Resisting Anglican Central Authority

The No Anglican Covenant blog, an extension of the No Anglican Covenant web pages, is carrying a very fine article by Ronald Stevenson, QC, the former Chancellor of the Anglican Church of Canada. This series of notes on the concerns raised in the last 150+ years to any attempt to form a central authority in the Anglican Communion is a must read for bishops and deputies to General Convention. The text is HERE.

Stevenson closes by writing, "Those charged with considering adoption of the Anglican Covenant must ask themselves whether, considering developments since 2004, there has been any universal softening of the “degree of harshness and lack of charity” (exhibited then) or any indication of a Communion-wide desire for dialogue and encouragement of communion." Good question!

Watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show yesterday (a regular ritual when bummed out by too many meetings) I was struck by the sign next to the Episcopal Church where the wedding takes place at the beginning of the movie. It seems to be a permanent sign on the edge of the graveyard, and reminds the faithful to "Be Just and Fear Not."

This is admirable advice, not only for Brad and Janet as they face into encounters of the strange and weird at the house with the light on, but for all of us in Anglicanland.

If we in Anglicanland do justice and be just there is no need to fear. One way or another we will have companions in our life in Christ, one way or another there will be a "fellowship of national and regional churches" in communion with the mother ship church, or if not the mother ship, with one another as sister / brother churches of the same mother. There will be family.

BE JUST AND FEAR NOT.