After the vote that will lead to same-sex marriage in ACoC churches, seven Anglican Church of Canada bishops announced:
We believe that our General Synod has erred grievously and we publicly dissent from this decision. Resolution A051 R2 represents a change to the sacrament of marriage inconsistent with the Scriptures and Apostolic Tradition of the Church Catholic and the Book of Common Prayer. This would be a fundamental departure from the faith and teaching held by the majority of the Anglican Communion on the doctrine of marriage. Sadly, this complicates relationships within the Anglican Church of Canada and as a Province with the Anglican Communion.
In the same statement, they also declare their commitment to: the Anglican Church of Canada, the Anglican Communion.
Why don’t they leave the ACoC and join ANiC?
The generous answer might be that the bishops value unity, want to work for change from within and are taking a long view where the ACoC repents of its decision.
The unity answer is unconvincing because the bishops claim to be committed to both the ACoC and the Anglican Communion. They can’t be committed to unity with both since the majority of the Anglican Communion is not in unity with the ACoC: they are opposed to these recent actions. Like it or not, it’s one or the other.
Working for change from within is having no effect whatsoever and there are no signs that the ACoC will repent this side of the eschaton.
I think the reason is much simpler and conforms to Jeremiah 17:9, a verse worth bearing in mind whenever probing a person’s motives, including one’s own: if the bishops attempt to move their dioceses to ANiC, they will lose all their buildings. They are not serious enough about their objections to do that.
Is it quite certain that the buildings would be lost if a whole Diocese decamped? I am looking here: http://www.slaw.ca/2013/09/22/in-the-parish-we-trust-ownership-of-real-property-of-a-church-congregation/
Having lived through the legal discussions in New Westminster, I think I can see what they’re doing. Please continue to support these bishops, or at least be patient with them.
Yes, indeed, the ACoC cares nothing for the Gospel and previous actions have shown they will gladly legally steal properties from genuine orthodox Christians. I pray for courage on the part of the orthodox bishops. You will note I do not refer to them as “conservative” as the issue is not one of conservative vs. liberal but orthodox vs. apostasy. The ACoC has clearly shown they fall into the pit of apostasy and have no intention of repentance.
We need to get serious and spend some earnestly praying for all the bishops and clergy that voted for the motion.
Their salaries…in all their hypocrisy those bishops prefer to remain in a denomination they consider heretic rather than being consistent with their beliefs and leaving for good…it’s all about the money
“Working for change from within is having no effect whatsoever and there are no signs that the ACoC will repent this side of the eschaton”
What ever happened to the power of prayer? Is God truely powerless to change the church as he did in the reformation? That why I as a priest in the church of Canada stick around.
Good point: ACNA and ANiC came into existence through prayer – prayer that was in harmony with God’s will.
You can pray for something that is contrary to God’s plan until the cows come home but I don’t think it will get you very far. It seems to me that God is in the process of judging Western Anglicanism at the moment and, as is so often the case, his judgement is in the form of allowing people to have what they want. And the more the ACoC gets what it wants, the further it disintegrates.
Surely your point about the Reformation supports my case – the reformers split from Rome just as ANiC has split from the ACoC.
Your choice, of course but bear in mind that your financial contributions were used to sue faithful congregations that joined ANiC and are now being used to spread a false gospel.
Did the reformers split from Rome or where they forced out? The same goes with the apostles who regularly preached at synagogues until they were forced not to. My point is , it would seem that God would want to reform the church especially if she is in error. Reading through Hoses reminds me that even though Israel was in apostasy God longed for her to come back. I think we should extend the same mercy to the mainline church. As the Methodist church has shone, the fight is far from over.
The ACoC has descended so far into apostasy that it can no longer be called a “Church” but rather a meeting of political expediency. God does indeed long for His Church to return but until ALL clergy see through the fact that within the ACoC we are NOT dealing with liberalism vs. conservatism but deliberate APOSTASY vs. ORTHODOXY. As long as priests who claim to be conservatives but will not change to be orthodox what is left of the ACoC will simply descend into the pit of apostasy. Personally I can only see the claimed conservatives willingly witness the assault against orthodox Christians with the only action being to do nothing but hope they will not lose their pension and other benefits..
I keep hearing about the ACOC and the TEC in this pit of Apostasy and that conservatives staying for the money and pension . Well can’t speak for all conservatives but the ones I know are staying because they can preach the gospel without repercussions. As far as apostasy, know one has ever ask or made me preach anything against my beliefs. And I belief in a literal resurrection and the the 39 articles.
That might well be true but as long as you remain in the ACoC and have apostate so-called bishops and primate you are, in essence, supporting them. Where were you when orthodox Christians had their properties legally stolen and were evicted? Did you speak up at that time??
Believing is one thing but following said belief is another. Tragically many “conservatives” as you call them have not taken the stand of orthodoxy.
omarjj,
In the English Reformation, what was to become the Anglican Church split from Rome, it wasn’t thrown out.
Martin Luther was excommunicated, of course, but that was because Rome had – and still has – a belief system to which it adhered. Short of a criminal act, it is almost impossible to be formally ejected from the ACoC because it no longer defines itself through creeds but relationally.
Some might consider joining the Ordinariate. I left the Anglican Church of Canada many years ago, became a Catholic and am now a member of the Ordinariate. I haven’t regretted my decision for a moment. Instead of pablum sermons, I’ve been fed real meat. It is clear that the Anglican Church is not C/catholic at all. It’s deteriorated to a congregational church: individual parishes vote on doctrine and practice. It’s actually quite scandalous–and very sad.