Treasure in Brazil: Fr. Silva, Kantinho do Rev, and AWA

The Anglican / Episcopal Church in Brazil (IEAB) is a bright light in the Anglican Communion - a Latin American province that has is led by Brazilians, is self sufficient and has a strong theological and liturgical foundation from which it is engaged in mission work in many parts of the nation. The General Secretary of the IEAB, Francisco Silva, writes a blog, "Kantinho do Rev." His ruminations are thoughtful, clear and give a different perspective on the issues of the Anglican Communion. I particularly point readers to two recent comments by Fr. Silva.

(i) "Women Bishops: Looking for the future!" In this essay, Fr. Silva says, "One of the most moving moments I lived was in 1994, at Bristol Cathedral, when the first 32 females priests were ordained in the church of England. I told in that time to BBC reporter, outside the Cathedral after the ceremony I was so happy and my comprehension were that Church of England was giving a magnificent step to be authentically inclusive." Commenting on the debate and decision on women in the episcopate, he said, "We need to look forward to make advances in a comprehension of equality within the Church."

(ii) "Confessing or Practicing? Here Fr. Silva proposes that instead of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FOCA) which grew out of GAFCON, we need a group based in action and practice. He says,

"The truth is always a search. There is no port where the truth arrived definitely. The truth is born in the wave of the Spirit that moves always challenging our own convictions. The truth is not an idea: it is fundamentally a praxis. Right confession of right comprehension on metaphysical dogmas is not sufficient to guarantee anything! Remember: The word was made flesh!

At the place of a FOCA I think we can propose another alternative: AWA - Anglicans who act!

The slogan for this group must be: Acting under the God's love to a World loved by Him!"

I like AWA - Anglicans who Act. It is incarnational, it is potentially progressive, it is demanding.

There are a whole variety of entries that warrant attention on this blog. Go and find your own. Fr. Francisco Silva is doing us all a great service and his blog needs to be widely read.