Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams warns rebels over Church of England split

Telegraph ^ | July 1, 2008 | George Pitcher, Religion Editor, and Graham Tibbetts

[NYer]

The Archbishop of Canterbury has rounded on rebel Anglicans seeking to bypass his authority over issues such as homosexuality and women priests.

Dr Rowan Williams adopted unusually forthright language to accuse the hardline traditionalists of lacking legitimacy

One of his staff even suggested the rebels were becoming a "Protestant sect".

The Archbishop's comments follow the creation at the weekend of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (Foca), a global network for millions of Anglicans unhappy at the ordination of the openly homosexual Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson.

Dr Williams called for patience from those who want to create an alternative worldwide Anglican Communion.

"It is not enough to dismiss the existing structures of the Communion," he said. "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."

The announcement of the Foca network came at the end of the Global Anglican Future Conference (Gafcon) in Jerusalem.

Some 300 bishops, principally from Africa but also from the United States and Britain, claimed that they wanted to "sideline" Dr Williams' leadership of the worldwide Communion in favour of Foca. They published 14 central tenets of faith, based on traditionalist interpretations of scripture, and committed themselves solely to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

Three of the key rebels are due to speak in London today.

In a statement issued on the eve of their arrival, Dr Williams said: "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."

[NYer]

Members of the Anglican Communion pray during a visit to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem June 23, 2008, as part of the the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON). Conservative Anglican leaders on Sunday began a week of discussions in Jerusalem on the future of the worldwide Communion and warned of a parting of ways with liberal churches. The Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, and to Jews as Temple Mount, is seen in the background. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM)

[Soliton]

Protestant church meet protestants.

[NYer]

One of his staff even suggested the rebels were becoming a "Protestant sect".

Fascinating statement! Another Protestant sect.

[ken5050]

FYI..

BTW, if anyone here has ever seen any of the episodes of the "Vicar of Dibley"...there is one in which Rowan appears..does a cameo..and that fact alone should have been cause enough to call for his resignation..

[AnAmericanMother]

NOW the Archdruid of Canterbury actually manages to issue a strongly-worded (for him) statement . . . after all the water that has gone under the dam since 2003, he finally manages to muster some courage -- to rebuke the wrong parties!

To paraphrase, the shepherd is an idiot, and the sheep are scattered . . . .

"Sharna pax and get the poal
When the Ardship of Cambry comes out of the hoal."

- Riddley Walker. Don't look for it unless you have plenty of time to puzzle it out. A good but VERY strange book.

[PGR88]

It’s Williams’ church that is becoming the “sect.” In fact, his politically correct, secular values church will probably not exist in 50 years. The GAFCON people are right to get out before they too are brought down.

It’s also pathetic to see how Archbishop Williams is trying to find some spine this late in the game

[Neoncon]

The Archlayman of Canterbury complaining about a schism. Now that’s funny!

[Juana la Loca]

Who does he think he is, the pope?

Bah-ha-ha, I’m lovin’ the irony!

[LibertarianLiz]

I agree with you, too little, too late. Also this was funny: If they are not working effectively, the challenge is to renew them

I believe that this group of people have been trying to renew and reconcile; but, have been consistently put off by Williams aforementioned lack of spine.

[Cecily]

He’s been too busy with important C of E matters, like advocating sharia law for Muslims in Great Britain.

[pgkdan]

One of his staff even suggested the rebels were becoming a "Protestant sect".

LOL!

[Petronski]

Dr Rowan Williams adopted unusually forthright language to accuse the hardline traditionalists of lacking legitimacy One of his staff even suggested the rebels were becoming a "Protestant sect".

Say what?!?

[marshmallow]

"It is not enough to dismiss the existing structures of the Communion," he said. "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."

"Martin Luther.......paging Martin Luther!! Please pick up the courtesy phone!! Urgent message from the Archbishop of Canterbury concerning authentic reform of church structures."

Ironic how the children of the Reformation issue a call to unity when it's their church which is about to be sundered and split.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I honestly laughed out loud.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I honestly laughed out loud.

[kalee]

The Brit papers have been more than a bit alarmist, wringing their hands and crying schism. Below is the statement issued by the ABC. Judge for yourself. He has a real mess on his hands and I would hate to be him.

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.

A ‘Primates’ Council’ which consists only of a self-selected group from among the Primates of the Communion will not pass the test of legitimacy for all in the Communion. And any claim to be free to operate across provincial boundaries is fraught with difficulties, both theological and practical – theological because of our historic commitments to mutual recognition of ministries in the Communion, practical because of the obvious strain of responsibly exercising episcopal or primatial authority across enormous geographical and cultural divides.

Two questions arise at once about what has been proposed. By what authority are Primates deemed acceptable or unacceptable members of any new primatial council? And how is effective discipline to be maintained in a situation of overlapping and competing jurisdictions?

No-one should for a moment impute selfish or malicious motives to those who have offered pastoral oversight to congregations in other provinces; these actions, however we judge them, arise from pastoral and spiritual concern. But one question has repeatedly been raised which is now becoming very serious: how is a bishop or primate in another continent able to discriminate effectively between a genuine crisis of pastoral relationship and theological integrity, and a situation where there are underlying non-theological motivations at work? We have seen instances of intervention in dioceses whose leadership is unquestionably orthodox simply because of local difficulties of a personal and administrative nature. We have also seen instances of clergy disciplined for scandalous behaviour in one jurisdiction accepted in another, apparently without due process. Some other Christian churches have unhappy experience of this problem and it needs to be addressed honestly.

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.

The language of ‘colonialism’ has been freely used of existing patterns. No-one is likely to look back with complacency to the colonial legacy. But emerging from the legacy of colonialism must mean a new co-operation of equals, not a simple reversal of power. 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.

I believe that it is wrong to assume we are now so far apart that all those outside the GAFCON network are simply proclaiming another gospel. This is not the case; it is not the experience of millions of faithful and biblically focused Anglicans in every province. What is true is that, on all sides of our controversies, slogans, misrepresentations and caricatures abound. And they need to be challenged in the name of the respect and patience we owe to each other in Jesus Christ.

I have in the past quoted to some in the Communion who would call themselves radical the words of the Apostle in I Cor.11.33: ‘wait for one another’. I would say the same to those in whose name this statement has been issued. An impatience at all costs to clear the Lord’s field of the weeds that may appear among the shoots of true life (Matt.13.29) will put at risk our clarity and effectiveness in communicating just those evangelical and catholic truths which the GAFCON statement presents.

[lastchance]

There has been excellent coverage of GAFCON and the issues that lead to it on the orthodox Anglican Blogs. I recommend Titusonenine, Stand Firm in Faith and Midwest Conservative Journal.

[johnstown]

How can the apostate Archbishop speak truth?

In no way.

[xzins]

You sure you want to agree with the guy who thinks it’s just hunky-dory to ordain a homosexual bishop who left his wife to cohabit with his guy toy?

[KC Burke]

I do feel a modest sympathy for ABC Rowan. He didn’t make this problem — ECUSA and the Canadian Church went down the road to ruination.

He admonished both when he saw the scale of the problem, but certainly too little and too late — acting only due to the problem for the greater communion and not for the apostacy.

Lambeth in 98 was positive in setting aside the issue of Gay Clergy and the like and it was ECUSA who ignored the settlement and broke the whole can of worms open in an effort to run off all orthodox in the ECUSA.