Monday, July 07, 2008

Rebel bishops threaten the very heart of our liberal traditions

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/06/anglicanism.religion

[The Observer] 7 Jul 2008--'Let's at least agree on one thing, God is a hypothesis.' That's what one of my professors used to say. 'Your hypothesis may be different from mine, but if you insist it is superior because you have a better line to God than me, it leads to nothing but bitterness, rancour and even war. The best course is mutual toleration - live and let live.' But then, Jonathan is an Anglican.

Anglicanism is a liberal tradition central to the very conception of Englishness, but it finds itself under mounting threat. Last Sunday around 300 Anglican bishops, largely from Nigeria, Uganda and Australia, but including at least one from England, issued the Jerusalem Declaration. They no longer accepted that the Archbishop of Canterbury led the Anglican Church.

Claiming the mantle of true Anglicans, they insist they will be guided only by the church's founding documents, notably the 39 Articles of 1563. They would establish a new governing council of primates who would lead a voluntary fellowship of 'confessing' Anglican clergy and laity (Foca) who would assert these fundamental principles, of which the most important was not ordaining gay priests.

Another view of GAFCON from the far left.

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