Category Archives: Anglican Communion

Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury, Bishop of Rochester, Church of England, Michael Nazir-Ali

Way too early to tell

Well, apparently the time has come for the Archbishop of Canterbury to consider stepping down. <sarcasm on> I do consider this to be truly reliable and journalism at its finest<sarcasm off>. It does make for entertaining reading though…. Read it all here.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams set to quit next year

The Archbishop of Canterbury is planning to resign next year, nearly a decade before he is due to step down, it can be revealed.

Dr Rowan Williams is understood to have told friends he is ready to quit the highest office in the Church of England to pursue a life in academia.

The news will trigger intense plotting behind the scenes over who should succeed the 61-year-old archbishop, who is not required to retire until he is 70.

While there may be hope that this is the case, I’d call for caution amongst the conservative minded among us for several reasons. First, I have a hard time believing the Bishop of London saying such a thing. He may have had a personal sentiment similar to the statement. However, Bishop Richard is far to savvy to have let something like this slip. And if he did then someone near and dear has just shown themselves the door. Second, Archbishop Williams has not stepped down throughout the significant controversies so far why should he do so now? The ABC has steered a course through the present travails, whether one agrees the direction or not, and has not shown any hint of retiring to academia. Lastly, IF (and that’s a big if) he does step down as and when  Mr. Wynne-Jones iterates, what is there to show, past or present, that the next ABC will be anything close to ‘orthodox’? I am not trying to be cynical. Yet, there is no reason to believe that someone with even a hint of orthodoxy would be chosen in the present climate of the UK. I hope to be proven wrong on this point. I really do. But there is nothing that leads me to believe that this would be the case. It would take significant political wrangling for a ‘conservative’ to be named. I do hope that the next ABC will be able to stand in a way which will lead this Communion out of such stormy seas. Bishop Michael are you ready to take up the reins?

Standard
ACNA, Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury, Church of England, General Synod, TEC

ACNA PMM at CoE General Synod

Those that have been proclaiming victory for ACNA in regard to the PMM at General Synod are, in my estimation, at best too hopeful and at worst misguided. Read it carefully. In true English fashion, it does not state affirmation of ACNA but of ACNA’s desire. Moreover, it does not say that ACNA is an Anglican church, as some have asserted. Rather it simply notes that there have been divisions in the Anglican churches in Canada and US (this does not mean ACNA!). As much as this American priest in the CoE would like it to say something different, it sadly does not. Another wait and see tactic. Matt Kennedy over at Stand Firm puts it succinctly, whom I quote below.

Some requests and notes about the Synod vote
Thursday, February 11, 2010 • 9:13 am
Five quick notes prefaced by some requests:

Requests: Please Read The Resolution. Do exegesis; not isogesis. Please resist the temptation to read your wishes and desires into the text.

1. The motion does not “affirm” the ACNA.

2. The motion does not “affirm” that the ACNA is part of the Anglican Communion.

3. The motion “affirms” a “desire” . Translation: Ohhh, how sweet that you want to be my boyfriend. I “affirm” your desire.

4. The motion does not refer to the ACNA as a whole but to the desire of “those who formed” the ACNA.

5. The motion does not affirm the desire of “those who formed the ACNA” to remain in “the Anglican Communion”, but rather, it affirms their desire to remain a part of the Anglican “family”. Arguably, anyone who prays with a prayerbook and wears a robe of some kind could be considered a member of the “Anglican Family”

Standard