Religious Intelligence had Rival Lambeth Conference announced by Nick Mackenzie.
The Living Church had Traditionalists Plan June Conference in Holy Land.
Christianity Today had Global Anglicans Face Test of Strength.
The Washington Post in being the first mainstream media outlet to report this event, unfortunately got the date of it wrong by a whole month.
Earlier the Daily Telegraph had predicted all this accurately, in Second Lambeth Conference a blow to Williams.
Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney has written about his involvement here.
The Sydney link does not work. It should be:
http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/senior_clergy/archbishop_jensen/articles/the_global_anglican_fuiture_conference/
They are being slightly cagey. Either they are going to ‘protect themselves’ or they are not, and protecting means organising. Perhaps they really do think they are organising a “branch” of the Communion, but it will be another Communion. There is probably an element of having it both ways for the time being, to see how the land lies at Lambeth. Still many are not going to Lambeth, as Jensen says, plus many will only afford one.
http://pluralistspeaks.blogspot.com/2007/12/scruntskies-and-anglican-futures.html
Valuable links Simon — I am always interested in how much Archbishop Jensen & I agree (not a typo — we are better off further apart — of course I disagree with his suggestion that some North Americans are as committed to gay right as to the Gospel — many of us have that commitment because we so it AS the Gospel) — of course Jensen was calling for a realignment of the WWAC with new evangelical leadership for the Global South long before Gene Robinson’s election — I respect his integrity even though we disagree on the issues. However,… Read more »
I noted Archbishop Jensen’s point that one thing that distinguished GAFCON from “an alternate Lambeth” would be the inclusion of lay and non-bishop clergy. In that case, is this instead “an alternate ACC?”
Sydney diocese regard Anglo-Catholicism as a deviation form pure Biblical Anglicanism…hence their opposition to the most recent edition of the Australian Prayer Book. They are also dedicated to introducing lay presidency after Lambeth 2008. Archbishop Jensen is on record as regarding the Mass as a serious error…he would not attend the Mass, when Cardinal Pell was inducted. In his Diocese chasubles are banned…there is no prayer for the dead ( let alone to the Saints), communion wine is grape juice and no Sydney Archbishop has ever worn a mitre. Go to Reform london audio to hear Jensen talk on Catholic… Read more »
“he has reduced the test of orthodoxy to homosexuality.”
Isn’t it? Christology certainly isn’t, there are those in the “orthodox” camp who are actively promoting an idea that the Second Person of the Trinity is subordinate to the First Person, father/son and all, in a to my mind bizarre attempt to oppose “female headship”. This is, apparently, orthodox. But the meaning of the word has never been fixed anyway. In 2000 years of Christian history, it has only ever meant what the person using it wanted it to mean in order to define himself against the people he doesn’t like.
Biblical Anglican Christians Communion. Man, it’s going to take a lot of paint to put that on all those church signs. At least now I know how to refer to the schismatics more politely. I can’t get away from the impression that their shenanigans are nothing more than a paper tiger. Grandiose meetings, fancy web pages, lots of bishops and bishop wannabees. But when it’s all said and done what do they have? A federation of diverse and contradictory believers brought together on the basis of their shared distaste of homosexualists and a distrust of scholarship. How long can *that*… Read more »
Ford,
You say about orthodoxy: “it has only ever meant what the person using it wanted it to mean in order to define himself against the people he doesn’t like.”
The position against Marcion, who denied the God of the OT and saw this material world as evil, was nothing. The position against the gnostics, who in contempt for the body said, deny or restrict all desires (or since the body is in any case of no account) indulge it without regard or consideration of the good, all that was just blind opposition! Interesting.
Ben W
Interesting and surprising that one of those opposed to this conference, from a conservative perspective, is Dr Peter Toon (his view being lambasted by some, and conveniently ignored by SF &T19):
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7355
in which he accuses the organisers of being ‘orthodox-lite’!
And in reponse to +Jensen’s piece (and which includes a strong attack on boundary-crossings):
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7361
in which he notes, as have others, that:
“to plan a Conference a month before Lambeth 2008, IN A PLACE WHERE THE LOCAL ANGLICAN BISHOP WAS NOT FIRST CONSULTED, does not seem to be a wise or even courteous action.”
Perhaps, in a nod to the Protestant Henry of Navarre’s thoughts on Paris, Archbishop Dr. Jensen has decided that the possibility of becoming the undisputed leader of an Alternate Anglican Communion is “worth a mass.”
Of course, there are several competitors to be “the new Cantuar,” and not all of them can have their ambitions slaked.
Watch the Alternative Communion dissolve into bitter recriminations within two years or less.
I find Jensen’s Anglicanism anamalous, just to the extent that it is claimed to be exclusively true and comprehensive. The only possible Anglicanism? And I agree that there is a touch of tempest in a realignment teapot to much of the campaigning. As if global juggernaut forces which are affecting us all (regardless) could be stopped by con evo realignment organizing, especially since our current realingment campaign hardly ever accurately names and thinks through the underlying real and effective global forces to which it is willy nilly responding. And. As if returning to allegedly biblical presuppositions and categories, in deliberate… Read more »
Isaiah 29:15 “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” A month before Lambeth is strategic. There will be scripts prepared to get souls to commit to entrenched biblical positions. Followed by minimal time for debate to reduce the risk of losing votes as fallacies, misrepresentations or exaggerations are brought to light. Another way to stacking the numbers is through lay leaders where the acknowledgment of who is a “suitable” leader is firmly controlled by one camp. There was… Read more »
drdanfee,
You can not quite evade the gnostic “reductions” and denials of Christian faith, but you will not converse on the point!? You end by simply diverting to your one and only topic again. And have you heard me denigrate women, or do anything other than recognize their full place in the life of the church?
Ben W
Just read Bishop of Rochester’s reflection on the Bhutto assasination…he’e praying for the family…note not for her ( which of course is Reformed Anglican teaching that true Christians do not pray for the dead). Yet he’s going to a conference where there are some who would offer a requiem Mass for a dead person, let alone pray for them…. Yet he declares the Anglo-Catholic bishop who would do that orthodox, because they are holding the line on homosexuality! Bishop Nazir-Ali will sit on a platform with Archbishop Jensen, when he ordains women priests and Jensen believes that is unbiblical. Yet… Read more »
I’m sure that there are many different agendas involved in this GAFCON operation. However, for the American dissidents there are some pretty clear legal implications. The US courts are inclined to recognize the property interest of hierarchical denominations such as TEC. The exception to this practice is when there appears to be a situation that qualifies as a general denominational split. This effort to turn over the global Anglican apple cart could be used to convince the courts that a basic denominational split has occurred.
Just read Archbishop Jensen’s statement of involvement. Please Note how the definition of Biblical sexuality is left to heterosexual realtionships between a man and woman in marriage. As with the Reform Covenant, The Sugden insopired wider Covenant…the divorce issue is conveniently left out and side stepped.This is amazing coming from people who say their prime purpose is to defend morality and marriage. So here we have it folks…self proclaimed “orthodox” Anglicans determined to defend Biblical standards ( who diasagree with each other on key issues like the meaning of salvation,baptism and the eucharist)cannot ( because of internal evangelical disagreement )nail… Read more »
Kent News has published the following. It appears GAFCON are still deciding whether the ABC is ‘orthodox’ enough to invite:
‘GAFCON spokesman Canon Chris Sugden would not be drawn on whether or not Dr Williams would be invited to the rival conference. He said: “Of course, the Archbishop will be preoccupied with the Lambeth Conference, but no decisions have been made yet.”
A spokeswoman for Lambeth Palace said the Archbishop of Canterbury would not be making any comment on the alternative conference.’
http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/CofE-unity-threatened-by-conference-split-newsinkent8264.aspx
The GAFCON site has now begun publishing ‘resource papers’. So far there is:
Henry Orombi’s ‘What is Anglicanism?’
http://www.gafcon.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9&Itemid=8
James Packer’s ‘Who We Are and Where We Stand’
http://www.gafcon.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10&Itemid=9
I take it that if you disagree with any part of these you are not ‘orthodox’ and, as such, have no place in the new, improved, purified AC?
No, they turn a blind eye to heresy when they want…the denomination that holds Packer, now holds the Anglo-catholic Diocese of San Joaquin. Packer has written all his life against the real presence, the eucharistic sacrifice and eucharistic veneration….bur he will turn a blind eye to this. Although he says that unbiblical doctrines like the afore mentioned justified the Anglican realignment of the sixteenth century from Rome!!! Its just as much a double standard as Sydney Diocese sending its support to San Joaquin, when the same diocese refused to accept an Australian prayer Book with modest liturgical innovations. Yet San… Read more »