From Fr. Jake -- Some Points to Ponder About the Primates' Meeting
Don't pay too much attention to the early news reports coming out of Tanzania. Make sure you read Jonathan Petre's report to get an idea how tight security is at this meeting. Note that an "alternative" headquarters has already been established by the extreme conservatives. So, when the reporters are turned away at the door of the actual meeting, there's little doubt where they will go for some tidbit of news. And there is also little doubt that the extremists have already written their press releases. Early reports will be quite biased. Take them with a grain of salt. Wait until at least next Monday for any real news.
From the Daily Episcopalian:
Word comes from Tanzania that Bishop Martyn Minns of CANA, Canon Chris Sugden of Anglican Mainstream and Father David Anderson of the American Anglican Council are already in Dar es Salaam. I wonder if they are aware that their presence in Tanzania, like their presence in Northern Ireland, convey to the rest of the world that they don't trust Peter Akinola, Bernard Malango, Gregory Venables et. al. to manage on thier own?
From Stephen Bates -- Blathering Bishops:
Bishop Scott-Joynt - who bears an unfortunate resemblance in some lights to Lurch, the Addams Family's gloomy butler - thus joins his fellow bishop Michael Nazir-Ali of Rochester who last year also said that the Americans were not really Christians and Tom Wright of Durham who also takes it upon himself to lecture the Americans on what they ought to do. Tom does not go quite as far as the other two: a couple of weeks back he told me "some of my best friends are liberal Episcopalians" but he too can't resist lecturing them de haut en bas.
They should know by now that there is nothing that gets Americans' backs up more than being told what to do in lofty tones by a Brit: it brings out all the spikiest memories of the Boston Tea Party, King George III and British dentistry and is therefore entirely counter-productive. Even in Christian circles.
The ACNS Report -- World-wide Anglican leaders gather in Tanzania
A media advisory with helpful "who, what and when" information.
Jonathan Petre's "on religion" blog at Telegraph.co.uk:
The burgeoning bunker mentality can, perhaps, be explained by the palpable anxiety of the organizers that the meeting could be derailed before it has even started by the powerful conservative group of Global South primates, who are determined to seize control of events.
They have set up their own headquarters a hundred yards up the road in the Beachcomber hotel, where they are holding strategy meetings before moving en masse to the White Sands for the official five-day meeting beginning on Thursday, where a bloody showdown is looming.
When I mentioned to one of the conservative primates that there was consternation among Anglican Communion staff about what is effectively an alternative headquarters, he replied: "This isn't the alternative headquarters. It is THE headquarters." With that sort of attitude to contend with, Dr Williams will have his work cut out.
And then there's Ruth Gledhill's Tension Builds blog ...
There are mutterings of conspiracies by the ACO which is being charged behind the scenes with leaving it so late in the day to discuss the really important issues that it will be impossible to resolve anything. This will mean the real debate has to be delayed until Lambeth 2008. Thus, schism will be narrowly averted for another 15 months or so. Or not. The CAPA Road to Lambeth document makes it quite clear that the African Primates will not be at Lambeth if TEC is not disciplined properly, and it is difficult to see where this will happen if not in Dar es 'not so' Salaam.
2 comments:
Well -- "If we organize, its just good politics; if they organize, its a conspiracy."
The Daily Episcopalian says, "I wonder if they are aware that their presence in Tanzania, like their presence in Northern Ireland, convey to the rest of the world that they don't trust Peter Akinola, Bernard Malango, Gregory Venables et. al. to manage on their own?"
Actually, their presence is a sign of the great mutual trust they have for one another, and an opportunity for prayer and consultation. They can discuss things and bring to the discussion good ideas from their several perspectives and cultural milieus. They are, after all, trying to correct thirty or forty years worth of encroachment on moral values (and sixty or so years of theological drift) in a very limited time frame.
This week is going to be all too "interesting." No one will be entirely happy with the outcome, but major changes are coming about. I am grieved that it has come to this, but, if we are operating from two (or more) ideas of what it means to a Christian and an Anglican, some major changes are inevitable as our differing concepts and principles come into ever-greater conflict.
Well -- "If we organize, its just good politics; if they organize, its a conspiracy."
The Daily Episcopalian says, "I wonder if they are aware that their presence in Tanzania, like their presence in Northern Ireland, convey to the rest of the world that they don't trust Peter Akinola, Bernard Malango, Gregory Venables et. al. to manage on thier own?"
Actually, their presence is a sign of the great mutual trust they have for one another, and an opportunity for prayer and consultation. They can discuss things and bring to the discussion good ideas from their several perspectives and cultural milieus. They are, after all, trying to correct thirty or forty years worth of encroachment on moral values (and sixty or so years of theological drift) in a very limited time frame.
This week is going to be all too "interesting." No one will be entirely happy with the outcome, but major changes are coming about. I am grieved that it has come to this, but, if we are operating from two (or more) ideas of what it means to a Christian and an Anglican, some major changes are inevitable as our differing concepts and principles come into ever-greater conflict.
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