Canterbury Skulduggery

According to VOL, while one Primate has already left Canterbury, Foley Beach is still part of the proceedings and the Primates intend to continue in the gathering until the bitter end.

I also understand from another source that, contrary to a previous report, some think that the longer the meeting drags on, the more favourable it is to Welby’s reconciliation machinations:

It should have ended by lunchtime today with nine or so GAFCON primates walking out.

It did not happen. By midday it was clear the GAFCON Primates were not ready to leave; powerful forces were at work to keep them all at the table led by the reconciling voice of Canon David Porter, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Director of Reconciliation. No one has been ejected, but no one ever thought that would happen, but it is incorrect to say that no one has left. (I am not permitted to say which Primate).

[…..]

Deep concerns have been expressed that Archbishop Welby has substituted a management style for ecclesial leadership but not the spiritual leadership needed to navigate these perilous spiritual waters.

Clearly unity has not been achieved. The conservatives have neither caved in nor achieved their goals, but there is enormous pressure being put on them to accommodate to Welby. There is enormous frustration all round.

Archbishop Beach is clearly visible and was present in the quire tonight at Evensong, but that proves nothing. Not all the primates attend Evensong so that also proves nothing. He has been participating fully, according to my source.

Tomorrow, Thursday and the subject will be the ACNA and Foley Beach. What will they do to him or for him is the question. What leverage does Welby have to include him with revisionist archbishops like Canadian Primate Fred Hiltz wanting him gone?

This I know, Archbishop beach will not accommodate anything to appease the liberal revisionist western primates. He will concede nothing like a federation or commonwealth or two integrities living side by side like a divorced couple still living in the same house. He has been abundantly clear on that score and he has the total support of Primates like Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria, Eliud Wabukala of Kenya and Stanley Ntagali of Uganda. Perhaps others. After all he got brutalized by TEC so what is in it for him to cave into anything TEC or the ACoC would offer even coming from the “reconciling” hand of Justin Welby.

I have been told that the primates will go the full course that is, we won’t truly know anything till Friday when all will be made known. Stay tuned.

Another report from the Telegraph, has the Primates complaining of being “treated like children”, of being separated from one another to prevent collusion and of being made to hand over their mobile phones. I never thought I’d see the day, but it would appear that Anglicanism is being transformed into a cult under the auspices of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The facilitators have been accused of “manipulation“, the process as being “rigged” and the talks as being a “weasel process“. In other words, just like a typical ACoC or TEC synod. The facilitating sounds like one typically employed by large corporations to create an illusion of activity, line the pockets of the consultant facilitators and nudge participants to the predefined conclusion. Having worked for large companies for almost 50 years and being compelled to participate in many of these activities, I made my peace with the exercise by learning to doze with my eyes open while consoling myself that I was being paid to perfect the technique:

The Archbishop of Canterbury was last night accused treating African archbishops “like children” in an attempt to avoid a full public walkout during make-or-break talks on the future of the worldwide Anglican church.

Sources close to the behind-closed-doors negotiations in Canterbury claimed a handful of clerics had already temporarily taken “time out” from the negotiations but returned to the discussions to avoid splitting the traditionalist camp.

Up to 15 of the 38 prelates taking part in the talks are also understood to have withdrawn from joint prayer services in Canterbury Cathedral in a sign of the depth of the divisions over issues such as homosexuality.

But sources claimed that fears of a dramatic public walkout on the first few days of the talks had been avoided by negotiation tactics involving separating people into small groups, unable even to communicate with each other for most of the time.

Clerics are understood to have been asked to hand in mobile phones for much of the time during the talks, overseen by two trained “facilitators” specialising in “reconciliation” tactics.

One said that the traditionalists had been so effectively segregated that some had even resorted to holding snatched meetings in each other’s rooms in their accommodation at night.

“They have been treated like children,” the source added.

“The whole process has been rigged from the start.”

He branded the talks a “weasel” process which could not ultimately prevent a permanent schism in Anglicanism.

Another added: “There has been a combination of deference and manipulation.

“They have not been allowed to speak to each other

“They are honourable men and if you are part of the process you have to stay in the process.”

[…..]

one source close to the traditionalists said: “There is a 90 per cent chance that the schism that took place with the consecration of Gene Robinson will now be full articulated by Friday teatime – with or without people walking out of the gate.

“By the end of the week there will be some who say that the version of Christianity practised by the Episcopal Church and the Church of England is not something we can be part of.”

Here is some late news sure to set the teeth of Fred Hiltz and Michael Curry on edge – never a bad thing:

What can be reported is Anglican Church in North America primate Foley Beach has become a de facto primate of the communion, at this point in the meeting. He has participated fully in the gathering and contrary to assertions made by Lambeth Palace staffers and some primates in the weeks before the meeting, he has not been asked to withdraw after the first day, nor shunted to one corner to be talked about — AI’s sources are unanimous in saying the ACNA archbishop is a full participant.

And, the momentum of the meeting through Wednesday was favorable towards the GAFCON faction. Several undecided primates are now known to have cast their lot with the conservatives — one writing to his bishops that he had joined the side “fighting the Americans and Canadians”.

The Primates’ gathering continues

Unlike Tuesday, all the Primates have turned up for Evensong today:

Primate

Read more at Anglican Ink:

Gathered inside the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral the archbishops and moderators of the Anglican Communion, accompanied by translators, and a few aides, have weathered three days of intense conversation about the shape and future of the church. As of the lunch break on the third day, no one has left and no one has been ejected. The conservatives primates are still at the negotiating table and neither the Episcopal Church nor the Anglican Church in North America’s primates have been shown the door…….

An unscientific headcount would shift the ratio to 30 conservatives, 6 liberals and 8 uncommitted — Archbishop Welby’s support for the GAFCON/Global South position having shortened the odds for the conservatives. One primate in the undecided column a the start of the meeting emailed his bishops on Tuesday night saying that he was on the side now battling against the Americans and Canadians. (What does that tell us — that there is a shift of positions within the meeting as the undecideds choose sides — and that there is a battle underway).

The disquiet that arose at the close of the second day came in part from the conservatives disappointed that Archbishop Welby had withdrawn his support — substituting management culture for ecclesial leadership. Some got off the fence as a result of the archbishop’s intervention — others were angered by what they saw as his lack of resolve.

One insider told AI that the longer the meeting lasted, the stronger would be the final communique in favor of the conservative position. The conservatives did not see the need to leave after the first two days because they momentum of the meeting appeared to them to be in their favor. If they walked out, it was because Archbishop Welby had flatly denied their request to discipline the Americans and Canadians. The Americans and Canadians had not left the meeting because the conservatives had not yet achieved their goal.

The question facing the primates on Wednesday would be whether Archbishop Welby would get out of the way or lead.

What comes to mind in any potential “discipline” against TEC and the ACoC, is another example of “discipline” in 2010 when Rowan Williams asked Katharine Jefferts-Schori to step down from the Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and to absent herself from the next Primates’ Meeting. Once the placating effects of the ritual humiliation were complete, all was forgotten and forgiven, nothing changed and Jefferts-Schori was attending all meetings as if nothing had happened.

I do hope that no one is deceived by a similar empty gesture from Welby.

More from Peter Ould:

If Monday’s Evensong was the Spirit led Perfect Storm of Scripture and Tuesday’s was the despondent depths, tonight’s was the subdued but significant. With barely a minute to go there were the same number of Primates as yesterday and then suddenly Foley Beach joined them and sat down. The number of Primates in the Quire then doubled as in the remaining leaders processed in full choir robes, liberals and conservatives alike.

Clearly unity has been achieved for the moment and the Cathedral listened to Amos 3 teach us of punishment for sin and the saving of a remnant, and 1 Corinthians 2 speak of the power of proclaiming Christ crucified.

From conversation and prayer afterwards I discerned that the conservative Primates have neither caved in nor achieved their goals. I’m sure many will be frustrated by this, but we are not in the room and we do not know the dynamics at play.

Continue to pray for God to be glorified. There are two more days to go and tonight’s full house is clear evidence that our LORD is in the business of miracles. Pray also for the Archbishop of Canterbury and his wife (who is here supporting him) – the emotional and spiritual strain must be enormous.

The case of the missing Primates

From SF:

Large Number of Conservative Primates Missing from Tuesday Evensong

We have reports from a number of people at Canterbury that tonight’s evensong was a very different affair to yesterday. All the GAFCON Primates were missing, along with a number of Global South (including Mouneer). Clearly something is afoot.

I’m not sure what you’re doing, but I’m going to be praying for Welby that he has the courage to do what is right.

Our church received a message today from an attendee requesting prayer because “today is  a very critical day”.

More here:

As midnight approaches in Canterbury it’s been a fascinating second day at the Primates 2016 Gathering.

As we reported yesterday, all the GAFCON and some Global South (GS) Primates declined to attend Communion in the morning. We have little details of discussions during the day but the most dramatic moment was evensong at 5.30pm when it very quickly became apparent that a large number of Primates were missing, not even attending as they had done on Monday. Amongst the GS Primates missing was Mouneer Anis, Archbishop of the Middle East, considered by many to be a key influential figure in the Global South. Many commentators have been looking to his actions as a bellwether of how other GS Primates might act.

There was no photograph of evensong tonight, unlike yesterday. Yesterday’s photo has, apparently, caused some upset amongst the Primates. I am told by an informed source that Lambeth Palace had promised that there would be no photographs, but then subsequently published the Monday night photograph. For some this was seen as another blatant attempt to push the unity theme. That, however, appears to have now backfired with the large absence tonight standing in contrast to the attendance yesterday.

Meetings will continue tomorrow (although attendance at Morning Prayer by many is doubtful). A source close to the GAFCON leadership tells me they remain very united and there are a number of GS Primates who are acting in consort. While discussions will carry on, it appears that the “reconciliation” approach of David Porter has failed to persuade GAFCON to compromise their position.

I can also report that all the Primates are still meeting in the same room. I think you could call the discussions “full and frank”. Archbishop Foley Beach of the ACNA has been present all the time.

And here:

Peter Ould
So, it is two hours after Evensong in Canterbury Cathedral finished. Last night it was electric – the Holy Spirit preaching to the Church through the lectionary – Amos 1’s warning, 1 Corinthians 1 pleading for unity, practically all the Primates gathered. A real sense of God being present.

Tonight I sat in the Quire an hour before the service and just prayed for God to be glorified. Interspersed between my tongues I sang the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy which I realised afterward is to the tune Nicaea. Then the choir and Primates processed in. A third if not more of the Primates were missing and the atmosphere was totally different to Monday. Amos 2 moved from the warning of chapter 1 into judgement. Justin Welby spent large parts of the service knelt in prayer, almost oblivious to what was going on around him. I felt suddenly spiritually drained after the power of my hour of prayer. Afterwards a number of journalists wanted to ask me what I thought, but I needed a moment to myself. I was genuinely close to tears.

Clearly something is happening and it’s probably happening right now – we need to pray for the Primates and we need to pray for Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. And don’t pray for what you want to happen, just pray for God to be glorified.

And here:

The Archbishop of Canterbury could face a walk out Tuesday of conservative archbishops, whose call for him to honor past agreements of the primates meetings and to restore “godly order” to the Anglican Communion, appears not to have been met. Though no walk out has happened so far, and ACNA Archbishop Foley Beach has been a full participant from the start, the tone of the meeting has changed, and the pace has quickened.

On the second day of the gathering of primates, sources tell Anglican Ink, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was asked by leaders of the GAFCON and Global South Anglican movements to address the divisions within the Communion caused by innovations in doctrine and discipline adopted by the Episcopal Church of the USA and Anglican Church of Canada. Late on Tuesday, it appears he has failed to do so to their satisfaction.

In statements released before the meeting, African, Asian and South American church leaders warned they would leave the meeting — not leave the Anglican Communion — if the two North American provinces were not disciplined for introducing liturgies of same-sex blessings/marriages and consecrating non-celibate gay and lesbian clergy as bishops.

The chairman of GAFCON, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala of Kenya on 17 Dec 2015 said the January gathering “a basic church-defining principle will be at stake: Will Christ rule our life and witness through His word, or will our life and witness be conformed to the global ambitions of a secular culture?”

The capitulation of some Western provinces to the cultural relativism, nihilism and sexual antinomianism of the age was a challenge to the integrity of Anglicanism’s witness to the Gospels of Jesus Christ, he said. The issue was not homosexuality, per se, but the corrosive culture of the West.

“We are praying that the Communion will emerge from its current crisis repentant, renewed and restored for its global mission of proclaiming the gospel which is good news for all people, in all places and at all times. This is the hope and testimony of the GAFCON Primates as they approach this gathering,” he said.

Archbishop Stanley Ntagali spelled out what such repentance would look like in a letter to the clergy of Uganda on 6 January 2016. He noted the Church of Uganda’s synod had adopted a resolution withdrawing the province from participation “any official meetings of the Anglican Communion until godly order is restored.”

It had been eight years since the Primates had unanimously agreed to a plan “to bring discipline and restore order” to the Communion, but Archbishop Rowan William “unilaterally overruled it and did not implement it.”

The GAFCON primates had met with Dr. Williams’ successor, Archbishop Justin Welby, in Nairobi in 2014 and Egypt in 2015 and explained that they could not participate in official meetings where representatives of the American and Canadian churches were present. The January Canterbury assembly was a “gathering” and not a “meeting”, he said, allowing him to attend to discuss the future of the communion.

GAFCON had a “clear vision” for the church, and Archbishop Welby “understands that the first topic of conversation in the ‘gathering’ of Primates is the restoration of godly order in the Anglican Communion. This is the unfinished business from the non-implemented, but unanimously agreed, Communique from the 2007 Primates Meeting in Dar es Salaam.”

“If godly order is restored during the “gathering” of Primates, then I will be free to join any subsequent Primates Meeting that may be convened immediately thereafter in Canterbury. If such godly order is not restored, then I will uphold the Provincial Assembly’s resolution and withdraw from the meeting.,” Archbishop Ntagali said.

Details of the deliberations of the second day are unclear, as no press statements or briefings have been given to the media. However, sources tell Anglican Ink that they believe an agenda was set on the first day that set placed discussion of the concerns over the US and Canada for Tuesday.

On Monday evening the GAFCON and Global South primates were upbeat. Archbishop Welby had delivered an address to them that acknowledged the virtues of their position, and outlined how the Church of England was attempting to hold the line against secularist and relativist encroachments in the moral life of England and in the doctrines and discipline of the Episcopal Church.

Sources present at the worship service on Monday evening tell AI there was an “electric” atmosphere in Canterbury Cathedral, where the words of Scripture read in the Evensong service seemed tailor made for the issues before the archbishops.

However, when the question was put to the group on Tuesday, the trajectory of the meeting shifted. Though details remain unconfirmed, it is believed Archbishop Welby attempted to use a technique he brought to the 2011 Dublin primates meeting.

In Dublin, Archbishop Welby — then the Dean of Liverpool — served as a facilitator of conversations amongst the primates using the Delphi Method. Developed by the RAND Corporation in the USA, the Delphi method is structured communication technique, where participants break into small groups and discuss set questions. A facilitator or change agent provides an anonymous summary of the discussions as well as the reasons for the participant’s judgments. Participants are encouraged to revise their earlier answers in light of the replies of other members of their group — during the process the range of answers decreases and the group converges towards a “correct” answer.

Use of the Delphi method at the 2008 primates meeting and other pan-Anglican gatherings has been sharply criticized by non-Western clergy, who see it as a paternalistic attempt to manipulate them and achieve a predetermined outcome, by adopting a “divide and conquer” approach. It is believed this method of discussion was resisted by some primates who wished to proceed as a committee of the whole.

Worship on Tuesday evening in Canterbury Cathedral gave witness to the discord amongst the primates. One participant (not a primate) told AI the atmosphere had changed. “Spiritually it was totally different. Last night it was electric with the Scriptures speaking clearly and powerfully, as if God was speaking.”

On Tuesday it “felt spiritually totally different .. it felt blue.”

Coupled with these spiritual observations was the absence of from half to a third of the primates from worship — including all of the GAFCON primates and many of the Global South primates. Among those present, the pleasantries and casual conversation of the first evening were now absent. The Archbishop of York scowled throughout the service, while the Archbishop of Canterbury spent two thirds of the service on his knees in silent prayer. Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry appeared to be exhausted, and dragged his leg as he walked up the aisle, while Canadian Archbishop Fred Hiltz was “stoic” throughout the service.

Unconfirmed reports state some primates met on Tuesday evening to discuss their next move. Speculation centers around several scenarios: leaving at once, leaving in the morning, attending the morning session to see if the situation changes overnight, or staying put and insisting on reform and pushing back against the cultural biases that could derail the gathering.

Questions about the Archbishop of Canterbury’s leadership skills have also arisen amongst the primates, AI has learned, with some privately saying a solution could be found if he stepped to one side, placing less reliance on Western managerial techniques and more on the power of the Holy Spirit.

Officially, nothing has happened. No one has yet left the meeting, and the sun may shine all day Wednesday. However, the day may well end with wounded and embarrassed Justin Welby.

A walk out, sources tell AI, does not mean an end to the Anglican Communion. For the GAFCON primates it has been broken since the 2003 emergency primates meeting at Lambeth Palace when for the first time the archbishops refused to take communion together at the same altar — Eucharistic fellowship has been impaired for over 12 years. Nor will the situation worsen, as a walk out will see no immediate changes in structures or relationships of the 38 Anglican provinces. It will be, however, as Archbishop Welby told the BBC on Monday, a “failure” for him and his attempts to heal a broken church.

Anglican Unscripted update on the Primates’ gathering

Justin Welby’s address to the Primates can be found here.

I’m not sure I share the optimism about the GAFCON friendliness of Welby’s address; it seems like a groping for crumbs of consolation in a familiar sea of clichéd boilerplate to me. Still, there was a hint of scolding in this reference to litigation:

We can also paint a gloomy picture of the moral and spiritual state of Anglicanism. In all Provinces there are forms of corruption, none of us is without sin. There is litigation, the use of civil courts for church matters in some places. Sexual morality divides us over same sex issues, where we are seen as either compromising or homophobic. The list can go on and on. The East African Revival teaches us the need for holiness. We must be renewed as a holy church, defined by our passionate worship and its content, with every Christian knowing scripture, prayerful, humble and evangelistic. In a sentence, we must be those who are, to the outside world, visibly disciples of Jesus Christ.

The Primates’ gathering: still intact after day 1

It would seem that no one has walked out of the Primates’ gathering in Canterbury yet.

Also, according to this report, Foley Beach – and, presumably Charlie Masters – have not been ejected:

Fears the first day would see a walkout did not come to pass — to the chagrin of the crew of a BBC video truck parked outside the cathedral in the rain awaiting the capture on film of the departure of the conservatives. At the close of business the primates attended a public Evensong service in Canterbury Cathedral — with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church of the USA sitting four places down from Archbishop Foley Beach of the Anglican Church in North America.

British press speculation and informed sources opined before the meeting that Archbishop Beach would be sent home after the first day. Conservative commentators expected the GAFCON primates to demand the expulsion of Bishop Michael Curry and Archbishop Fred Hiltz as a condition of their continued participation at the opening bell. Neither appears to have occurred — so far.

Fred Hiltz must have been feeling lonely as he processed into Evensong:

only a minority of the Primates dressed in convocation robes and an even smaller minority (described to me by an attendee as “the arch-liberals”, including the Primates of TEC and Canada) processed. The effect was clear, if unintended, in demonstrating how few their number were. Most of the Primates simply sat and waited.

New secretary general of the Anglican Communion gets Frank Griswold’s approval

That can’t be good.

From here:

Many Anglican and Episcopal leaders are celebrating the appointment of Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon of the Anglican Diocese of Kaduna, Nigeria, as the next secretary general of the Anglican Communion.

“Josiah is, above all, a man of communion, a careful listener, and a respecter of the different ways in which we are called to articulate and live the good news of God in Jesus Christ,” former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold told Episcopal News Service following the appointment.

He is ‘committed to God’s mission of reconciliation’. He isn’t, of course, because God’s reconciliation is for us to reconcile to himself through his Son. God expects us to love one another: if a fellow Christian departs from the faith once delivered, it isn’t loving for everyone to pretend nothing is wrong by institutionalising a bogus state of reconciliation.

Connecticut Bishop Ian Douglas, a member of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion, said he has known Idowu-Fearon for more than a decade through a variety of inter-Anglican bodies and responsibilities and finds him “committed to God’s mission of reconciliation, both between people of different faiths and between the churches of the Anglican Communion.”

One might be tempted to take comfort in the hope that Idowu-Fearon could scarcely be worse than his predecessor, Kenneth Kearon, whose facility for churning out densely packed clichés was unmatched by even the most tenaciously vacuous bishops in Western Anglicanism. Time will tell.

Anglican priest washes lesbian’s feet, forgets the bit about go and sin no more

Rev. Sean Major-Campbell was not just washing a woman’s feet, of course, he was making a point: the washing was part of a service in celebration of human rights. Redemption from sin through Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross had no place in the service; nor, it goes without saying, did repentance.

It doesn’t seem to have occurred to the foot washing Rev. that without the forgiveness gained through Jesus’ costly sacrifice, we have no rights before God at all; even with forgiveness, everything we have is a gift rather than a right. Had Jesus’ ministry been one of celebrating our rights rather than freeing us from our sin, Christianity would not have endured its early persecution, let alone manage to form a church that would survive long enough to sink into the decadent self-destructiveness of paying the ilk of Major-Campbell to distort its central message.

From here:

An Anglican priest this morning washed the feet of a Jamaican lesbian as part of a service calling for the Church to be more forthright in its demand for the recognition and respect of human rights for all. ‎

Reverend Father Sean Major-Campbell conducted the ritual at the Christ Church in Vineyard Town, where he is also the Rector.

The service, dubbed ‘In celebration of human rights’, was attended by several of Jamaica’s leading human rights groups and advocates.

Standing Committee has developed a Bible toolkit.

From here:

Stephen Lyon began the day by sharing with the Standing Committee that the Bible in the Life of the Church’s project stage will come to an end in 2016. He hoped the project would leave the Communion a legacy of “a toolkit to do the Bible better”.

An anonymous source has informed AS that the primary “do the Bible better” item in the toolkit will be a pair of TEC supplied and paid for rainbow tinted glasses.

Anglican priest blesses the burqa

Rev. Rod Bower from the Anglican Parish of Gosford, as part of the unceasing Anglican striving after inclusion, relevance and trendiness, likes to put irritating signs up outside his church. This time he is blessing burqas; at least it makes a change from blessing same sex marriages.

It’s easy to see why Bower wants to bless burqas: he dresses in one himself – he was considerate enough to remove the headpiece for this photo:

3010_bower1_spFrom here:

A Central Coast man of God is continuing his crusade as a man of the people, calling on parishioners to “bless the burqa” as a campaign to ban facial coverings comes once more before Parliament.

Archdeacon Rod Bower of the Anglican Parish of Gosford has gained a measure of online fame with his pithy, popular church signs, which are always a hit on social media.

The latest offering shows Fr Bower standing in full ceremonial religious dress by the sign, which reads “Bless The Burqa”.

“I’m all for the religious (and non religious) freedom to wear what you like in public,” Fr Bower wrote on Facebook.

What eludes the Rev Bower is that if many of the women who do wear a burqa had the freedom of choice he thinks he is championing, they wouldn’t be seen dead in one.

As a reward for his innovative work in using church signs to explore hitherto untapped veins of clerical folly, he has been made an archdeacon.