What has been announced? Two new developments have been announced. 1. In relation to the 2005 Statement on Civil Partnerships a review has been established and will be completed in 2012 (although there is no commitment to publish it then). It will include considering whether priests in civil partnerships can become bishops. 2. There is … Continue Reading
Wisdom from the Scots: The CofE and Same-sex Unions by Andrew Goddard and Giles Goddard This article appeared in Church Times, 20 May 2011 part of the ongoing conversation in the Goddard 2 Goddard series Six months ago, in his presidential address to the General Synod, the Archbishop of Canterbury described the “need for some … Continue Reading
by Paul Avis originally published in The Living Church on April 1, 2011, republished with permission. The future of the Anglican Communion is in jeopardy. The Windsor Report proposed an Anglican Covenant, centering on mutual commitment, to secure a unified future for the Communion. The Anglican Covenant is the only credible proposal that I am aware of to help hold … Continue Reading
Actions and consequences: Reflections on the state of the Anglican Communion by Andrew Goddard Summary: Reflecting on Fulcrum’s call not to invite the Presiding Bishop to the Primates’ Meeting in Ireland, the consequences of inviting her are highlighted: the widespread principled absence of many Global South primates. As it is still unclear why the Presiding Bishop … Continue Reading
BBC Interview on the General Synod Vote on the Anglican Communion Covenant Transcript of BBC Radio 4 Sunday Programme interview 28 November 2010 with Graham Kings, Bishop of Sherborne interviewed by William Crawley The information on the programme is here. An Anglican Mainstream transcript of the interview with Bishop Martyn Minns, earlier in the programme, … Continue Reading
As General Synod approaches its crucial vote on the Anglican covenant, recent discussions have revealed that there are at least three significant perspectives at work in the debate on the covenant and that there are some important differences between them which have not been explicitly articulated. Broadly speaking there are (1) those who, though unhappy … Continue Reading
In Praise of Rhetoric? Anti-Covenantal Myths of Puritanism and Anglicanism (Part One) copublished with permission with Covenant by Benjamin Guyer “…this present age full of tongue and weake of braine…” – Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiasticall Politie, I.8.2 Écrasez l’infâme! Such is the clarion call of a recent ad in the Church Times … Continue Reading
In Praise of Rhetoric? Anti-Covenantal Myths of Puritanism and Anglicanism (Part Two Richard Hooker) copublished with permission with Covenant by Benjamin Guyer In part one of this essay, we noted the ways that the anti-Covenant lobby misconstrues Puritanism. In what follows, we turn to their abuse of Anglican orthodoxy, particularly the work of Richard Hooker. … Continue Reading
Law, Liturgy, Wisdom By Benjamin Guyer Co-published with Covenant Richard Hooker is oftentimes described as the founding figure of the Anglican tradition. This is, however well intentioned, a half-truth. It is certainly true that Hooker’s great, unfinished theological work, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiasticall Politie (hereafter, Laws), was a key text in Anglican arguments against Puritanism. … Continue Reading
Introduction and Executive Summary In the church press on Friday 29th October, two Church of England groups, Inclusive Church (IC) and Modern Church (formerly, Modern Churchpeople’s Union, MCU), published a whole page advert headed ‘Who runs the Church?’. This explains why they believe the Anglican Covenant would be a change for the worse. Having offered an initial short critique of it, this … Continue Reading