Only the hard-hearted could not be pleased to find that some good things are happening among those Anglicans in North America who have felt the honest thing to do about their disagreement with TEC was to reform themselves in a different kind of Anglican way.
Two good bits of news in recent days.
First, a report on growth. Especially growth of young adults among the Anglican Church of North America congregations, Some of those congregations are new church plants. How cool is that!
Secondly, there has been a difficult melt down or break up (varying views on this) in the Anglican group known as 'AMiA' (which once was in what seemed to be an 'arm's length' relationship with ACNA). That is not the good news. The good news is that as the dust settles some sense is emerging from the leadership of the two groups resulting from the AMiA dust up, and that sense is to talk again with ACNA.
Reports from ACNA's ++Bob Duncan and from one part of the ex-AMiA suggest God is making this sad schism into an opportunity for re-union. How cool is that!
A united Anglican church in North America is vital to the future of Anglican/Episcopalianism in North America. While decline continues in ACCan and TEC the situation looks bleak for Anglicanism/Episcopalianism on that continent. Can a united array of Anglican alternatives into one Anglican Church of North America show the way forward?
Cool! Is precisely my reaction, Peter - at the prospect of ACNA becoming part of a re-constituted Anglican Communion. Calculated schism does not make the best platform for any sort of re-constitution of Communion.
ReplyDeleteNothing short of repentance on the part of the schismatics would bring much-needed peace to the world-wide Anglican Communion: Unity in diversity is our watchword.
Quite a bit of repentance is needed all round if our diversity is to be diversity-in-unity, Ron!
ReplyDeleteYes, Peter, this is another hopeful step towards uniting the Anglican Catholic Church, American Anglican Church, Anglican Church in America, Anglican Church of Virginia, Anglican Episcopal Church, Anglican Orthodox Church, Anglican Province of America, Anglican Province of Christ the King, Christian Episcopal Church, Diocese of the Great Lakes, Diocese of the Holy Cross, Episcopal Missionary Church, Holy Catholic Church--Western Rite, Orthodox Anglican Church, Reformed Episcopal Church, Southern Episcopal Church, United Anglican Church, United Episcopal Church of North America, and others into this great Anglican Church of North America - and one Covenant to rule them all. Unity is always so clearly found for Bible-believing Anglicans/Christians.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
Bosco