"A Confused 'Covenant': Initial comments on 'A Covenant for the Church of England' -

Tom Wright, the Bishop of Durham, has written a magisterial article

“A Confused ‘Covenant’: Initial comments on ‘A Covenant for the Church of England’.

It is now online at Fulcrum

    Comments & Responses

  1. At last a clear and lucid statement by The Rt Revd Dr Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham regarding the true nature of those that use the term ‘Biblical based christians’ to cut the Body of Christ.

    Posted by  on  12/17  at  12:16 AM

  2. “Magisterial” though this reply may be

    It does not address the heard of the matter

    We must remember that their are active Gay priests still lisenced in the diocese of Durham.


    Given the declarations of the last few days - particularly including Tanzania -

    Tom Wright is not in communion with the Global South

    He must put his own house in order first:

    that many Christian parishes in England can no longer remain in communion with bishops who tolerate heresy and immorailty is a reason for praise, not for censure!

    Posted by  on  12/17  at  04:25 AM

  3. #2. I have never heard before of excommunication of an Anglican Bishop by a web posting, on the lone authority of someone self-designated as a ‘sinner’, but then surprises come every day.

    Be assured, that the complex British and European Union legal ramifications concerning the issues you raise about the Diocese of Durham are currently being analysed with urgency.

    Meanwhile, read Tom Wright’s article in detail…

    Posted by Graham Kings  on  12/17  at  05:55 PM

  4. Graham

    as a professional Christian, I envy your ability to have your name on web postings here and elsewhere.  Those of us with secular jobs must be aware Google is always watching.

    The status of Tom Wright is not determined by a “Web Posting” but by a solem declaration by the Church of Tanzania!

    A copy can be found on this web site earlier and on the Church of Tanzania’s web site, but that’s not the point.

    The point that is highly germane to this discussion is that the declaration states that:

    All Bishops who ordain such persons [homosexuals] to the priesthood and the deaconate or license them to minister in their dioceses;

    are removed from the communion with Tanzania - and (by extension) all other Global South provinces and dioceses - including those in the US, and those who wish to be aligned with with the Global South in the West

    It is common knowledge that some homosexuals (and some of their supporters) retain leadership positions in Durham (and indeed in every CoE diocese). In Durham’s case, given the theology of the previous bishopm it would be a huge surprise if that were not the case.

    But as such, Tom Wright is not in communion with the Global South.  Evangelicals in his diocesse need safe oversight that he is unable to provide.  That is ultimately why this covenant is absolutely and immediately necessary: if safe, Christian oversight cannot be provided within England it most certainly will be provided from Africa!

    Posted by  on  12/18  at  05:48 AM

  5. From the article by The Rt Revd Dr Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham

    “This brings us to the section headed ‘Our Identity’ - an interesting place to start, one might think, for a group of evangelicals who supposedly believe that ‘we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants through Jesus’ (2 Corinthians 4:5). Curiously, there is nothing in the statement of identity, or of the gospel, that even mentions Jesus...”

    There is no safer place to be then in The Body of Christ.

    Book of John, Chapter 15: 5

    “5: I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

    AND

    1 Corinthians, chapter 12: 7-14

    “7. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

    8: To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,

    9: to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

    10: to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

    11: All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

    12: For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

    13: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

    14: For the body does not consist of one member but of many.”

    Posted by  on  12/18  at  06:39 AM
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