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Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Methodology of the NEW Anglican Communion

Many years ago Mr. John David Schofield was asked whether he was going to leave the Episcopal Church. There are at least two (2) "pastoral letters" Mr. Schofield in which he clearly stated that he would not (I think he said never but who knows) be leaving the Episcopal Church.

By the time the year 2007 rolled around Mr. Schofield was preaching that the Episcopal Church had shifted so far to the left that in point of fact, the Episcopal Church has left the Anglican Communion.  For several months he hammered at this message.  2008 comes to convention and the convention votes to "remain with the Archbishop of Canterbury".  When queried about all his prior statements about not leaving the Episcopal Church Mr. Schofield said, "I did not leave the Episcopal Church. The people have spoken.  I must follow what my people have done."  

I believe that this process now gives us a glimpse of what is/will happen with the "Anglican Communion".   I first refer you to Off-Topic,  I also refer you to Preludium, and with great trepidation I refer you to "The Oracle of Delphi.   There are others and I am sure you can find them and read them.  Here is the catch, read not just the original posting, but read the comments, particularly the comments at the oracle.  Mr. Kennedy's are most illuminating (if not totally anti-Christian).  The laity is building a case to leave the Anglican Communion.  Provinces like Nigeria, Uganda, Australia, and the Global south in general do not need to have the laity say or do anything -- since the laity there has no say in anything they do.  But ACNA, the great Archduke Ferdinand Duncan needs to build a ground swell of laity to leave the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

By the end of this year (2011) the GAFCON members of Confessing Anglicans of the African Mission in America etc. will restructure their version of the Anglican Communion into a Jerusalem centered Anglican Communion and probably with Mr. Mouneer Anis as it's titular leader.  Briefly, least controversial, the "home of Christianity" and it keeps it away from the strife of Africa.  Lots of folks will vie for the Archbishop role next but for the first say, three years this appointment seems least controversial.  The long and the short of it is it  will be the "will of the laity" and not the clergy.  

I would also add Lionel Deimel's blog for some additional background on this issue.

What we need to do to get ready is the subject for the next posting.  Let's digest this for a moment and let me know what you all think.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I had better give a copy of your post to the synod rep's my Church elected last night. Because they need to learn that "the laity has no say in anything they do" in my Province, Austrlia.
Pity. They thought they were going to elect the next Archbishop (rather more democratically than most TEC dioceses, directly from the floor of synod with no committee to approve candidates), determine budgets and determine policy.
But now I will have to tell them its was all a pretense.... sad really

John Sandeman