If I am understanding the reports of the action taken by the Church of England in its currently-meeting Synod, a motion about ACNA has been passed, although in substantially amended form. Far more intelligent people than this humble scribe about things Anglican seem to be in disagreement about what these things mean.
The original motion, which I believe was defeated, said:
‘That this Synod express the desire that the Church of England be in communion with the Anglican Church in North America’
After at least two amendments, the final motion that was passed reads as follows:
"This Synod, aware of the distress caused by recent divisions within the Anglican churches of the United States of America and Canada, recognise and affirm the desire of those who have formed the Anglican Church in North America to remain within the Anglican family; acknowledge that this aspiration, in respect both of relations with the Church of England and membership of the Anglican Communion, raises issues which the relevant authorities of each need to explore further; and invite the Archbishops to report further to the Synod in 2011."
My analysis of this starts with the thought that the C of E passed something expressing generally positive sentiments toward ACNA, which has probably infuriated the Presiding Heretic, which by definition is a good thing. In other words, ACNA's existence was not rejected out of hand by the mother Church, which is, in a sense, a form of recognition in and of itself, which is the last thing TEO wants.
Second, I never thought the original motion was, ipso facto, clearly a "recognition" of ACNA by its passage. It says that the Synod "expresses the desire" to "be in communion" with ACNA, which is a bit vague in its terms. I might express the desire to have dinner with Ashley Judd, but that does not necessarily make it so.
Third, I see several positives in the motion that did pass. It refers to "divisions" within TEO and the Anglican Church of Canada, as opposed to TEO's preferred view that ACNA and orthodox parishes and Dioceses are disaffected schismatics. "Divisions" strikes me as a term that confers legitimacy on the orthodox position. "Divisions" is also the term that the Virginia Eleven are using to stake their hold to their properties in that Court proceeding.
"Remain within the Anglican family" is a nice phrase that seems to recognize that ACNA is, in fact, a part of the Anglican family by and through its connections to the Global South. Recall that in its "talking points" memo, TEO wanted to imply that ACNA was an outsider knocking at the Anglican door. The use of this language seems to repudiate TEO's "talking point."
Lastly, the Synod directs that the C of E and ACNA explore the idea of "remaining in Communion" further, and to report back to the 2011 Synod. This actually strikes me as somewhat more specific than simply "expressing the desire." Again, it is also representative that this issue is not going to go away within the C of E, which is in and of itself a form of recognition, and is clearly against the desires of TEO that ACNA be rejected out of hand.
I cannot wait to see what kind of "spin" the Presiding Heretic will offer on this when she returns from her [unsuccessful] lobbying trip.
I still do not see this as something on which the ACNA should spend too much of its energy or funds. Of course, Bishop Duncan or his designees should meet with the C of E and explore "remaining in communion" between now and the next Synod. But this process should never become ACNA's raison d'etre. I still believe with ACNA that the "Field of Dreams" mantra of "If you build it they will come" applies - the trends are clear that ACNA is growing while TEO declines, and at some point the global Communion will see the need to fully embrace the orthodox presence in North America as the stable, Biblical representative of Anglicanism on this Continent.
This does not necessarily that I think it is desirable for ACNA to remain within the orbit of Canterbury. It is clear that his sympathies lie with TEO, and he is willing to let the historic faith be destroyed in exchange for some semblance of "unity." No organization can exist forever under the stress and tension being visited upon Anglicanism by liberal revisionism, and something will surely give.
The point, rather, is that as ACNA achieves certain markers of stability and legitimacy, I believe more and more orthodox Anglicans who grow tired of TEO [and its Bishops] shenanigans will see ACNA as a viable alternative and make the change, thus accelerating its growth and influence within the Anglican world, or at least with like-minded Anglicans who still believe in the Scriptures.
Recall that in its "talking points" memo, TEO wanted to imply that ACNA was an outsider knocking at the Anglican door. The use of this language seems to repudiate TEO's "talking point."
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Posted by: girlslovefashion | November 22, 2011 at 02:20 AM