Kevin Francis Donlon, a corresponding member of the Global South Anglican Theological Formation and Education Task Force, contributed his thoughts on this paper.

“The Covenant as an instrument by itself fails to address the fullness of the conciliar tradition that needs to be regained by Anglicans.  A church rooted in the catholic heritage is called to be church rooted in the claims a deposit of faith that includes a canonical and conciliar tradition that is one of the marks of the church since the Apostolic Period.  Anglicanism abandoned a conciliar and canonical understanding of the church when Henry Tudor ascribed all legislative responsibility to the Parliament at the Reformation. A draft of a Covenant without a canonical and conciliar structure illustrates once again that Anglican leaders seem unable to grasp the conciliar nature of the Church. A new model for a new day is required where conversations about Canons and Covenants are not simply the speculation of non-binding conferences that insure autonomy over and above authority. The blending of covenant and canon is a way to embrace the conciliar model where matters of faith and practice at all levels of the Church come into an expression of praxis that is framed in a theology of the church that is biblical, Christological, salvific historical and ecclesiological in character consistent for the ages.”

Download the PDF copy here

The Final Report of the Global South Anglican Theological Formation and Education Task Force presented to the Global South Primates Steering Committee on the Feast of Barnabas the Apostle, 11 June 2008.

Download the PDF copy here

The Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui (“Chinese Anglican”) official publication The Chinese Churchmen (圣 公会报) ceased publication after the political changes in China in 1949. On 2 January 1955 Chinese Churchmen (圣工), literally meaning “sacred work”, was launched. It appeared more or less a quarterly magazine until the end of 1957, the eve of the “Great Leap Forward” in China.

This publication is not widely known nor available in public, however. Copies still survive in the China East (Huadong) Seminary in Shanghai, and in the Shanghai Municipal Library. It offers important insight on the life and work of the Chinese Anglicans in the beginnings of the post-denominational period in Chinese Christianity.

We are grateful to Miss Li Cuixiang for compiling the index. The (unofficial) English translation is provided by Michael Poon.

Sheng Gong (圣工）Index (1955-1957)

See also CSCA Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui Source Documents.

A note from Dr Michael Nai-Chiu Poon, Director, Centre for the Study of Christianity in Asia

The Global South Anglican (GSA) Theological Formation and Education Task Force* is grateful to the GSA Primates Steering Committee for commending our unanimous report Anglican Catechism in Outline (ACIO) to the Communion for study and feedback. A copy of the Interim Report has been sent to churches represented at the Global South Primates Meeting (Kigali, September 2006) for feedback by 30 April 2008. The Task Force also welcomes comments from individuals and institutions…

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

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.

“...how is the church practically to realize what it is called to be? In the ancient church the way to becoming such a community is through a process of initiation beginning with the catechumentate, followed by baptism and climaxing in the eucharistic celebration. This long initiation process, lasting up to three years, aims to help Christians break away from the old pattern of life to embrace the new life in the new community.”

More information on the team working on theological formation and education development in Kigali, Sept 18-22 and their term of reference.
For your info and prayer.