Akinola Throws Down Gauntlet

A Second Anglicanism?

The recent meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, of 18 Provinces of the Anglican Communion has for all intents and purposes established another Anglicanism. It suggests that what had heretofore been a division in Anglicanism has now become an irrevocable and irreversible split. There now appear to be two Anglicanisms.

For some time now, there had been the hope that the various actors within Anglicanism were in good faith looking for a solution to our present difficulties. The meeting in Kigali now obliterates any such hopes. The meeting finally reveals the determination and intransigence of a large group within the Church to mold the larger Communion in their image. It would seem now to matter little what the various intermediary efforts to adjudicate the differences within the Communion will conclude over the next few years. They have been pre-empted. The matter has been settled by the Rt. Reverend Peter Akinola and his colleagues from the Global South. They are establishing a new Anglicanism; others are now asked to sign on or no.

Here are the outlines of the "new Anglicanism" being espoused by the Kigali group:

++Akinola's Anglican Covenant

The Akinola/Global South alliance say that they will soon produce an Anglican Covenant, a kind of definitive statement of what Anglicanism is by their lights -- a form of a constitution, if you will, of the new Anglicanism. It will be a radically evangelical document, as they have often said, and will brook little disagreement on central issues. This alliance has been working on such a Covenant for some time, presumably as soon as the Windsor Report called for such a document.

They were at work even before the official process, prompted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, began. While the official process is slated to go on for a number of years under ++Canterbury's aegis, the document prepared by the Global South alliance is almost finished. It is quite certain the Akinola/Global South document will adhere strictly to their stated views on homosexuality ("an evil" and a "perversion," according to their statements). Further, the ordination of homosexuals to the diaconate and clergy will be be proscribed -- though the Windsor Report never suggested they should be. This and perhaps other conditions will be central to remaining in the Anglican Communion under the new Anglicanism.

The bishops speaking from Kigali have stated they will submit this material to the official Anglican Covenant Committee now chaired by the Rt. Rev. Drexel Gomez, one of the most outspoken enthusiasts of an Anglican realignment and a fervent opponent of the inclusion of gay men and lesbians in the Church. It is equally clear from the accompanying statements by the Nigerian Archbishop that their covenant will not simply be one among many suggestions offered to the official Covenant Committee. As reported in the Reuters dispatch of September 20, 2006:

"In order to put to rest this issue of homosexuality, we are working on an Anglican covenant with provisions that very clearly say what it means to be an Anglican." He further told reporters: "Who ever subscribes to this covenant must abide by it and those who are unable to subscribe to it will walk out." That is to say there is to be no discussion, alteration or compromise on this issue. Take it or leave it. In that sense it is logical to conclude that the archbishop and his colleagues are no longer participating in any inter-Anglican discussion of differences. They have now begun the process of setting up an alternative Anglicanism based on the covenant his group will soon release.

Alternative Primatial Oversight [ALPO]

The communiqué went on to discuss the issue raised by the request on the part of nine American dioceses for alternative primatial oversight. According to the process currently in place these matters and others dealing with similar conflict were to be referred to the Panel of Reference set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury. According to the communiqué this matter will now be taken up by "the Global South Steering Committee" to "develop a proposal identifying the ways by which the requested Primatial oversight can be adequately provided." The Committee will "meet with the leadership of the dioceses requesting Alternative Primatial Oversight, in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Network and the ‘Windsor Dioceses’."

Why is this to be done? Because of the "slow response from the Panel of Reference." Having now bypassed the Archbishop of Canterbury’s panel, the Akinola-aligned primates have decided, we find, the Archbishop of Canterbury is now merely one of many to be consulted in the matter of primatial oversight. In fact, therefore, Archbishop Akinola and the Global South have now appointed themselves the sole arbiters of Anglican affairs. They have become an alternative Anglicanism simply bypassing Canterbury. Their actions will mean the presenting of foreign archbishops on American soil. That this would violate the canons of the Episcopal Church is of no mind. In the new Anglicanism, the decisions of Archbishop Akinola and the primates of the Global South are law.

A New Ecclesiastical Structure for the U.S.

The communiqué then proceeds blithely to speak of their intent to set up, under their sole guidance, a parallel ecclesiastical structure in America:

"We are convinced that the time has now come to take initial steps towards the formation of what will be recognized as a separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA. We have asked the Global South Steering Committee to develop such a proposal in consultation with the appropriate instruments of unity of the Communion. We understand the serious implications of this determination. We believe that we would be failing in our apostolic witness if we do not make this provision for those who hold firmly to a commitment to historic Anglican faith.

"That traditional Anglicanism, in keeping with ancient catholic practice, has forbidden such ecclesiastical poaching is apparently of no consequence to the Akinola/Global South alliance. In their apocalyptic universe ("there is now a growing number of congregations and dioceses in the USA and Canada who believe that their Anglican identity is at risk ") such ancient practices must be forsworn. It can be bypassed because in their eyes, in the eyes of the new Anglicanism, they have determined the Episcopal Church is "apostate," giving them free rein simply to act now to replace the Episcopal Church. They will no longer wait for some process of determination in the future to rule on this matter. They will not wait for the Archbishop of Canterbury to act on behalf of the entire Communion. They are the law -- and a law unto themselves.

The rueful allusion to consultation with the Instruments of Unity is bitterly ironic. The communiqué has already announced, "At the next meeting of the Primates in February 2007 some of us will not be able to recognize Katharine Jefferts Schori as a primate at the table with us. Others will be in impaired communion with her as a representative of The Episcopal Church." The alliance arrogantly asks that some other bishop represent the Episcopal Church. Since the Primates form one of the Instruments of Unity and since the Alliance doesn’t like a particular bishop, they now arrogate to themselves the right to reshape the primatial structure to their liking. Again they have become a law unto themselves.

Conclusion

The matter before us is now clear. First, we must dispense with any notion that there can be some accommodation with Archbishop Akinola over the matters which divide us. He cannot be dissuaded personally, and all such Communion-wide instruments to adjudicate the dispute are now of no use whatsoever. The archbishop has simply created his own Anglicanism and announced it to the rest of us. By his edict, the remainder of Anglicans must either sign on or not.

Second, for those who do not wish to be a part of Archbishop Akinola’s new Anglicanism but still remain loyal to, and convinced of, the efficacy of the traditional Anglican way, we must now find a way to join together.

Archbishop Akinola has now thrown down the gauntlet. He has created his Anglicanism. We must now come together in ours. It is immensely sad that there be two Anglicanisms. Still, there have been other rocky periods in Church history. In time I suspect this too will pass. In some indeterminate future moment, reason will once more prevail, and unity will once more be established. In the meantime we call upon all Anglicans of good will, who love the Church as it has been, to join now and uphold the faith.