From the Journal
A NEW, THEOLOGICALLY conservative, North American Anglican denomination is being born this month. It is a move that is to be both respected and mourned.
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is the result of a marriage of 12 church organizations that have broken with the Anglican Church of Canada and The Episcopal Church. ACNA will have 28 dioceses across North America, and one of those dioceses will consist of all of those Anglican churches that belong to the Anglican Network in Canada.
It is unfortunate that the conservative Anglican congregations no longer felt at home within the wide arms of the Anglican Church of Canada or The Episcopal Church. Growing differences on interpretation of scripture, especially around human sexuality, led to this separation on theological grounds.
ACNA will hold what it is calling its first “provincial assembly” from June 22 to 25 in Bedford, Texas. A draft constitution and a comprehensive set of canons (church bylaws) will also be presented for ratification at the assembly.
It is only the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), which met recently in Kingston, Jamaica, that has the authority to declare ACNA a province of the Anglican Communion. The ACC did not receive any formal request from ACNA. It takes several years for a body to be declared a province, and provinces usually are defined by mission and are geographic in nature, not created over theological differences. The creation of a new province also needs the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Anglican Church in North America says it has about 100,000 members, of which about 3,500 are spread across Canada. It is led by Archbishop-designate Robert Duncan, the former Episcopal bishop of Pittsburgh. He says, “We’re very clear about our task; it’s to reach all of North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ. …We joined together to reconstitute an orthodox, biblical, missionary and united church in North America.”
The creation of ACNA is to be respected, if only because it comes from people who have strong convictions that this is the right thing to do. They will undoubtedly receive strong support from some provinces beyond North America which have expressed grave concerns over North American theological interpretation with respect to human sexuality.
But the creation of a theologically conservative province, if it comes to that, should be done properly. It should follow canon law; it needs both the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Consultative Council. The Anglican Church in North America seems determined to move forward, whether or not it is duly recognized within the Anglican Communion.
Something else bears watching. Both the Anglican Church of Canada and The Episcopal Church have broad theological arms, embracing a wide range of opinions and interpretations. When a small group of churches, priests and bishops leave that wide embrace to form their narrowly defined group, disagreements may arise.
Will this newly formed Anglican Church in North America become as united around what they stand for as they are united around what they stand against? Will they embrace conservative, evangelical Anglicans or will they strive to recreate the historic episcopate? The inaugural provincial assembly will face a true test of just how wide its conservative arms are when it considers its draft constitution and canons.
There are, thankfully, many conservative Anglicans who have decided to remain within the Anglican Church of Canada. The church needs to hear their voice and there needs to be theological space to listen to each other … within commissions, at our seminaries and theological schools, and within the various assemblies of the church. The Anglican Church of Canada, as a small part of the body of Christ, is strong enough to tolerate differences of opinion and pliable enough to change.
This article makes the usual point to those who have broken away from the ACoC: the church can accommodate a wide variety of viewpoints, including those of conservatives, so why leave? At the first service that the Diocese of Niagara held at St. Hilda’s after the parish joined ANiC, Rev. Brian Ruttan said to me “you didn’t have to leave”; he never heard my explanation of why we did have to leave, because he exited rapidly after someone started taking notes.
The question is, how can an organisation that is supposed to present the truth to people who are not its members, cater to groups within it that have diametrically opposed views on its central beliefs, and still maintain its integrity? It can’t; what is happening in the ACoC is that the liberal agenda is moving ahead at almost full speed while placebos of “listening” “conversations” and “dialogue” are tossed to conservatives to keep them – and their donations – on board as long as possible.
Time will tell whether the ACNA succeeds or not; judging by unity expressed in the first ANiC synod in 2008 – which I think is an indicator of what the ACNA will experience – I am optimistic.
“The Anglican Church of Canada, as a small part of the body of Christ, is strong enough to tolerate differences of opinion and pliable enough to change.”
Would this mean tolerate differences of opinion, as long as those who dissent accept their place as second class members and don’t make too much of a fuss, and pliable enough to sell out to secular morality?
I am really really tired of the type of statement about ANIC people not needing to leave but rather staying and making their voices heard! Many of us here in Manitoba tried again and again to speak and be heard, we had meetings (which were shut down quickly), we were not allowed to mention any Essential meetings in the church, we were ordered to take any mention of them out of bulletins. I was a delegate to the last General Synod in Winnipeg and even though the Liberal agenda tried to confuse things with adding to motions etc and we were able to narrowly defeat some of them, they turned around and announced, that they were not going to accept those decisions and would move ahead with their own agenda regardless. Even groups that were not identified with Essentials like Zaccheus were not allowed to present their testimonies! They say they want to hear us, but they only want more time to beat us down to their way of thinking. I do admire those who want to stay and keep on trying, all I can say is we have been there, done that and it has not worked for us. This last meeting , the 14th Anglican Consultative Council was just another example of “we want to listen to you, but come hell or high water, we will get our own way.”
Gordon, the quote you pulled out is very significant. The Bible says something very different than what the Anglican Church believes. We are NOT to tolerate differences of opinion. These are what divide the body.
Corinthians 1:10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement.
These words were spoken by Paul, the apostle for the Gentiles, who was directly commissioned by Jesus to take the Good News to the Gentiles.
After learning these words and many other things directly from the Bible there was no way I could remain Anglican even though I was a cradle Anglican in the ACoC. The church that Jesus began with the apostles was of one mind, one judgement, and were in perfect unity. The divisions began in Corinth right after Jesus rose to heaven and only continued to this day. They are so far spread in today’s society worldwide, that the true church of God is no longer recognizable by most professing Christians. I fear that Jesus will greet these people and say “I do not know you” when he returns. They will try to state their case, but he will still reject them.
Luke 13:23-30
23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”
These are very strong words from Jesus’ own mouth that we must be very careful to heed right now.
I don’t know that the Anglican church has ever believed anything. I do know what I believe, as a traditional evangelical, catholic, orthodox even charismatic christian. Ask me and I’l tell you. I’ve been strongly influenced by people like J. I. Packer, John Stott, David Watson, J. C. Ryle, Francis Schaeffer and A.W. Tozer. I’ve also been active in Cursillo and the healing ministry.
I’ve attended Anglican services faithfully for over thirty years and have usually been present at the annual vestry meetings where leadership for the coming year, is elected/appointed. Even a few years ago when I was in my early forties, there was a scarcity of youth represented, indeed I was often the youngest at these meetings. Yet, even as a full-time worker in an external Christian ministry, as an evangelical believer, I’ve never been approached as being suitable for admission to the councils of the local church.
So much for youth participation!
At this rate the ACoC is in danger of running out of members in about thirty years or so. The chances of success for the new Anglican Province, with all its potential difficulties, are just as good and probably better than the chance that the ACoC with its so-called strength will be able to contain the simmering disputes. All depends on obedience and fellowship with Jesus.
The church I now attend still has remnants of the old Anglican ethos but looks far more like a Baptist church. It has quite a few young families who would probably be quite willing, if it comes to it, to defy traditional authority to obtain a good grounding for their young people. New prayer and hymn books are irrelevant to the current crisis. Many churches use overhead projectors and only the odd person, like myself, takes the trouble to study the old books and other sources to see what light they shed on the real issues.
In all our communities, let us raise a shout of joy to our God! He will arise and lead those who will follow him. Those who will not follow will suffer their own penalties. Attendance or membership in any church, regardless which denomination, will not help them. Rejoice in the Lord. Sing! Pray! Serve!
Marg [#3], it’s interesting that you refer to Corinth. I see an awful lot of similarities between New Westminster and Corinth.
For Ann #2:-
Your experience with your diocese simply reflects what true Christians have experienced in other dioceses. I am confident that you will agree we have been much too polite in calling them “liberals” as the crisis in the ACoC is not one of liberals versus conservatives but APOSTASY versus ORTHODOXY. Clearly the two cannot live in the same house. The ACoC is fast descending into the abyss of APOSTASY and IRRELEVENCE. It is fast losing its claim to be a Christian Church, if indeed it has not already lost that designation. Nothing will improve until the House of Bishops disciplines the apostates within their group and that requires removing them from office. However, the Primate and bishops who claim to be orthodox simply sit back and smile clearly unwilling to do their job.
I can empathize with Ann Varcoe as my Angican roots started before the Formation of Rupertsland Diocese in Manitoba. Four generations of my family attended St John,s College from which My wife and both graduated from. Our family burial plots are in Old St Andrew’s and Holy Trinity Cemetaries where some 4 generations are buried. When I read her comments my heart was sickened at the state of orthododxy in Rupertsland. The feeling of helplessness to stop the liberalism and apostasy which is infecting that Diocese sickens me. However, my Trust is in the Lord and I will continue to pray for their Repentence.
I was just watching a video podcast on this website (http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/) of Archbishop Orombi
addressing a men weekend and answering questions on “Why a new province in North America is necessary”. Near the end of the question time he talked about this very issue of staying behind to be heard. I won’t do an exact word for word quote but the jist of it was – You could be the worlds best singer but if your audience is deaf (or even tone deaf – my words) you will have a very hard time getting your message across. The real matter to me though is that the ACoC says it is willing to listen but then they take our words and the pain we express and shuffle them off into a committee or filing cabinet never to see the light of day. True listening is more than just hearing, it is working together to make changes and there has been no evidence of action in that direction the only action I have observed is the silent (or maybe not so silent) ripping apart of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Communion
http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/