I suppose I am compelled to say something about GAFCON II, that just met in Nairobi, Kenya. (GAFCON being the Global Anglican Future Conference).
OK. Here it is.
GAFCON II met. They are moving to constitute a world wide church, a sort of alternative to the Anglican Communion but with a more stringent "biblical" base.
Good luck with that.
We Anglicans have some experience dealing with world wide churches that deny that our bishops are real bishops, or clergy orders valid, our sacraments real, our theology heretical and our moral compass skewed. They are purists.
It ain't easy to relate to purists.
While purity of heart is to will one thing, purists will the end of many things. Blessed are the pure of heart, in them one thing lives. Damned are the purists, because of them many things die.
I have nothing more to say about GAFCON II.
10/31/2013
5 comments:
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Your NADA comment resonates.
ReplyDeleteAimee
When the AC splits into those in a loose federation (Harris's non-church AC) and those in a Communion (probably 70% of the present AC), will there be a cordial parting of the ways within TEC that corresponds to this? For many dioceses will want to be in a Communion and not a Federation.
ReplyDeleteI think that would be a gracious and helpful solution.
SCM
Speaking of how "many things die", let's look at our just-released membership/participation stats. We have about 1/3 of our people showing themselves at the doors of our churches on Sundays.
ReplyDeleteSince the per parish statistics have not changed much, if at all, in the past several years- that is, average members per parish, etc- while the church membership has declined by several percentage points, parishes must be closing at approximately the same rate as membership decline- which would be 1.5-3% per year, depending on the year. At that rate, in 20-30 years, it will be very difficult to find a TEC parish in many places.
...and the social and theological revisionists currently running our beleaguered Church just don't see this for what it is.
Allen, I would make one comment on your statistics. 1/3 is consistent with statistics for a long time from Gallup's religiously focused subsidiary across all American denominations. That in and of itself is probably not reflective of vitality in the Episcopal Church one way or another.
ReplyDeleteDear Mark,
ReplyDeleteWe are a few months into a new Guatemala diocese mission here in Antigua. It is a English service (lots of English speakers and visitors here) and we are adding a blog (it started up yesterday) and soon a facebook page too. Please consider adding http://saintalbansantiguaguatemala.blogspot.com/ to Preludium blogroll. I will try and keep St. Alban's Antigua, interesting from a spiritual and artistic and cultural point of view. Thank you, Len/Leonardo