Something that sticks in the craw of the Anglican Church of Canada’s leadership is what the “A” stands for in “ANiC”. Thus, a group of Diocese of Niagara clergy complained when a local paper, the Burlington Post, referred to a new ANiC church building as “Anglican”.
Canon Alan Hayes, a professor of church history at Wycliffe, has defended ANiC’s claim to be Anglican in the Diocese of Niagara’s paper.
I had a chat over coffee with Alan Hayes a few years back; he was an affable fellow who lamented the diminishment of diversity within the ACoC after the departure of the ANiC parishes. While I’m keen to be able to call the church I belong to Christian, I’m not too concerned about whether it is generally recognised as being Anglican or not. Nevertheless, since it causes the opposition such consternation, I will continue to insist that it is, in fact, Anglican.
I don’t think he was fired for consorting with the enemy.
From here (page3):
I’m still digesting the letter you reprinted from some senior Burlington clergy to the Burlington Post differentiating ACC Anglicans from ANC Anglicans.
I hope that this doesn’t start a pattern where ELCIC Lutherans will write in to distinguish themselves from Missouri Synod Lutherans, PAOC Pentecostals from Four-Square Pentecostals, BCOQ Baptists from Fellowship Baptists, CCC Congregationalists from unaffiliated Congregationalists, Free Methodists from Wesleyan Methodists, Roman Catholics from Old Catholics, MCC Mennonites from Old Order Mennonites, OCA Orthodox from ethnic Orthodox, PCC Presbyterians from RPCNA Presbyterians, CRC Reformed from RCA Reformed —the permutations are almost endless.
Come on, Burlington Post! Pay attention to our schisms! Can it have escaped you how important they are?
But, wait. Is it such good strategy for Christians to stomp into the public forum shouting at the top of their lungs, “WE’RE not the same as THEM!”? Have we thought what this sounds like to the world?
Or, more scripturally, can we find spiritual health in rushing to draw lines of separation between ourselves and “the other”? Jesus used the parable of the righteous pharisee to answer that one, and Paul taught that we’re all one in Christ Jesus.
They say that one reason the early Church grew so explosively was that outsiders looked in with awe and said, “See how the Christians love each other!” Now we’re prompting the public to declare, “See how the Christians really, really don’t get along!”
How’s that working for us?
Canon Alan L. Hayes, Oakville
Do you know how many parishes have formally broken ties with the ACC to form or join ANiC? I can’t seem to find the info.
ANiC has 69 congregations. More information here.
Thank you.
But don’t kid yourself. Many of those who left are coming back. ANiC’s disdain for female leadership will be their undoing.
Do you really think so? I would be interested to know where and how many; I don’t know of anyone who has returned to the ACoC from ANiC.
I think that is one of the major miscalculations that the ACoC made in 2008 when this all came to a head. They genuinely believed that many people would want to stick with the existing establishment and that people would be too wedded to their buildings to risk losing them. They also underestimated people’s ability to think for themselves.
I remember when the bishop’s emissary – Michael Patterson in our case – came to St. Hilda’s to make his case to the disaffected among us; he seemed genuinely stunned when he discovered there weren’t any.
In Niagara, St. Hilda’s and Good Shepherd have been closed and St. Peter’s has been converted to a community centre. The only parish soldiering on is St. George’s Lowville; although I don’t know the numbers attending, I strongly suspect that it would be deemed a non-viable parish were Bird not determined to save at least some face. There is a similar situation in the Diocese of New Westminster: St. John’s Shaughnessy has 40 people in a building that will hold over 800 and it is bleeding $20,000 per month.
As for women clergy being ANiC’s undoing: only time will tell. For me the issue is a secondary one whose import pales to insignificance when contrasted with the heresy that runs rampant in the ACoC.
“They also underestimated people’s ability to think for themselves.” Or indeed to let St. Paul think for them. 😉
Better St. Paul than Michael Ingham or Michael Bird…
😛
Do you really think the relatively moderate issue of female leadership trumps the rest? I think it pales in significance when compared to the other complaints.
We have simply been carefully taught by the various proponents of today’s identity politics that feminism is supposed to be such a big deal in every single aspect of life.
Hello Eph,
Hope you are having a happy Advent, and that your Christmas will be filled with joy.
As a casual outside oberserver (for I am not a member of the ANiC) I have noticed that the ANiC is actually growing and spreading. Whereas the ACoC appears to be closing Parishes and Congregations, and downsizing. For example, recently the Congregations of the Bruce Peninsula could no longer afford their own full time Priest, and now share a Priest with the Lutherins.
On the issue of female leadership I will speak for only myself. I have no problem with women accepting leadership roles in a their capacity as members of the Laity. What I do not believe in is woman ordination, and thus cannot accept a woman Bishop, nor a woman Preist. That the ACoC has gone down this path saddens me, and I pray that the day will come when the ACoC corrects what I perceive to be a huge mistake.
Eph
That’s news to me. What ANiC parishes have reformed with ACoC?
Are we talking about parishes or parishioners? Because I personally know someone who worpshipped at an ANiC church and did come back to the ACC. Just the one, mind you, but then I wouldn’t know who was where when just by looking at them.
I think ANiC sounds a lot like Missouri Synod Lutherans. You shun homosexuals and women in leadership, still embrace a common prayer form of worship and reject Papal authority.
Instead of spreading your resources so thin, why not just join the Lutherans? I just don’t think we need yet another Protestant denomination.
Both our bishop and suffragan support female orders. I think you are simply indulging in (for you) wishful thinking.
Funny accusation to predict that the ANiC folks will flee to the ACoC because of issues around female orders. The 1st Priest, that I know personally, who went to the ANiC is female. Keep in mind that the ANiC has formed because of what has happened in the ACoC and will flourish if it continues to focus on Jesus 1st. Also, I probably know more women than men who are not convinced about female orders. Eph 3:20- I think you are just trying to get a rise from us ANiC types. I for one would never go back to the ACoC.