Andrew Gerns on the Two Province Solution
Excerpted from this blog entry.
Are they sure they want to do this?
One last thing: the new entity proposes that their primate would be chosen not by their own college of bishops or their own synod or convention, but by the other Primates! This one province of all the Anglican Provinces would have it's primate chosen by Primates selected by the 38 others Churches.
Would any of the Primates willingly take that on for their own provinces? Think about this: would Nigeria want their next Primate to be chosen by the Episcopal Church or the Anglican Church of Canada or even the Archbishop of Canterbury, even indirectly?
If this is what they want, more power to them. But I cannot imagine that any Primate would tolerate this kind of arrangement in his own Church.
This underscores the basic problem with this whole process--a natural outgrowth of the approach the Windsor Report took in seeking structural rather than theological solutions to pastoral and common life issues. It seems incredible that the Primates should seek to impose on another province that which they would not do for themselves.
A Crummy Solution
All in all, it's a pretty crummy solution, but one that it is not without precedent. If our Lutheran sisters and brothers can live with different synods in the same space calling themselves Lutheran, then I suppose we can live with the Anglican Church-Missouri Synod sharing our geography.
But don't think that we can get out of our troubles by Primatial fiat or with a simple stroke of Rowan's pen.
Are they sure they want to do this?
One last thing: the new entity proposes that their primate would be chosen not by their own college of bishops or their own synod or convention, but by the other Primates! This one province of all the Anglican Provinces would have it's primate chosen by Primates selected by the 38 others Churches.
Would any of the Primates willingly take that on for their own provinces? Think about this: would Nigeria want their next Primate to be chosen by the Episcopal Church or the Anglican Church of Canada or even the Archbishop of Canterbury, even indirectly?
If this is what they want, more power to them. But I cannot imagine that any Primate would tolerate this kind of arrangement in his own Church.
This underscores the basic problem with this whole process--a natural outgrowth of the approach the Windsor Report took in seeking structural rather than theological solutions to pastoral and common life issues. It seems incredible that the Primates should seek to impose on another province that which they would not do for themselves.
A Crummy Solution
All in all, it's a pretty crummy solution, but one that it is not without precedent. If our Lutheran sisters and brothers can live with different synods in the same space calling themselves Lutheran, then I suppose we can live with the Anglican Church-Missouri Synod sharing our geography.
But don't think that we can get out of our troubles by Primatial fiat or with a simple stroke of Rowan's pen.
posted by t19elves at 10:48 AM
1 Comments:
Since the new province is a temporary structure with at least three separate structures combining (ECUSA, AMiA, & CANA as well as a lot of individual parishes) it makes sense for a while to de-politicize (as much as possible) the selection of a primate.
If and when the structure becomes permanent, I suspect that the primate (under whatever title) will be selected within the province.
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
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