Faithful readers here may recall that I have put my metaphorical Lambeth wager on +Justin Welby of Durham as the dark horse candidate to succeed ++Rowan. Well, stick around and you may win some money. Or not.
Andrew Brown of the Guardian, prognosticating about the next ABC, discusses the merits of the now "former" frontrunners then writes,
"This leaves the dark horse, whom no one was discussing a year ago, yet now seems to lead the field: Justin Welby, the bishop of Durham."
Mind you, Andrew Brown then sets out the marks against JayDub. So, who knows whom the Crown Appointments Commission might look favourably upon.
But here is a thought. Why is discussion so intensely English?
Is there a Scottish bishop who could be brought south?
We might reasonably discount a Welsh bishop being brought across the border this time round (since ++Morgan has been appointed to the Commission for this appointment process).
Or, here is a wild thought: is there an Irishman who would bring some Gaelic flair to the post? Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling ...
14 comments:
I guess Augustine in Canterbury actually was a foreigner before he became ABC. Rowan, too, was foreign-born (Wales) but he was quite au fait with the great English universities.
I should imagine that, this time around, with the Canterbury Diocese needing someone who understands the Engliah scene might be preferred - after all, the ABC does have some connection to the historic See.
I would like +James Jones; but I guess that it might have to be +Welby or +Cottrell. (I do have my own spiritual connection with the C.of E.)
John Sentamu is easily the best choice given the crisis the AC is facing. We need an ABC who respects the authority of Scripture.
It is difficult to find anything about Welby's views. Is he evangelical?
Dont discount Richard Chartres if they go for a short archiepiscopate as they might ( cf Coggan).Yes Chartres doesnt ordain women as priests but he may do so..we dont know his precise views...indeed he has actually been rather careful to say little ( and what he does say is carefully crafted) on most contoversial topics..He doesnt ordain women as priests ( though he ordains ALL the deacons..his area bishops ordain no deacons).This derives from the "London Plan" devised by his predecessor to keep the diocese together,,and has legal force.Personally I think 5/6 years would be sensible..and it would be hard on the diocese of Durham to lose a bishop who is likely to turn round a poor and demoralised diocese which needs to recover from its frequently absent former bishop who seemed it appears to know too little of parish life, whatever his theological abilities.
Perry Butler...whose bishop the new Abp will be!
Perry, I do wonder if it isn't the turn of an Evangelical ABC? If it is, then Chartres would certainly be 'persona non grata' - but the system might conceivably bring in am Evo Bishop who is more open to Women and Gays in the Church. James Jones, as we know, did make a dramatic turnaround after the fiasco of Jeffrey John's enforced forfeiture of the Reading Diocese.
Actually Ron, I think Chatres is far from persona non grata with evangelicals. Many like hinm because he is conservative and doctrinally "orthodox", he has appointed evangelical suffragans...quite a definite one in Kensington where he followed a liberal catholic...and he is very much liked by the Holy Trinity Brompton network, which he has done much to support....have you seen the posting on Thinking Anglicans in response to my question about how the Commission actually vote? With such a complicated system who knows!!!!
Perry
Could someone who was in favor of the ordination of practicing homosexuals and homosexual marriage still be considered Evangelical?
Who is this Shawn? Perry..somewhat puzzled
John Sentamu is easily the best choice given the crisis the AC is facing.
Speaking as an ordinary parish rector in a smallish suburban church, I have to say that the 'crisis' the Anglican Communion is facing - I assume you're talking about the 'current unpleasantness' about homosexuality - doesn't really loom very highly in our minds. In my diocese the more pressing crisis concerns how many of our churches will have to close in the next ten years because shrinking congregations can no longer meet their costs. And quite frankly, I don't think any new Archbishop of Canterbury can change that very much. That's up to us (keeping in step with the Holy Spirit, of course) - that is, if we're not too distracted by endless arguments about 'the crisis in the Anglican Communion'.
I agree with Tim..there is only so much an ABC can do...in England let alone the Anglican Communion. We will only stay together if we want to stay together..and it has become clear that some Provinces ( or at least their leaders) arent necessarily that bothered any more. The role of Abp has too many expectations forced upon it..+Rowan is a good example of this...Much of the job does( and should) focus on the role as Primate of All England. My suspicion is ( though i may be wrong..tomorrow is the day..that it will be a "safe pair of hands" candidate.
Perry Butler
Hi Tim,
No I actually meant the larger crisis of confidence in the message the Church has for the world and the veracity of Scripture, especially in the current environment in the West of militant secularism. The homosexual issue is just a symptom of that larger crisis.
What I like about Sentamu is his willingness to speak forthrightly and clearly to that. He also does not seem to be overly concerned with currying favor with the British liberal establishment .
Perry,
"who is this Shawn"
I'm a Kiwi - American theology student.
Tim and Perry. I recognise that you are both 'in the field of play' and, naturally (and rightly) more concerned about who will become the next ABC. The Church of England will shortly be either richly blessed, or little disturbed, by what happens this week through the Commission.
We, in New Zealand - one of the Provinces loyal to Canterbury - are looking forward to the present incumbent, ++Rowan's, visit to us in November for the ACC Meeting. We will welcome him with courtesy and a proper respect for his position within the world-wide Communion.
(Our Prayers are with you in the UK!)
Sorry, Ron, I must be a less lucid writer than I thought. I am actually entirely unconcerned with the issue of who the next Archbishop of Canterbury is.
Dear Shawn,
You misunderstand me. I wasnt asking about you. Your posting seemed to suggest to me, given that it was on this thread,that you believed one of the candidates for ABC favoured the ordination of practicing homosexuals and gay marriage. If this is the case you know something we dont here in England.
Perry
Amazing the difference a tiny little comma can make:
"Who's this, Shawn?" vs. "Who's this Shawn?".
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