Thinking Anglicans

GS primates on the Covenant

The Christian Post has published a very lengthy article titled New Power Brokers Discuss Future of Anglicanism.

Paul Bagshaw has written about it, in a blog article No clear view of the Covenant from the South. He begins:

Singapore based The Christian Post has kindly set out the views of the Primates at the recent Global South Encounter concerning the Covenant in an article by Edmond Chua entitled New Power Brokers Discuss Future of Anglicanism.

I make the vote:
Yes 1
No 0
Depends on the Covenant / still negotiate 3
No clear statement 5 and (based on the tone of comments) probably no 2, probably yes 3

It was clear that the Global South leaders do not agree on the matter, despite a statement prior to the meeting that 20 Provinces would be expected to endorse the Covenant…

Related to these views, Anglican Mainstream has published the views of Chris Sugden from the May issue of Evanglicals Now. This is in an article headed The Covenant, Canterbury and Persecution. The latter is a reference to Nigeria. His comments include this:

…The UK website group Fulcrum have now recognized that TEC was dishonest from the beginning. But they are still blinded by the belief that Canterbury remains the key to the unity of the Communion and the integrity of orthodox faith in the Communion.

The real issue is not the Covenant, but the Archbishop of Canterbury. His track record in protecting and including TEC is obvious – namely reneging on the agreements at Dromantine (so that TEC was present at the ACC in Nottingham), inviting the consecrators of Gene Robinson to Lambeth ( in advance of the conclusion of the Dar-es-Salaam timetable), and undermining the debate at the ACC in Jamaica which would have mandated a covenant with sanctions…

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Pat O'Neill
Pat O'Neill
13 years ago

So, Sugden’s problem with Canterbury is that he has not been a puppet for the Global South…

Fr John Harris-White
Fr John Harris-White
13 years ago

When we talk about a ‘covenant’, the meaning of the word has different connotation for different peoples and cultures. Within our Anglican family we therefore have many cultures, and families. The strenght of the communion in the past is that we have respected the various families, and each province has had, and still does its own automony. We do not want to go down the road of our Roman brothers, with a ‘monochrome’ structure ruled from the centre. A covenant binding us together could become a rope around our necks, causing further distress, and anger between the Anglican family. Each… Read more »

Lapinbizarre
Lapinbizarre
13 years ago

If Canon Dr Sugden wants to drive the wedge between Canterbury and God’s Saints, rather than between TEC & the same, who are we to try to stop him?

EmiyH
EmiyH
13 years ago

Wonderful to have Canon Sugden’s words. It is one thing to read the right wing blogs and their fringe commenters, but quite another to read such a clear ad hominem attack on, what for many, (and I posit most —even in the ACNA dioceses) is the center of Anglicanism. It was one thing to attack a committee…The attack on the Anglican Consultative Council and attempt to pack with primates, the request for the “voluntary” absence of the Anglican Church of Canada and TEC, the attack on the primates meeting…run by cell phone down the street or shuttle diplomacy to the… Read more »

Dr. John Dieter
Dr. John Dieter
13 years ago

I am a High Church Anglican who is an American and because I serve as veger and reader at a US Army base, I am under the ECUSA. Still I don’t know what all the fuss is about. Anglicanism will continue… it continues in many ways and in many places – regardless if it is under one central lead. In the US there are many, many people who hold the True Anglican Faith regardless if they are “offically” under the See of Canterbury. What’s all thus fuss about – just some notion that there should be one single union. That’s… Read more »

Cheryl Va.
13 years ago

Dar-es-Salaam was a debacle as some people spent most of their time in a side venue preparing interventionary motions of censure and rebuke, primarily aimed at TEC. Many of which were about trying to reinvoke Lambeth passages on TEC, even though TEC weren’t particapants in the session they were passed. Members of this camp are no more interested in working with TEC than they were with the leadership that peacefully brought apartheid to an end. That they continue to lobby against and build counter organisations to TEC is merely continuing the same dynamic that led to the setting up of… Read more »

ordinary vicar
ordinary vicar
13 years ago

Cheryl

‘responsible for life on this and other planets’

er, …. sorry?

Cynthia Gilliatt
Cynthia Gilliatt
13 years ago

“Noll/Barfoot/Sugden/Minns/Andersen/Venables led core”

How DARE you leave out The Lord High Archbishop Dunkin’?

He will throw a mighty and awesome hissy fit!

Cheryl Va.
13 years ago

Ordinary Vicar There are two books. The book of Life and the book of Death. Gaia has and does repeatedly choose the book of Life. You could go and try and breathe on Venus, Mars or a local sun, if you don’t think Gaia is amazing. Jesus was raised as a Jew. He knows about the Cloud of the Divine Presence, the Daughter of Zion (aka the Shekinah). He knows that they work with Gaia to protect life and promote peace. If Christians don’t know that or respect anything female, that is to Jesus and his priests’ shame. If Jesus… Read more »

Father Ron Smith
13 years ago

Isn’t it about Time Chris Sugden left the security of his privileged position within the Church of England and took up residence with one of the Global South protagonists? His constant defamation of the Archbishop of Canterbury is, to say the least, unbecoming for a priest of that Church. Sugden’s patent disloyalty to the Church in which he is a minister ought to cause some discomfort to his Diocesan, whoever that may be, and should perhaps be reined in – if only for the sake of decency. If Mr Sugden so champions the agenda of his Global South friends, perhaps… Read more »

Laurence C
Laurence C
13 years ago

“Isn’t it about time Chris Sugden left the security of his privileged position within the Church of England”

In response to Father Ron Smith : as far as I am aware, Sugden did a curacy in Leeds in the mid-1970s, since when he has not held any positions in the Church of England. He has never been a parish priest anywhere.

Chris Smith
Chris Smith
13 years ago

Sadly, this is all about the theology of hatred. It is time to bid farewell to these fundamentalists of the far right, be they in England, the Global South, or wherever they raise their forked tongues. It is about misogyny and homophobia and fear of the modern. It contains great threads of ignorance woven through the tapestry of hate and therefore, is not of Christ. It is really a political cult more than a Christian movement. The sooner they leave mainstream Anglicanism, the better for all concerned. Their future is questionable based on past history of such break away groups… Read more »

Father Ron Smith
13 years ago

“Sugden did a curacy in Leeds in the mid-1970s, since when he has not held any positions in the Church of England. He has never been a parish priest anywhere.” – Laurence C. on Monday – Ah! That explains a lot of things, Laurence, thank you for that information. How does it come about, then, that he has so much to say on important matters within the Church of England? Is he still an Anglican clergy-person? Does he have a licence from anyone to preach, for instance? – because he certainly gets to preach a lot in the name of… Read more »

Peter Owen
13 years ago

Canon Sugden has a licence to officiate in the Diocese of Oxford. Such licences are commonly given to non-parochial clergy in England. He is a member of the General Synod, elected by his fellow clergy in the diocese of Oxford.

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