Archbishop Duncan of the Anglican Church in North America on the Anglican Schism
By Charles Lewis, National Post
He argues, instead, that the more than 700 orthodox Anglican parishes in
Archbishop Duncan, visiting Canada last week for the first time since he became head of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), the first Anglican jurisdiction that crosses national boundaries, earlier this year, says it is the national churches in Canada and the United States — the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church USA — that are the real schismatics, trading in the Bible and orthodoxy for a trendy form of Christianity that is trying to be popular instead of faithful.
Those institutions have “turned so far to the left” they are now on the road to virtual oblivion, he said, pointing to such innovations as the blessing of same-sex marriage.
“They’ll become irrelevancies,” he said during an interview with the National Post. “People who are looking for a saviour who can save.
They are really looking for how they can shape their lives and what they can trust in. And what the [national churches] are offering is Jesus lite. Folks don’t need a Jesus lite.”
The group faces a series of ugly court battles with the respective national churches over who owns church property. It will likely mean that many conservative Anglicans will have to leave behind church buildings their families attended for generations. But Archbishop Duncan, who is based in
“People will turn to what’s true,” he said while attending an ACNA synod in
He believes that what is going on in Anglicanism right now is nothing short of a new Reformation, similar to what Luther kicked off in
“In the year 2000 the Archbishop of Canterbury was second most important Christian leader in the world. In a short space of time that office has utterly been diminished. It shows that the British model of Anglicanism has failed.”
He fully expects either a new “
Last week, Rowan Williams, the present Archbishop of Canterbury, said that the future of the worldwide Anglican Church looked chaotic and uncertain. He was reacting specifically to an invitation by Pope Benedict that was made to disaffected Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church.
Many conservative Anglicans feel that Pope Benedict would not have made the offer if the structure was not already weakened.
Archbishop Duncan, however, said he appreciated the gesture by the Pope because it was an acknowledgement that orthodox Anglicanism is a legitimate part of the ancient Church.
He made it clear that ACNA wants to remain faithful to Anglicanism but there will be a small minority of Anglicans with Catholic leanings that will seek a home in
He also noted that the Anglicanism of the future could learn from the Catholic Church.
“In the 20th century they began to rise to true global leadership. They made extraordinary choices in John Paul II and Benedict who are building a Church for the future. The British system has not produced leaders as capable.”
photo: Robert Duncan, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in
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