From the Church Times. I wonder if this will influence the impending ACoC General Synod? More interpretations here, here, here and here.
28/05/2010 08:15:00
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion has been published. For the full letter and explanatory statement see ACNS: Archbishop of Canterbury’s Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion, or the same thing on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s site.
My own summary: Churches that are ‘in breach of the three moratoria requested by the Instruments of the Communion’ (primarily the Episcopal Church), should not represent the Anglican Communion in ecumenical dialogue, and should not have full membership of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order.
In his Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury encourages Anglicans to pray for renewal in the Spirit and focus on the priority of mission, so that ‘we may indeed do what God asks of us and let all people know that new and forgiven life in Christ is possible’.
The Archbishop acknowledges that Anglicans are experiencing a period of transition in the world: ‘when the voice and witness in the Communion of Christians from the developing world is more articulate and creative than ever, and when the rapidity of social change in ‘developed’ nations leaves even some of the most faithful and traditional Christian communities uncertain where to draw the boundaries in controversial matters – not only sexuality but issues of bioethics, for example, or the complexities of morality in the financial world.’
In response to the current situation the Archbishop makes clear that when a province ‘declines to accept requests or advice from the consultative organs of the Communion, it is very hard to see how members of that province can be placed in position where they are required to represent the Communion as a whole. This affects both our ecumenical dialogues…and our faith-and-order related groups.’
Dr Williams goes on to makes two specific proposals. Firstly, that members of provinces that are in breach of the three moratoria requested by the Instruments of the Communion should no longer participate in the formal ecumenical dialogues in which the Anglican Communion is engaged. Secondly, that members of these provinces currently serving on the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (a body that examines issues of doctrine and authority) should, for the time being, no longer have full membership, but retain the status of consultants. ‘This is simply to confirm what the Communion as a whole has come to regard as acceptable limits of diversity in its practice’.
The Archbishop finally urges that ‘everyone should be reflecting on how to rebuild relations and to move towards a more coherent Anglican identity (which does not mean an Anglican identity with no diversity)’ and to remember that ‘there are things that Anglicans across the world need and want to do together for the care of God’s poor and vulnerable that can and do go on even when division over doctrine or discipline is sharp’. All this entails ‘…praying for a new Pentecost for our Communion. That means above all a vast deepening of our capacity to receive the gift of being adopted sons and daughters of the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It means a deepened capacity to speak of Jesus Christ in the language of our context so that we are heard and the Gospel is made compelling and credible. And it also means a deepened capacity to love and nourish each other within Christ’s Body’.
Read the full letter here.
The test of this is whether it results in any action.
Still too weak and lacking in his acceptance of ACNA as the only viable Anglican alternative
“when the rapidity of social change in ‘developed’ nations leaves even some of the most faithful and traditional Christian communities uncertain where to draw the boundaries in controversial matters”
What in the name of common sense does social change have to do with the Gospel of Christ? Except perhaps that it is the very absence of the Gospel that has brought about that change. Certainly the ACoC, TEC, and others had no problem adopting to “social” change.
“that members of provinces that are in breach of the three moratoria requested by the Instruments of the Communion should no longer participate”
Never mind being in breach and in disobediance to the teachings and miriad warnings in Holy Scripture, after all it appears this is not about God at all but simply about the church.
“The Archbishop finally urges that ‘everyone should be reflecting on how to rebuild relations and to move towards a more coherent Anglican identity (which does not mean an Anglican identity with no diversity)”
No mention of the heretics and apostates entering into some serious repentence. There is diversity and there is DIVERSITY. When the diversity becomes sinful it should cease to be relevent to the “Anglican Identity”.
“It means a deepened capacity to speak of Jesus Christ in the language of our context so that we are heard and the Gospel is made compelling and credible. And it also means a deepened capacity to love and nourish each other within Christ’s Body’.”
Whose context? His? GBLTP? Certainly not mine and not that of my Lord Jesus Christ.
The only truthful way to Love and nourish sinners is to teach the requirment of, and scriptural call to repentence. If this fails I think in the context of christian failure we must turn away.
ALL in all this seems like a bunch of hooey.