Global South Anglican

On 9th December 2006, the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda, meeting in Mbale, resolved unanimously to support the CAPA Road to Lambeth statement, which, among other things, states, “We will definitely not attend any Lambeth Conference to which the violators of the Lambeth Resolution are also invited as participants or observers.”...

In the good old days mandates, money and missionaries flowed from the traditional power base of London and, more recently, New York to their grateful recipients in the developing world. But that is all changing now and we have, as noted Penn State religion and history professor Philip Jenkins describes it, ‘A New Christendom’ where much of the energy, leadership and vision now come from the Global South. The old ways of doing church are being shaken and we are rediscovering what it means to be part of a truly global community.

Finally, we need to remember that all this confusion is simply one more phase of a global conflict for the soul of the Anglican Communion. I have no doubt that there will be many more media moments and decision points in the coming months. It is a profoundly important battle that has eternal significance. We would do well to reread Ephesians chapter 6 and remember that in the heat of the battle our call is to pray and stand firm!

In response to requests for comments on the Lambeth Conference invitations, Archbishop Peter Akinola reaffirms that the Church of Nigeria is committed to the CAPA commissioned report "The Road to Lambeth” .  Since only the first set of invitations had been sent, it is premature to conclude who will be present or absent at the conference. However, the withholding of invitation to a Nigerian bishop, elected and consecrated by other Nigerian bishops will be viewed as withholding invitation to the entire House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria.

The first invitations for the 2008 Lambeth Conference, to be held in Canterbury next summer, are being sent out today by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. The gathering, which is set to be the largest Lambeth Conference in the history of the Anglican Communion, brings together bishops from the Churches in the 38 Provinces of the Anglican Communion together with ecumenical and other invited guests.

“Does autonomy supersede communion? Or in the interests of a common mission are we willing to subsume autonomy?”

After the Archbishop of Canterbury’s public lecture ‘Public Religion and the Common Good’ at St Andrew’s Cathedral (Singapore, 12th May), there was a Q & A Session. The transcript is posted here for your reading.  

A Global South Catechism is designed provide for a complete presentation of the story of faith that “hands on” fundamental theological truths and the possibility of practical spiritual living of these ageless truths with the post-modern context. This work does not offer absolute answer to the great questions of life and faith. It does offer a way to understand those questions in the context of how the mystery can be lived as opposed to trying to attack life as a series of problems to be solved! The future of a 21st Century catechism should be based in the three traditional thematic of Anglican identity, that is oft termed the “three-legged stool”. These are: Scripture, Reason and Tradition. As the Anglican foundations have not changed; how they may be lived out in a dynamic way does and will. The Global South catechism is an invitation to shape that dynamism of lives in such a way that can offer people direction and meaning and serves as an excellent complement to the liturgical Rites of the church and will assist in the reclamation of an Anglican Christian mythic consciousness as had occurred during the great catechetical periods in the Church.

Rev. Dr Kevin Donlon is one of the Corresponding Members of the Global South Theological Formation and Education Task Force

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Executive Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth has adopted a statement of the diocesan Standing Committee calling for the diocese to move forward with its appeal for Alternative Primatial Oversight (APO).

During the Archbishop Rowan Williams’ recent visit to Singapore, he shared his thoughts in an interview with Lucilla Teoh for the Diocese of Singapore’s Diocesan Digest. 

Archbishop Rowan Williams gave this public lecture in Singapore at the St Andrew’s Cathedral on 12th May 2007.

(After the lecture, there was a Q & A Session. The transcript is posted here.)

We are a deeply divided Communion. As leaders of the Communion we have all spent enormous amounts of time, travelled huge distances - sometimes at great risk, and expended much needed financial resources in endless meetings, communiqués and reports – Lambeth Palace 2003, Dromantine 2005, Nottingham 2006 and Dar es Salaam 2007. We have developed numerous proposals, established various task forces and yet the division has only deepened. The decisions, actions, defiance and continuing intransigence of The Episcopal Church are at the heart of our crisis.

A word from Archbishop Peter Akinola:

“... IF the Episcopal Church gets back in line with the rest of the Communion I renew my pledge, which I also made in Tanzania to the Primates and to Rowan, that we will cease from the ministry of CANA. It is meant to provide a safe spiritual home.”

The following is a comment on the recent pastoral statement from the Anglican Church of Canada’s House of Bishops.  You can also find this response on the Anglican Essentials of Canada website.  The House of Bishop’s pastoral statement is posted on the Anglican Church of Canada website.

The truth of the matter is we are in a broken relationship right now and the normal things,” such as asking a diocesan bishop’s permission to minister, “aren’t working,” he said.

Archbishop Akinola’s pending visit has raised hackles within the diocese ever since the 11 parishes left the diocese in December and January over questions of biblical authority and the 2003 consecration of New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson, who is openly homosexual.

The diocese retaliated by ejecting about 21 clergy and suing them and several dozen members of each church’s vestry or governing board. The lawsuit is still pending in Virginia Circuit Court.
Bishop Minns pointed out the nondenominational 3,500-seat chapel was selected as the venue for Saturday’s ceremony so as not to antagonize the diocese.

“We delayed this installation for months,” he added, “and we deliberately did not have it in an Episcopal church. I really do want to make this event a positive not a negative witness for Christ.”

Organizers have downplayed Archbishop Akinola’s role at Saturday’s installation. Unlike past visits to Virginia, the archbishop is neither giving the main sermon nor appearing at any press conferences.

However, the archbishop’s mere presence in this country has nettled Episcopal leaders who say Bishop Minns’ installation is the beginning of an effort by the Nigerians to replace the Episcopal Church with a conservative alternative.

Recently, the ENS carried a letter from the TEC’s presiding bishop to the Nigerian archbishop concerning installation services for Bishop Martyn Minns. Abp. Akinola response indicate the installation will proceed on Saturday 5th May as scheduled:

In light of the concerns that you raise it might be helpful to be reminded of the actions and decisions that have led to our current predicament. At the emergency meeting of the Primates in October 2003 it was made clear that the proposed actions of the Episcopal Church would “tear the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level, and may lead to further division on this and further issues …” Sadly, this proved to be true....