Anglican realignment

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Anglican realignment is a movement of some theologically conservative Anglican dioceses and parishes in the Episcopal Church in the USA. This movement differs from previous ones in that conservative Anglicans are seeking to establish different ecclesiological arrangements within the Anglican Communion rather than separating themselves from it, and certain Communion provinces are seeking to accommodate them.

Contents 1 Introduction 2 History 3 Anglican churches not part of The Episcopal Church in the USA 4 Associations working towards the Realignment 5 Timeline of developments 6 References 7 See also

[edit] Introduction

See also: Anglican views of homosexuality and Episcopal Church in the United States of America

Anglican realignment is a movement within the Episcopal Church whereby theologically conservative Episcopal parishes and dioceses are seeking the oversight of bishops from other countries: that is, to both secede from their local dioceses and to remain within the Anglican Communion. The concept of alternative episcopal over-sight first arose a generation ago with the ordination of women debate. The idea then was to provide an alternative male priest or male bishop in the diocese for those who refused to recognize the legitmacy of female priests and bishops. In this earlier instance, the church already had the concept of the suffragan bishop -- effectively an assisting spare bishop when the work load was too great. Thus, it was not outside of canon law to consider appointing a male suffragan bishop if the need arose. In this more recent debate, the primary unit of a diocese and a parish is geographical and monopolistic: that is, under canon law a diocese has a geographical boundary and no other diocese can infringe upon that boundary. If the Anglican realignment movement succeeds, some dioceses will be defined by a common theological perspective: thus, a geographically distinct area may have multiple Anglican/Episcopal dioceses recognized by the Anglican Communion, each representing a different flavour of Anglicanism.

There are, however, overlapping jurisdictions in some parts of the Anglican world, and it is to this precedent that the advocates of realignment are appealing. The Church of England's Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe and the Episcopal Church's Convocation of American Churches in Europe, for example, overlap on the European Continent.^[1][2]. The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, referred to the requests for 'alternative primatial oversight’in a press release:

"As we move to reflecting on these requests, we have to acknowledge that we are entering uncharted waters for the Communion, with a number of large issues about provincial identity and autonomy raised for all of us. [...] I continue to hope that colleagues will not take it for granted that there is a rapid short-term solution that will remove our problems or simplify our relationships for good and all without the essential element of personal, probing conversation."^[3]

Intertwined are several confounding issues including (but certainly not limited to): a) issues of Anglican doctrine in the form of scriptural authority and historic church teaching, b) the ordination of women, c) and the relationship between independent Anglican provinces and unity of the Anglican Communion, and d) ownership of diocesan church properties.

[edit] History

See also: Anglican doctrine

The roots of the current debate over jurisdiction and doctrine run to the very origins of the independent Anglican Church in the sixteenth century, in which debate over church structure (ecclesiology) and government (polity) predominated. The jurisdictional debate emerged from the difficulties in creating a national Christian faith in England, which inevitably led to conflict between factions wishing to remain obedient to the Pope, those wishing more radical reform, and those holding a middle ground. The conflict emerged into open warfare in the English Civil War, which temporarily brough a congregational and presbyterian polity to the Church of England. One effect of this change was to introduce the Westminster Confession of 1648 which, though never formally adopted into church law, provided an early example of an attempt to introduce a doctrinal confession into Anglicanism. After the Restoration of 1660 and the 1662 Act of Uniformity reinforced Cranmer's Anglicanism, those wishing to hold to the stricter views set out at Westminster either emigrated or covertly founded non-conformist Presbyterian, Congregational, or Baptist churches at home.

The immediate effect of these conflicts was an attempt to tamp down nonconformity through a combination of restrictive legislation and a de-emphasis on the importance of doctrine and liturgy as subjects of division (advocated by Latitudinarianism and the Cambridge Platonists). Nonetheless, factional tensions continued to simmer within the Church of England. Beginning in the eighteenth century, Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic parties began to emerge within the Church, movements which were then exported overseas with colonists and missionary societies. The factionalism was complicated by the growing influence of critical theory in biblical criticism, and increasing concern over issues of social justice.

These tensions during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries led to various groups splitting off from the Anglican Church and founding distinct movements. Most notable among these were Methodism, which split in the eighteenth century over the issue of so-called "enthusiasm" (the emphasis on personal conversion); the Plymouth Brethren, who split in the early nineteenth century over the issue of biblical interpretation; and the Reformed Episcopal Church, which was created in 1873 in opposition to what its adherents believed was growing Ritualism within the mainstream Anglican Church. This latter church body is notable for being the first to identify itself as expressing a more genuine Anglican character than the mainstream faith; earlier movements had made no claim to being in continuity with Anglicanism.

The export of Anglicanism overseas from England led to the development of indigenous churches, which, with the exception of the Scottish Episcopal Church were originally under the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury. This began to change, first with the American Revolution; and later with the consecration of domestic bishops in British colonies, beginning with Nova Scotia. By the end of the nineteenth century, several autonomous provinces had been established, with their own General Synods, canon law, and liturgies. In order to establish some visible means of unity, the Archbishop of Canterbury began convening what came to be known as the Lambeth Conference, which first met in 1867, consisting of all bishops in communion with him. Archbishop Charles Longley made it clear that the Conference would not assume "the functions of a general synod of all the churches in full communion with the Church of England," but merely "discuss matters of practical interest, and pronounce what we deem expedient in resolutions which may serve as safe guides to future action." This advisory, rather than legislative force of this "instrument of unity" has extended to other instruments, such as the Anglican Consultative Council (established in 1971) and the Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting, first convened in 1979.

Beginning with Lambeth, international Anglicanism has wrestled with matters of doctrine, polity, and liturgy in order to achieve consensus, or at least tolerance, between diverse viewpoints. Throughout the twentieth century, this led to Lambeth resolutions countenancing contraception, tolerating divorce, denouncing capital punishment, and recognising the autonomy of provinces in the ordination of women to the diaconate and priesthood. Despite these areas of agreement, there have been areas of disagreement in which Communion provinces have refused, either tacitly or explicitly, to adhere. For example, despite Lambeth's condemnation of abortion in 1930, it has been viewed by some Communion provinces as a legitimate contraceptive option. Moreover, despite the determination of the 1897 conference that Communion provinces were autonomous, and that no other province had jurisdiction within another, some provinces have sought to inculcate themselves within others. Finally, despite the fact that Lambeth had not indicated support for the ordination of women to the priesthood at the time, some provinces began ordaining women to this order before Lambeth reconsidered the matter in 1978, just as some provinces have begun consecrating women bishops although there is likewise no international consensus.

These diverse practices highlight the autonomy of Anglican provinces, and the inevitable tension of that autonomy, raising the question as to whether unanimity — or at least consensus — must exist in order for one section of the Church to move in a novel direction. It also raises the question as to what constiutes Anglican doctrine, and what constitutes an unacceptable deviation from it. The consecration of bishops and the extension of sacraments to individuals based on gender or sexual orientation would ordinarily be matters of concern to the synods of the autonomous provinces of the Communion. Insofar as they affect other provinces, it is by association — either the physical association between the individuals to whom the sacraments have been extended and those who oppose such extension; or the perceptual association of Anglicanism generally with such practices. Regardless, these issues have incited debate over the parameters of domestic autonomy in doctrinal matters in the absence of international consensus. Some dioceses and provinces have moved further than others can easily accept, and some conservative parishes within them have sought pastoral oversight from bishops of other dioceses or provinces, in contravention of traditional Anglican polity. These developments have led some to call for a covenant to limit the power of provinces to act on controversial issues independently, while others have called for a renewed commitment to comprehensiveness and tolerance of diverse practice and belief.

[edit] Anglican churches not part of The Episcopal Church in the USA

Over the years, various parallel Anglican denominations have broken with Canterbury over the ordination of women priests, the revision of the Book of Common Prayer, the re-interpretation of scripture, and the perceived rejection of historical Christianity. Most Continuing Anglican bodies are not part of realignment efforts affecting the Anglican Communion, but a few, including the Anglican Province of America in cooperation with the Reformed Episcopal Church, are now contributing to this movement.

[edit] Associations working towards the Realignment

• Anglican Mission in America is a collection of parishes who have affiliated themselves with the Province of Rwanda^[4]
• Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) is a collection of parishes who have affiliated themselves with the Church of Nigeria. The most prominent parishes are Truro Church and The Falls Church in Northern Virginia.
• The American Anglican Council (AAC) is an organization of dioceses, parishes, local chapters, religious orders, and affiliated ministries dedicated to facilitating the realignment^[5]
• Another such organization is the Anglican Communion Network (ACN) with members in the United States and Canada which are either Continuing Anglican parishes or Episcopal parishes working toward realignment^[6].

Ten Episcopal dioceses currently members of the ACN:

• Diocese of Albany
• Diocese of Pittsburgh
• Diocese of Central Florida
• Diocese of South Carolina
• Diocese of Quincy
• Diocese of Springfield
• Diocese of Fort Worth
• Diocese of Dallas
• Diocese of the Rio Grande
• Diocese of San Joaquin

[edit] Timeline of developments

2000

• The Anglican Mission in America was formed as a mission jurisdiction of the Anglican provinces of Rwanda and Southeast Asia.

2003

• Since the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson—a divorced priest openly living in a committed gay relationship—as head of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in 2003, actions have been taken by dissenting Episcopal bishops and priests and at the diocesan and parish level to disassociate themselves from the Episcopal Church and align themselves with other Anglican primates of the Anglican Communion, including the Primates of Nigeria, Rwanda, and Bolivia.^[7] The Archbishop of Canterbury has not recognized such realignments as legitimate.

2004

• Two parishes in Washington state left the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia.^[8]. The two churches are now affliated with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of the Americas^[9].

2006

• On November 4, the Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori, previously Bishop of Nevada, was invested at the Washington National Cathedral as the new presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in the USA.^[10] She is the first and only national leader of a church in the Anglican Communion who is a woman.^[11] The Seattle Times reported in Virginia, "Parishioners there weren't upset only by Bishop Peter James Lee's vote in 2003 to accept an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire; many of the members still object to female priests and the new female bishop who leads the U.S. church".^[12]Her election is a serious point of division within some provinces of the Anglican Communion, which does not universally accept the ordination of women.^[13]

In the Anglican realignment movement, the Anglican Mission in America, which has women priests, has decided that women will in the future will be ordained deacons but not priests or bishops. The two women priests in AMiA will continue to serve.^[14][15]. The Anglican Communion Network, which includes parishes with women clergy and those that are opposed to women's ordination, has made it a policy to respect both positions. ^[16]. CANA is studying whether women newly aspiring to ordination should be approved."...CANA policies regarding the ordination of new female aspirants will be developed from a biblical and pastoral perspective."^[17] The American Anglican Council issued a statement, on the election of Bishop Schori which in part said " Jefferts Schori’s election will obviously present problems for those who do not recognize the ordination of women priests"^[18].The AAC's "Statement of Faith: A Place to Stand: A Call to Mission" explicitly says under "Ministry in the Anglican Communion" that in regards to "practices contrary to biblical, classical Anglican doctrine and moral standards, we must not and will not support them."^[19] The Christian Challenge reports that in Bishop Schori "...many conservative church leaders in the U.S. and abroad see as TEC’s most direct repudiation of Anglican Communion stands on sexuality and biblical authority, and the expectations of the Communion’s 2004 Windsor Report ... Indeed, Bishop Jefferts Schori, 52, takes TEC’s helm at a time when her liberal church faces possible exclusion from the Communion, and calls from some Anglican leaders for a new province for faithful Episcopalians. It is a situation that many see as exacerbated by the new P.B.’s revisionist theology, and some her gender."^[20] The British publication Telegraph has described her as "an unapologetic feminist and pro-gay liberal." ^[21]

• On December 12, a small group of evangelical leaders within the Church of England met with the Archbishop of Canterbury and presented "A Covenant for the Church of England"—a controversial document requesting alternate church structures to lend support and, possibly, oversight to evangelical parishes presently under theologically liberal bishops. The prominent evangelical bishop Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham repudiated the document in a Church Times article.^[22]
• Also on December 12, the Anglican Church of Tanzania issued a declaration breaking its ties with the Episcopal Church stating, "the Anglican Church of Tanzania shall not knowingly accept financial and material aid from dioceses, parishes, bishops, priests, individuals and institutions in the Episcopal Church (USA) that condone homosexual practice or bless same-sex unions."^[23]
• On December 16 the two parishes which originally left the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia reached an agreement with the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia to share the church buildings between the Diocese and themselves.^{[8] [24]}
• On December 17 two parishes in Virginia—Truro Church and The Falls Church — voted unilaterally to sever ties to the Episcopal Church and placed themselves under the jurisdiction of the Church of Nigeria as part of its mission, the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA). Nine additional Virginia parishes followed their lead within weeks by voting to leave the Episcopal Church and joining CANA;^[12] another former ECUSA parish in Virginia, Church of the Messiah in Chesapeake, had voted to join CANA in October 2006.^[25] The Diocese of Virginia has taken the first steps to maintain its claim on the church buildings and land of the two parishes.^[26]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Anglican Communion Network
• American Anglican Council
• Continuing Anglican Movement
• Anglican Mission in America
• Convocation of Anglicans in North America