Anglican Ecclesiology

The Rt Revd Pierre Whalon, the bishop of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe does a beautiful job trying to work towards an Anglican Ecclesiology. He notes that the Anglican communion was born as a unique via media. Have a read:

A number of scholars recently have been focusing on the question, is there, in fact, an ecclesiology proper to Anglicans? We have never defined one, per se. But in fact, I would argue that we do in fact have a distinct ecclesiology of our own. The conundrum that Anglicans have had to face since the first intimations of the break with Rome is how to be the One Church when unity is no longer available. Of the four “notes” of the Church, “one, holy, catholic and apostolic,” unity is first. “Is Christ divided?” Paul sarcastically asked the Corinthians (I Cor. 1:13). That would be obviously absurd. Yet unity has been broken. The Reformed way of solving this conundrum—that the true Church had disappeared for centuries and has now only re-appeared—did not convince the first Anglicans. The Roman Catholic solution, submitting everything to the papacy—was of course not acceptable to them. They were the Catholic Church in England. They knew in their bones that their church was no sect.

Thoughts on Lambeth and GAFCON

Justin is right, I'm Barnabas.

Doctrinally, I find myself more in alignment with GAFCON, but the process that has been undertaken by this group is subversive and boldly arrogant. Call me skeptical, but I don't think there's anyway you can bill GAFCON as anything but an alternative to Lambeth, or, at the least, a loud protest before it.

The bishops of GAFCON are rightly concerned about recent developments in the Anglican Communion, but the key word here is recent. In the scope of church history, the current crisis is young. Try comparing it to combating Arianism. To make the claim that Anglicanism is at a crossroads never before seen is too set aside history and ignore the nature of the church. The church is always facing issues, but it seems as if this generation has the hubris to think it's experiencing something unique. Calm down, please. Pray for the ECUSA and attempt to bring them back into communion. Ten years is not enough time or effort to excommunicate a body.

If we believe that the Church is the bride of Christ, we should make every effort to avoid divorce. Avoiding any form of schism is worth the (admittedly frustrating) talking and persistence in faith.

Honest Question

What is the point of boycotting Lambeth? Are they giving up on the church?