By David W. Virtue in Charleston
www.virtueonline.org
1/22/2010
When the Archbishop of Canterbury writes to Archbishop Robert Duncan, he addresses him as “Most Reverend”, a tacit acknowledgment of the existence and legitimacy of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) and the reality of his leadership.
Speaking to several hundred orthodox Anglicans at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church at a conference on Mere Anglicanism, Duncan said the Church of England will seek to recognize the ACNA as faithful Anglicans next month when the CofE Synod meets in London. “The church of England desires to be in communion with us. A quarter of their members have signed a document agreeing with us,” Duncan told a mixed audience of Anglicans and Episcopalians.
Duncan said the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans and GAFCON movement are in full accord with ACNA and that he had just heard from the Primate of the Congo saying his province would recognize the new North American Anglican province.
“The Global South’s 22 provinces of the 38 are in a relationship with ACNA and in an increasing way. He said he expects Myanmar, Southeast Asia and Jerusalem would soon be on board. It is an unfolding series of relationships,” said Duncan.
The archbishop, who is also the (original) Bishop of Pittsburgh, said that going through the Instruments of Unity was not the way for him or ACNA. “Others control the system and that might give you the answer, so one doesn’t ask if one knows the answer.”
Duncan said that Anglicanism has to emerge in a new way. “The systems we built are no longer working. The Britishness of the Anglican Communion cannot endure forever. A secular government cannot choose religious leaders.”
“In North America, we have moved from Common Cause Partnership vision into ACNA that is biblical, missionary and united. The goal of ACNA is to reach North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ.”
Duncan said Anglicans do not have enough clarity about who Jesus is and what the cross represents. “Our people need to be well catechized.”
Duncan said that research showed that multiplying congregations was the most effective way to reach people for Jesus Christ. “We need to start new congregations. In new congregations half the congregants are new believers. Congregations should spread like viruses do. We need to multiply congregations. I made a call to the inaugural assembly to plant 1000 new churches in the next 5 years. In June of this year we had 703, we now have 765 congregations.”
Duncan said he had young people, the 20-something generation coming up to him saying they wanted to be part of this movement.
“Most of us have lost our money and buildings and then we discover it actually it takes the Holy Spirit to build a church. It is movements that change the world. Did Wesley in the 18th century have money or did he have a vision? The Holy Spirit gave him the message that transformed the church in his time. No denomination in North America has ever planted 1000 churches in five years. It is a big hairy audacious goal, fueled by the Holy Spirit.”
The archbishop also said he has a proposal and plans to plant a diocese in the San Francisco Bay area.
While the Mere Anglican conference focuses on issues of sexuality, Duncan said that homosexuality is the symptom not the substance of the crisis in the Anglican Communion. “We are in a time of reformation, and we need to plant new churches across the country. Those who have the fullness of the faith are in the drivers seat. Anglicans that upholds the fundamentals of the faith once delivered for all to the saints will determine the future of North American Christianity.”
Duncan said among the great issues were Scriptural authority and Jesus’ identity. “Homosexuality is a symptom of the trajectory in liberal Christianity and these people do not want to hold to the reliability of the Bible. They jettison inconvenient teachings about Jesus Christ. It comes down to moral order. It is about human sexual relationships and whether it is right to sue one another or to tell the truth to one another. We are seen as detractors being concerned about sex. It is not our primary concern at all. It is about the faith as we have received it. Christians are called to be holy people in a naughty world.”
Duncan stated that in June 2009 nine different traditions made up Anglican fragments as the ACNA. “We have Communion Partners that are still in The Episcopal Church. Bishop Mark Lawrence (SC) is in my daily prayers.”
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Duncan spoke of the three streams - evangelical, catholic and Pentecostal -- that make up contemporary Anglicanism. “We will end up in the same expression of Mere Anglicanism.
“Folks in the wider Christian community have looked at the formation of ACNA and say these folk look like what Anglicans are supposed to look like. We want to restore the historic dialogue broken off 35 years ago.”
Duncan praised the Manhattan Declaration that emerged from the trajectory of Richard John Neuhaus. “On one issue, gay marriage Christians need to tell the civil order this is where we will stand and whatever the cost we will have pay, we will pay it.
Duncan said embracing Anglican patrimony meant embracing out identity. “We need to engage with Islam, secularism, materialism and universalism. God has sovereignly brought us together. Church fights produce church flights. We are to be an ancient-future movement attracting a new generation of believer/leaders abounding in the love of Jesus Christ for the broken.”
A panel discussion followed.
“It is about sex and it is not about sex the gospel is about redemption of body and soul” – Robert Munday, Dean and President of Nashotah House.
“The desire to put ourselves first is the consequence of sin. The root of sin is pride,”said Bill Murchison, Dallas journalist and author
“We need to go back to practicing the daily office,” stated Roberta Bayer, editor of the Prayer Book Society's Mandate magazine and political philosopher.
“We have become detached from the biblical narrative and the brute reality of our createdness. We have lost our beginning and we are out there floating. The Bible gives us centeredness in God. We have lost our capacity to think. Sin is a flight from reason,” said Canon Theologian Kendall Harmon.
“There are those who are realists and those who engage in fantasy. Church must address what is real and what is not in the 21st century. The Church must address what is real and separate it from fantasy. Anglicanism is a winsome community which does liturgy well.”
To say all knowledge is subjective is wrong. It denies objective truth. The mind can know. “We need a common way of reading the bible again,” said Bayer.
END
3 comments:
and I imagine the ABC addresses Benedict as " Your Holiness " ....so what?
Leonardo, there is a difference. The ABC and Archbishop Duncan are both Anglicans. With the pope it is a matter of courtesy. If you are saying that it is a matter of courtesy for the ABC it would be a strange courtesy if the ABC believes that Abp. Duncan does not have a legitimate role as an Abp. in the Anglican Communion.
Superb
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