The Church of England Newspaper reports that one episcopal signer of the original resolution has had new thoughts. In Controversial American vote defused by House of Bishops it is reported that:
The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, said: “My name is on the original motion of Lorna Ashworth’s, and I’m happy that it was and is, but I realise that it is more practical to ask the Synod to do something that it really is in a position to do. “It is not in fact the role of the Church of England to make these kind of decisions, nor is it for Synod to make these kind of decisions. Therefore, to enable the archbishops and the bishops and others to vote positively, there needs to be an amendment like that which the Bishop of Bristol will be bringing.
“It does two things. It brings the motion in line with the constitutional role and the canonical realities as to who actually makes these decisions. At the same time it is a clear and positive affirmation of the character and intentions and standpoint of the ACNA.”
Somebody who left the Church of England quite a while ago, Charles Raven, now a major force in the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans says this, in a piece published on Anglican Mainstream titled The English General Synod: The Centre Cannot Hold:
…it is as much about the English Church as the Church in North America.
She poses precisely the sort of question that the Church of England’s leadership wants to avoid because the ACNA represents a choice which must be made between two incompatible forms of religion – historic biblical Anglicanism and that pseudo- Anglicanism being promoted by TEC and its allies which derives its energy from the spirit of the age rather than the Spirit of Christ.
“She poses precisely the sort of question that the Church of England’s leadership wants to avoid because the ACNA represents a choice which must be made between two incompatible forms of religion – historic biblical Anglicanism and that pseudo- Anglicanism being promoted by TEC and its allies which derives its energy from the spirit of the age rather than the Spirit of Christ.” I am always amazed at people who think they know absolutely and without question that the “spirit of the age” and the “Spirit of Christ” (whatever that is, I always thought the only spirit involved was the… Read more »
it is suggested that the bishop’s amendment defuses the motion and makes it something that could pass. For those disposed to vote favorably, do they know what indeed they are affirming? Regarding the word, “affirm” , what is meant? Is it simply that the bishops “affirm” [i.e.acknowledge] the desire of these folks to be in communion with the CofE? Well that is certainly true. By contrast, and this is where the twist is coming, does it mean something more? Does it mean that the CofE affirms ACNA’s character in both its desires and methods? It could certainly be interpreted in… Read more »
“which derive its energy from the spirit of the age rather than the Spirit of Christ” . . . these are, plainly and simply, hurtful words and quite untrue of TEC. Whatever image Mr. Raven may prefer to cherish of us, the truth is that our love for Jesus Christ remains at the center of who we are and what we do. We may honestly disagree about what faithfulness requires in any given situation; but we do what we do because it is what faithfulness to Jesus requires of us. It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us.
This is the same Charles Raven who has a Congregational break away church in kidderminster.
He runs a website called spread advocating Reformed Anglicanism.
Yet he calls ACNA biblical when it includes those who hold Anglo-Catholic views, which he believes the Cof E rejected at the Reformation.
Total hypocrisy
Toatl confusion.
strangely a namesake of his was a leading liberal in 1930s Church of England advocation womens ordination/
I have agonized over whether to say this, but I will err on the side of speaking where I shouldn’t rather than staying silent. I preface my remarks by stating that these represent personal views, and should not be construed in any way to represent the Anglican Church of Canada, its General Synod, or any other organization or division within that Church. I also want to say that I speak as one who is fundamentally committed to the Anglican Communion, and with the greatest respect to the Church of England and its General Synod. The proposed amendment does not defuse… Read more »
““It is not in fact the role of the Church of England to make these kind of decisions, nor is it for Synod to make these kind of decisions. Therefore, to enable the archbishops and the bishops and others to vote positively, there needs to be an amendment like that which the Bishop of Bristol will be bringing.” +Winchester What? Even though +Winchester’s friends in ACNA have made their own decisions about which parts of the Communion they will and will not relate to? Having, himself, put his imprimatur on the original PMM, Plus-Winchester now realises his fundamental mistake and… Read more »
As the General Synod adopted the amended motion, I think the TEC and the ACC should seriously consider reviewing relations with the Church of England immediately with a view to reconsidering their recognition of the same as the mother Church of what was once the Anglican Communion.
“As the General Synod adopted the amended motion, I think the TEC and the ACC should seriously consider reviewing relations with the Church of England….” I’m disappointed by this turn of events, too, but I disagree. It may be appropriate to express some concern about the way this motion came about, and certainly about the background paper that was circulated to members of the General Synod, but it is not a time for anything that might be construed as creating or increasing tension. “Reviewing relations” carries with it an implication that we might want to change the nature of our… Read more »
“She poses precisely the sort of question that the Church of England’s leadership wants to avoid because the ACNA represents a choice which must be made between two incompatible forms of religion – historic biblical Anglicanism and that pseudo- Anglicanism being promoted by TEC and its allies which derives its energy from the spirit of the age rather than the Spirit of Christ.” I am always amazed at people who think they know absolutely and without question that the “spirit of the age” and the “Spirit of Christ” (whatever that is, I always thought the only spirit involved was the… Read more »