Monday, July 20, 2009

Stephen Noll Responds to Bishop of Durham Tom Wright's article in the (London) Times

As for Bp. Wright’s concern about Anglican Church in North America, I am sure, knowing the Anglican Communion hierarchy, that there will be no rush to enfranchise ACNA or disenfranchise the Communion Partners remaining in TEC. But is it too much to ask the Archbishop of Canterbury to reaffirm the Primates’ call at Dar es Salaam for the cessation on lawsuits for all orthodox in TEC and ACNA on threat of immediately withdrawing his recognition?

The big question for the days ahead is whether the two streams of the orthodox movement – which had coalesced in the Anglican Communion Network in North America and the Global South coalition – will begin to come together again. I believe their reunion, not at first political but spiritual and practical, is devoutly to be wished.

Let me point out two positive indicators for why this can happen....

Read it all.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Philip Wainwright said...

My instinctive reaction to Steve's article is one of agreement, but there may be an argument for sticking with the covenant even if Section 4.1.5 is changed or omitted.

It depends on whether the goal is to reform PECUSA or to give every Anglican formal fellowship with others of the same theological standards. For those whose goal is the latter, sticking to the Ridley Cambridge Text will do the job. For those whose goal is the former, a text without 4.1.5 might be preferable, since the only way conservatives could get such fellowship would be to work harder for the reform of their church. If they could have that fellowship without it, their participation in and interest in bodies like General Convention would soon become perfunctory, and their influence in the church even less than it is now.

Even after the departure of so many, conservatives at GC still cast a third of the votes on some issues. If that bloc could be encouraged to be more active in the church, reform is still possible. The party currently in power was once less than a third of the church; they are where they are now because they wouldn't settle for less than victory, no matter how unlikely it seemed.

I hope there are others whose goal is the reform of PECUSA, and that we might think this through carefully.

11:04 AM  

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