Anglican Crisis Reaches African Summit -- Pray for this Church to Stand Firm in Truth
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, is going to the meeting as the traditional leader of the Anglican Communion, though his leadership may undermined even before the meeting starts. The Anglican experiment is now called into question. The American church, The Episcopal Church USA [ECUSA], effectively detonated a bomb at the heart of the worldwide Anglican community by electing an openly-homosexual man as Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.
Since then, the American church has done almost everything within its power to antagonize the global church and to make ever more clear its determination to normalize homosexuality. The Windsor Report, fashioned as an attempt to hold the Communion together, demanded that ECUSA cease and desist from electing any further homosexual bishops and apologize to its sister churches. The ECUSA response has fallen far short of those demands. Then, to add insult to the wounds, the American church elected a woman, Katharine Jefferts Schori, as its Presiding Bishop.
This may pose the first obstacle to any solution at Dar es Salaam. Bishop Jefferts Schori is not recognized by many of the other primates, who are likely to refuse to meet if she is present. The vast majority of Anglican churches worldwide do not ordain women as priests, much less as bishops.
All Christians should be in prayer for our Anglican brothers and sisters at this crucial time. There is little hope, humanly speaking, for a resolution to the conflict. The American church, joined by liberals in the Church of England, are unwilling to cease their efforts to normalize homosexuality. The churches in the "Global South" refuse to surrender biblical authority. These churches are absolutely correct in seeing the issue of homosexuality as a crucial test of theological and biblical integrity -- and an unavoidable battle for the soul of their Communion.
A weakening of witness in one church or communion affects us all. We must pray that this historic and influential communion will hold the American church accountable -- fulfilling the prayers of so many faithful Episcopalians who grieve the travail of their church.
The full entry including some background links is here.
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This was posted by the elves as Kendall is offline for a few hours. We'll post it over at main T19 when we next are able to log in. This elf really appreciates Dr. Mohler's continued commitment to following and publicizing the Anglican story.
posted by t19elves at 6:30 PM
7 Comments:
"The vast majority of Anglican churches worldwide do not ordain women as priests, much less as bishops."
I Think Not.
...Br_er Rabbit
What happens in Tanzania affects not just TEC and the AC, but Christians everywhere. This is why Dr. Mohler, Maryland Brian, Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, etc... are all faithfully praying for the primates, and also keen to see what transpires. Will aberrant theology, doctrine, and practice be disciplined? Or will it be allowed to further infect the Anglican Communion (and by extension the global body of Christ)?
"This may pose the first obstacle to any solution at Dar es Salaam. Bishop Jefferts Schori is not recognized by many of the other primates, who are likely to refuse to meet if she is present. The vast majority of Anglican churches worldwide do not ordain women as priests, much less as bishops."
Mohler seems to misunderstand the situation. The concern with Schori is not (for the most part) that she is a woman. Were Griswald still presiding bishop, the reaction would have been the same.
Dave C.
And we should care what Mohler says because?!?!?!?
We should care what other Christians think. But anonymouse is right (after a point) if we don't care what other Anglicans think, why should we care what other leaders of other Christian bodies think. In fact, why should anyone care what anyone else thinks? Listening to others just limits the working of the Spirit (holy or not) in our lives. I mean if we have to care what others think then we can't do what we want.
(/sarcasm)
Seriously. We care what other Christians think because they are part of the Body of Christ. One part cannot say to another part "I have no need of you."
YBIC,
Phil Snyder
Since the leadership of TEC has already made numerous statements that they are not Christian, why does no one take them to court?
It has reached that point. There is no need for secular courts to rule in regard to doctrine, since the leadership, including High Priestess Jeff Schori, have openly flaunted the 39 Articles, Tradition and the Holy Bible.
Can you imagine if the Board of Microsoft was made up of Linux enthusiasts who publicly violated Microsoft's rules and regulations?
Jeff and those who pull her puppet-strings have abdicated all authority. They are not Christian. They make a big show of ordaining immoral persons into authority, but the issue of immorality is only one of many positions that violate the fundamental and constitutional rules and regulations of the Protestant Episcopal Church. If I am not mistaken, TEC has never legally overthrown the Bible or the 39 Articles.
Throw the anti-Christians out and then have the heresy trials that have long been overdo.
One must chose between Christ and the Politically Correct religious cult. One cannot serve two masters.
Do we want a repeat of the persecutions preceding the Reformation during which the non-Christian leadership of the Church burned the real Christians at the stake?
I think the point is rather what substantive credential, experience or insight regarding Anglicanism does Mohler bring to bear at this time? From what I read, not much.
Mohler is put forward here as yet another conservative, puritanical, Protestant parrot.
Here's a great line:
"Bishop Jefferts Schori is not recognized by many of the other primates..."
C'mon guys, don't feed us this stuff.
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