8/03/2006

Word's out... Consecration of Martyn Minns August 20.

This just in from the Church of Nigeria website:

"The new Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA)- a missionary initiative of the Church of Nigeria will be consecrated on August 20 in Abuja.

The Revd Canon Martyn Minns will be consecrated at the National Christian Centre
(formerly National Ecumenical Centre) Abuja in a service to be presided by the Primate of All Nigeria, the Most Peter Akinola.

Three other bishops-elect will also be consecrated at the service including The Revd Canon Christian Ide as bishop of Warri, The Venerable Musa Tula as bishop of Bauchi and the Very Revd Adebayo Akinde as bishop of thenewly created diocese of Lagos Mainland.

More details coming..."

Well, the fat is in the fire. The Nigerian Church is certainly true to its promise. Now let's see what the Network does. It has promised to include Bishop elect Minns in on the conversations about oversight for all those parishes around the country currently overseen by foreign bishops. The Moderator is off to Cambodia this weekend and perhaps will swing by on his return for the consecration in Nigeria.

The web becomes more tangled, and the players take new places in the dance. Minns was part of the conversation that "started" the Network, he has been at work with it for these almost three years, he shows up at odd places (as one of the "helpers" for the Global South pages), he knows the Lambeth staff and the Archbishop. He is well placed for dances with a variety of folk.

We will see.

7 comments:

  1. In the Chapman memo, they promised they would do their best to create chaos. I thought then, as I do now, that chaos is not of the Spirit. They're just working-out their plan.

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  2. Any possibility that Martyn-With-A-Y might just decide to stay in Nigeria?

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  3. Anonymous's post leads to a question: Is it wrong to pray for a thing that is good for you even if you know it is bad for someone else? Nigeria does not really deserve this guy, they have enough to deal with given home-grown egos!

    FWIW
    jimB

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  4. Well, Daniel, I think you can only serve one church at a time, and if your new duties require you to work against ECUSA (as this so clearly does), you're abandoning your ordination vows. So yes, Minns should resign as rector of an ECUSA parish.

    Unless, of course, that parish is going to become the first CANA cathedral in the US.

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  5. One church at a time? A bishop in two churches at once? Its not only possible to serve two at the same time, but it has been done.

    Sandy Millar the former rector of Holy Trinity Brompton, London, has been consecrated a bishop in the church of Uganda. The bishop of London has responded by letting him continue as priest in charge of a parish and has licensed him as a "bishop in mission".
    Here's a link to the Bishop of london's announcement http://www.london.anglican.org/NewsShow_5129

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  6. Yes, obadiahslope, Mr. Millar is an odd exception. But so is Holy Trinity Brompton.

    I think the real question with Minns is whether he should be allowed to continue as a priest in a church while also serving as a bishop in a missionary effort to undermine the church which originally ordained him.

    It's the same question I have with Bishop Duncan. I have objections, theological, ethical, and personal, about using your paycheque from ECUSA to fund your efforts to subvert ECUSA. Something about that doesn't smell quite right.

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  7. Scrolling through my aggregator, I thought that said Maryann Minns. :D

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