The Fourth Global South Encounter met in Singapore last week to discuss the issues facing the world Anglican Communion. The article below gives a good account of where the world's Anglicans stand on the issues of the day. --Fr. Scott
The Christian Post
April 27. 2010
As a watching world wonders if Anglicanism is falling apart, major players in the Anglican Communion are assured of unity. But it is an assurance that is mingled with a deep sorrow.
These were recurrent themes in conversations The Christian Post had with most of the Global South archbishops and representatives. This paper had met them at a significant summit held last week at St. Andrew’s Cathedral.
For the Global South archbishops, there is no question about whether there will be a split in the largest Protestant communion.
“There is really only one Anglican Communion,” said the Most Revd. Henri Kahwa Isingoma of Congo. “It is the North American Churches that have gone far from the roots of our common faith.”
Isingoma went on to explain that the Global South is a ‘resistance’ movement to stem the tide of theological liberalism. For him and other archbishops at the meeting, the Anglican Communion is defined not by self-styling but by biblical orthodoxy.
The worldwide communion was thrown into chaos when two North American Churches started blessing same-sex unions and ordaining homosexuals as bishops eight years back.
Homosexuality is a sin in the official view of the Anglican Communion. While the Bible teaches that Christians should treat homosexuals with compassion, they are not to promote homosexuality.
“These things are there,” said the Rt. Revd. Peter Jasper Akinola. “But you don’t have to praise them, you don’t celebrate them, you don’t rejoice in them.”
Western Churches have abdicated their responsibility, said the immediate past head of the Global South. Akinola was also head of the 20 million-strong Anglican Church in Nigeria.
“They are not allowing the Church and the Christian ethics to influence their society and their culture,” said the Most Revd. Mouneer Hanna Anis. “They are allowing the culture and the context and the mores of society to come in and penetrate the Church.” Anis’ jurisdiction covers parts of Africa and the Middle East.
On one level, the problem appears to be the lack of a clear and universal articulation of the Anglican faith. Closely related to this is the lack of Communion-wide structures of real authority. The Anglican head, the Archbishop of Canterbury, exerts moral rather than functional authority.
The Anglican Communion has itself perceived this ‘ecclesial deficit’ and has proposed the adoption of an Anglican Communion Covenant.
But many archbishops to whom this paper spoke were convinced that the crisis is centred on the question of whether the Bible can be trusted.
Thinking themselves ‘enlightened’, Westerners since the 19th century sought to find another way of reading the Bible according to the Most Revd. Gregory James Venables of Latin America’s Southern Cone.
“Whatever they think is right in terms of modern cultural trappings will be made to supersede Scriptures,” said Bishop Akinola.
Global South leaders felt that the issue cannot be solved simply by setting up ecclesiastical structures.
“If we cannot wipe out sin in our hearts, no one, nothing, including the Covenant, can help us,” said the Most Revd. Stephen Thanh Myint Oo of Myanmar.
The Covenant can only be a ‘guideline’. It cannot replace the more fundamental covenant between God and individuals, said the Most Revd. Emmanuel Musaba Kolini of Rwanda.
Many archbishops see no hope of reconciliation.
Global South archbishops have tried for eight years to talk sense into their Western counterparts. They did this only to be unceremoniously rebuffed when one Church only recently elected a partnered lesbian as bishop.
While the Covenant is not likely to solve the current crisis, archbishops see its ‘futuristic’ value. But they feel that the document in its present form is not yet ideal for the Anglican Communion.
Archbishops are seeking to make the human sexuality clause part of the Anglican Covenant. They are also trying to make the Covenant a binding document. Their hope is that discipline would be vested in a council of bishops.
If this is achieved, the Anglican Communion would be able to prevent repeat occurrences of the tragedy it is facing, Akinola believes.
The Covenant has already been sent to Anglican Churches around the world for consideration and is awaiting adoption.
In the meantime, the Anglican Global South has opened a ‘decade of mission and networking’. Anglicans also plan to reform existing ecclesiastical structures to better reflect its global face.
They plan to achieve financial independence. This will reduce the possibility of other Churches influencing their theological convictions, noted Nigerian Archbishop Nicholas D Okoh.
Edmond Chua
edmond@christianpost.com
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