8/21/2007

What Rot! Nigeria justifying CANA


In his most recent letter to the bishops and synods of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican) Archbishop Akinola gave the following reasons for "the conscious decision to initiate CANA (the Convocation of Anglicans in North America) in the light of the following:" -

  1. "The undisputed alienation among Anglicans in North America created by the actions of TEC despite warnings from the Instruments of Communion.
  2. The need for pastoral care and oversight for alienated Anglicans in North America in the light of the Primates Communiqué October 2003. "The provinces concerned to make adequate provision for Episcopal oversight of dissenting minorities within their own area of pastoral care in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury on behalf of the Primates."
  3. TEC's establishment of churches in the diocese of Europe.
  4. The consecration and appointment of Bishop Sandy Miller as a Bishop of the Province of Uganda called to serve in the United Kingdom.

This is rot! At least two of these four reasons are yanked out of thin air. The fact that there are congregations in Europe that have formed a convocation is in no way parallel to CANA. First and foremost, The Convocation of Churches in Europe is not there because of any alienation from other members churches of the Anglican Communion or alienation from other Anglicans in Europe. Further, there was no Anglican jurisdiction for Europe when these churches were begun and the jurisdictions of the Anglican bodies in Europe now are in full communion. The UK Diocese of Europe is acknowledged as an anomaly and all Anglican bodies in Europe work cooperatively within the peculiar environment of Europe. It is not always an easy task, but it is done among churches that are in communion with one another.

The consecration and appointment of Bishop Miller, from Uganda serving in the UK is with full approval of both churches and both churches are in communion with each other.

The Archbishop simply overlooks the fact that the difference that in both these cases the ministries take place in a context of full communion.

As to the first proposition – there is certainly "alienation among Anglicans in North America" - but the same warnings from the instruments of unity also warned precisely against doing what Nigeria has done.

As to the second proposition - "The need for pastoral care and oversight for alienated Anglicans in North America in the light of the Primates Communiqué October 2003. 'The provinces concerned to make adequate provision for Episcopal oversight of dissenting minorities within their own area of pastoral care in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury on behalf of the Primates.'" – It is hard to know even where to begin.

There is no mention any more of CANA being first for Nigerians in North America, the original reason for the designation CANA. Now the reason for CANA is in the "light of the Primates Communiqué October 2003.

There is no record of there being any consultation with the Province of The Episcopal Church, the Archbishop or the Primates in forming CANA. The quoted bit of the Communiqué clearly calls on the "provinces concerned to make adequate provision for Episcopal oversight to dissenting minorities within their own area of pastoral care." It does not provide for unilateral invasion by another province. Period.

Archbishop Akinola has been in the US within the past week or two. I am told he has said wonderfully pastoral things. But back in Nigeria this letter to his own bishops is not at all pastoral. It is not pastoral or prophetic to give rot as reason for action. These reasons, as stated, are a sham.

10 comments:

  1. Perhaps ++Akinola picked up his letter from his friends at the IRD while he was in the US?

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  2. Tell us how you REALLY feel, Mark! :)

    Thanks for yet-another clarifying expose on the lastest "spin" from the "As the Anglican World Turns" bunch.

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  3. pseudopiskie may well be right, but someone (probably at Jake's or Thinking Anglicans?) wondered if perhaps this missive to the Nigerian bishops is not in fact directed at those who would like to attend Lambeth -- I doubt that the Nigerian Church is actually monolithic (one Nigerian bishops has been functioning in Southern Ohio -- hardly a Network Diocese)

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  4. According to Davis Mac-Iyalla, the Nigerian Church is not monolithic at all. More objectively, the recent repudiation of Akinola by the Christian Association of Nigeria (and with it, Akinola's loss of a seat on the National Security Council!) prove that there are 140 million voices in that country.

    The Nigerian bishop in Southern Ohio received Davis and a small delegation of LGBT Episcopalians at his home, fed them drinks and cakes and chatted for an hour. Davis was hugely pleased with such Christian hospitality from a Nigerian father-in-God.

    And there's more where that came from. No primate anywhere speaks for his or her entire Church, much less Akinola.

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  5. It hadn't occured to me that many of ++Akinola's bishops and priests might be heartily sick of ++A gallivanting all over the non-Nigerian world, on the theory that he owes guidance to his home province. (On the other hand, it does keep him from meddling more at home, if his local guidance is useless or divisive...)

    I can't imagine that Nigerian clergy spend much more time on homosexuality than telling the occasional parishioner "don't do it" (or sometimes, "do it, but be faithful and spousal").

    NancyP

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  6. As for Nigeria not being monolithic, I know that at least one bishop there has sent people to study at CDSP in BERKELEY, CA (of all places). I even did field education at a parish in San Francisco alongside a student from Nigeria, and believe me, this parish was definitely on the left wing of the Diocese of California (again not exactly Network). Then after he was ordained as a priest, he functioned in that capacity for a time at that parish with the approval of both Bp. Swing and his own bishop.

    That's really helped when Nigeria comes up in the Anglican Cycle of Prayer. I tend to think of him, his wife, and their children while I'm praying. Unfortunately, I still have a long way from including Akinola as well, but God and I are working on that.

    Kevin

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  7. The Nigerians are our only hope.

    The whole Anglican Communion comes apart over anal sex and blessing those who want to do it and gets blessed by the church to be allowed to continue doing it! What will we tell our grandchildren?

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  8. Baloney, Anonymous! (And would care to use a name and not be anonymous?) The "whole Anglican Communion" is not coming apart, much less over anal sex. There are a handful of loudmouthed militants in the AC, headed by Akinola, whose support dwindles by the day because of his/their violence and hatred. They hardly represent the "whole Anglican Communion."

    Too, the "crisis" is only about anal sex when it suits your argument. It's about a whole host of other things when it suits your argument. Point being, it's not about anal sex, but about an attitude embodied by you and the likes of Akinola who wield the Holy Word of God as a weapon. *That's* what's causing any difficulties we may be experiencing.

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  9. The Nigerians are our only hope.

    "The whole Anglican Communion comes apart over anal sex and blessing those who want to do it and gets blessed by the church to be allowed to continue doing it! What will we tell our grandchildren"

    Good Grief Anon, where do you come up with such pornographic sick/junk thinking?

    Better, what shall you tell your grandchildren about your emotional sickness/preoccupation with snooping into/intruding into the intimate lives of people who love one another at The Body of Christ?

    Not-to-worry, Anon, according to "Changing Attitudes Nigeria" your ONLY HOPE is based on shabby hate and fear mongering and factless nonsense promoted by by the "Hooligan" preaching/spewing +Akinola.

    Better find another hero....fast!

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  10. "Help me, Akinola. You're my only hope" . . .bzzzt. . . "Help me, Akinola, You're my only hope" . . .bzzt. . .
    (Btw, are we including the cinnamon bun hairstyle in this?)

    Ok, enough of that Star Wars moment. Here's what I really want to know. What's with this whole anal fixation some people on the right seem to have? Gays . . . anal sex, first thing they think of. What's with that? Stuck in some Freudian psychosexual anal phase of 18-36 months of age? In that case, are talk -retentive or -expulsive? Sigmund would have a field day with these people.

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