An alternative “NO” on the Anglican Covenant

Once a hot-button issue, the Anglican Covenant doesn’t seem to getting much love these days.  Originally crafted in response to the open acceptance of LGBTQ persons to the episcopate, the Covenant sought to essentially create an international church out of the Anglican Communion in order to enforce a conservative view.   For an overview of the process see this from the Anglican Communuion Office.  The Covenant was sent to all the member churches of the Anglican Communion to be approved or rejected.  The General Convention of the Episcopal Church, in 2012, took action on the Covenant by, essentially, kicking the can down the road.

Several Churches did approve it, but many (most) failed to approve it in full; choosing instead to affirm their dedication to the Communion and ongoing conversation.  An Executive Council task force has offered a resolution to close out the Episcopal Church’s engagement with the process, A040

A040: Affirm Response to the Anglican Covenant Process

Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church affirm our common identity and membership in the Anglican Communion as expressed in the preamble and first three sections of the Anglican Communion Covenant; and be it further

Resolved, That the 78th General Convention direct The Episcopal Church’s members of the Anglican Consultative Council to express our appreciation to the 16th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC16, Lusaka 2016) for the gift of inter-Anglican conversation and mutuality in God’s mission engendered by the Anglican Communion Covenant process.

Explanation
Pursuant to the charge given the B005 Task Force, we monitored Anglican and ACC activities regarding the Anglican Covenant process and believe this resolution to respond appropriately to the current status of this process in Anglicanism generally and the ACC specifically. This resolution has no budgetary implications.

But now, a new resolution has been submitted with the support of the No Anglican Covenant coalition, “an international group of Anglicans, both lay and ordained, who are active in our respective churches and concerned about the future of Anglicanism.”  Offered by Ms. Lisa Fox of the Diocese of Missouri and Ms. Mary Roehrich and the Rev. Canon Scott Quinn, both of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the proposed resolution (D022) offers a more resolute rejection of the Covenant, which they seemingly believe is a more appropriate answer than the waffling of A040’s “affirmation of the process.”

 

Do22

Resolved, the House of _______ concurring, That the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church affirm our common identity and membership in the Anglican Communion, neither the present nor any desired future nature of which is properly described by the Anglican Communion Covenant; and be it further

Resolved, That the 78th General Convention direct The Episcopal Church’s members of the Anglican Consultative Council to express our appreciation to the 16th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC16, Lusaka 2016) for the gift of inter-Anglican conversation and mutuality in God’s mission engendered by the Anglican Communion Covenant process.

EXPLANATION The Communion-wide discussion of a proposed Anglican Communion Covenant has been helpful in elucidating the diversity within the Anglican Communion. The Covenant, however, does not properly describe our Anglican identity or the relationship we have or might want to have with our sister Anglican churches. The first three sections of the Covenant contain assertions, particularly about our own church, that are not strictly true, as well as commitments we likely do not want to make. Section Four seeks to establish a centralized mechanism for resolving matters of belief and behavior for the Anglican Communion. Taken as a whole, the Covenant goes a long way toward changing our beloved fellowship of churches into a worldwide confessional church that imposes uniformity of belief throughout its provinces. For this reason, the General Convention has been unwilling to adopt the Covenant, yet has been consistently coy about our church’s relationship to the Windsor/Covenant process and reluctant to reject the Covenant outright. It is high time for us to let our “yes” be “yes” or our “no” be “no.” Moreover, it is disingenuous to commend parts of a pact that is deeply flawed throughout. We should unambiguously decline either to adopt or to partially accept the Covenant. Other initiatives, such as Indaba conversations, are more likely to enhance communion among Anglican Churches than adoption of the Anglican Communion Covenant.

 

Lionel Demiel, noted Episcopal blogger and No Anglican Covenant supporter, offers background and analysis on his blog where he offers his support of this proposed resolution, saying;

This new resolution essentially says that the Covenant is not fit for purpose. It is a subtle rejection, but a rejection that cannot be mistaken for anything else. It will encourage the Anglican Church of Canada also to reject the Covenant when its General Synod meets next year.

Passing Resolution D022 or something very much like it will drive a stake through the heart of the Covenant, since its real purpose is to control innovation in the Western churches. Passage would bring an end to this unfortunate period of Anglican Communion life.

Yes, let our No be No and let’s put this behind us once and for all.

 

 

posted by Jon White

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