Last week Robert Tong provided us some reflections on the Meeting of Primates which was held last week in Alexandria. I thought I would continue this conversation, as the Primates have now produced their communiqué.
I applaud the Primates' reaffirmation of Resolution 1.10 of Lambeth 1998.
While we are aware of the depth of conscientious conviction involved, the position of the Communion defined by the Lambeth 1998 Resolution 1.10 in its entirety remains, and gracious restraint on all three fronts is urgently needed to open the way for transforming conversation. (§12)
However, we have learned from other communiqués that for liberals, the use of words is much like that of Lewis Carroll's Humpty Dumpty: `When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less’.
Can the Presiding Bishop of the United States (TEC) really agree to this statement? Her predecessor agreed to a similar statement in the Primates' Communiqué in October 2003, only to overthrow the plain meaning of the joint declaration by consecrating Gene Robinson the following month!
The Primates, recognising the deep differences among those in North America have also requested “the Archbishop of Canterbury to initiate a professionally mediated conversation which engages all parties at the earliest opportunity". In other words more committees, more talk, more obfuscation; remember the Windsor Report, the Panel of Reference, the Covenant Design Group? It would have been bolder and more courageous for the Primates to recognise that those churches comprising the Common Cause Partnership in North America, who are seeking to come together as a Province, are in fact true Anglicans, abiding by Resolution 1.10, unlike their counterparts in TEC (The Episcopal Church in the USA).
One can hardly imagine the apostle Paul calling for a professional resolution committee when he met false teaching in Galatia. "If I were still pleasing people, I should not be a servant of Christ." (Gal 1:10). We may not have apostles today, but we do have the apostles' teaching.
