felix hominum

GAFCON's statement & +++Rowan's reply

The final statement from the Global Anglican Future Conference is now out and about. The text, along with preamble, can be read in its entirety here.  The statement is self-titled the Jerusalem Declaration.  Here's a snippet from the intro to the statement:

A Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, are a fellowship of confessing Anglicans for the benefit of the Church and the furtherance of its mission. We are a fellowship of people united in the communion (koinonia) of the one Spirit and committed to work and pray together in the common mission of Christ. It is a confessing fellowship in that its members confess the faith of Christ crucified, stand firm for the gospel in the global and Anglican context, and affirm a contemporary rule, the Jerusalem Declaration, to guide the movement for the future. We are a fellowship of Anglicans, including provinces, dioceses, churches, missionary jurisdictions, para-church organisations and individual Anglican Christians whose goal is to reform, heal and revitalise the Anglican Communion and expand its mission to the world.

Our fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion. We, together with many other faithful Anglicans throughout the world, believe the doctrinal foundation of Anglicanism, which defines our core identity as Anglicans, is expressed in these words: The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular, such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal. We intend to remain faithful to this standard, and we call on others in the Communion to reaffirm and return to it. While acknowledging the nature of Canterbury as an historic see, we do not accept that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Building on the above doctrinal foundation of Anglican identity, we hereby publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of our fellowship.

That second to last line is one of the more direct messages to the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has released his own comments on the Jerusalem Declaration.  Here is a selection, and it as well is worth reading in its entirety:

The Final Statement from the GAFCON meeting in Jordan and Jerusalem contains much that is positive and encouraging about the priorities of those who met for prayer and pilgrimage in the last week. The ‘tenets of orthodoxy’ spelled out in the document will be acceptable to and shared by the vast majority of Anglicans in every province, even if there may be differences of emphasis and perspective on some issues. I agree that the Communion needs to be united in its commitments on these matters, and I have no doubt that the Lambeth Conference will wish to affirm all these positive aspects of GAFCON’s deliberations. Despite the claims of some, the conviction of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as Lord and God and the absolute imperative of evangelism are not in dispute in the common life of the Communion.

However, GAFCON’s proposals for the way ahead are problematic in all sorts of ways, and I urge those who have outlined these to think very carefully about the risks entailed...

...It is not enough to dismiss the existing structures of the Communion. If they are not working effectively, the challenge is to renew them rather than to improvise solutions that may seem to be effective for some in the short term but will continue to create more problems than they solve. This challenge is one of the most significant focuses for the forthcoming Lambeth Conference. One of its major stated aims is to restore and deepen confidence in our Anglican identity. And this task will require all who care as deeply as the authors of the statement say they do about the future of Anglicanism to play their part...If those who speak for GAFCON are willing to share in a genuine renewal of all our patterns of reflection and decision-making in the Communion, they are welcome, especially in the shaping of an effective Covenant for our future together.

The Archbishop also had some comments, set in a different context, and directed to a different audience, which might as well shed some light on the matter for those who are interested in such things:

Anglicans have failed to think through primacy with any theological seriousness and so have become habituated to a not very coherent or effective international structure that lacks canonical seriousness and produces insupportable pluralism in more than one area of the church's practice.

via Diocese of Saskatchewan, full article here.

Note [A]:  Primate Hiltz' response can be seen here.  A bit of it quoted below:

The GAFCON statement is based on a premise that there is "acceptance and promotion within the provinces of the Anglican Communion of a different gospel which is contrary to the apostolic gospel." The statement specifically accuses Anglican churches in the Canada and the United States of proclaiming this "false gospel that has paralysed the Communion." I challenge and repudiate this charge.

Note [B]:  Just in case you don't have enough reading to do over the summer, peruse the Niagara Anglican June edition.  Dean Wall has a very good summary of why we should try combining services in "multi-congregation" parishes every once in a while.  "Many of our parish communities have very distinct ‘early’ and ‘late’ congregations, many of whom don’t know each other very well."  We did a joint service recently at St Tim's and got great feedback from the congregation - it was great to be able to worship together as a whole parish.

On the other hand, perhaps the Gafcon people are thinking of things like the statement made by the editor of the Niagara Anglican (Christopher Grabiec) , in an article in the same edition:

Let’s be honest for a moment. Who knows who was right in the Christological arguments of the 3rd century? We know who won, but who really knows who was right? More to the point, does it really matter?

Just to refresh your memory, the "Christological arguments" centered around things like:  Jesus is God/ Jesus is not God.  Jesus is co-eternal with the Father/ Jesus is a created being in a Neoplatonic chain, sort of like a man, but with a bit more pizazz.

So what then is our Church's answer to the questions:  who knows who was right?  And does it matter?  If you see anyone with authority in the ACoC, ask them.

In the sense of being creedal...

Anglican Leaders Gather for Mideast Conference

As participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) began their gathering, a number of conference organizers and others sought to correct several published reports about the direction and purpose of the conference .

Approximately 1,000 attendees, including nearly 300 bishops, have registered for the conference, including a number of current and former Episcopalians.

“I’m not hearing anything about breaking up the Anglican Communion, or anything of the sort,” Bishop Martyn Minns told The Living Church. Bishop Minns, formerly rector of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Va., is the founding Missionary Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), an outreach of the Anglican Church of Nigeria.

“We are not focusing all of our attention on human sexuality,” he added. “The workshops are designed to get us moving forward with emphasis on evangelism, church planting, the Bible, family and marriage, and also on developing a better understanding of our Anglican identity.”

Bishop Minns said a booklet titled “The Way, The Truth and the Life: Theological Resources for a Pilgrimage to a Global Anglican Future,” released by GAFCON organizers at a press conference June 19, has been mischaracterized in some reports as conference planners’ declaration of independence from the Anglican Communion. He noted that the booklet is a historical summary of the recent past, and does not contain specific recommendations for the future.

“The purpose of the conference is not to call people away from either the Lambeth Conference or the Anglican Communion,” he said. “Certain things of monumental importance have changed about Anglicanism within the past 10 years. Those things have irreversibly reshaped the landscape. We must get together and work out what to do about our future in light of the facts that have occurred.”

full article at The Living Church

As a bit of a side note, it is difficult to get a news article on this topic (the "Gafcon" gathering) which is not heavily invested in rhetoric and jockeying for position in the court of public opinion.  There is a related article at the Anglican Journal with the headline: Rival Anglican conference begins in Jerusalem.  I think one of the most helpful quotes is this:

Conference leaders on June 19 released a book, “The Way, The Truth and the Life” at a press conference in Jerusalem...

“At a time when the fabric of the communion has been torn apart, the entire drive of the book is to hold together what is meant by ‘Anglican.’ How can we claim this identity?” said Rev. Vinay Samuel, co-ordinator of the book. “This is not to exclude anyone but in a confused situation this says, ‘This is where we are’.”  (emphasis added)

 

Church of England postpones talk of evangelizing Muslims

But now the Church has put off the debate on recruiting Muslims until next February at the earliest and will discuss the promotion of churches as tourist attractions instead.

from the Telegraph

Diocese of Athabasca synod passes some interesting motions...

From their Diocesan website.  The stuff in brackets is their website headline for each item.

[The Synod of the Diocese of Athabasca is in communion with the ANiC and the Province of the Southern Cone.]

The Synod passed the following motion on the Friday evening sitting of their 51st. Synod:

Resolution # 2008-11 - BE IT RESOLVED that the Synod of the Diocese of Athabasca inform the parishes and the bishops who have joined the Anglican Network in Canada and the Province of the Southern Cone that we are in full communion with them.

[The Synod of the Diocese of Athabasca expresses it's displeasure with bishops from other dioceses.]

Resolution # 2008-12 - BE IT RESOLVED that the Synod of the Diocese of Athabasca express its dismay that bishops of dioceses have resorted to secular courts when parishes within those dioceses have found it necessary to align themselves with the Anglican Network in Canada and the Province of the Southern Cone. 

BACKGROUND/INFORMATION NOTES: By resorting to the civil courts so readily, the bishops of those dioceses where there are dissident parishes and clergy have displayed so visibly that, to them, the issue is power, not the will of God. None of these churches that have associated themselves to the ANiC and the Southern Cone have taken their decisions lightly. Also, all of these churches have by their decisions stayed within the Anglican Communion. Conflicts over property should be settled with prayerful negotiation considering the best interests for all parties involved.

More items from their Synod is available on their website.  They also addressed the hot button issue of abortion:

[The Synod of the Diocese of Athabasca brings the issue of abortion to the forefront...

The Synod passed the following two motions with huge majorities on the Friday afternoon sitting of their 51st. Synod:]

Resolution # 2008-9 - BE IT RESOLVED that this synod of the Diocese of Athabasca request that the issue of abortion be brought to the forefront within the Anglican Church of Canada by the Primate.

Resolution # 2008-10 - BE IT RESOLVED that this synod of the Diocese of Athabasca lobby the current Prime Minister of Canada, The Right Honorable Stephen Harper: the current Minister of Justice, Rob Nicholson and our Members of Parliament and the current Premier of Alberta, the Honorable Ed Stelmach and our members of the Legislative Assembly, to table effective legislation on abortion that protects the interest and well being of both the fetus and mother.

While I am away from the country, I won't have as much time to monitor the blog as I might like;  I suspect that there will be some strong reactions to these items.  So I would appeal for a continuation of what has a generally respectful tone among those who comment here.

Primate Hiltz writes Primate Greg Venables

Anglican primate blasts South American rival
MICHAEL VALPY
April 22, 2008

Leaders of the Anglican Church in Canada and South America drew beads on each other yesterday with Canadian primate Fred Hiltz posting a letter on the Internet telling South America's Gregory Venables to stay out of the country and Archbishop Venables icily criticizing Archbishop Hiltz's manners in reply.

"My number is there on the Anglican Communion network," Archbishop Venables said in a telephone interview from Buenos Aires. "I mean, this is only my humble opinion, but if somebody really wants to talk to me, they can pick up the phone and talk to me.

"Do you write a personal letter, between primates, on the Internet if you seriously want a personal dialogue?"

Globe & Mail

The Canadian Primate's letter can be seen here.  An Anglican Journal piece is here.  The National Post article is here.

While there is much to discuss in this latest round of Anglican World Traveller, the thing that struck me was that the letter to Venables was posted on the internet before Venables received it.  That's okay, though.  This fast internet stuff happens to the best of us.  On the other hand, I wonder if these two Primates have ever had a face to face?

what do you do with godparents?

Most of us in this branch of the Christian family have them.  Or we have asked people to be godparents to our children.  So we either choose godparents for our children, or perhaps we have been asked to be godparents, and then the connection is lost after the morning of the baptism.  So let me share just one little tradition which has grown up in the Felix clan over the past several years:  "godparent parties".  We had one this afternoon. 

Over the past several years we have had a number of godparent parties.  These get togethers are opportunities for us as a family, and as an extended Christian family ("church") to celebrate the goodness and love of God in the lives of each of our kids.  So this afternoon we had a celebration:  a big old feast, interspersed with prayer, and singing, and games, and fun.  We try to have one on an anniversary of a baptism, or as close to the date as possible. 

While families often have "rituals" and traditions which grow up or are inherited (there was always a certain kind of food when the playoffs came in our house), we should also find space for the spiritual traditions and rituals which remind us of Jesus' call on our lives, and of his love for each of our children.  If you are a parent or a godparent, I suggest that you give it a try.  Get together, pray, sing or do whatever it is that fits.  If you are a godparent, it is one simple way of starting to fulfill your promise that you would help this child grow up in faith.  And if you are a parent, let me know of any other such family traditions which you have used to hand on the faith.  I'd like to start collecting some resources around "Christian parenting."

General Synod resolution A226 (“fresh new expressions”) gets underway

One of the motions at the last General Synod which almost flew under the radar was a call to have a thorough revision of liturgical texts for use in the Anglican Church of Canada.  Prayer Book traditionalists were concerned that the motion would eliminate the BCP from common use, and replace it with a mishmash of “modern” or “Post modern” liturgies.  In the end, the amended resolution which passed called for Faith Worship and Ministry to come up “fresh new expressions” for use in the Anglican Church of Canada.  Resolution A226 was amended, so that only “contemporary language rites” would be subject to the proposed revisions.  While I applaud the possibility of “fresh new expressions”, I find that, like the case of the rites for the catechumenate, the early drafts of such liturgies (pdf) leave a lot to be desired. 

I think that the Anglican Church can certainly benefit from a critical self examination in the area of liturgy, particularly when it comes to such liturgies as a means of sharing the Gospel with a largely "post Christian" culture. However, I think there could is room for improvement:

“Journeying Beyond:  A Pilgrimage of Exodus after Confirmation”

Rationale for the Rite:

It is well known in Anglican circles that Confirmation, while a significant milestone in forming a life of discipleship, is too often seen as an exit time for many young people from the community of the Church.  Recognizing this to be the case, the Faith Worship and Ministry Committee, following the guidelines of A226 (GS 2007), has developed the following experimental liturgy:  “Journeying Beyond:  A Pilgrimage of Exodus after Confirmation”.  The proposed liturgy would be used with those young people who have undergone Confirmation, but have decided (either at the time of Confirmation or shortly thereafter) to formally disassociate themselves from the Anglican Church of Canada.  It seeks to honour their personal seeking in an authentic way, while at the same time giving shape to a form of return.  In so doing, the spirit of autonomy inherent in a national church is fostered and nurtured in one of its most important constituent member groups: its youth.

Background and History:

While the theme of Exodus has firm Scriptural roots in terms of an overall progression to the Promised Land (though not in a terms of a permanent contemporary political entity), it is also recognized that this Exodus was a time of “wandering”.  Indeed, the concept of wandering is an integral part of a mature faith, for without this constant wandering, we cannot follow, even in a geographic sense, the itinerant nature of Jesus’ own wanderings as articulated in the Synoptic Gospels.  Recognizing that, in many cases, late adolescence is a natural time for such wanderings, we seek to encourage young people in their journey away from the Church, trusting that they will return when their own children need baptism, and thus setting in motion the continuous circle of the journey of faith, where both parents and newly baptized can then wander away again, to return at times of infinite transition (eg "funeral").

The Shape of the Rite:

Gathering of the Community:

The Presider should enter from a side door, rather than process via the center aisle.  The newly confirmed should enter from whichever direction they choose.  A large, broken compass may be placed on the altar.

One: "Not all who wander are lost."
All:  "And also with you."

One:  "The universe expands in all directions."
All:    "As does our faith.  There are no boundaries, only frontiers!"

One:  "N., you have been brought to this place through the workings of Mystery.  We, as the community in which you have been nurtured, now set you free.  As Abram left the home of his ancestors, so we set you free to leave this, the home of your spiritual ancestors.  As you grow, you must shed the old skin.  There may come a time when you return:  we may be here, or we may not.  Your journey endures forever."

The Presider then  hands the Traveler a broken compass:
"Receive the signpost of our faith.  Let no direction dictate your footsteps."

The Traveler takes the compass and covers it with a cloth.  The colour of the cloth will be determined by the liturgical season.

Traveler:  "Everyone who seeks will find.  How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again.  It’s always been the same, same old story."

Presider:  The service continues on page 185.

All stand, as the traveler exits by a side door.

Update: The Diocese of Saskatchewan website has an important press release from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

New Proposed "Liturgical Rites and Formation Resources" for the Anglican Church of Canada

I know, most of you were probably spending your post/Easter web surfing looking for wholesome and encouraging sermons and such. Meanwhile, I had put on the back burner some interesting stuff which has appeared courtesy of the Faith Worship and Ministry Committee: 

Making Disciples: the Catechumenate in the Anglican Church

Liturgical Rites and Formation Resources for Adult seekers coming to Baptism in the Christian Faith

The following liturgical rites have been developed from John Hill’s initial work in Making Disciples, by the Catechumenate Network of the Dioceses of Toronto, Niagara and Huron. They are offered here by the Liturgy Working Group of Faith, Worship and Ministry for the purposes of study and evaluation and, where permitted by the local ordinary, use or adaptation. We request your feedback on the rites. They have not been authorized by the General Synod or the Council of General Synod. Nevertheless, the Liturgy Working Group wishes to make these, and any other resources relating to the catechumenate, available in order to stimulate reflection on processes of adult initiation, and the rites related to them.

Catechumenal Rites (PDF file)
Rites for the Baptised (PDF file)

Just in case you were wondering, there is opportunity to give feedback in the following form:

1. Before visiting this website, were you familiar with the
catechumenate and its related liturgical rites? If so, please
describe your experience.
2. What did you find the most helpful in this section of the
website?
3. What could we do to make this section of the website more
useful?
4. Would you be willing to share your stories relating to the
catechumenal process in your parish within a “Stories” section
of this part of the website?
5. Do you have any resources which might be added to this section
of the website? If so, please include with this form if available in
digital format, or describe, including information on how the
resources might be obtained. *Be careful to ensure that any
material you send for web-posting gives account of its copyright
status and information about permissions necessary for such
posting.

an interesting open letter from Integrity USA

Snippet:

We have caused hurt by:

• the times we have participated in “then show them the door thinking as a means to resolve our differences with conservatives.

• stereotyping those with biblical hermeneutics which differ from ours as fundamentalists – by dismissing them as ignorant.

The full text is here.

I find this an interesting contrast to a recent column by a "middle of the road Anglican" which appeared in the Toronto Sun.  Connie Woodcock writes concerning the current difficulties in the Diocese of Niagara:

Those on the far right, who call themselves orthodox Anglicans, a small group despite the noise they make, believe the Bible literally, right down to Adam and Eve. Their sympathies lie with the Third World Anglicans although they don't seem to realize that beliefs there can seem outrageous to the rest of us -- those African leaders who despise homosexuality, for instance, but tolerate men with multiple wives. Some Canadian congregations have asked to be supervised by a South American bishop rather than their own.

There are those on the far left who have gone so far as to leave the Christ story itself behind and yet still feel comfortable within the church because, after all, we are supposed to love our neighbour as ourselves, no matter what our neighbour believes.

Read that last paragraph again to get the full implication of what Ms Woodcock, a self described "middle of the road Anglican", is saying.  You can leave the Christ story itself behind, and still be a member of the Church? I can compare this with what our Primate proclaimed in his message on church unity:

to confess the divinity and the lordship of Jesus Christ as we recite the Creed and celebrate the Eucharist week by week.

People of any faith or no faith are welcome to come to our churches, to investigate, to ask questions, to look at what it means to be a Christian of the Anglican way.  But for better or for worse, one of the things which did come out of our deliberations last June is that we do, in fact, have something which we hold onto as 'core doctrine'.  You cannot leave the Christ story behind, and be considered, or logically consider yourself, a member of the church.

It's fun being an Anglican...

h/t for article: Michael Daley

Primate Fred Hiltz speaks on the unity of the Anglican Church of Canada

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, says that although he is saddened by the unnecessary decision made by a small number of parishes to leave the Anglican Church of Canada, the Canadian Church as a whole remains vibrant and united in its witness to the Gospel message.

Despite reports that emphasize division, the Primate says, the reality is that thousands of Anglicans continue to worship together ever week, even though they disagree over issues such as sexuality.

In this message, Archbishop Hiltz speaks about the state of the Canadian church and asks Canadian Anglicans to pray that we may remain one.

link to video here

Meanwhile, the difficulties in the Diocese of Niagara appear headed to court:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Patterson
Days: (905) 527-1316 ext.257
click here to send an email.

HAMILTON, ONTARIO-- February 28, 2008- The Diocese of Niagara and two breakaway parishes represented by The Network entered into good faith negotiations Tuesday to reach an agreement on temporarily sharing two local Churches, St. Hilda’s in Oakville and St. Georges in Lowville, however, no agreement could be reached specifically on the issue of shared services.
The matter will now be resolved in a court hearing tomorrow at the John Sopinka Courthouse Ontario Court of Justice on 45 Main St. E. Hamilton, Ontario

from the Niagara diocesan website