ‘married’, in an ideal world, I might opt for a rite of blessing. What I find unbearable is the Primates of the AC have unanimously made it clear that they will do anything to promote Lambeth Conference 1998: Resolution 1.10 Human Sexuality, which in items 4 and 5 rejects both ‘homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture’… Read more »
It is an easy matter to contact the Covenant Design Group telling them we do not want a Covenant write to their secretary gregory.cameron@anglicancommunion.org . I have done so, and it seems at least four others might follow! The idea that our national churches should be accountable to this group of Primates is risible. At present our Primate is accountable for his actions to our governing body and if there is a change to be made then this accountability should be made more explicit and wide ranging. Our Primate is frequently heard telling how he is asked at these meetings… Read more »
The failed Windsor experiment actually reflects the failure of Lambeth 1998, which saw the spectacular entry of homophobic African bishops onto the world scene — they have been revelling in their notoriety ever since. The Conference committed itself to the arguably contradictory policies of “rejecting homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture” and promising to “listen to the experience of homosexual persons”. Rowan Williams was one of the 146 bishops who were disgusted at the conference proceedings and issued a statement to gays which apologized for the “sense of rejection” created, and pledged to “work for your full inclusion in the… Read more »
Yes, thank you Joseph. Rowan has broken his word given in that letter, along with 146 others who signed.
Wonder what the other 145 have been doing in the emantime. And waht do they intend to do now ?
Martin Reynolds wrote: “, the “take over” by the Primates of the ACC was the most important step in their plan for dominance.” Dear Martin, I think that the most important step in the “take over” was the cunning conversion of millions of people to Christianity, and the planting of thousands of churches and hundreds of dioceses. Reducing the disproportionate liberal dominance of the ACC might have been a lot harder were conservatives as lousy as liberals at growing the kingdom. Having said that liberals are, historically, better at church politics. Despite their general failure at doing real church, they… Read more »
Martin ; I said to you many months ago that the ONLY solution is a split. There is absolutely no other possible option.
But its not only about primates. Are any liberal organisations actually going to have the courage to move forward – leaving the Communion behind, for it has nothing to do with liberal progressive Christianity.