Wednesday, July 08, 2009

British Anglo-Catholic Perspectives on the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans

With the exception of the statements affirming papal authority for some, these thoughtful remarks echo the conscientious concerns of a significant number of Anglo-Catholics in the USA regarding ACNA and GAFCON...

From Father Edward Tomlinson:

So after a night’s sleep what is there to say about ‘Be Faithful’? Sadly nothing overly encouraging, as might have been expected. Our Evangelical brothers and sisters, sincere, upright and worthy of our friendship though they may be, are wanting to progress down a path that is more not less protestant than is presently the case. And, as ever, whilst the determination for mission is strong, the understanding of ecclesial theology is weak. If this is to be the future of Anglicanism….what role would Anglo-Catholics have to play?

Because yesterday, despite seeing a hand of friendship extended , no real desire was shown to include Anglo-Catholics. The worship, style, presenters, intercessors, examples of good practice, decisions concerning what constitutes primary and secondary issues all reflected an evangelical mindset. We Catholics had been invited but not really embraced and that is a shame.

+Edwin Barnes, one time Bishop of Richborough and one time principal of S. Stephen’s House Theological College sent me his following reflection:

All who prayed during the performance were Evangelicals. Why no Catholics? Equally, all who spoke of church growth &c… yet I could have provided (and the PEVs even more) numerous examples of good practice.

Why was everyone so censorious? “There were no Bible-believing Christians in that area, so we planted….” But I KNOW Headington and two of the priests there. Why undermine them?

It was good to hear John Hind speak of Church order; but others referred to women’s ordination and consecration as second order matters, not comparable to Gospel defining issues. Not for me they’re not.

I was dismayed at Jim Packer’s lauding of the Articles. Bashing us with them seems little different to me from bashing Americans with the Canons. Man-made, of one time, and not Gospel.

After all this I cannot see how there can be common cause between Catholics and Evangelicals. We are looking to going home to the Universal Church, in Communion with the Holy Father and half Christendom. They seem to want to perpetuate a sixteenth century accident.

If I blogged, this would be on my blog. Instead I shall send it to a few friends to see how you respond.

God bless.
Ever, +Edwin


I would have to agree with +Edwin. Whilst we share concerns with Evangelicals over abandonment of the faith from within, and whilst we both can say the creed and believe it, there is simply so much we disagree about. Not least our vision for what the church should be- whilst Catholics dream of a day when Christendom is united under the papacy, our Evangelical brethren dream about lay celebration and church planting without the permission of Bishops!

Thus the Fellowship of Continuing Anglicans can be assured of my prayers and best wishes. I think this fellowship will play a very significant role in the future of Christianity on these shores. But once again it seems we Anglo-Catholics are alone, a tiny group who might fall down the gap created when the liberals and evangelicals tear apart from one another.

More than ever we must stand together and pray, trusting God to provide for our future. Which is not all bad; standing together can be great fun as the final photographs demonstrate. Above all yesterday was a delightful opportunity to catch up with my brother priests, who are very dear to me. Wherever my future lies, it is with them:


From Father Ivan Aquilina:

The perception I got on Sunday night at the FCA preparatory meeting here at Sevenoaks was confirmed by the proceedings at Westminster Hall yesterday. I did not go to the gathering but followed it all on a live web feed. It became clearer as the day progressed that this is an Evangelical fellowship with Anglo-Catholics tagged behind both for numbers and for the scoop of saying that Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals are now presenting a united front. I think it was right for the Forward in Faith leadership to give this a go but now there are enough signs for the same leadership to pull out immediately. The fact that Anglo-Catholics in North America are part and parcel of this movement does not mean that we should be too. Many readers will know that Anglo-Catholicism in the States and here is different, especially in the way we think about re-union with the See of Peter.
There is also the myth that yesterday’s proceedings could be divided between a hopeful morning and an embarrassing afternoon. While the morning and afternoon were different in feel, yet the substance of the morning was very dangerous and undermining. I agree that in the afternoon it was all about Evangelical witness of “good practice” and hurt and Anglo-Catholics were sidelined to the very margins.

The Evangelical ordinand who did not know what Confirmation is, for me, is a cause of grave concern as all the seven sacraments are Scriptural.

In the morning we all agreed with Bishops Hind and Ackerman, but there is no surprise there. However, it was in the same morning session that we heard Dr Packer and Archbishop Jensen. Dr Packer spoke about the 39 articles – are these Scriptural? Dr Jensen focused on sex and gender with the ordination of women relegated to a side issue that we will talk about – is that not Scriptural? He did not mention lay presidency, and that is heretical and yet he supports it.

As Anglo-Catholics we have fought inch by inch to live the Catholic faith, and this since the Reformation. Why should we overlook our history and go back to the event which in many parts stands against what we stand for?

Our battle is a difficult one, we shall win by being faithful to Christ, by washing the feet of his disciples and by holding the Faith Catholic once delivered to the saints. Playing political games, or hiding under the wings of those who do not understand Christ with the mind of the Universal Church is not only dangerous, but in my opinion sinful.

I believe that we have a place in the Church of England and we should stay in it for as long as needs be as witnesses to the Faith Catholic. When this is impossible, not any fault of ours, when we are driven to share the experiences that Anglo-Catholics in Wales are facing now, than we need to find a new home. I trust and hope that the home we seek is the one that is founded on Peter, consecrated by the blood of Martyrs and hallowed by the witness of the saints.

With the Orthodox Christian philosopher Vladimir Soloviev (1853-1900) I say: “I recognise as supreme judge in matters of religion him who has been recognised as such by St Irenaeus, St Dionysius the Great, St Athanasius the Great, St John Chrysostom, St Cyril, St Flavian, the Blessed Theodoret, St Maximus the Confessor, St Theodore of the Studium, St Ignatius, and on and on – namely, the apostle Peter, who lives in his successors…”

If Anglo-Catholics can own this statement than the new fellowship is not the right way to follow.

6 comments:

Michael L. Ward+ said...

One can certainly feel the heaviness of heart in these comments.

MLW+

charles said...

I come from a presbyterian background and have convinced a number of Presbyterian friends about the correctness of Anglicanism or a 'reformed catholicism'. However, in they end they admit they are rather 'stuck in their ways' and will cling to what they are accustomed to.

However, I have not found it impossible to persuade others. I think we have a number of choices here. Is it worth talking to 'protestants' at all? Or should we limit our ecumenical contact with non-Anglican, EO or RC?

We share a common history and tradition with ACNA. We should set a long term goal to outreach with them and influence their thinking. One mistake we make is to lump Anabaptist(evangelical) and Magisterial protestantism together when indeed they are totally different. The problem is ACNA is drifting the way of Anabaptism. We need to communicate, and I find the best way to talk to another is through their own tradition. We need to explain to them they are falling away from 'true' protestantism. True protestantism is basically catholic and patristic. Luther even believed the Ordained were in persona christi, and this gives us a basis to talk about the bishop as sacrament. Magisterial protestantism had high views on sacrament, ordained vs. lay, and church order/discipline. What is occuring today is not genuine protestantism but Anabaptism creeping into the last of the original Magisterial churches!

We need to use some economy like the East does (or even ++Jonah) to win our brothers. They are brothers, aren't they?

Anyway, this is largely an appeal for creative and historically thoughtful, theologically true, polemics. This means lots of pamphleteering. Dr. Toon was good at this... And so were tractarians?What about a methodism to recapture the methodists? etc.

Joe said...

We really have to pray, seek Gods will, and ask ourselves; if the Anglican Church fails do we (Anglo-Catholics) go back to the Roman Church or do we lean more in belief with the Western Right Orthodox. If you are only Anglo-Catholic because you long for the day that Anglicans are reunited with the Pope, than you might want to go ahead and find your way to a Roman Church. I can not see the Vatican taking us in as Anglicans even Anglo-Catholics, in my life time. Maybe it is just me but I see as an Anglo-Catholic I am closer in belief with Western Right Orthodox than with Rome.

We are losing ground with the Anglican Church as a whole. We are going to have to fight for the true Anglican beliefs that we have, by separating ourselves from the other “Anglican” groups (i.e. ANCA, ECUSA/TEC) and making a stand. We need to stand out in such a way that does not turn people away from our doors but at the same time lets everyone know that we are not the same as those other groups. If we want to see the Anglican Church survive the next twenty years than we must rid ourselves of this conflict; leave the ANCA to there own demise and focus on the Church. The ANCA will fail just as ECSUA and the Anglican Communion has fallen; we true Anglicans, Anglo-Catholics, and Traditional Anglicans have to find a way to work together and my prayer is that we unit under one Traditional Anglican banner free from evangelicalism, far away from ANCA and there doomed leadership and work to unit the true Anglican Church in its long lasting catholic traditions.

Joe said...

I just looked at that last post of mine, sorry you may want to spell check, I was really tired. haha.

charles said...

Hello Joe,

Yes, it would be nice to see merger between Continuing churches, especially APA with ACC. That is a first step most can agree upon. If we can't do the lesser, then how can we ever do the greater?

John Dieter said...

The ACNA has been getting a bit of press in Europe where I live, as well as by the Anglican Journal, published in Canada. Nobody is really being fooled by what’s going on with this group. They are essentially an anti-Gay Evangelical organization who is seen as paying some lip service to Anglo-Catholics, just so as to appear as a unified front. About half of their contingent is open to the ordination of women – something that is a far more serious threat to Apostolic Succession. The trend that is really being discussed in the UK is the flight of Anglo-Catholics to Rome, something that is appearing to pick up some speed. I am not surprised by this given the trends that are cascading within the C of E and that it is so well-entwined with the government. The other day, Her Majesty, The Queen did acknowledge the existence of the ACNA, but is likely far from doing anything beyond this. Regardless, I can understand an Anglo-Catholic flight to Rome, given the alternatives throughout the Anglican Communion and that splinter groups may not be recognized in the UK. While I respect some of Rowan Williams’ New Testament theology, he is a very liberal guy.

Archbishop Donald Arden

Apostolic Succession - our APA episcopal great-grandfather - on 30th November 1961, William James Hughes, Archbishop of Central Africa, serv...