2/16/2008

Presuming Anyone Gives a Damn....

The letter from the Primates of several Provinces to the twenty English Evangelical Bishops contained several tidbits of note:

(i) Like the GAFCON "Press Briefing" of February 1st, it was posted on the Province of Nigeria website. The briefing was by Archbishop Akinola speaking on behalf of GAFCON.

(ii) The letter from the Primates to the English Bishops spoke of "GAFCON bishops and primates" as the authors. This then is the close circle within the Global Anglican South who are proposing the alternative conference to Lambeth.

(iii) The "letterhead", at least on the web, is the symbol of the Anglican Communion. Anyone can use that symbol, but in this context it is a power symbol meant to make it clear that the GAFCON crowd believe they ARE valid spokespeople of the Communion.

(iv) The GAFCON writers make it clear that (a) The Archbishop of Canterbury no longer speaks for them, having not followed through with appropriate punishment of The Episcopal Church and (b) the Anglican Covenant is dead in the water as it now stands and Lambeth will not save it.

So there it is: Akinola is the lead on this; GAFCON is a way out of a Canterbury centered communion; they are working at being THE Anglican Communion in place of the Canterbury centered fellowship; the ABC and the Anglican Covenant are of no value.

Anyone know how to say "
usurpation"?

Anyone care?

Anyone interested in playing Nigerian power politics and calling it religion?

I thought not.

13 comments:

  1. i say it "usurpation" :)
    no need to post the comment of course.

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  2. sp. "usurpation"

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. thomas and mary clara...got it. Thanks. Spelling, never a strong suit, fails as the night hours go on. M.

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  5. Peace in our time,,,,
    again.

    so sad

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  6. It is high time for us to recognize certain GS primates for the Neo-Donatist heretics that they are. For them unworthies, such as TEC's bishops who participated in or consented to +Gene Robinson's consecration as bishop, have rendered the sacraments that they minister invalid.

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  7. Nigerian power politics exploited by those closer to home for their own ends - note Stephen Bates' recent comment (Thinking Anglicans) re Chris Sugden and Martyn Minns at the Dar es Salaam meeting, that "If they spent any more time together they'd surely qualify for a civil partnership......"

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  8. Well, fact it is only an ATTEMPTED usurpation!

    And happily they ain't going to get the Anglican Communion, no matter how loud they shout or how hard they work.

    I wonder what they will call it: the Not-In-Communion-With-Canterbury-But-Nonetheless-Anglican-Communion - i.e., the NICWCBNAC?

    Or, perhaps "Anglican Communion Dissenting Convocations" (ACDC)?

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  9. So why is TEC bending over backwards to stay in the AC which is still bending over backwards to get these 5 Primates to Lambeth?

    Why did TEC give BO33?

    Why are TEC bishops going to Lambeth without +NH?

    If theses "usurpers" are gone.....cannot TEC show, for once, some backbone with the ABC????

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  10. anonymous....please...please...give a name so that we can distinguish anonymous 1 from anonymous 2 and so on. Thanks.

    I will be working on a wider answer to your question today.

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  11. Sometimes folks tend to forget.....Does any of this interview of Bernard Malango with David Virtue in 2005 feel really familiar?

    06/24/2005 4:52:27 PM PDT CAPA Bishops will Decide Anglican Future Interview with Bernard Malango by David Virtue
    http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1430164/posts

    "VIRTUEONLINE: What is the worst case scenario?

    MALANGO: If there is no resolution and solution of this situation, the Global South will go it alone and we will form a church - a true Anglican Church - and those in the West who believe in the authority of the Scriptures only would be admitted.

    VIRTUEONLINE: What sort of cover would you provide orthodox priests and bishops in North America?

    MALANGO: We would invite all those bishops, priests and orthodox laity to join us and be a part of this new Anglican Communion. We cannot be talking and talking and talking. Many Primates from the Global South have gone to Canada and the US and have helped those people who have been deposed from their dioceses and synods. This would be the best protection we could give them.

    VIRTUEONLINE: Is this pan Anglican province inclusive?

    MALANGO: It is inclusive of all orthodox groups who are happy to have one voice on faith and morals. Anybody who shares that vision is very welcome to join us. Divided we are lost, united we win. We are heading for the edge of the cliff and we must make a way for all faithful Anglicans to join together as one.

    VIRTUEONLINE: Can you offer some sort of time frame?

    MALANGO: We shall meet as CAPA Primates in October and one of the questions will be where a new Anglican Communion will be set up. We shall approach that question very carefully. The choice right now is Alexandria. We did not want it to be in Israel....too political, nor any other Middle East nation, nor Africa, for obvious reasons, nor Europe or Southeast Asia. We think Alexandria, Egypt is best as we can trace our historical roots from there. We can then start from an historical basis. The third trumpet is going to produce the right thing for us.

    VIRTUEONLINE: What will be the make up of this meeting?

    MALANGO: Each province has been asked to send six people: A primate, senior bishop, senior priest a layman or laywoman and a youth representative - it will be solely CAPA and Global South people only.

    VIRTUEONLINE: Is there a timetable for the break up of the Anglican Communion?

    MALANGO: It will all be resolved before the next Lambeth Conference. It will all be done within the next three years because we are fed up with talking. We have traveled and talked and a lot of resources have gone into this, resources that should have been spent doing more productive and helpful things like feeding the poor. It is hopeless to go on talking and not bringing about resolution." EmilyH

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  12. "Anyone interested in playing Nigerian power politics and calling it religion?"

    No, thanks.

    christopher+

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  13. Thanks, EmilyH for the Malango interview.

    I hope the leadership of the breakaway New Improved Anglican Communion pause to consult a map before going all the way with their plan. It might prove embarrassing if they were to set up their HQ in Alexandria, only to discover that that city is located in Africa (which, 'for obvious reasons', is where they say they do not want to be).

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OK... Comments, gripes, etc welcomed, but with some cautions and one rule:
Cautions: Calling people fools, idiots, etc, will be reason to bounce your comment. Keeping in mind that in the struggles it is difficult enough to try to respect opponents, we should at least try.

Rule: PLEASE DO NOT SIGN OFF AS ANONYMOUS: BEGIN OR END THE MESSAGE WITH A NAME - ANY NAME. ANONYMOUS commentary will be cut.