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August 24, 2005
Anglicans in Communion: Reality or Rhetoric?
"If church is a marriage, the recent theological hui was about taking time to rediscover what’s special about that relationship." A Media Officer for the Anglican Church report on the hui held at St John’s College from August 15 to August 18.
“We are in this together” – reflections on the hui ____________________________________
If church is a marriage, the recent theological hui was about taking time to rediscover what’s special about that relationship.
That’s how Don Tamihere, the Director for the Centre of Youth Ministry Studies, sees the significance of the three day-hui: Anglicans in Communion: Reality or Rhetoric? which was held at St John’s College from August 15 to August 18.
“It’s easy to get distracted by the daily grind,” says Don. “Having to pay the bills, having to get up and go to work. You can soon lose the intimacy or the purpose of that relationship, if you don’t bother to make an effort to come together, to talk, to find out about each other. To get to know what’s important, what the dreams are, what the aspirations are.
“This hui was an opportunity to get to know each other afresh. It was the kind of effort that the church needs to make for itself.”
Among the 108 folk who had the privilege of being at the hui, that was a common response – that occasions like this are all too rare, and there’d been no opportunity, until the hui, to gather and discuss what a three tikanga church theology might look like.
Several commented that the hui met a need that General Synod doesn’t touch.
“General Synod,” said Dr Jenny Te Paa, “is an occasion where we transact the business of the church. That tends to end up being the perfunctory stuff… the administrative and managerial needs of the church. Whereas this was an occasion to talk about deeper relational concerns.”
The keynote addresses given by the Archbishop of Capetown, The Most Rev Njongonkulu Ndungane, and the Bishop of Malaita, in the Solomon Islands, The Rt Revd Dr Terry Brown, were a springboard for diving into these discussions.
The title of Dr Brown’s two-part address: Communion and Personhood gives a hint of the territory that the delegates explored in plenary sessions, workshops and around dinner tables.
Bishop John Bluck says that the two speakers gave insights into key words. In the light of the hui, he says, “koinonia takes on a new edge. Communion is inadequate if it doesn’t involve a real sharing of personhood and resources.”
“When you allow yourself to go deep into the koinonia experience, you change, and your definition of ‘I’ changes as a result of a new understanding of ‘we’. As a result,” he says, “the whole issue of resource-sharing is back on the table.”
While many expected sexuality to dominate the debate, perhaps that was shaded by the desire to examine the quality of relationships in the church – in the broadest sense – and the Maori delegates made their presence felt on this theme.
And that in itself, says Archdeacon Hone Kaa, is a triumph. Before the three-tikanga constitution was put in place, he said, Maori wouldn’t have said: ‘boo’.
“What I marvel at,” he says, “was the number of Maori there who were not afraid to contribute.
“Maori have got past the idea that Tikanga Pakeha is a threat, or frightening to them. They found themselves the intellectual and spiritual equal of their Pakeha counterparts.
“We have a very clearly identified base, out of which we can arise. Whereas I got the impression that many in Tikanga Pakeha were still struggling with their identity. They don’t know how to name it, and claim it.”
The hui also got a guarded thumbs-up from Peter Carrell, the Director of Studies at Nelson’s Bishopdale College, a delegate who’s identified with the evangelical movement of the church.
He noted that the backdrop to the hui were the “very strong disagreements” about human sexuality that have led to the writing of the Windsor Report.
And where a General Synod has a “Parliamentary-type atmosphere” which tends to allow only “snatched conversations”, he noted that the hui gave space for people from all theological positions “to talk about our differences, to get to know one another and relate to each other.”
That, he said, was a “sign of hope.”
“As evangelicals, we were pleased to have the opportunity to be present, to participate and to be heard, and to hear others. We didn’t feel a sense of coercion.”
There was frequent exhortation during the hui to “keep talking” and to keep in communion.
For some evangelicals, says Peter, there’s suspicion about that kind of encouragement.
They’re anxious that this is “an intentional ploy… to wear us down so that we’ll eventually fall into step with the liberals on human sexuality.”
“I think the hui demonstrated that this encouragement to ‘keep talking’ is not necessarily about trying to wear down the other.
“It’s a genuine attempt to move forward. Perhaps the success of the hui is that we showed that neither side is expecting the other to change in the short term. Therefore, the issue is not how to convince the other that we are right, but whether we can we live with the other. The hui gave considerable hope that we can, providing we talk.”
That kind of “transcending” of positions was something that Jenny Te Paa took heart from, too.
“I think the big significance of the hui was that people ‘got over themselves!’
“People transcended the almost entrenched boundaries of tikanga, and found themselves easily able to engage in conversations about things of a theological nature – things that really matter.
“I can see that the quality of the conversations we’ve been having has been eroded in the last 10 years. This was an opportunity to say: ‘It’s OK. We can retrieve the situation’ – and get back to an engaged dialogue that lends itself far more to the original vision, as I see it, of the constitution of our Church, than where we were headed.”
There was some comment, during the hui, that Tikanga Polynesia were taking a low profile.
Amy Chambers, a Fijian priest who led one of the workshops, says the folk who made those assessments should have checked out her workshop.
But she acknowledges that Polynesian people can feel shy about speaking up when they’re in the presence of elders, or of people whom they feel have more authority than they do.
Like others, Amy felt the hui was long overdue. And she thinks that some may have needed assurance that the hui was “a safe place” for them.
Those fears, she says, would dissolve if people had a firmer conviction about the church as family.
“Some of us,” says Amy, “may have left from this place happy, some may feel a bit bruised, or lame, some will feel a sense of affirmation, or empowerment – but we are all in this together, because we are family.
“And family matter. And family need to bring up these things which may be painful, but which we need to talk about. The assurance for you and I is that we are family. We are in this together.”
“Sometimes we may be a bit further away, but still there’s that bond that binds you and I together. You are part of us. The ‘us’ bit is very, very important to me.”
Where to from here?
Partly, says Don Tamihere, that’ll depend on how well those who were there are able to share what went on during the three days.
And he’s afraid that because a number of the bishops and church leaders weren’t at the hui “they have yet to come on board” with what was advanced.
Even so, when Jenny Te Paa contemplates the future, she speaks for many who were at this event:
“My dream,” she says, “is that a national theological hui such as this one will be an embedded part of the church’s annual life.
“I was talking to some people who couldn’t remember doing this kind of thing for at least 20 years. That’s unacceptable, I think.”
The hui wound up its business by issuing a communiqué.
You can read this, plus Archbishop Ndungane’s keynote address, and his conference eucharist sermon – as well as Bishop Terry Brown’s two addresses, on the church website. Go to: //www.anglican.org.nz/news/Reflections.htm
ends
Lloyd Ashton
Media Officer for the Anglican Church
in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Phone: (09) 521-0192
Fax: (09) 528-2219
Mob: (021) 348-470
Email: mediaofficer@ang.org.nz
Posted by latimer at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2005
Reason to be cheerful
By The Rt Rev Dr Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham (UK)- "Reason is in short supply right now, and that is always dangerous. When someone says in a debate, "What I feel is ...", the chair ought to intervene. What people feel is neither here nor there in a debate. If someone says "I like salt" and someone else says "I like pepper", they are not having a debate."
www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1529809,00.html
Posted by latimer at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)
US Diocese loses court battle over seceding parish's property
An American parish that left its diocese over the consecration of the Anglican Communion's first openly gay bishop has won a court case over the ownership of its building and property. The diocese of Los Angeles had taken legal action against St James church in Newport Beach to reclaim the property, after the parish seceded from the Episcopal Church to affiliate with the Church of Uganda.
tinyurl.com/ajhcg
Posted by latimer at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2005
Evangelism is not working - But it could be
When is the Church not the Church? When is a Christian not a Christian? When is a minister not a minister? When is the Holy Spirit not the Holy Spirit? The answer to all four questions is essentially the same – the workplace. by Mark Greene
www.licc.org.uk/articles/article.php/id/4
Clergy are failing to train their congregations in discipleship, leaving them lacking the training and confidence necessary to make a difference in society, according to a leading Christian commentator. Mark Greene, Director of the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity (LICC), said that churches are adopting a 'convert and retain' policy rather than encouraging people to share the Gospel. He described this as “warehousing people for heaven”.
One reason that many Christians struggle with talking about their faith is that they don't know how to live the message of the Gospel, research conducted by LICC found. Addressing the Keswick Convention, Mr Greene said that church leaders were spending least time on discipleship, which Jesus spent most time doing. “The Gospel of Jesus is not just a way in, it is a way on. The goal of the church is not to make converts but to make disciples. It is extremely rare to find a pastor who regularly meets with a group of people to disciple them for life in today's world.”
Clergy themselves were not being trained in disciple-making in their time at theological college or afterwards. He pointed to research that found that only 36 churches out of 1,000 had put on a course in the last five years to teach people how to evangelise, adding that a new church culture of whole-life Christianity needs to be created. Christians tend to feel they are a tiny minority and unable to make a difference, but Mr Greene argued that, with 4.5 million people going to church once a month or more, there were enough to reach the nation. “We need church communities where people are briefed, trained, supported and resourced for whole-life missionary engagement in the world.”
From the Church of England Newspaper: www.churchnewspaper.com/news.php?read=on&number_key=5780&title=Clergy%20'are%20failing%20on%20discipleship'
Posted by latimer at 03:57 PM | Comments (0)
Christian Liberty: No Excuse for Immorality
We must glorify God with our bodies. We must flee immorality. We must not give up our freedom in Christ to become enslaved once again to sin. By Dr. Paul J Dean
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/weblogs/dean/?adate=08/04/2005#1344016
Posted by latimer at 03:17 PM | Comments (0)
Statement on the Church of England response to Civil Partnerships by the Primate of All Nigeria
"I read with utter dismay the pastoral statement recently issued by the Church of England House of Bishops with regard to the Civil Partnership Act scheduled to come into force on 5 December 2005." by Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola CON, DD
I read with utter dismay the pastoral statement recently issued by the Church of England House of Bishops with regard to the Civil Partnership Act scheduled to come into force on 5 December 2005.
While I was pleased to note the reaffirmation of the Church's historic teaching on both marriage and sexual intercourse [1], [4] I was sorely distressed that these words are not matched by corresponding actions.
The language of the Civil Partnerships Act makes it plain that what is being proposed is same-sex marriage in everything but name. This is even acknowledged in the statement [10]. I find it incomprehensible therefore that the House of Bishops would not find open participation in such 'marriages' to be repugnant to Holy Scriptures and incompatible with Holy Orders.
The proposal that the bishops will extract a promise from clergy who register that there will be no sexual intimacy in these relationships is the height of hypocrisy. It is totally unworkable and it invites deception and ridicule. How on earth can this be honoured? For the Church of England to promote such a departure from historic teaching is outrageous.
I also note with alarm that the statement encourages the church to ask nothing of lay people who become registered same-sex partners before they are admitted to baptism, confirmation and communion. [23] This not only dishonours the laity and the sacraments of the Church - it also makes it obvious that the bishops of the Church of England are proposing a deliberate change in the discipline of the church.
It seems clear the House of Bishops is determined to chart a course for the Church of England that brings further division at a time when we are still struggling with fragmentation and disunity within the Communion. Let it be known that it is not a path that we can follow. It is also a path that is clearly at odds with the mind of the rest of the Anglican Communion.
May I remind the Bishops of the Church of England that, when faced with similar decisions on the part of the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Anglican Church of Canada, discipline was imposed. While I have great affection and respect for the historic role that the Church of England has played in all of our lives, no church can ignore the teaching of the Bible with impunity and no church is beyond discipline.
I call on the House of Bishops of the Church of England to renounce their statement and declare their unqualified commitment to the historic faith, teaching and practice of the Church. Failure to do so will only add to our current crisis.
I am, by this statement, asking my brother Primates, their bishops and all the faithful in our Communion to remain calm in the face of this new provocation as we look forward to our next meeting. I also call on all those who cherish and uphold the integrity and sanctity of the Word of God to pray for our beloved Church.
Source: Anglican Communion Office
Information.
*Note the bracketed numbers refer to the paragraphs in the pastoral statement issue by the House of Bishops.
The actual statement can be found here: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr5605.html
The Civil Partnerships Bill can be found here:
http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld200304/ldbills/053/2004053.htm
Archbishop Akinola's statement can be found on the Church of Nigeria's website here:
http://www.anglican-nig.org/prmtstmt_civilprtship.htm
Posted by latimer at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
Where Are the Men?
Overseas humanitarian groups target women, and for good reason. But it isn't enough. by Tim Stafford of Christianity Today
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/008/23.41.html
Posted by latimer at 02:12 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2005
Peter Akinola reminds the Angligan Communion what the Bible says about sex
The Archbishop of Nigeria, the Most Rev. Peter Akinola believes there are Scriptures that the church must adhere to and follow if it is to be obedient to the 'faith once delivered to the saints.' In Nottingham, England recently, the archbishop gave VirtueOnline two pages of Scriptural texts and comments that he believes are vital and crucial if theological integrity is to be maintained in the Anglican Communion if we are continue to walk together.
http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=2841
Posted by latimer at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2005
Good Works v Mission : A 200 year story
1788-1930s From the earliest days of the Sydney colony, Anglicans have been involved in ‘good works’. Anglican Chaplain Samuel Marsden established schools for orphans and training institutions for convict mums. Some history and tips on how to start a 'good work' from Southern Cross:
http://tinyurl.com/7vsyv
Posted by latimer at 01:55 PM | Comments (0)