My final National Post article about Synod:
HALIFAX – As synod draws to a close, I find myself wondering what it was all for. After so many words, motions, resolutions, procedures, discernments, presentations and earnest pondering, I am beginning to understand the impulse that drives some to enter a silent monastic order.
What has been achieved and what will happen next?
The sexuality resolution, when it finally arrived, was sufficiently woolly to allow the blessing of same-sex unions to continue informally, while avoiding— for the moment at least — censure from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Those who set unity above all saw it as a masterpiece of Anglican compromise, conservative and liberal zealots as an exercise in dissembling.
In order to remain solvent, the national church will cut its budget, lay off staff and dioceses will continue to close and consolidate parishes, selling church buildings to almost anyone who will buy them. The next Anglican General synod will take place in 2013 – if the church can afford it. The cost of this synod, excluding airfares, webcasting, building space and internal media coverage was around $900 per person, totalling $360,000.
The Anglican Covenant — the document that is supposed to prevent Anglican provinces from making radical decisions unilaterally — will be studied for three to six years. The secretary general of the Anglican Communion confided to me that “things move slowly in the Anglican world.”
How many people will still be regularly attending an Anglican Church in six years is anyone’s guess. Mine is that it will be significantly less than today’s 325,000.
One of the notable things about this synod was who wasn’t there. There was little interest from the secular press, visitors were sparse and blog comments were at nothing like the levels seen for the Synod of 2007. Even big name Anglicans like Katherine Jefferts-Schori — the head of the U.S. Episcopal Church — attracted only a motley bunch of specialty Anglican journalists. For the most part, the secular press was absent.
The church is trying to use social networking to spread its message, so it had a twitter account where a dedicated tweeter typed in endless 140 character messages to edify the curious. There were 114 followers, a half of which were probably already attending synod. To put this in perspective, Stephen Fry has 1,550,779 followers — and he doesn’t even talk about sex all the time.
Why is this? It’s because most people no longer care what the Anglican Church does – whether it is blessing same sex marriages or demanding an end to global warming. The Anglican Church spends much of its time questioning the faith that has shaped not only it, but the last 2000 years of Western civilization. To fill the void, it has made an idol out of “inclusion”, thereby alienating to the point of exclusion many who are determined to hold fast to orthodox Christianity.
The church’s quest for relevance has become an accommodation to secular culture and it now finds itself in a market where it cannot and never will be able to effectively compete.
At synod I met and enjoyed the company of a number of people with whom I agreed. A few of them were from the Zacchaeus Fellowship, a group of Anglicans who help gay men and women resist acting upon — and in many cases reverse — unwanted same-sex attractions. In spite of the fact that gay advocacy voices are often heard in plenary sessions, the Zacchaeus group was not invited to speak at any of the plenary sessions. In fact, they have never been invited to speak at any plenary meeting at any synod: it’s hard not to conclude that, in spite of the nautical theme for synod, most of the rigging was in the choice of speakers.
Of course, I met far more people with whom I disagreed. Nevertheless, they were all gracious and friendly, even after reading some of the articles I had written. I am grateful to the synod staff, clergy and delegates for making me feel “included” and, to allay any suspicions of friends at home, no, I am not suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
David,
I agree with your comments
Thank you for doing this
Thank you David.
Great article David!
Thank you for all your hard work. Whether you head to a monastery or not, I hope you can take some time off to decompress. God’s blessings and refreshment to you!
His wife might have something to say about him packing off to a monastery, LOL.
Contrary to what was said above, a number of media outlets have picked up on the same-sex issue with headlines like “Lack of Consensus”, but that’s all they’re interested in. The lack of media interest would be the same for any church unless they can look for something about sex. The interview with Bishop Anderson is quite a love-in, so much so that the interviewer just lobs an easy ball and the good Bishop connects every time “I agree with you” ad infinitum. If the interviewer knows what is wrong with the Anglican Church and how it can be saved, why not just tell us and we will all be happy?
Edited to remove personal attack. Blog rules state:
— admin
Adam; at one time, hmmm, not that long ago, the ACoC submitted itself (as best it could) to the will of the Father through the sincere following of the example and teaching, as well as the obedient acknowledgement, through faith, of the Headship of the Son of God. This included the foundational apostolic directions as provided by the apostles of the Lord Saviour. I didn’t get the sense of that at this past Synod, Did you? Perhaps you might just look prayerfully a little deeper and discover for yourself, Through the One called Jesus exactly what’s wrong.
I will be praying with you.
Thanks for your work David. I must say that for the 8 days they were there it really doesn’t seem like anything happened except an agreement to try to live within the ever-shrinking budget. Did I miss something?
Thank you David, excellent work. Many of us are so grateful for your faithful reporting.
I quietly saddled up to David’s wife at the airport (after all, what’s GS without building fine social networks), saying quietly in her ear, “How can you stand that guy?” But alarm faded to laughter, as I was recognized by the Blogger himself.
Some comments on the whole affair:
Maybe Katherine Jefferts Schori and her oft touted “League of Nations” will be able to throw more money Canada’s way — a bone for her faithfulness to PLAN A.
Oops, I meant no gender reference to the Holy Spirit, Who is, incidentally, a He… something about the Unity of the Godhead. (Note to self: pass suggestion along to Primate Hiltz – done.)
Ah, then there is the narrow band of Unity that, on the ground at least, must first pass through the many filters of the day before receiving a gracious nod from GS, unlike the Godhead.
After rising this morning, I skyped a message to a friend: “We’re not in Oz anymore, Toto.”
My wife bought me a keyring while we were in Halifax. It says, “I love you just the way you are…. but don’t get any worse!”
Entmoot?
You sure tickled my innards with that one, Gandalf!
Adam (#6)
The answer is plain and has been elucidated constantly. It is for the liberal leadership and laity to step back from the brink over which they seem so determined to stampede. The passage of A115 was a completely dishonest and cowardly act at Synod. It’s just a matter of wanting to have your cake and sneakily eat it behind the back of the rest of the Anglican community. The liberal plan is plain. They are determined to press ahead with their agenda, but don’t have the gumption to just say, “This is what we’re going to do. Damn the consequences and to hell with those who don’t like it!” But their very agenda is what will kill the ACoC.
And please don’t talk of,”inclusivity.” The way the door was slammed in the face of the Zaccheus Fellowship puts an end to that lie.
I believe it was C.S. Lewis who once said that nothing is so irrelevant as the liberal quest for relevance. If it was true in his day, it is nothing but more true in the case of the
Anglican Church of Canada today.
The ACoC keeps walking, step by step, into the mire, into the tar pit, and heaven will one day mourn the death of a once great denomination.
But I believe the tender shoot begun as the ANiC will flourish in its place, and the Lord will bless it.
(By the way, I do not attend an ANiC church. I retain my connection with a faithful ACoC church in a so-far faithful ACoC diocese.)
John K; You , your parish, and your Diocese are prayed for daily somewhere in the ACNA (ANiC).
She waits, desiring first the unity of righteousness within the whole Anglican family but continuing to build a house for God and His people, of whom many remain “standing fast” for the Gospel in spite of the heresies surrounding them.
Continue to be light in the growing darkness of the ACoC but be comforted that should it become necessary you and yours have a new home where old dear friends, and long remembered ways will make you feel like you’ve come home.
For John K #13
The correct terminology should be used when referring to “liberals”. They are apostates. Now that might not be a polite term but it is the only description that fits the situation. Our Lord called “a spade a spade” when he dealt with the Pharisees and we need to do the same. Otherwise persons in the pews will continue to be led blindly from the faith. Continue to pray for the conversion and repentance of those leading the rule of apostasy within the ACoC.
If your church and diocese are indeed orthodox they should be speaking out loud and clear against the court actions taken by New Westminster and other dioceses. These actions are nothing less than attempting to steal properties from faithful and dedicated Christians.
Frank, your points are valid but in my opinion somewhat tainted by your continued excessive presumption. Not all liberals are apostates nor are all apostates liberal. Heretical thinking has manifested itself in the “church” over the past 2,000 years, indeed long before there existed “liberal” and “conservative” bias. the left and right descriptions of individuals in the political arena invented I suppose by political scientists, (my goodness why does that suddenly sound like an oxy-moron), is best left in the political arena. To borrow a phrase of our Lord’s; render unto God the things of God and unto loosafur the rest. The trick here is to know the difference, you won’t find it in any political science lab. I believe it can only be found in the heart, by faith “and faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the word of God.” …Amen?
stuck (#16)
Frankly, I tend to agree with Frank (somehow that sounds wierd). When I think of to whom I refer as ‘liberals” in the Anglican church, I think of people who have pretty much abandoned the essentials of the true Christian faith, so apostate would not be an inaccurate term. The reason I continue to use, “liberal” is that I prefer not to use more pejorative language. If we are trying to reach any moderates who may not yet have realized just how evil and destructive the liberal agenda is, I believe it is best to be more reasonable and less argumentative