Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: Kolokotronis; sionnsar
I'll bet the evangelicals survive in some communion with Africa et al, and the Anglo-Catholics end up in Rome and/or Orthodoxy.

Indeed. I am guessing that many Anglo-Catholics who grew up on the Branch Theory feel somewhat uncomfortable out there as independent units in communion with hardly anyone.

So sionnsar, do you think the Elizabethan Compromise is essentially dead in the water from here on out?

7 posted on 01/17/2007 6:13:03 AM PST by Claud
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies ]


To: Claud; Kolokotronis
I'm not a pundit but yes, I think it is dead.

The best example of reunification across the spectrum is the APA/REC merger, which has apparently stalled. There is an element of the REC, slogan "No way APA," very opposed to it. (I am also not sure how well the APA will take to the new REC prayer book.)

I also look to my discussions with my bishop -- the only talks going on of which I am aware are with similar Anglo-Catholic provinces. There are none with the Evangelicals. And none at all also with the world-wide Anglican Communion because, as K points out, being in communion with them puts us in communion with TEC and its ilk. (In that sense at least the Continuing churches have a take on communion similar to the Orthodox.)

I don't know about "grew up on the Branch Theory," but I would bet that there are few ex-Episcopalians, now Anglicans, who are happy being "independent units." It's just not natural to us, as my discussions with various Anglican laity in other provinces reveal. (And some clergy too, I will note.) If there were some way to organize these elements to put pressure on the episcopate to resolve their differences, we might see more reunifications.

Long-term is really hard to evaluate, K. If the reunifications do not occur we will probably continue on, but it will be dicey. My own church has grown, despite being rather like the Orthodox in our lack of evangelization (and planted on rather stony soil in the second least churched state in the U.S.), but slowly. Our province is growing too -- our biggest impediment to church-planting is insufficient clergy, but our seminary is not graduating very much above replacement levels for retiring clergy (it could, but it's been maintaining its high standards -- the dropout rate is high).

I do not know what's happening in the provinces without seminaries. I suspect that in time they will wither and die; the influx of fleeing Episcopalians that has sustained these churches is effectively over. Some of them will come over to other Anglican provinces (I am seeing this happen already) -- which would be a reunification of sorts.

But I also see some slow individual attrition to Rome and to Orthodoxy, as K notes. (K will appreciate that the latter cases were to the local Greek Orthodox church, and the former was not a cradle Episcopalian to begin with.) But I don't foresee mass moves in this regard.

8 posted on 01/17/2007 10:22:12 AM PST by sionnsar (†trad-anglican.faithweb.com†|Iran Azadi| 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | UN: Useless Nations)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson