Anglican Mainstream

[...] We referred earlier to the ‘Five Marks of Mission’, which have come to function as an unofficial, but highly popular, summary of the Church’s raison d’être. The adoption of these ‘Marks of Mission’, however, has had serious consequences for the Church.

Thus, Martin Davie, in his A Guide to the Church of England, asserts on this basis that, “the Church of England … sees mission as something that involves more than simply evangelism.”29

Indeed Davie explicitly critiques the definition of evangelism used in Towards the Conversion of England, quoting with approval the words of Paul Avis:

… mission is bigger than evangelization. Evangelization is a part of which mission is the whole. As Moltmann puts it, ‘[...] Evangelization is mission, but mission is not merely evangelization.’30

The problem with this analysis is that it has been rejected by a subsequent Anglican body set up to continue the study of mission: the ‘Standing Commission for Mission of the Anglican Communion’, also known as MISSIO. According to its report on the Anglican Communion official website,

At its second meeting (Ely 1996), MISSIO began reviewing the 'Five Marks of Mission' as developed by the Anglican Consultative Council between 1984 and 1990. We recognise with gratitude that the Five Marks have won wide acceptance among Anglicans, and have given parishes and dioceses around the world a practical and memorable "checklist" for mission activities.

However, we have come to believe that, as our Communion travels further along the road towards being mission-centred, the Five Marks need to be revisited.

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Kevin and George bring news and opinion about all things Anglican. Which of course has become a very dynamic vivid church — blessed by God in this Century.

by Charles Raven, CEN

After twenty years of congregational ministry in Worcestershire my wife, Gillian, and I will be moving to Kenya after Easter at the invitation of Archbishop and Primate Dr Eliud Wabukala, where I will be Director of St Julian’s Anglican Studies Centre. St Julian’s is already a well established retreat centre, set in the fertile foothills of the Central Uplands yet within easy reach of Nairobi, and provides a delightful setting for this new venture. In the past it has hosted training conferences for new bishops under the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa and many similar gatherings.

Although this project will first and foremost serve the Anglican Church of Kenya, it reflects changes that are transforming the Anglican Communion globally. Numerically, the makeup of the Communion has reflected the dramatic southwards shift in the centre of gravity of global Christianity over the past century. Governance and theological leadership did not however follow.

But Western liberals precipitated a long overdue adjustment by pressing forward with the homosexual agenda and the watershed moment came in 2008. With the formation of GAFCON as a movement of reform and renewal, led by six Global South Provinces, a new narrative was established; it recovered Anglicanism’s Reformation identity as a confessing Communion and opened up the way to reconfiguring global governance on a Conciliar rather than neo-colonial model.

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By George Conger, CEN

The passions and partisan divisions that inflamed the Anglican Communion over the past decade burned low in 2011, with most Churches turning their attention to domestic affairs. Civil unrest, economic collapse, natural disasters and the culture wars pushed the Communion’s fight over doctrine and discipline to one side.

No grand agreements were made nor understandings reached on the issue of autonomy and the role of Scripture in guiding the life of the church. Rather an ecclesiastical ennui, an exhaustion of battles without end, led most Churches to concentrate upon local issues.

This displacement did not arise from a meeting of minds or suspension of judgment arising for the Listening Process sponsored by the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) or other Church-backed dialogues, but out of a sense of futility felt by traditionalists and alienation felt by the progressive wing of the Church over the management of the debates.

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From AAC

The Christian faith is under assault in many parts of the world, with different levels of severity. In some parts of the world, such as Nigeria and the Sudan, Christians – and in particular Anglicans – are being killed by Muslim extremists. In Nigeria, it appears that the Muslim killers have access to weapons to use against Christians, and the police and army arrive too late. It is a shame that the Christians don't have the means to defend themselves vigorously since they seem to be their own first line of defense.

It seems to me that the "peaceful" Muslims in Nigeria have a burden to help suppress the militants and their murder and kidnapping of Christians, and if they won't, they should not be surprised that others will lump them all in the same category as dangerous to the life and property of those who simply want to live out and share their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Things are polarizing quickly, and if the moderate Muslims want to assert that not all Muslims are violence-prone, then let them step forward and put action with their words, and help suppress the Muslim extremist killers who bomb and destroy.

The shedding of blood of Anglicans in some parts of the world is in contrast to the bloodless persecution of Anglicans in North America by the American Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Church of Canada, both official members of the Anglican Communion and in good favor with the present Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams. I say bloodless, though the pain and damage to the people and their churches are very real. One tactic of TEC is to sue a church that is departing from TEC, not only naming the church corporation, but each and every vestry member and clergy person, and then as new vestry members are added each year in a rotational cycle, their names are added to the suits, but those rotating off vestry are not deleted.

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This last week of Advent Kevin and George bring news from Sudan, North Korea and Pittsburgh. Allan Haley brings good news from Quincy in our legal segment, And, Episode 22 includes some videos to bring a little perspective to Christmas.

Dear Readers,

I am writing to let you know that after careful thought and consultation with members of the SPREAD Panel of Reference, I have decided that it is time to draw my regular writing ministry wth the Society to a close, at least for the time being. I had hoped that it would be possible to continue, but that now seems overly optimistic as the realities of moving to Kenya and starting the work at St Julian’s, which I outlined in my previous letter, come into clearer focus. So SPREAD is now in hibernation pending the clarification of my future ministry or the appointment of a successor.

Looking back over the three years I have been Director of the Society, I am encouraged to think that despite studied inattention from some quarters, it has made an increasingly significant contribution to the cause of a renewed and reformed Communion. The Society does of course predate my involvement; it was formed in the late 1990’s by Bishop John Rodgers who was among the first to recognise the determination of Western liberals, including the then Bishop of Monmouth and now Archbishop of Canterbury, to overcome the reverse they received when, despite their best efforts, the 1998 Lambeth Conference reaffirmed biblical teaching on human sexuality.

From the outset, SPREAD warned that loyalty to church institutions which had fallen under the sway of those promoting false teaching would sooner or later compromise loyalty to the gospel itself. Only a return to the clear sense of the Anglican Formularies, including the Thirty-nine articles, would give a secure base for renewal and reform.

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By Ephraim Radner, The Living Church (Courtesy of Virtueonline)

The recently disclosed rupture in the relationship of the Rwandan House of Bishops and bishops of the Anglican Mission in the Americas, although hardly yet resolved or completely transparent, illumines at least a couple of key elements about ecclesial existence, especially among Anglicans. I was never a supporter of the AMiA's formation, for mainly two reasons: it diluted traditional Anglican witness within North America and it provided a model of and stoked the dynamics for Anglican fragmentation around the world. But for all that, many of the AMiA's leaders have been people of enormous missionary commitment and skill, and the public dispute among their American and Rwandan leaders hardly does them the honor they deserve.

But what does the dispute illumine? First, it clarifies some of the perennial limitations of "strategizing" for the Church's "reform." These limitations, it needs to be said, afflict Christians of all theological commitments, not just the AMiA. And they do so precisely because strategizing reform is an inevitably political process that demands marshaling decision-making powers and, in the case of ecclesial recognition ("replacement" provinces, "pressures" on Canterbury, and the rest), persuading other such powers on one's behalf.

Politics may be both necessary in the Church and the potential place for the exercise of certain virtues, but it is in fact rarely the latter, and because of this, the reality of the former is a burden to be borne rather than deliberately assumed, let alone constructed. Questions of authority, resources, and legal standing emerge as tools and objects of contest, and it is almost inevitable that instead of reform one finds the corruption of purpose and relationship.

The fact that money, jurisdiction, and threatened lawsuits are now part of the dispute is hardly a surprise: they are the natural result of politicizing the shape of Christian witness. North American Anglicanism's landscape is now littered with such examples. Non corrupting reform within the Church comes from another source, surely, to be discovered on another path.

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by Rob Schwarzwalder, FRC

Kevin and George discuss Dr. Jeffert-Shori's denial letter and AMiA's role in the 2008 Rwanda Canons. Also in this week's episode Peter Ould discusses the on going saga of the Church of England and women Bishops; and AS Haley gives his time slot to the latest news from Georgia and the Diocese of South Carolina.

Oh… and there is important news at the end of Episode 19 too.
 

By Michael Poon, The Living Church

In whatever ways we justify and reinterpret the Communion instruments of the Anglican Communion, it is clear the instruments no longer unite Anglican churches worldwide. Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates’ Meetings have become obstacles rather than means of healing the Communion’s wounds.

The reasons are clear. The Anglican Communion itself, understood as a Christian World Communion alongside the Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and other families of churches, is a novel idea in the post-Western missionary era. The instruments emerged in haphazard ways amid the devolution of metropolitan authorities from Canterbury and New York to churches in the southern continents. To be sure, they were useful to connect churches with one another in years surrounding the independence of the southern churches.

They have now become part of the problem, and have lost their legitimacy in the new conditions of the new century. For one, international conferences are expensive exercises, which are hardly sustainable in present-day economic conditions. More important, there is a worrying disconnect between what happens at Communion levels and what occurs at local levels. The faithful in their parishes are expected to remain loyal Anglicans week in and week out. To them, the Anglican disputes are irrelevant. Many of them perhaps have not heard about the Anglican Communion Covenant. Churches of weaker numerical strength and in more fragile conditions are sidelined as well in a high-stakes and wasting religious war.

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By Matt Kennedy, Stand Firm

Early on in the present crisis, Graham Kings (now Bishop Kings) proposed four categories, arranged graphically into a square with four quadrants, into which all Anglicans might be arranged and by which they might be measured. Here are those categories as Kings articulated them:

'Federal Conservatives', in the bottom right, consists of those who are conservative on sexual ethics but who do not consider highly the ecclesiology of the Windsor Report and especially its warnings against transprovincial interventions. They would not be unhappy with the demotion of the Anglican Communion to a Federation of Anglican Churches.

'Communion Conservatives', in the top right, consists of those who are conservative on sexual ethics but have a high regard for the ecclesiology and the recommendations of the Windsor Report. They are keen to hold to the concept of Communion.

'Communion Liberals', in the top left, consists of those who are liberal on sexual ethics but have a high regard for the ecclesiology set out in the Windsor Report, if not all its recommendations.

'Federal Liberals', in the bottom left, consists of those who are liberal on sexual ethics and have a low regard for the ecclesiology set out in the Windsor Report and many of its recommendations.

At the time I thought Kings’ quadrant was the best way of thinking about the Anglican universe. I’ve changed my mind for two reasons.

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From Anglican TV

Take a deep breath – that is what Kevin and George did before they beganthis week's Episode 17 of Anglican Unscripted. This week your hosts bring you their years of acumen to teach you the four rules of journalism… at least the four most importantrules. After a Full Disclosure statement the show continues with a discusion of AMIA's response to Episode 16 and Journalism rule #2 and the very inconvenient 'Washington Statement'.

Special guest Jeff Walton of the IRD discusses with Kevin the falling church attendance numbers that continue to plague most mainline denominations and Allan Haley is impressed with a new legal tactic in the property battles with the EpiscopalChurch revealed in their discussion about St Pauls, Darien.

From Anglican TV

AnglicanUnscripted examines the tensions between the ACNA and theChurch of Nigeria over the new Diocese of the Trinity,unconfirmed reports about the AMiA’s future, thetrouble at St Paul’s and the latest on KatharineJefferts Schori and Bede Parry.

From AAC

As Christians, we are living in tumultuous times: old things, some of which were good, are passing away, and new things, some of which are frightening, are coming upon us. Many of us are asking what this means, and how we should live in the midst of this turmoil. What should we accept, what should we fight, and if the latter, how militantly should we conduct the fight? The changes fall into two broad categories – spiritual/religious and secular/civil, so most people are feeling the stress of change from two directions at once.

In the spiritual realm, we are seeing old churches fall into apostasy, marching straight to the gates of Hell in full formal attire. Things that were taught us from the church's nursery through confirmation and ordination are now discarded by some church leaders. Is Jesus the Christ the only begotten Son of God, the Way, the Truth and the Life, or is he just one of several valid ways to find the "god presence?" I stand by what I was taught, by what I have lived in this teaching of Christ, and the truth that has flowed from it, and I will not budge.

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By Michael Poon, Fulcrum

In whatever ways we justify and reinterpret the Communion instruments of the Anglican Communion, it is clear the instruments no longer serve to unite Anglican churches worldwide. Canterbury, the Lambeth Conferences, the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates' Meetings have become an obstacle rather than means of solving the Communion ills.

The reasons are clear. The 'Anglican Communion' itself, understood as a 'Christian World Communion' alongside the Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, and other families of churches, is a novel idea in the post Western missionary era. The instruments emerged in haphazard ways amid the devolution of metropolitan authorities from Canterbury and New York to churches in the southern continents. To be sure, they were useful to connect churches with one another in years surrounding the independence of the southern churches. They have now become part of the problem, and have lost their legitimacy in the new conditions in the new century. For one, international conferences are expensive exercises, which are hardly sustainable in present-day economic conditions. More important, there is a worrying disconnect between what happens at Communion-levels and takes place at local levels. The faithful in their parishes are expected to remain loyal Anglicans week in and week out. To them, the Anglican disputes are irrelevant. Many of them perhaps have not even heard about the Anglican Communion Covenant. Churches of weaker numerical strengths and in more fragile conditions are sidelined as well in a high-stake and wasting religious war.

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Reform,

Greetings in the Name of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ.

The world wide Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans is a cause of great joy to me because it is bringing together Anglicans around the globe in a
common love for each other and the Lord Jesus Christ. This love is the work of the Holy Spirit who is gathering us for clear and confident gospel
witness at a time when there is growing confusion and disorder in our beloved Anglican Communion.

I thank God for the witness of Reform as you hold unswervingly to the faith once for all delivered to the saints despite the severe erosion of
orthodoxy taking place around you. As the Global South Primates acknowledged at our recent meeting in China 'it grieves us deeply to
observe many Anglican churches in the west yielding to secular pressure to allow unacceptable practices in the name of human rights and equality'.

So I would like to assure you of my prayers and necessary support. We are building a truly global fellowship in a partnership inspired by the Holy
Spirit, marked by prayer, generosity, sacrifice and genuine love. I long to see the day when faithful Anglicans can feel at home in any part of the
world and share the joy of true fellowship in the Holy Spirit.

May the favour of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands.

The Most Revd Dr Eliud Wabukala, Archbishop, the Anglican Church of Kenya and Chairman of the GAFCON Primates Council

By David Virtue, Virtueonline

"The Anglican Communion's Instruments of Unity have become dysfunctional and no longer have the ecclesial and moral authority to hold the Communion together" — Global South Primates

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams is losing the fight to keep the Anglican Communion together.

His forays to Africa (Kenya and Congo), following the disastrous Dublin Primates gathering which saw a third of his archbishops (mostly African) refusing to show up, reveal a communion in tatters with his ability to hold it all together now permanently impaired. On a recent trip to Kenya he was accepted as primus inter pares, but not as the leader of the Anglican Communion, a mild slap in the face.

His more recent foray to Zimbabwe proved only a partial success. Dr. Williams was able to paint President Mugabe and Bishop Kunonga as part of the evil empire of homophobia, but he took some serious hits when he was painted as a man who could not make up his mind about what he thought about homosexuality and therefore betrayed the Communion. British Anglican columnist Charles Raven noted Williams' strategic abilities and suggested that his confrontation with Mugabe "looks like an exercise in Lambeth Palace's African 'realpolitik' which orthodox Anglicans ignore at their peril."

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Episode 13 brings a fresh perspective on the Diocese of South Caroline Vs 815. Kevin and George also discuss the death of Steve Jobs and Kevin gives his unique perspective on Steve Jobs' legacy. Alan Haley provides detailed legal options for the Diocese of South Carolina… perhaps too detailed. And, Today-in-history is about the first Anglo-Catholic.