Rowan’s Reflections: Unpacking the Archbishop’s Statement

http://www.anglicancommunioninstitute.com/2009/07/rowan%e2%80%99s-reflections-unpacking-the-archbishop%e2%80%99s-statement/

[Anglian Communion Network]30 July2009--1. In the two days since the Archbishop released his ‘Reflections’ on TEC’s General Convention, they have already generated widely differing responses. We always knew, say some conservatives, that the ABC was a hopeless liberal, and this has confirmed it. Not so, declare many horrified radicals: he has obviously sold out to the conservatives. Some have warmly welcomed the statement and hailed it as paving the way forward. Cautious voices in between are trying to discern strengths and weaknesses. In my view, there is much to welcome, and much whose implications need further unpacking. The two main sections of this paper deal with these two aspects.

2. I have tried to bear in mind that the Archbishop is himself not only an Instrument of Unity but the one which has to hold on to everything at this moment. Lambeth 2008 didn’t say much (apart from what the ABC himself said); the status of ACC and Primates are under question in various quarters; it is up to him. He therefore has an obligation to maintain as broad a conversation as possible, and that is continually to be seen in his statement. As often (for instance in his poems, and in his recent book on Dostoevsky) the Archbishop’s writing challenges its readers to pause, to ponder, to think things through. One commentator has suggested that he employs a characteristically British habit of inviting the reader to draw the really important conclusions and giving them the space to do so. This piece is an attempt to take up that challenge and invitation.

Canterbury, you’ve missed the point!

http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/news/communion/canterbury_got_the_row_wrong/

[sydneyanglicans.net] 29 July 2009--You may have read my post this morning on the understanding of the term ‘historic episcopate’ in the ACNA constitution. Archbishop Rowan Williams’ Reflections on the 2009 TEC General Convention has so incensed me that I am compelled to respond with a second post for today.

It seems that the Archbishop of Canterbury has lost the plot, when he claims that resolutions D025 and C056 “do not have the automatic effect of overturning the requested moratoria, if the wording is studied carefully”. It is bad enough when the Americans obfuscate with ambiguous language, but it is a travesty of singular proportion when the leading Primate of the Anglican Communion should not only be beguiled by the subtleties of the TEC resolutions but create his own mischief with reckless indifference to the main issue at hand.

Related articles:
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/24423
The Williams Reflection - Same Old, Same Old - Stand Firm
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=16693
Responding to Episcopalians, Archbishop of Canterbury proposes ‘two-track’ church - Catholic News Agency
http://accurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2009/07/ex-cathedra.html
Ex Cathedra - Anglican Curmudgeon
http://ugleyvicar.blogspot.com/2009/07/reflecting-on-rowans-reflections-on.html
Reflecting on Rowan's reflections on General Convention - The Ugley Vicar
http://www.anglicanspread.org/?p=220
Two Tiers, One Cheer – Rowan Williams’ Reflections on the Future of the Anglican Communion - SPREAD

Toward Genuine Comprehensiveness

By Robin G. Jordan

1. The Anglican Church in North America is a voluntary association of autonomous and self-governing dioceses within the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, worshiping the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, united under one Divine Head, and dedicated to the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ and the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

2. We hold the Christian faith as professed by the Church of Christ from primitive times and in particular as set forth in the Catholic Creeds and the Anglican Formularies, that is, the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons issued by the Church of England in 1662.

3. We receives all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the Word of God written and the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and life of the Church, given by the inspiration of God and containing all things necessary for salvation.

4. We maintain inviolate these orders of ministers in Christ’s Church--Bishops, Priests, or Presbyters, and Deacons—which offices have been known from the apostles’ time and have always been regarded as worthy of great honor.

5. We are determined by the help of God to uphold and preserve the Doctrine, Sacraments, and Discipline of Christ as the Lord has commanded in his Holy Word, and as the Church of England has received and set forth in its Formularies; and to transmit the same unimpaired to our posterity.

6. We seek to be and desire to continue in full communion with all Anglican Churches, Dioceses, and Provinces holding the historic Christian faith and maintaining the aforesaid Doctrine, Sacraments, and Discipline of Christ.

(Proposed New Fundamental Declarations)

The existing Fundamental Declarations of the Anglican Church in North America suffer from a number of problems. They make use novel formulations that more than hint at aversion to evangelical and Reformed Anglicanism and partiality for Anglo-Catholic views. The third declaration goes well beyond Resolution 11 of the third Lambeth Conference. The latter states, “That, in the opinion of this Conference, the following Articles supply a basis on which approach may be by God's blessing made towards Home Reunion… d) The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the Unity of His Church.” The third declaration takes the position that the Anglo-Catholic-dominated Episcopal House of Bishops adopted in 1886. It maintains that that the historic episcopate “is an integral part of the apostolic faith and practice” and for that reason is essential to the fullness and unity of the Church. It is not the position that the 1888 Lambeth Conference adopted.

Evangelical Anglicans who have historically held as did Bishop John Jewel, Archbishop John Whitgift, and the Elizabethan Church that episcopacy is “ancient and allowable” but not prescribed in Scripture can support the position of Resolution 11 as agreeable with Scripture but not the position of the 1886 resolution of the Episcopal House of Bishops. They do not read that doctrinal view in Scripture nor are they convinced that those who subscribe to the same doctrinal view have proved it by Scripture. They consequently do not regard it as Scriptural.

The sixth declaration of the existing Fundamental Declarations identifies The Book of Common Prayer of 1662 as one of several “Books” that collectively form “the standard for the Anglican tradition of worship.” The wording of the sixth declaration greatly dilutes the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as an authoritative worship standard for Anglicans. In using the term, “Books,” instead of “Prayer Books” the service books to which the sixth declaration refers can be interpreted to include the medieval service books as well as the earlier Prayer Books. In the proposed Common Cause Theological Statement the books were identified. “We accept the 1549 through the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and its ordinal as the foundation for Anglican worship and the standard for doctrine and discipline.” The latter was not open to this interpretation.

The standard that the existing Fundamental Declarations adopt for worship for Anglicans is quite unusual. The constitutions of most Anglican provinces recognize that the principles of worship embodied in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer are an authority for Anglicans. For example, the constitution of the Anglican Church of Australia declares the 1662 Book of Common is to be regarded as “the authorized standard of worship…” in the ACA. “No alteration in or permitted variations from the services…” contained in the 1662 Prayer Book that contravenes “any principle of worship…laid down in such standard” is permissible. The Anglican Church of Kenya “accepts the Principles of Worship set forth in said Book” (i.e. the Book of Common Prayer of 1662) “as consonant with the Gospel of Christ and a source from which Anglican Christians in East Africa have long been tradition.” The constitution of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda requires that “prayers and the liturgy of this church…must conform to the patterns of the Book of Common Prayer 1662, the Ordinal, and any other orthodox norms and customaries in matters of faith and order.” The constitution of the Anglican Church of the Province of Uganda disclaims any right to depart from the principles of worship of the 1662 Prayer Book. In the same vein the Jerusalem Declaration states, “…we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.”

The worship principles of the 1662 Prayer Book include that the liturgy must be Biblical and edify, express a reformed theology, and use a language understood by ordinary people. The services of the church should be public services in which the entire church can participate. They should not contain any “dark” or “dumb” ceremonies, ceremonies that teach the wrong thing, do not teach anything or are incomprehensible. They should, however, contain extensive Scripture readings and may be adapted to a particular local culture.

The seventh declaration of the existing Fundamental Declarations is also problematic because it adopts a view of the Thirty-Nine Articles that is historically associated with Anglo-Catholicism and Liberalism. In an entry titled “More on the Proposed ‘Common Cause Roundtable’/ACN Theological Statement,” and posted on his blog, TexAnglican, on July 22, 2006, Randall Foster draws attention to how the seventh declaration favors an Anglo-Catholic interpretation of the Articles:

“This revision should take care of most of my concerns about the ACN's possible endorsement of the 39 Articles as a disciplinary tool, because reading the 39 Articles in the ‘literal and grammatical sense’ is the Tract 90 way of handling the anti-Catholic articles. And the final words of the revised proposal places the 39 Articles in their sixteenth century historical context and highlights the fact that they are intended to be read today more for their principles than for the specific issues they addressed ‘way back when.’”

This view of the Articles, which essentially relegates them to the past, is also congenial to Liberals. As with Scripture they may appeal to the Articles where the Articles can be construed as supporting a particular argument that they are making. But otherwise they ignore the Articles. Most Liberals would not have any difficulty in subscribing to this declaration.

The seventh declaration sets forth a view of the Articles with which many evangelical Anglicans who see them as comprising Anglicanism’s confession of faith and “…as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today…” as they were in the sixteenth century cannot agree. However, the Article I of the Constitution includes acceptance of this view as a part of its definition of Anglican orthodox and a requirement for membership in the ACNA. The canons require that all applicants for recognition as an ACNA judicatory, all candidates for holy orders in the ACNA, and all applicants for ministerial licensure in the ACNA subscribe to the Fundamental Declarations. Entities desiring to become ministry partners with the ACNA must subscribe “without reservation” to the Fundamental Declarations. The guidelines for recognition as an ACNA judicatory require that candidates for the episcopate in the ACNA must “fully embrace” the Fundamental Declarations.

The proposed new Fundamental Declarations, unlike the existing ones, do not adopt a particular view of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, the historic episcopate, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Thirty-Nine Articles. While some North American Anglicans might like to see in the Fundamental Declarations a more precise statement of the ACNA position on these issues, the proposed new Fundamental Declarations avoid sharply defining or stating a position since this kind of statement would align the ACNA with a particular orthodox theological grouping on the issues in question.

The second declaration of the proposed new Fundamental Declarations notes that the Christian faith that the Church has professed since primitive times is particularly set forth in the Catholic Creeds and the Anglican Formularies. It does not state that this faith is exclusively confined to the Catholic Creeds and the Anglican Formularies. It identifies the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 and the Ordinal of 1661 as two of the Anglican Formularies.

The second declaration of the proposed new Fundamental Declarations also identifies the Thirty-Nine Articles as one of the Anglican Formularies. It does not prescribe a particular view of the Thirty-Nine Articles. It permits evangelical Anglicans to take a confessional approach to the Articles. Anglo-Catholics are at liberty to interpret the Articles as in the seventh declaration of the existing Fundamental Declarations. It may not satisfy those who would prefer a robust affirmation of the Articles or those who would dispense with any reference to the Articles altogether. However, it does remove a significant obstacle to evangelical participation in the ACNA and evangelical ministry partnership with the ACNA. At the same time it does preserve the breadth of the orthodox Anglican tradition across the divide between Anglo-Catholics and evangelicals.

Fourth declaration of the proposed new Fundamental Declarations avoids stating whether or not the historic episcopate is an inherent part of what the nineteenth century Episcopal bishops had described as “the substantial deposit of Christian Faith and Order committed by Christ and his Apostles unto the end of the world.” Rather it echoes the words of the Preface of the Ordinal of Edward VI, “We maintain inviolate these orders of ministers in Christ’s Church--Bishops, Priests, or Presbyters, and Deacons—which offices have been known from the apostles’ time and have always been regarded as worthy of great honor.” It is a statement of a commonly held belief on which Anglo-Catholics, charismatics and evangelicals can agree.

The proposed new Fundamental Declarations are deliberately silent in respect to the teaching of the first seven Ecumenical Councils, following the example of the fundamental declarations in the constitutions of the Anglican Church of Australia and the Anglican Church of the Province of the Southern Cone of America and the canons of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion). They also say nothing about what the ACNA holds as its standard of worship, leaving this statement to the canons, as does the Church of Nigeria.

The proposed new Fundamental Declarations do not accord a higher value or superior position to a particular theological stream in orthodox Anglicanism and mandates conformity to that stream. They would make more room in the ACNA for evangelicals without making less room for Anglo-Catholics and charismatics. Conservative evangelicals could in good conscience become members of the ACNA, form evangelical dioceses and jurisdictions in the ACNA, and serve as bishops and other ministers of the ACNA. They would be no longer required to relinquish or compromise what they believe. The proposed new Fundamental Declarations would take the ACNA a step closer to GENUINE comprehensiveness, to the enfolding of all orthodox North American Anglican theological groupings in the ACNA, not just Anglo-Catholics and other Anglicans who accept the Anglo-Catholic doctrinal position on a number of key issues.

J. C. Ryle and Comprehensiveness

http://www.churchsociety.org/churchman/documents/Cman_089_4_Toon.pdf

[Church Society] 24July 2009--Most modern theological statements concerning the existence of diversity or the fact of comprehensiveness in the Church of England or in the Anglican Communion insist that this diversity and comprehensiveness must be taken seriously on fundamental, theological grounds. It is regarded as totally unsatisfactory merely to trace the diversity to its sixteenth and seventeenth century roots and then plot its development. One is expected to confess that comprehensiveness is a necessary quality in any church which makes claims of catholicity and that its absence reduces a church to a sect. The basic theological ground asserted for diversity is that the Faith is a mystery and that God Himself is beyond our comprehension.This means that there must be a legitimate variety of words and images used to describe God, His salvation and His relation to the world. It is further pointed out, as this is a commonplace of New Testament studies, that there are a variety of theologies within the pages of the New Testament; these are different but perhaps complimentary. Also we are told that the very imagery of the church as One Body requires both a diversity of gifts (as St. Paul stated) and a diversity of theological and liturgical expressions. Such diversity and comprehensiveness as this creates problems concerning what are legitimate and illegitimate developments of doctrine, morals and worship and concerning how the variety exists as a unity. However, it is argued that we must live with such tensions for they are part of being the church in the world.1

This kind of thinking has within it the potential to justify virtually any form of words which claims to be ‘faith in search of understanding’ or ‘faith expressing itself in worship’. In our efforts to evaluate it or come to terms with it we may find it worthwhile to look into our Anglican Evangelical tradition and to ask how our forefathers looked at this question of comprehensiveness. It was of course a problem that became acute for Evangelicals in the second half of the nineteenth century when the traditional views of the inspiration and authority of the Bible were called in question and when the Privy Council made various judgments on matters of doctrine and ritual which appeared to question the plain meaning of the Articles and Prayer Book. So we turn specifically to the leading Victorian Evangelical, John Charles Ryle, who if he was not the leading Evangelical theologian, was certainly the most gifted popular writer and defender of the principles of the Evangelical party.2

Evangelicals on the Newburyport Trail

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/july/33.34.html

[Christianity Today] 24 July 2009--Anyone looking for the burial site of George Whitefield, the bigger-than-life 18th-century evangelist who paved the way for American revivalists from Billy Sunday to Billy Graham, needs to have good eyes and perseverance to find it here in the small seaside city of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

That's because no signage exists to help visitors locate his tomb beneath the pulpit of "Old South" First Presbyterian Church, which organized in 1742 in response to a Whitefield-led revival in a nearby field. Newburyport's chamber of commerce doesn't list the crypt among its historic sites. Only an 8.5 x 11 inch computer printout, taped to a side door of the church, tells Whitefield fans that they've reached their destination.

Lack of tourist infrastructure, however, doesn't keep crowds away. Anywhere from 700 to 1,000 visitors, mostly evangelicals from as far away as California and the United Kingdom, make a pilgrimage to Old South's crypt each year. Over the past two years, travelers from 41 states and 22 countries have signed the tomb's guest book. So brisk is the visitor flow in warm-weather months that more than one of every ten church members is trained to give tours.

"If you're into spiritual renewal or revival, and a lot of conservative people are, then this is where you come," says Old South pastor Rob John.

Evangelicals walk a fine line in journeying to pay homage to Whitefield (pronounced "WIT-field"), a Calvinist who scorned pilgrimage and veneration of relics as so much "works righteousness." "Human beings collect relics and associate with tombs," says Tom O'Loughlin, a pilgrimage expert at the University of Wales-Lampeter. "So you have the classic pilgrimage basis there, but it's for a preacher who would have been shocked and annoyed [by the practice]. That's an interesting irony: You can preach a theology as long as you like, but human nature will reassert itself."

Yet 239 years after the Grand Itinerant died while passing through Newburyport, his tomb's custodians and visitors alike are finding a way to honor his legacy as well as their own traditions. The key, it seems, lies in the tomb's remarkably low profile, which belies its international drawing power. This subtlety helps mitigate tensions that enduringly surround the site. And after centuries of trial and error at Whitefield's gravesite, his admirers may at last be learning that in Protestant shrine keeping, sometimes less is more.

Letter from the Communion Partners to the Archbishop of Canterbury

http://www.anglicancommunioninstitute.com/2009/07/letter-from-the-communion-partners-to-the-archbishop-of-canterbury/

[Anglican Communion Institute] 22 July 2009--Though we have been in touch with you throughout the last year and a half, we simply reiterate our deep desire and commitment to remain constituent members of the greater Anglican Communion. We, as we believe it to be well documented now, concur with your leadership, and that of Lambeth Conference and the ACC that the road to stronger bonds of affection amongst the members of the Communion is our shared commitment to our Lord and His Church, the instruments of Communion and the parameters and councils set forth in the Windsor Process, the three (at present) requested moratoria, the most recent Lambeth Conference, Lambeth Resolution 1.10 and the unfolding Covenant Process, to which we are fully committed.

We do not concur with any action taken that would be interpreted by the larger Communion as divisive, dismissive of our larger Anglican Communion or schismatic. The outgrowth of the decisions of the General Convention has yet to be ultimately determined as to its impact on our common bonds of affection that we should all share, and honor, as part of the worldwide Anglican family.

Some will clearly share the assessment of His Grace, Bishop N.T. Wright that The Episcopal Church has, by its most recent actions, chosen to “walk apart.” It would be our hope that if you share that assessment, that you would also share Bishop’s Wright’s counsel to “…not forget the ‘Communion Partner’ bishops, who doggedly loyal to their church, and to the Windsor Report as expressing the mind of the wider Communion, voted against the current resolution. Nor should we forget the many parishes within revisionist dioceses (and, for that matter, worshippers within revisionists parishes) who take the same stance,” (The Times, 15 July, 2009). Again, let us categorically state, that we believe our ties to both the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion must remain solid and unfettered by any action, resolution or statement that would in any way further tear the very fragile fabric that is now our Anglican family; and therefore would not support any such action, resolution or statement.

Lastly, we reaffirm our pledge of support for the unfolding Covenant process and it is our hope that Part IV of the Ridley Draft will soon be revisited and approved as a pathway for not simply Provinces, but Bishops, Dioceses and individual parishes to renew their commitment not only to the Anglican Communion, but to those vital pillars that in the end, draw us all together, rather than cause further division.

Rediscovering hymns

http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/life/daytoday/rediscovering_hymns/

[sydneyanglicans.net]22 July 2009--A couple of years ago, I was pretty much fed up with hymns. As a guitarist, I found them difficult and unpleasant to play, and very old-fashioned sounding. I was ready to dump them for good.

But, slowly, my thinking changed. I kept finding inspiring references to the hymns in the books I was reading. Great truths would be illustrated with a verse from a hymn. I’d think, “Those words are great!”, and I’d look up the whole hymn and be excited by it. I began to realise my own faith would be impoverished by the passing of these grand old songs.

But my musical difficulties remained. For a guitarist, hymns were almost always written in difficult keys, using difficult chords and unnatural rhythms. After searching fruitlessly for better chord charts, I set about “re-chording” some popular hymns myself. I shifted them into guitar friendly keys, spaced out the changes, and restricted myself to using the most basic, “open” chords only. I did this for about 40 hymns.

I was really pleased with the results - the hymns were now much easier to play, and they sounded better on the guitar too. Indeed, many of them sounded surprisingly modern.

And it seems I’m not the only one who appreciates this approach. Last year I put my charts up on a website which I called Guitar Chords for Hymns . Since then it has received nearly 100,000 hits, and Google consistently ranks it in the top one or two sites for hymn chords. And I regularly receive “thank you” notes from guitarists all over the world.

Church musos tell me their number one difficulty is sourcing good songs. If that’s your problem, perhaps it’s time to have another look at the old hymns…

J.C. Ryle: A 19th-century Evangelical

http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200604/200604_120_JCRyle.cfm

[Enrichment Journal] 22 July 2009--A friend and his wife were on a long journey. While she drove, he retrieved a book from his briefcase entitled Christian Leaders of the Eighteenth Century. The author’s short, pithy sentences, compelling logic, and penetrating insight into the spiritual power that worked through Wesley, Whitefield, and Romaine affected him deeply. He closed the book in tears, longing to see that same power in today’s church. The book’s author was 19th-century saint, John Charles Ryle.

Time has a way of winnowing the important from the superficial; the permanent from the transitory. Most books published in 2006 will be out of print in 10 years. However, many authors — such as Arthur W. Pink and C.S. Lewis, who were relatively unknown in their generations — have become increasingly influential with the passing of time.

Ryle was a 19th-century Anglican pastor. He was born in 1816. When he died in 1900, he was relatively unknown outside the Anglican Church in Britain. But since Ryle’s death, his books have slowly grown in popularity. Writing a tribute to Ryle in 2002, J.I. Packer noted that Ryle’s books had sold more than 12 million copies and had been translated into at least a dozen languages; the numbers continue to climb.1 Many pastors have probably read Ryle’s most popular works — Holiness, Five English Reformers, or Great Leaders of the Eighteenth Century. “A hundred years later,” wrote his biographer, “we can see that there were few more influential evangelicals in the Victorian era than Bishop Ryle.”2

Ryle was a contemporary of Charles H. Spurgeon, Dwight L. Moody, George Mueller, and Hudson Taylor. When Ryle was 15, Charles Darwin graduated from Cambridge. His was the age of Dickens, the American Civil War, and a British Empire on which the sun never set.

Who was Ryle, and what can pastors learn from his life?

Dealing with Deliverance

http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/articles/spiritualgrowth/dealingwithdeliverance.html

[Christianity Today] 22 July 2009--I'm sure my mouth gaped as the young wife verbally assaulted her husband. She screamed poisonous, vindictive words at him an octave above her normal level. Although previously she had confessed these violent episodes, I assumed she had exaggerated. Now I witnessed the full force of their fury.

"You're a liar. You've been scheming with other women to commit adultery!" she shrieked. "And you're trying to turn Pastor Wayne against me! I hate you!"

I let her rage for half a minute, hoping the anger would spend itself, but it only intensified. I'm not one to immediately assume demonic influence. But now I felt we had to probe the possibility directly—her violence was so strong, the charges so irrational, the anger so deep.

First I had to break through the turbulence. I cupped my hands over my lips and silently mouthed the words, "In the name of Jesus, I command you to stop." I didn't say it loud enough for me to hear, much less her.

But something heard!

In mid-sentence her scream halted. She whirled from her husband and faced me head on. An icy stare chilled my soul. Her face twisted into a mocking scowl.

She laughed. In a tone as vile as any witch concocted by Hollywood, her laugh filled every corner of the room. It went on and on, lasting well over 15 seconds. Every hair on my skin stood erect. I groped for something to do or say. Finally, the laughter stopped, and there we sat, our eyes locked. I remember thinking, This must be what a wolf looks like before it attacks.

I really hate moments like that.

I prefer calm pastoral counseling sessions that send smiling Christians on their way knowing a little more about God and feeling better about themselves. And that's generally the case. On rare occasions, however, as I deal with troubled people, I detect some problems that run deeper than human psychosis. There are powers of darkness that oppress or possess them. And that shouldn't surprise me. Jesus confronted demonic power throughout his ministry, as did the early church.

But how do I deal with it? It seems Hollywood writes more about demons and exorcism than do serious scholars in the church. Exorcism scares up an image of a priest holding a crucifix over a contorted face.

Well, I didn't try that with the angry wife, but we did have success.

Sudanese Police Flogged Christian Girls for Wearing Pants

http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/viewnews.php?newsid=1447

[Pakistan Christian Post] 22 July 2009--International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Sudanese officials flogged several Christian women for wearing pants. The Sudanese public order police arrested the girls last week at a ballroom in Khartoum, the

According to Sudan Tribune, ten girls, including several Christians, each received 10 lashes and was fined 250 Sudanese pounds ($179). Three of the Christian girls are under eighteen years of age. The police accused them of wearing "gross clothing" in violation of the Criminal Penal Code of Sudan. The Sudanese penal code based on Islamic laws which discriminate against religious minorities and women.

By subjecting the girls to inhumane and degrading treatment, the Sudanese officials violated international human rights standards, as well as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed in 2005 by the Islamist government of Sudan and the mainly Christian and animist southern Sudanese. The agreement provides that Islamic laws are not applicable to non-Muslims living in Khartoum. Khartoum is home to millions of Southern Sudanese who fled the brutal war in South Sudan in which Islamist forces killed 2 million and displaced 4 million.

Officials Announce Ban on Christianity in Lao Village

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090720/officials-announce-ban-on-christianity-in-lao-village/index.html

[The Christian Post] 22 July 2009--Following the confiscation of livestock from Christian families earlier this month, officials in a village in Laos on Saturday (July 11) called a special meeting for all residents and announced that they had “banned the Christian faith in our village.”

The chief of Katin village, along with village security, social and religious affairs officials, warned all 53 Christian residents that they should revert to worshiping local spirits in accordance with Lao tradition or risk losing all village rights and privileges – including their livestock and homes, according to advocacy group Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF).

The Katin village leader also declared that spirit worship was the only acceptable form of worship in the community, HRWLRF reported. Katin village is in Ta Oih district, Saravan Province.

The previous Sunday (July 5), officials and residents confiscated one pig each from nine Christian families and slaughtered the animals in an effort to force them to renounce their faith. Officials said the seizure of the pigs – each worth the equivalent of six weeks’ salary for an average laborer in the area – was punishment for ignoring the order to abandon Christianity. (See www.compassdirect.org, “Officials Seize, Slaughter Christians’ Livestock,” July 10.)

According to HRWLRF, the chief’s order clearly contravened Article 6 and Article 30 of the Lao Constitution, which guarantees the right of Christians and other religious minorities to practice the religion of their choice without discrimination or penalty.

In addition, HRWLRF stated that Katin officials had violated Article 53 of the 2003 Law on Local Administration, which requires them to abide by the constitution and other laws and to provide for the safety and well-being of all people living under their care.

Indian Christians Arrested on False Charges

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090721/indian-christians-arrested-on-false-charges/index.html

[The Christian Post] 22 July 2009--There were reportedly two separate arrests made against Christians in the southern state of Karnataka this week.

In the first incident, one pastor and two church elders from the Pentecostal Mission in Mulaykatta, Shimoga district, were arrested on false conversion charges on July 19.

According to the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), Pastor Chinnadurai, Glory and Baby Kutty were arrested while praying for a family Sunday evening.

Before the arrests, a Hindu radical group barged into “Shantamma’s house and started threatening the pastor and the two ladies," GCIC reported. Later, the advocacy group informed the Shimoga Rural Police Station which then ensured the safety of the Christians.

"While the officials at the station were investigating the matter, they were pressurized by the local radical groups who demanded that the three be booked for forceful conversion under Sections 295 A, 143 and 149," GCIC said.

The pastor and the two ladies spent the night in jail. They were released on bail on July 20.

Convert from Islam Shot Dead in Somalia

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090721/convert-from-islam-shot-dead-in-somalia/index.html

[The Christian Post] 22 July 2009--Muslim extremists early Monday morning killed a Christian convert in Mahadday Weyne, Somalia, 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Mogadishu.

Al Shabaab Islamist rebels shot Mohammed Sheikh Abdiraman to death at 7 a.m., eyewitnesses told Compass. They said the Islamic extremists appeared to have been hunting the convert from Islam, and when they found him they did not hesitate to shoot him.

The sources told Compass that Abdiraman was the leader of an underground “cell group” of Christians in Somalia.

“We are very sad about this incident, and we also are not safe,” one eyewitness said by telephone. “Pray for us.”

Sizing Up the ACNA Constitution and Canons

By Robin G. Jordan

After the recent votes of the 2009 General Convention it is clear even to the Bishop of Durham Tom Wright and open evangelicals in the Church of England that North America needs a new province. At the present time the Anglican Church in North America is the only candidate in the running to be that new province. This fact, however, should not prevent Biblically faithful Anglicans in and outside of North America from closely scrutinizing the ACNA. Rather it should prompt them to subject the ACNA, its form of governance, and its constitution and canons to rigorous examination. Such an examination will reveal six major problem areas.

1. Existence of a Theological Bias in its Foundational Documents

Doctrinally the ACNA constitution and canons favor the Anglo-Catholic position on a number of key issues that have historically divided Anglicans. The Fundamental Declarations take an Anglo-Catholic view of the General Councils of the undivided Church, the historic episcopate, and the Anglican Formularies. They equate these views with Anglican orthodoxy and make holding such views a condition of membership in the ACNA The canons require subscription to these views for recognition as an ACNA diocese, ordination and licensing for ministry in the ACNA, and election and consecration to the ACNA episcopate. Title I.7.2 makes subscription without reservation to the same views a condition of ministry partnership with the ACNA. The canons take an Anglo-Catholic view on apostolic succession, the number and operation of the sacraments, baptismal regeneration, the Real Presence, and ordination. Where such views are not explicitly stated, they are implied in the language of the canons.

The problem is not the doctrine itself but the alignment of the constitution and canons with the doctrine of a particular theological grouping in a church that is supposed to enfold not just the Anglo-Catholic theological stream but also the charismatic and evangelical theological streams. If the theological bias of the constitution and canons were charismatic or evangelical, it would as equally as problematic. The result is a situation not unlike that of The Episcopal Church with the doctrinal views of one theological grouping being given preeminence over the doctrinal views of other theological groupings. A survey of the constitutions and canons of a number of Anglican provinces shows that this situation is avoidable. The constitution and the canons can be so worded as not to reflect the doctrinal views of one particular theological grouping. For example, see the proposed amendment to Title III.8.2 – The Office of Bishop – in “Proposed Amendments to the Canons of the Anglican Church in North America.” It is on the Internet at: http://theheritageanglicannetwork.blogspot.com/2009/06/proposed-amendments-to-canons-of.html .

2. Lack of Genuine Diocesan Autonomy

Article IV.7 is often used to back the claim that the ACNA constitution and canons affirm the autonomy of the judicatory, or diocese. However, the ACNA constitution and canons infringe upon the autonomy of the judicatory, or diocese, in a number of ways. Article IV.7 is largely intended to permit jurisdictions like the AMiA to retain their existing structure and form of governance. The AMiA has no internal dioceses. It is divided into “clusters” solely for the purpose of the appointment of delegates to the Provincial Assembly. The AMiA is governed by a primatial vicar with the assistance of a council of missionary bishops. The primatial vicar and the members of the council of missionary bishops are appointed by the Primate and House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. See Article 9--Hierarchical Vacancies--of the Canonical Charter of the Anglican Mission in the Americas, which is on the Internet at: http://www.theamia.org/assets/AMiA%20Charter%20Dec%202008-Final%20Draft.pdf . See also Title I, Canon 6—Of Missionary Districts--of the Canons of the Province of Rwanda, which are on the Internet at: http://www.theamia.org/assets/Final%20Edition%20of%20the%20Canons%20of%20the%20Province%20of%20Rwanda.pdf .

The ratification of constitutional changes and canons by an otherwise authority-less Provincial Assembly is itself an infringement upon diocesan autonomy. It takes the ratification of important legislation away from the governing bodies of the dioceses and jurisdictions and puts it into the hands of an assembly that is highly susceptible to political maneuvering and manipulation. The members of the Assembly can be easily swayed to vote against the best interests of the dioceses and jurisdictions that they represent.

Titles I.6.3 and I.6.5 contain provisions that relate to the organization, administration, incorporation and indemnification of local congregations, matters that are rightfully within the purview of the diocese. Title 1.6.7 establishes criterion for a “self-sustaining congregation.” All of these provisions represent an infringement upon the autonomy of the diocese.

Title I.5.4 permits dioceses and jurisdictions to continue to operate under the constitutions and canons of another Province. This provision allows the AMiA to remain a missionary jurisdiction of the Anglican Church of Rwanda with the Rwandan Primate and House of Bishops choosing the members of its episcopal hierarchy. It is therefore possible for a diocese or jurisdiction to have even less autonomy than it has under the ACNA constitution and canons.

Title III.8.4 in establishing as the norm for new dioceses the College of Bishop’s election of the bishop of the diocese and commending this particular mode of episcopal election to existing judicatories that elect their own bishops weakens the autonomy of the diocese in this critical area—its election of its own bishop or bishops. The canons contain no provision that in clear language juridically binds the College of Bishops to elect one of the two three candidates that a diocese is permitted to nominate. They say nothing about what happens if the College of Bishops rejects the diocese’s slate of candidates. They do not prohibit the College of Bishops from nominating and electing its own candidate. The canons are also silent on whether a new diocese will ever be able to elect its own bishop once the bishop that the College of Bishops elected retires or the see otherwise falls vacant. Under the provisions of the canons the outgoing bishop can nominate his successor, the clergy and laity of the diocese having no guaranteed input into the nomination of candidates for consideration of the College of Bishops.

3. Centralization of Authority

Authority in the ACNA is highly centralized. The real center of power in the ACNA is not the Provincial Council, the official governing body of the ACNA, or the College of Bishops but the Executive Committee of the Provincial Council. The Executive Committee consists of the Archbishop Bob Duncan and twelve members, six clerical and six lay. With the exception of the Archbishop, the Council elects the Executive Committee but the Executive Committee sets the Council’s agenda. The Executive Committee also functions as the Board of Directors of the ACNA.

The ACNA constitution and canons also have all the elements for the establishment of a self-perpetuating centralized episcopal hierarchy not unlike that of the Roman Catholic Church.

4. Expansion of Archiepiscopal Authority

One of the constitutional amendments adopted and ratified at the inaugural Provincial Assembly permits the Provincial Council to give more responsibilities to the Archbishop of the ACNA beyond those specified in the constitution. It had been pointed to the attention of the Governance Task Force that they were giving additional responsibilities to the Archbishop in the canons, for which the constitution made no provision. They were doing what Presiding Bishop Katherine Schori has been doing in The Episcopal Church, arrogating powers and prerogatives to the office of Archbishop that the constitution did not give to that office and setting a bad precedent.

Despite the foregoing amendment the canons continue to arrogate to the Archbishop powers and prerogatives that the constitution does not give him. For example, Title III.2 requires canonical obedience from the bishops of the province to the Archbishop as if he were a metropolitan. However, the ACNA constitution does not recognize the Archbishop as having metropolitan authority or grant metropolitan authority to him. The title of Archbishop itself does not carry with it metropolitan authority.

5. Abandonment of the North American Anglican Heritage

The ACNA has discarded a substantial portion of the legacy that previous generations of orthodox North American Anglicans left to their posterity. This includes centuries of hard-won lay involvement in the governance of the church at the diocesan and provincial levels and the nomination and election of the bishop or bishops of the diocese and the primate of the province. Rather than seeking to reform this legacy where it needed reforming, the ACNA has thrown it away. The ACNA has chosen to return to the “bad old days” of unfettered episcopal authority and the accompanying abuses of episcopal power such as episcopal patronage.

In the recent debate in the Church of England’s General Synod over giving more powers to the Archbishop of Canterbury and York at the expense of General Synod opponents of the proposed changes warned that they would turn the Church of England into a medieval style of government more akin to a “Muslim-style theocracy”. The Rev. Christ Sugden, secretary of the evangelical group Anglican Mainstream, who attended the inaugural Provincial Assembly, said: “This takes us back to a medieval church run by the clerics. The whole point of the Reformation was to make Parliament part of the government of the Church of England. “He went on to say, “It is much like the style of governance of the Orthodox churches, like the Muslims. It cuts out lay people.” Other concerns voiced were that there would far less accountability and far fewer people involved. Those who would be involved would be unelected. The same observations are applicable to the style of ecclesiastical governance that the ACNA has adopted.

In their response to criticism of the proposed ACNA constitution and canons the Governance Task Force drew attention to the large lay representation in the Provincial Assembly. However, the Provincial Assembly has no power except to ratify the constitutional amendments and canons that the Provincial Council adopts. It is clear from how the business of the inaugural Provincial Assembly was conducted that the Assembly would not be permitted to make changes in the legislation that the Council submitted to it or to return such legislation to the Council with recommended changes. The Assembly either could approve the legislative acts of the Council or return them to the Council without any recommendations.

The Government Task Force also claimed that the composition of the Council was evidence of substantial lay involvement in the governance of the ACNA since one-half of the members of the Council were lay persons. The Governance Task Force, however, failed to mention that the laity forms ninety percent or more of the total membership of the ACNA. On the other hand, the bishops and clergy who form the other half of the Council members represent less than ten percent of the total ACNA membership. The number of bishops, clergy, and lay persons on the Council is disproportionate to their actual numbers in the ACNA.

The ACNA constitution and canons do not require the election of the representatives to the Provincial Assembly and the Provincial Council. The manner of their election or appointment is left to the diocese or jurisdiction. There is nothing in the two documents to prevent the primatial vicar of the AMiA from appointing all the representatives to the Assembly and the Council from the AMiA.

The 2009 General Convention of The Episcopal Church shows that the problem is not the synodical exercise of episcopal authority but the inroads that liberalism has made in that denomination among the bishops as well as among the clergy and the laity. The House of Bishops might have blocked D025. They only amended it slightly and then approved it. The House of Deputies did not force the House of Bishops to amend and adopt C056. They also did that on their own.

6. Absence of Genuine Checks and Balances and Safeguards

The ACNA constitution and canons make no provision for a synod or council of clergy and laity to counterbalance the authority of the bishop at the diocesan or jurisdictional level. Among the provisions of the constitution and canons that have a high potential for abuse are the following:

• While Article XII does not permit local church property to be “subject to any trust interest in favor of the Province or any other claim of ownership arising out of the canon law of this Province, it allow a diocese or other grouping to hold local church property in trust. Title 1.6.6 permits a diocese to assert a claim over the property of a congregation with the written consent of the congregation.

• Title III.8.6 authorizes the College of Bishops to create the office of bishop for special missions in consultation with the Executive Committee and to nominate and elect these bishops. Bishops for special missions are solely accountable to the College of Bishops which determines the “specific missionary purpose” for which the office of each bishop for special missions is created. The canons set no limits on the number of such bishops.

• Under the provisions of Title IV.4.2 the Archbishop may, at the request of a bishop, appoint a board of inquiry to investigate suspected rumors circulating about the bishop. Evidence of the circulation of rumors is not required, only suspicion of their circulation.

Lacking from the constitution and canons are the kinds of details that provide important safeguards. For example, one missing detail is what happens after the College of Bishops rejects the slate of candidates for bishop that a diocese submitted for the consideration of the College of Bishops.

The ACNA had an opportunity at its inaugural Provincial Assembly to address these problem areas but failed to take advantage of this opportunity. The delegates to the Provincial Assembly were not encouraged to carefully examine the provisions of the constitution and canons, weigh their merits, and to consider much needed changes. Indeed Archbishop Designate Duncan in his opening address stated

“We are also here to prove that a Christian Assembly - at least one that wants to reach the cultures and the peoples of its increasingly lapsed and unconverted continent - does not have to focus on resolutions and legislation, nor does it have to be overwhelmingly gray-headed…Even in organizing this emerging Anglican Province - a Province in the mainstream of both global Anglicanism and biblical Christianity - we are here to illustrate that a system of ratifying or sending-back is an alternative to spending disproportionate amounts of time on things that are, in fact, not the ‘main thing.’”

Earlier in his address the Archbishop Designate had warned, “In the flow of things in this Provincial Assembly, it will principally be in our afternoon ratification sessions that temptations to return again to the yoke of slavery will come, but watch out for them everywhere, for ‘we fight here not just against flesh and blood…’”

The work of a deliberative assembly was denigrated as unspiritual and was associated with “captivity in Egypt,” the way that The Episcopal Church did things. The Archbishop Designate presided over a large part of the ratification sessions and took pains to ensure that they did not run beyond the time allocated to them.

As one observer noted, a number of the delegates appeared to be weary and battle-worn and to be willing to adopt anything that was put in front of them. The canons would had have been adopted by acclamation except that there were a number of amendments for the consideration of the Provincial Assembly.

God has now provided the ACNA with another opportunity to address these problem areas. A private member’s motion was made at the recent meeting of the General Synod of the Church of England, calling for the recognition of the ACNA. This motion has received the backing of 25% of the members of the General Synod, including fourteen bishops. The Theological Committee of the Church of England’s House of Bishops will be examining the ACNA constitution and canons at its meeting in September. The motion will come up at the February meeting of the General Synod. Between these two meetings the Provincial Assembly of the ACNA will be meeting in December. Hopefully the ACNA will make better use of this opportunity.

A number of previous articles on the ACNA Constitution and Canons along with a series of proposed amendments to the two documents and accompanying explanatory notes are on the Internet at: http://theheritageanglicannetwork.blogspot.com/

Dissenting Bishops Issue 'Anaheim Statement'

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/7/17/dissenting-bishops-issue-anaheim-statement

[The Living Church] 17 July 2009--Twenty-nine bishops have endorsed affirming their desire to remain part of the Anglican Communion and Episcopal Church while being faithful to the calls for restraint made by the wider church.

Styled as the "Anaheim Statement," the letter of dissent to the actions of the 76th General Convention pledged the bishops’ fealty to the requests made by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the primates' meetings and ACC-14 to observe a moratoria on same-gender blessings, cross-border interventions and the ordination of gay and lesbian people to the episcopate.

In the hours after its release, the statement drew support from 23 diocesan bishops, four suffragan and assistant bishops, and two retired bishops and included bishops who voted on both sides of D025 and C056 -- resolutions that rescinded the ban on two of the three Windsor Report moratoria.

Rising to speak on a point of personal privilege during the House of Bishops afternoon session July 16, the Rt. Rev. Gary W. Lillibridge of West Texas read a statement prepared by an ad hoc committee of concerned bishops.

The Bishop Discovers Heresy?

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog.php

[Albert Mohler] 17 July 2009--Several years ago, Methodist theologian Thomas C. Oden announced a most unusual quest: "I am earnestly looking for some church milieu wherein the sober issue of heresy can at least be examined," he declared. He added, "I am looking, like Diogenes with his sputtering lamp, for a church or seminary in which some heresy at least conjecturally might exist."

As Oden acknowledged, his announced quest was deeply ironic, for in the world of mainline Protestantism heresy has become an almost absent category. With so many alternative theologies, revisionist doctrines, and radical conceptions of Christianity, heresy has become the norm, rather than the exception. As Oden explained:

I have sought for some years to find a theological dialogue where a serious methodological discussion is taking place about how to draw some line between faith and unfaith, between orthodoxy and heresy. But almost everywhere that I have asked about the subject I have found that the very thought of inquiring about the possibility of heresy has itself become marked off as the prevailing archheresy. The archheresiarch is the one who hints that some distinction might be needed between truth and falsehood, right and wrong.

In other words, the only heresy recognized in much of liberal Protestantism is the heresy of believing in the possibility of heresy. This is not only a matter of observation -- it is a declaration proudly made by many, who declare the categories of heresy and orthodoxy to be both out of date and out of style.

Response to Bp. Tom Wright - Stephen Noll

http://www.globalsouthanglican.org/index.php/comments/response_to_bp._tom_wright_-_stephen_noll/

[Global South Anglican] 17 July 2009--I want to join others in appreciating the strong statement by Bp. Tom Wright on the actions of the Episcopal General Convention 2009. It is not time to quibble about the past. He clearly sees the road taken by The Episcopal Church and expounds the biblical basis for marriage and against homosexual practice which undergirds the 1998 Lambeth Resolution 1.10 on Human Sexuality. Bravo!

As for Bp. Wright’s concern about Anglican Church in North America, I am sure, knowing the Anglican Communion hierarchy, that there will be no rush to enfranchise ACNA or disenfranchise the Communion Partners remaining in TEC. But is it too much to ask the Archbishop of Canterbury to reaffirm the Primates’ call at Dar es Salaam for the cessation on lawsuits for all orthodox in TEC and ACNA on threat of immediately withdrawing his recognition?

The big question for the days ahead is whether the two streams of the orthodox movement – which had coalesced in the Anglican Communion Network in North America and the Global South coalition – will begin to come together again. I believe their reunion, not at first political but spiritual and practical, is devoutly to be wished.

Let me point out two positive indicators for why this can happen.

Anglican Communion Institute: Statement on the Repudiation of B033

http://www.anglicancommunioninstitute.com/2009/07/statement-on-the-repudiation-of-b033/

[Anglican Communion Institute] 14 July 2009--We deeply regret yesterday’s decision by the House of Bishops to repudiate the Anglican Communion’s moratorium on the consecration of bishops living in homosexual relationships. As recently as May of this year, the Anglican Consultative Council officially affirmed the “implementation” in the Communion of the moratoria called for by the Windsor Report, including the moratorium rejected yesterday by the House of Bishops. With the adoption of these moratoria by the Anglican Consultative Council all of the Communion’s Instruments have now recognized their implementation as crucial to our common life in the Anglican Communion.

It is noteworthy that Section 3.1.4 of the final text of the Anglican Communion Covenant, which was contained in the section approved overwhelmingly by the Anglican Consultative Council and no longer subject to revision, gives each of the Communion Instruments the authority to “initiate and commend a process of discernment and a direction for the Communion and its Churches.” Speaking at the close of the Council’s meeting, the Archbishop of Canterbury anticipated yesterday’s action and spoke directly to The Episcopal Church on its place in the Anglican Covenant when he said “Action to negate that resolution [the moratorium] would instantly suggest to many people in the communion that The Episcopal Church would prefer not to go down the route of closer structural bonds and that particular kind of mutual responsibility.”

The Americans know this will end in schism

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6710640.ece

[Times Online] 14 July 2009--In the slow-moving train crash of international Anglicanism, a decision taken in California has finally brought a large coach off the rails altogether. The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church (TEC) in the United States has voted decisively to allow in principle the appointment, to all orders of ministry, of persons in active same-sex relationships. This marks a clear break with the rest of the Anglican Communion.

Both the bishops and deputies (lay and clergy) of TEC knew exactly what they were doing. They were telling the Archbishop of Canterbury and the other “instruments of communion” that they were ignoring their plea for a moratorium on consecrating practising homosexuals as bishops. They were rejecting the two things the Archbishop of Canterbury has named as the pathway to the future — the Windsor Report (2004) and the proposed Covenant (whose aim is to provide a modus operandi for the Anglican Communion). They were formalising the schism they initiated six years ago when they consecrated as bishop a divorced man in an active same-sex relationship, against the Primates’ unanimous statement that this would “tear the fabric of the Communion at its deepest level”. In Windsor’s language, they have chosen to “walk apart”.

Granted, the TEC resolution indicates a strong willingness to remain within the Anglican Communion. But saying “we want to stay in, but we insist on rewriting the rules” is cynical double-think. We should not be fooled.

Fulcrum Press Statement on the decision by the House of Bishops of TEC to pass D025

http://www.fulcrum-anglican.org.uk/page.cfm?ID=442

[Fulcrum] 14 July 2009--The decision, by a 2-to-1 majority, of the House of Bishops of TEC to pass D025 represents a further determined walking apart by the American Church and must have significant consequences for the relationship of TEC to the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.

Their decision to support, with a minor amendment, the resolution previously passed by the House of Deputies:

* Ignored the repeated requests by all the Instruments of Communion, most recently the Anglican Consultative Council, to uphold the Windsor moratoria

* Disregarded the explicit request of the Archbishop of Canterbury during his visit to General Convention when he stated “Along with many in the Communion, I hope and pray that there won't be decisions in the coming days that will push us further apart”.

* Failed to heed the Archbishop of Canterbury's warning at General Synod that “it remains to be seen I think whether the vote of the House of Deputies will be endorsed by the House of Bishops. If the House of Bishops chooses to block then the moratorium remains. I regret the fact that there is not the will to observe the moratorium in such a significant part of the Church in North America but I can’t say more about that as I have no details”.

* Overturned the recommendation of the bishops serving on the World Mission committee who asked the House not to support the resolution, explicitly citing such reasons as that passing the resolution amounted to a rejection of the process commended by Windsor and jeopardizes the covenant, would not reflect hearing the concerns of the Communion and disregards Lambeth I.10

* Withdrew the assurances given by the House of Bishops to the wider Communion in September 2007 in response to the Dar Primates' Meeting.1

Deputies Give Consent to Central Ecuador Bishop

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/7/13/deputies-continue-debate-on-central-ecuador-election

[The Living Church] 14 July 2009--The House of Deputies spent an extended session in debate before deciding to grant consent to the election of the Rev. Luis Fernando Ruiz Restrepo as Bishop of Central Ecuador.

Fr. Restrepo was elected March 17 by the House of Bishops after the Rt. Rev Wilfrido Ramos, provisional Bishop of Central Ecuador, declared a deadlock after one ballot had been cast at the special electing convention in February.

Opinions on whether Fr. Restrepo should be consecrated diverged widely. Few people questioned his credentials for the job or challenged that the electoral process conformed for the most part with the constitution and canons of the diocese and General Convention. Nevertheless some felt the leadership was in too much of a hurry to install someone before the diocese itself had achieved the necessary degree of consensus for Fr. Restrepo to inspire the trust of the people over whom he is supposed to have oversight.

“This is not a rejecting of the ministry of a person, but the process,” said one deputy. “If the standing committee does not want this person as bishop it would be uncanonical for the consecration to go forward. It would be out of order.”

What we may be witnessing is the beginning of a break between a segment of the Diocese of Central Ecuador and the General Convention.

Bishops approve resolution opening ordination to gays, lesbians

http://ecusa.anglican.org/79901_112523_ENG_HTM.htm

[Episcopal Life Online]14 July 2009--After more than two hours of discussion and with a standing-room-only crowd watching, the House of Bishops on July 13 adopted an amended version of Resolution D025, which opens "any ordained ministry" to gay and lesbian people.

Bishops voted 99-45, with two abstentions, for the revised resolution, which goes to the House of Deputies world mission legislative committee. The committee must make a recommendation to the full house about whether to concur in the amended resolution, amend it further, or defeat it, according to Deputy Sally Johnson (Minnesota).

The bishops amended the fourth resolve, which originally read "that the 76th General Convention affirm that God has called and may call such individuals, to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church which call is tested through our discernment processes acting in accordance with the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church." They inserted the words "and that God's call to the ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church is a mystery which the church attempts to discern for all people" after the words "to any ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church" and deleted "which call is tested."

The House of Deputies was the house of initial action for D025, widely considered a response to Resolution B033, which was adopted by the last General Convention. B033 urged restraint in consenting to the consecration of bishops whose "manner of life" challenged the rest of the Anglican Communion. That challenge was widely understood to refer to gay bishops in partnered unions.

Bishop Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island, chair of the World Mission legislative committee which crafted resolution D025, had advised bishops to reject the measure because it could threaten a proposed Anglican covenant and undermine "mission at home and abroad because it presumes a theological understanding that we have not in fact established."

The bishops of most of TEC dioceses outside of the continental United States did not vote in favor of D025. It is a development on which we may want to keep an eye.

A Proposed New Rallying Point for the Anglican Church in North America

By Robin G. Jordan

The following is the preliminary draft of a proposed new set of Fundamental Declarations for the Anglican Church in North America. They stress the autonomy of the judicatories forming the ACNA and the voluntary nature of their association. They give to the Holy Scriptures, the Catholic Creeds, the Anglican Formularies, and the threefold ministry of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon the place that the Anglican tradition has historically given to them. In contrast to the existing Fundamental Declarations, they express greater unity with the fundamental declarations or the equivalent of the Anglican entities that have supported the establishment of a new orthodox province in North America and extend their recognition to the ACNA as that province in formation. They permit a broader range of opinions on key issues that have historically divided orthodox Anglicans, and keep alive the vision of the ACNA as a truly comprehensive church for Anglo-Catholics, conservative evangelicals, and “mere Christians.”

1. The Anglican Church in North America is a voluntary association of autonomous and self-governing dioceses within the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, worshiping the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, united under one Divine Head, and dedicated to the proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ and the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

2. We hold the Christian faith as professed by the Church of Christ from primitive times and in particular as set forth in the Catholic Creeds and the Anglican Formularies, that is, the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons issued by the Church of England in 1662.

3. We receives all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the Word of God written and being the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and life of the Church, given by the inspiration of God and containing all things necessary for salvation.

4. We maintains inviolate these orders of ministers in Christ’s Church--Bishops, Priests, or Presbyters, and Deacons—which offices have been known from the apostles’ time and have always been regarded as worthy of great honor.

5. We are determined by the help of God to uphold and preserve the Doctrine, Sacraments, and Discipline of Christ as the Lord has commanded in his Holy Word, and as the Church of England has received and set forth in its Formularies; and to transmit the same unimpaired to our posterity.

6. We seek to be and desire to continue in full communion with all Anglican Churches, Dioceses, and Provinces holding the historic Christian faith and maintaining the aforesaid Doctrine, Sacraments, and Discipline of Christ.

This proposed new set of Fundamental Declarations provides a rallying point around which all orthodox North American Anglicans can come together to advance the cause of the gospel.

For a comparison of the present ACNA Fundamental Declarations with those of a number of Anglican church bodies, see my previous article, "Fundamental Declarations Compared."

Iraqi Christians Too Scared to Reveal Whole Truth on Violence

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090506/iraqi-christians-too-scared-to-reveal-whole-truth-on-violence/index.html

[The Christian Post] 13 July 2009--Fear keeps Iraqi Christians quiet about the extent of persecution the tiny minority group endures, said an Iraqi Catholic archbishop Tuesday at a private meeting with religious freedom experts and journalists.

These Christians do not fear only for their own safety, but they are afraid of retribution against fellow believers in Iraq if they speak out, explained the Most Rev. Jean Benjamin Sleiman, the head of the Latin mass church in Iraq, at a Hudson Institute hosted luncheon. This mindset has kept even Iraqi Christians in the United States and other western nations relatively quiet about the severe Christian persecution in their homeland.

It is as if Iraqi Christians speak two different languages, the archbishop told the small group of Americans gathered for the invitation-only event. To the pope they say they are being persecuted, he said, but to the public they say they are living well with occasional problems.

Gay rights campaigner criticizes FCA

http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=4731

[Religious Intelligence] 13 July 2009--A leading gay rights campaigner has sharply criticized the Queen for writing a letter of support to organizers of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) conference held on July 6 at Westminster Central Hall.

The Queen had made a “serious error of judgment,” Peter Tatchell said, in a statement published on his website and had “breached royal protocol by embroiling herself in an issue of religious and political controversy.” However, the FCA letters were not the first sign of royal favour for the traditionalist movement, as Archbishop Henry Orombi reports that he and the Queen corresponded over the Church of Uganda’s boycott of the 2008 Lambeth Conference.

Withering and the Word: John Calvin at 500

http://www.revkevindeyoung.com/2009/07/withering-and-word-john-calvin-at-500.html

[De Young, Restless and Reformed] 13 July 2009--Whatever lasting impact John Calvin has had on the church of Jesus Christ, and on the whole world for that matter, is owing to his commitment to understanding and explaining the word of God. From sermons to lectures to letters to tracts to treatises to confessions to catechisms to books, his adult life was consumed with one thing: the word of God–the word as a summons to obedience, the word as a blueprint for reform, the word as the foundation for all truth.

Calvin’s confidence was not in the world of technology and progress. He would have scoffed at Bultmann’s now laughable line from several generations ago that “it is impossible to use electric light and the wireless [radio] and to avail ourselves of modern medical and surgical discoveries, and at the same time believe in the New Testament world of demons and spirits.”

Calvin’s confidence was not in man’s potential or the triumph of the human spirit. He would have equally scoffed and been frankly embarrassed by the well-known Reformed Church pastor, Robert Schuller who argued that self-esteem was the New Reformation and that “Christians should hold to these truths: I affirm that I will never be defeated, because I will never quit...I affirm that if I’m totally dedicated I’ll eventually win.”

Calvin’s confidence was in the Word of God, and that’s why his theology and vision of the world continues to capture the minds and hearts of people in the 21st century. That’s why five hundred years later we remember his birth. That’s why Calvin the preacher and expositor has millions more spiritual children than Erasmus the scholar and hermeneutical skeptic. Strive for relevance in your day, and you’ll may make a difference for a few years. Anchor yourself in what is eternal and you may influence the world for another five centuries.

Related articles:
http://www.theologian.org.uk/churchhistory/calvinsinfluence.html
Calvin's Influence on the English Reformation - The Theologian
http://www.theologian.org.uk/doctrine/calvinonthelordssupper.html
A Spiritual Banquet: John Calvin on the Lord's Supper - The Theologian

Trusting God's Timing

http://www.anglican-nig.org/main.php?k_j=13&d=79&p_t=index.php

[Church of Nigeria News] 13 July 2009--On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

If there is ever a time when our faith is stretched, it is at the time of waiting. It is that time when we have prayed fervently and earnestly claimed God’s promises to strengthen our faith. It is that time when all these exercises have been undertaken and we feel so sure that the expected result would come, we feel certain and at peace that heaven has heard and approved our request. Just then, in a way we cannot explain, that sickness ends in death, (as in Lazarus’s case in our passage above); or that examination result (for one level of promotion or another) turns out differently; or that job doesn’t come or, as must now be the experience of some who trusted God and ventured into politics with all their hard-earned resources and more – and yet the result turns out negative.

"Be instrumental to the spread of the Gospel”- Bishop tells Christian Fathers

http://www.anglican-nig.org/main.php?k_j=12&d=339&p_t=index.php?

[Church of Nigeria News] 13 July 2009--An Anglican Bishop, Prof Emmanuel Iheagwam has challenged Christian Fathers to be zealous advocates of the gospel message by being involved in the business of Church planting, especially in their areas. They were also charged to always remember that as God’s field they should hold strongly to Christ’s commission to all Christians to go and make disciples of all Nation. The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Egbu, Prof. Iheagwam gave the charge in his Presidential Address delivered on the occasion of the 12th Annual Men’s Conference of the Christian Fathers’ Association of the Diocese held at St. Mark’s Church, Eziobodo in the Owerri West Local Government Council of Imo State.

He explained that the theme of the Conference , "You are the Field of God and You are also the Building of God" entrusted them with the responsibility of preaching the word of God, remaining built in the right doctrine and right living which also meets God’s standard.

As Christian Fathers and God’s building the Bishop urged them to hold firm to their foundation which is in Jesus Christ because any other foundation was inferior and cannot stand the test of time. He advised them to ensure that they lived pure and exemplary lives, abhorring being found in them such mundane acts as syncretism, cultism, murder, abduction, bribery and corruption, infidelity and stealing.

The Bishop however observed that some Christian Fathers were opposed to efforts of the Diocese to plant churches in their areas and advised such people to desist from such actions as they were merely kicking against a stone. He further urged them not to constitute themselves into any stumbling block against the spread of the gospel.

Two Rival Religions?

http://albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=4114

[Albert Mohler] 13 July 2009--On November 3, 1921, J. Gresham Machen presented an address entitled, "Liberalism or Christianity?" In that famous address, later expanded into the book, Christianity & Liberalism, Machen argued that evangelical Christianity and its liberal rival were, in effect, two very different religions.

Machen's argument became one of the issues of controversy in the Fundamentalist/Modernist controversies of the 1920s and beyond. By any measure, Machen was absolutely right--the movement that styled itself as liberal Christianity was eviscerating the central doctrines of the Christian faith while continuing to claim Christianity as "a way of life" and a system of meaning.

"The chief modern rival of Christianity is 'liberalism,'" Machen asserted. "Modern liberalism, then, has lost sight of the two great presuppositions of the Christian message--the living God and the fact of sin," he argued. "The liberal doctrine of God and the liberal doctrine of man are both diametrically opposite to the Christian view. But the divergence concerns not only the presuppositions of the message, but also the message itself."

Howard P. Kainz, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Marquette University, offers a similar argument--warning that it is now modern secular liberalism which poses as the great rival to orthodox Christianity.

Motion in English Synod to Recognize ACNA

http://www.livingchurch.org/news/news-updates/2009/7/11/motion-in-english-synod-to-recognize-acna

[The Living Church] 13 July 2009--A private member’s motion asking the Church of England to recognize the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has been submitted to the General Synod of the Church of England. While the motion will not come up for debate at the current meeting of Synod, it serves to sharpen the focus of the 76th General Convention on the consequences of backing away from the 2006 pledge made with Resolution B033.

Synod is meeting in York from the July 10-13. On July 10, a private member’s motion was submitted asking for a debate on the Church of England’s formal relationship with the ACNA. To be considered for debate, a private members motion must receive the support of 100 members of synod. Approximately 75 members have so far endorsed the motion.

Traditionally only one or two such motions are considered at each session of Synod, and in creating the agenda for forthcoming session, the Synod’s Business Committee generally looks to the number of signatures received in order to set the priority for debate.

Sunday at General Synod

http://www.evangelicals.org/news.asp?id=1034

[EVNews] 12 July 2009--Business on a Sunday at Synod begins after lunch and today it began with consideration of a report called Opening the Doors. The report has a subtitle that explains more accurately the subject – Ministry with people with learning difficulties and people on the autistic spectrum. Synod members were apparently provided with a DVD, which is also available to be shown to PCCs in order to consider how churches can take account of the matters raised. In addition there was encouragement given to Dioceses appointing an officer to oversee such ministry which is all very worthy but is in danger of adding yet another post to the central structures of a Diocese when there is a need to concentrate more ministry in parishes and allows the parishes to tackle such matters themselves.

A debate on Review of Constitutions may not sound very exciting but turned out to be quite lively. The Archbishops Council, on the recommendation of senior Church House staff had brought forward proposals to replace most of the existing boards and councils. The idea was to have a lead spokesperson on each area with a group of advisors and a further group who would meet once a year to review their work. For Synod members who are accustomed to electing and serving on the existing boards and councils this was always going to be a red rag to a bull. Indeed, whilst it may be more cost effective (although this is not clear) and more responsive to issues it is feared that there will be far less accountability and far fewer people, most those who are unelected, involved.

Reform to hand Archbishop of Canterbury huge power

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6683631.ece

[Times Online] 12 July 2009--Dr Rowan Williams is on course to become one of the most powerful Archbishops of Canterbury since the Reformation, under a programme of centralisation planned for the Church of England.

Under the plans, to be debated at the General Synod tomorrow, the Church bodies responsible for education, mission and finance will be abolished. The powers of the Church’s main boards and councils will instead pass to the archbishops of Canterbury and York.

However, The Times has learnt that some of the senior clergy and laity in the Church of England are planning to revolt against the shift of power from the democratically elected General Synod. The rebels will warn the synod in York that the centralising changes would turn the established Church into a medieval style of government more akin to a “Muslim-style theocracy”.

The radical plans have been drawn up as part of a series of measures designed to create a leaner Church better fitted to cope with falling attendances, a pensions black hole and plummeting asset values.

Archbishops snubbed over power-grab plans

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6694586.ece

[Times Online] 12 July 2009--The archbishops of Canterbury and York were today delivered a resounding snub to their plans to centralise power in the Church of England.

The General Synod, being held in York, overwhelmingly rejected the proposals which would have made Dr Rowan Williams one of the most powerful Archbishops of Canterbury since the Reformation.

Church bodies responsible for education, mission and finance were to have been abolished with the powers of the Church’s main boards and councils instead passing to Canterbury and York.

But tonight the laity, clergy and even some bishops threw the plans out in a rebellion that will keep the balance of power within the democratically elected Synod.

Dr John Sentamu warns of dangers of power as Church seeks centralisation

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6693758.ece

[Times Online] 12 July 2009--The Archbishop of York today delivered a fierce warning over the pursuit of power as the Church of England prepared to debate a massive centralisation of power into the hands of senior clergy.

Preaching at York Minster at the Eucharist for members of the General Synod, Dr John Sentamu told them that they were in danger of forgetting their priorities.

The attempted power grab, considered to be a way of cutting costs, comes as Synod members are being asked to take a demand back to parishes for a doubling of donations to finance a pensions black hole.

Church of England faces calls for cuts in the number of bishops

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6695817.ece

[Times Online] 12 July 2009--The Church of England is considering cuts in the number of bishops and dioceses amid growing complaints that its structure is top-heavy and out of step with falling congregations.

At least one diocese, possibly Bradford, is likely to disappear as the Archbishops of Canterbury and York examine ways of reorganising the 44 dioceses and their diocesan bishops to help the Church of England to weather difficult times.

Fundamental Declarations Compared

By Robin G. Jordan

Introduction

In my previous article, “The Need for a New Rallying Point” I drew attention to the need for a new set of Fundamental Declarations for the Anglican Church in North America, which are not only more comprehensive in their recognition of divergent opinions among orthodox Anglicans but also displays greater solidarity with the Anglican entities that have supported the establishment of a new orthodox province in North America and extend their recognition to the ACNA as that province in formation. In this article I offer the fundamental declarations or equivalent of a number of Anglican provinces and one extramural Anglican ecclesial body for comparison with the Fundamental Declarations set forth in Article I of the ACNA Constitution. They include the Anglican Church of Kenya, the Anglican Church of the Province of Southern Cone, the Anglican Church of the Province of Uganda, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. With one exception of the all of these entities either have ties to GAFCON or have church groups and organizations with ties to GAFCON.

The Anglican Church of Australia – Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles

The Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia is a GAFCON member and a Jerusalem Declaration signatory. Archbishop Peter Jensen is the General Secretary of GAFCON. The Anglican Church League of Sydney is also a major GAFCON supporter.

Chapter I.-Fundamental Declarations

1. The Anglican Church of Australia, being a part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ, holds the Christian Faith as professed by the Church of Christ from primitive times and in particular as set forth in the creeds known as the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed.

2. This Church receives all the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the ultimate rule and standard of faith given by inspiration of God and containing all things necessary for salvation.

3. This Church will ever obey the commands of Christ, teach His doctrine, administer His sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, follow and uphold His discipline and preserve the three orders of bishops, priests and deacons in the sacred ministry.

Chapter II.-Ruling Principles

4. This Church, being derived from the Church of England, retains and approves the doctrine and principles of the Church of England embodied in the Book of Common Prayer together with the Form and Manner of Making Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons and in the Articles of Religion sometimes called the
Thirty-nine Articles but has plenary authority at its own discretion to make statements as to the faith ritual ceremonial or discipline of this Church and to order its forms of worship and rules of discipline and to alter or revise such statements, forms and rules, provided that all such statements, forms, rules or alteration or revision thereof are consistent with the Fundamental Declarations contained herein and are made as prescribed by this Constitution. Provided, and it is hereby further declared, that the above-named Book of Common Prayer, together with the Thirty-nine Articles, be regarded as the authorised standard of worship and doctrine in this Church, and no alteration in or permitted variations from the services or Articles therein contained shall contravene any principle of doctrine or worship laid down in such standard.

Provided further that until other order be taken by canon made in accordance with this Constitution, a bishop of a diocese may, at his discretion, permit such deviations from the existing order of service, not contravening any principle of doctrine or worship as aforesaid, as shall be submitted to him by the incumbent and churchwardens of a parish.

Provided also that no such request shall be preferred to the bishop of a diocese until the incumbent and a majority of the parishioners present and voting at a meeting of parishioners, duly convened for the purpose, shall signify assent to such proposed deviations. Such meeting shall be duly convened by writing, placed in a prominent position at each entrance to the church and by announcement at the morning and evening services, or at the service if only one, at least two Sundays before such meeting, stating the time and place of such meeting, and giving full particulars of the nature of the proposed deviation.

5. Subject to the Fundamental Declarations and the provisions of this chapter this Church has plenary authority and power to make canons, ordinances and rules for the order and good government of the Church, and to administer the affairs thereof. Such authority and power may be exercised by the several synods and tribunals in
accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.

6. This Church will remain and be in communion with the Church of England in England and with churches in communion therewith so long as communion is consistent with the Fundamental Declarations contained in this Constitution.

The Anglican Church of Canada – Solemn Declaration of 1893

The Anglican Network in Canada affirms the Solemn Declaration of 1893 along with the Thirty-Nine Articles and the Montreal Declaration of Anglican Essentials.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.

We, the Bishops, together with the Delegates from the Clergy and Laity of the Church of England in the Dominion of Canada, now assembled in the first General Synod, hereby make the following Solemn Declaration:

We declare this Church to be, and desire that it shall continue, in full communion with the Church of England throughout the world, as an integral portion of the One Body of Christ composed of the Churches which, united under the One Divine Head and in fellowship of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, hold the One Faith revealed in Holy Writ, and defined in the Creeds as maintained by the undivided primitive Church in the undisputed Ecumenical Councils; receive the same Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as containing all things necessary to salvation; teach the same Word of God; partake of the same Divinely ordained Sacraments, through the ministry of the same Apostolic Orders; and worship One God and Father through the same Lord Jesus Christ, by the same Holy and Divine Spirit who is given to them that believe to guide them into all truth.

And we are determined by the help of God to hold and maintain the Doctrine, Sacraments, and Discipline of Christ as the Lord hath commanded in his Holy Word, and as the Church of England hath received and set forth in The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church according to the use of the Church of England; together with the Psalter or Psalms of David, pointed as they are to be sung or said in Churches; and the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons and in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion; and to transmit the same unimpaired to our posterity.

The Anglican Church of Kenya

A number of the provisions of the constitution of the Anglican Church of Kenya function in the same manner as fundamental declarations do. In the ACK constitution these provisions are found in Articles III and IV.

Note that Article III contains an affirmation of Resolution 11 adopted by the third Lambeth Conference in 1888, not to be confused with the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral adopted by the Episcopal House of Bishops in 1886. Section 14 is particularly noteworthy. Each diocese is at liberty to adopt the Thirty-Nine Articles and to require subscription to the Articles at its own discretion.

Article III - On Doctrine and Worship

1. This Province, being in full communion with the Anglican Churches throughout the World, receives all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old an New Testaments, given by inspiration of God, as containing all things necessary for salvation and as being the ultimate rule and standard of the faith and life of the Church.

2.This Church holds the Faith of Christ as preached by the Apostles, summed up in the Apostles’ Creed, and confirmed by the first Four General Councils of the Holy Catholic Church.

3. The Province shall remain a member of the Anglican Communion and accepts the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican Primates Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council as the Institutions which form the focus of unity of the Anglican Communion.

4. The Church shall send its Bishops to attend the Lambeth Conferences and shall discuss any recommendations made by the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Primates Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council to the Provinces.

5. The Church further accepts the Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1888 which outlined the Anglican essentials for a reunited Christian Church. The text of the Articles is as follows:

(a) The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as “containing all things necessary to salvation”, and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith.

(b) The Apostles’ Creed, as the Baptismal Symbol, and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the Christian Faith.

(c) The two Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself- Baptism and the Supper of the Lord- ministered with unfailing use of Christ’s Words of Institution, and of the elements ordained by Him.

(d) The Historic Episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the Unity of His Church.

6. This Church, being wholly autonomous and self-governing part of the Body of Christ, affirms its right to draw up its own formularies of faith, and to set forth in terms that it considers suitable to the present day and to the needs for the peoples of this Church, the Faith which this Church holds; and also to determine those forms of liturgical worship by which it judges that its peoples can best be edified and led into the maturity of Christian life and expression, and in which God will be glorified.

7. Until such time as these formularies can be drawn up and accepted, and the liturgical life of this Church can be established on its own foundation, this Church is content to declare its acceptance of the doctrine, Sacraments and discipline of the Church as these are set forth in the Book of Common Prayer of 1662 and the Form ordering Bishops, Priests and Deacons attached to the same Book. It accepts the Principles of Worship set forth in the said Book as consonant with the Gospel of Christ, and as the source from which Anglican Christians in East Africa have long been tradition.

8. On the other hand, this Church does not interpret this declaration as implying any limitation on its right and duty to discover for itself the truth as it is in Jesus, and to express that truth in life and in liturgy. On the other hand, this Church disclaims any wish or intention now or at any future time to depart from the standards of Faith and Order, so nobly set forth in these venerable documents of the Church.

9. This Church may make and authorize such deviations from and additions or alternatives to the forms of service provided in the said Book of Common Prayer and such new forms of Liturgy as may, in its judgment, be required to meet the needs of this Church and shall be consistent with the spirit and teaching of the said Book of Common Prayer.

10. In the interpretation of the aforementioned standards and formularies and in questions of Faith, Doctrine, Discipline and Worship, this Church is not bound by any decisions other than those of the Provincial Synod….

14. The absence from the foregoing section of this Article of any reference to the Thirty Nine Articles shall not preclude the Synod of any Diocese including reference to the document in its own Diocesan Constitution and from requiring subscription to it in oaths and declarations made at the ordination or licensing of its clergy.

Article IV - On the Ministry

1. The Church is the body of Christ upon earth, and to it has been committed the task of continuing and completing all that Jesus began both to do and teach (Acts 1:1). It is therefore the purpose of this Church, in all its Ministries, pastoral, prophetic, and priestly, to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ, who is himself the good shepherd, the living word of God and the heavenly high priest.

2. No one order and no one office in the Church can claim exclusive possession of any one of these ministries or of all. Every Christian, by his/her baptism, is a member of the body; to each one, therefore, has been committed in his due order and proportion, a share of responsibility for the life of the Church and for all its ministries.

3. (a) From the Apostles’ times, however, it has been found convenient and profitable that a special responsibility for ministry of one form or another should be committed to persons chosen and appointed for the fulfillment of these respective tasks. Consequently there has been in the Church, since very early times, the three orders of bishops, priests, and deacons, together with the lay people (who form by far the larger part of the Church and in their degree share in the heavenly high-priesthood of Jesus Christ).

(b) This Church therefore holds that no person shall be accounted or taken to be a lawful Bishop, Priest or Deacon in this Church, or permitted to assume any of these offices, except that such person be called, tried, examined, trained, and prepared for the sacred ministry and admitted thereunto according to any ordinal approved in accordance with Article II or has already had Episcopal consecration or ordination, the validity of which has been approved by the Provincial Synod which shall have power to delegate its power to approve to the House of Bishops, or to the Episcopal Synod….

The Anglican Church of the Province of Southern Cone of America – Fundamental Declaration

The Southern Cone Fundamental Declaration is the briefest of the fundamental declarations included in this article. It shows that the fundamental declarations or equivalent in the constitution or canons of an Anglican province need not be lengthy.

The Anglican Church of the Southern Cone is established as a Province of the Anglican Communion, a branch of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which professes the historic Faith and Order as contained in the Holy Scriptures, to conserve the Doctrine, Sacraments, Ministry and Discipline of the Anglican Church and as observed in the Book of Common Prayer and the administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies, in the form and manner of Consecration, Ordination or Institution of Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons and the Articles of Religion maintains the ecclesiastical unity of the Dioceses and Provinces legitimately established and that are in communion with the See of Canterbury.

The Anglican Church of the Province of Uganda – Fundamental Principles

The Fundamental Principles of the Anglican Church of the Province of Uganda are embedded in the constitution of West Ankole Diocese of that Province. Note the place that they give to the Anglican formularies and their disclaimer of any right to depart from the standards of faith and order and principles of worship set forth in these formularies.

The basic principles of the Church of the Diocese of West Ankole are the Doctrine and Faith as originating from the Anglican Catholic Church and the Holy Scriptures.

(a) The Church of Uganda being in full communion with the Church of England and with the Anglican Communion throughout the world receives the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the ultimate rule and standard of faith, given by inspiration of God, and containing all things necessary for salvation.

(b) This holds the Faith of Christ as preached by the Apostles, summed up in the Creeds and confirmed by the undisputed General Councils of the Holy Catholic Church.

(c) It maintains this faith as embodied in the Doctrine, Sacraments and Discipline of the Church as they have been handed down by the Church of England and as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer and Ordinal and in the Articles of Religion commonly called the 39 Articles. It accepts the prayer and disclaims any right to depart from the standards of Faith and Order of the Principles of worship set forth in the said Formularies of the Church of England.

(d) The Diocesan Bishop shall have power to make such changes in the services provided for Public Worship and to authorize such Common Prayer as may in his judgement be desirable to meet the pastoral needs of God’s people, provided that such series do not depart from the doctrine of the Anglican Church of Uganda service.

(e) The jurisdiction to determine any matter concerning Faith, Doctrine and Worship is hereby vested in the House of Bishops constituted in accordance with this Constitution.

The Church of England

A number of the provisions of the canons of the Church of England function in the same manner as fundamental declarations do. In the C of E canons these provisions are found in Sections A and C.

In the C of E the Church of England Evangelical Council, Church Society, Forward in Faith, and Reform are the principal supporters of GAFCON and the Jerusalem Declaration. These organizations have joined together to form the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans.

Section A - The Church of England

A 1 Of the Church of England

The Church of England, established according to the laws of this realm under the Queen’s Majesty, belongs to the true and apostolic Church of Christ; and, as our duty to the said Church of England requires, we do constitute and ordain that no member thereof shall be at liberty to maintain or hold the contrary.

A 2 Of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion

The Thirty-nine Articles are agreeable to the Word of God and may be assented unto with a good conscience by all members of the Church of England.

A 3 Of The Book of Common Prayer

1. The doctrine contained in The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church according to the Use of the Church of England is agreeable to the Word of God.

2. The form of God’s worship contained in the said Book, forasmuch as it is not repugnant to the Word of God, may be used by all members of the Church of England with a good conscience.

A 4 Of the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining,and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons

The Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, annexed to The Book of Common Prayer and commonly known as the Ordinal, is not repugnant to the Word of God; and those who are so made, ordained, or consecrated bishops, priests, or deacons, according to the said Ordinal, are lawfully made, ordained, or consecrated, and ought to be accounted, both by themselves and others, to be truly bishops, priests, or deacons.

A 5 Of the doctrine of the Church of England

The doctrine of the Church of England is grounded in the Holy Scriptures, and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordinal.

A 6 Of the government of the Church of England

The government of the Church of England under the Queen’s Majesty, by archbishops, bishops, deans, provosts, archdeacons, and the rest of the clergy and of the laity that bear office in the same, is not repugnant to the Word of God….

Section C - Ministers, their ordination, functions and charge

C 1 Of holy orders in the Church of England

1. The Church of England holds and teaches that from the apostles’ time there have been these orders in Christ’s Church: bishops, priests, and deacons; and no man shall be accounted or taken to be a lawful bishop, priest, or deacon in the Church of England, or suffered to execute any of the said offices, except he be called, tried, examined, and admitted thereunto according to the Ordinal or any form of service alternative thereto approved by the General Synod under Canon B 2, authorized by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York under Canon C 4A or has had formerly episcopal consecration or ordination in some Church whose orders are recognized and accepted by the Church of England.

C 15 Of the Declaration of Assent

1(1) The Declaration of Assent to be made under this Canon shall be in the form set out below:

PREFACE
The Church of England is part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church worshipping the one true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It professes the faith uniquely revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds, which faith the Church is called upon to proclaim afresh in each generation. Led by the Holy Spirit, it has borne witness to Christian truth in its historic formularies, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, The Book of Common Prayer and the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons. In the declaration you are about to make will you affirm your loyalty to this inheritance of faith as your inspiration and guidance under God in bringing the grace and truth of Christ to this generation and making him known to those in your care?

Declaration of Assent
I, A B, do so affirm, and accordingly declare my belief in the faith which is revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the catholic creeds and to which the historic formularies of the Church of England bear witness; and in public prayer and administration of the sacraments, I will use only the forms of service which are authorized or allowed by Canon….

The Church of England in South Africa – Declaration

The Church of England in South Africa is a GAFCON member and a Jerusalem Declaration signatory. Note the similarity between the CESA Declaration and that of the Church of Ireland, which immediately follows the CESA Declaration.

We, the Representatives in South Africa of the Clergy and Laity of the Church of England, recognising the hand of God upon us in maintaining our unbroken identity and desiring to remain in faithful fellowship with the Church of England as by law established in England, in general assembly met in Cape Town, in the year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and thirty-eight, DO SOLEMNLY DECLARE as follows:-

A. The Church of England in South Africa adheres to the faith and doctrine of the Church of England as now by law established in England, and embodied in the XXXIX Articles of Religion, and the Book of Common Prayer of 1662.

The Church of England in South Africa, as a reformed and Protestant Church, doth hereby reaffirm its constant witness against all those innovations in doctrine and worship, whereby the Primitive Faith hath been from time to time defaced or overlaid and which at the Reformation the Church of England did disown and reject .

The Church of England in South Africa receives the canonical scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as being the ultimate rule and standard of faith given by inspiration of God, and containing all things necessary to salvation.

The Church of England in South Africa, being a part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, will ever remain and be in communion with Churches maintaining communion with the Church of England so long as communion is consistent with the solemn declarations set forth in this chapter.

B. The Church of England in South Africa, deriving its authority from Christ, Who is the head over all things to the Church, DECLARES that the General Synod of the Church of England in South Africa, consisting of the Bishops (if any), Clergy and representatives of the Laity, shall have full authority and power to make Canons, Ordinances, and Rules for order and good governments of this Church and to administer its affairs, subject to the following Articles.

The Church of Ireland – Preamble and Declaration

The Church of Ireland was at one time united with the Church of England. In the nineteenth century the Irish Church was granted its independence from the Church of England and disestablished. The Church of Ireland Evangelical Fellowship is a GAFCON member and a Jerusalem Declaration signatory.

Note the reference to the three ministries of bishop, priest or presbyter and deacon and its use of the phrase “maintain inviolate….”

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen:

Whereas it hath been determined by the Legislature that on and after the 1st day of January, 1871, the Church of Ireland shall cease to be established by law; and that the ecclesiastical law of Ireland shall cease to exist as law save as provided in the "Irish Church Act, 1869", and it hath thus become necessary that the Church of Ireland should provide for its own regulation:

We, the archbishops and bishops of this the Ancient Catholic and Apostolic Church of Ireland, together with the representatives of the clergy and laity of the same, in General Convention assembled in Dublin in the year of our Lord God one thousand eight hundred and seventy, before entering on this work, do solemnly declare as follows:

I
1. The Church of Ireland doth, as heretofore, accept and unfeignedly believe all the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, as given by inspiration of God, and containing all things necessary to salvation; and doth continue to profess the faith of Christ as professed by the Primitive Church.

2. The Church of Ireland will continue to minister the doctrine, and sacraments, and the discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath commanded; and will maintain inviolate the three orders of bishops, priests or presbyters, and deacons in the sacred ministry.

3. The Church of Ireland, as a reformed and Protestant Church, doth hereby reaffirm its constant witness against all those innovations in doctrine and worship, whereby the Primitive Faith hath been from time to time defaced or overlaid, and which at the Reformation this Church did disown and reject.

II
The Church of Ireland doth receive and approve The Book of the Articles of Religion, commonly called the Thirty-nine Articles, received and approved by the archbishops and bishops and the rest of the clergy of Ireland in the synod holden in Dublin, A.D. 1634; also, The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments, and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, according to the use of the Church of Ireland; and the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests and Deacons, as approved and adopted by the synod holden in Dublin, A.D. 1662, and hitherto in use in this Church. And this Church will continue to use the same, subject to such alterations only as may be made therein from time to time by the lawful authority of the Church.

III
The Church of Ireland will maintain communion with the sister Church of England, and with all other Christian Churches agreeing in the principles of this Declaration; and will set forward, so far as in it lieth, quietness, peace, and love, among all christian people.

IV
The Church of Ireland, deriving its authority from Christ, Who is the Head over all things to the Church, doth declare that a General Synod of the Church of Ireland, consisting of the archbishops and bishops, and of representatives of the clergy and laity, shall have chief legislative power therein, and such administrative power as may be necessary for the Church, and consistent with its episcopal constitution.

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) – Fundamental Declarations

The Fundamental Declarations of the Church of Nigeria are found in its canons rather than its constitution. Note the place that the Fundamental Declarations of the Church of Nigeria give to the Bible and to the Anglican formularies and their attribution of the distribution of the duties among the three ministries of bishop, priest and deacon to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

1. The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) hereinafter called “The Church of Nigeria” or “This Church” shall be in full communion with all Anglican Churches Dioceses and Provinces that hold and maintain the Historic Faith, Doctrine, Sacrament and Discipline of the one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church as the Lord has commanded in His holy word and as the same are received as taught in the Book of Common Prayer and the ordinal of 1662and in the Thirty-Nine Article of Religion.

.2. The Church of Nigeria has power so to order its discipline as to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines which are contrary to God's word as understood and interpreted in the aforementioned formularies.

3. In the interpretation of the aforementioned formularies and in all questions of Faith, Doctrine and Discipline, the decisions of the ecclesiastical tribunals of the Church of Nigeria shall be final.

4. The Church of Nigeria holds as its standard of worship and authorizes for general use the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England and the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of Nigeria.

5. The Church of Nigeria has power to make and authorize such changes and additions or alternatives to the forms of service provided in the said books and such new forms and service as may be required to meet the needs of this Church and are neither contrary to the doctrinal standards named in these Declarations nor indicative of any departure from them.

6. This Church holds that each of the three Orders of the Ministry - Bishops, Priests and Deacons - has particular duties in the Church and that this distribution of duties may rightly be attributed to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Bishops have a special responsibility and authority for the preservation of the
truth of the doctrine of the Church for the purity of its life, and the worthiness of its worship; the Priests, in co-operation with and under the guidance of the Bishops have a special responsibility for preaching the word of God and administering the Holy Sacraments and generally for the cure of souls, and the Deacons have a special responsibility for the care of the poor and distressed, for the instruction of the young and the ignorant, and for giving assistance to the Priests in Divine Service.

7. No fundamental amendment to the foregoing Declarations may be made unless the proposed amendment is first provisionally approved by the General Synod, is subsequently submitted to each Diocese of the Church of Nigeria for consideration and receives the approval of not less than two-thirds of the Dioceses and is finally confirmed by at least a two-thirds majority vote of the General Synod. The amendment shall thereafter be communicated to all the Metropolitans of the Anglican Communion.

The Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda – Solemn Declaration

Note the similarity between the Solemn Declaration of the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda and Solemn Declaration of the Anglican Church of Canada of 1893. The phrase, “through the ministry of the same Apostolic Orders,” used in both declarations can be understood in both a Catholic sense and an evangelical sense.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

The Anglican Church of Rwanda (Anglican Communion) hereinafter also called “The Church of Rwanda” or “This Church” shall be in full communion with all Anglican Churches Dioceses and Provinces that hold and maintain the Historic Faith, Doctrine, Sacrament and Discipline of the one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church as the Lord has commanded in His holy word and as the same has received and set forth the same in the Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church, together with the Psalter and the Form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, and in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion.

We declare this Church to be, and desire that it shall continue in full communion with traditional Anglicans throughout the world, as an integral portion of the One Body of Christ composed of Churches which, united under the One Divine Head and in fellowship of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, hold the One Faith revealed in Holy Writ, and defined in the Creeds as maintained by the undivided primitive Church in the undisputed Ecumenical Councils; receive the same Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as containing all things necessary to salvation; teach the same Word of God; partake of the same Divinely ordained Sacraments, through the ministry of the same Apostolic Orders; and worship One God and Father through the same Lord Jesus Christ, by the same Holy and Divine Spirit who is given to them that believe to guide them into all truth.

We, the Bishops, together with the Clergy and Laity of the Anglican Province of Rwanda assembled in Provincial Synod, make this Solemn Declaration and we are determined by the help of God to hold and maintain the Doctrine, Sacraments, and Discipline of Christ as the Lord has commanded in His Holy Word.

The Anglican Church in North America – Fundamental Declarations

Now compare the Fundamental Declarations as set forth in Article I of the ACNA constitution with the foregoing fundamental declarations. They differ from the other fundamental declarations in a number of ways .None of the other fundamental declarations contain anything like the assertion in Article I that the “seven elements” listed in the article is “characteristic of the Anglican Way.” In this regard the ACNA Fundamental Declarations resemble a Lutheran confession of faith more than they do Anglican fundamental declarations. The tenor of the ACNA Fundamental is also different from that of the other fundamental declarations. The ACNA Fundamental Declarations in paraphrasing the second article of the 1888 Lambeth Quadrilateral does not quite say what that article says. They also take an unnecessarily partisan doctrinal position on the historic episcopate. The other fundamental declarations do not touch upon this issue with perhaps the exception of Article III, 4 (d) of the ACK constitution which, while it affirms the fourth article of the 1888 Lambeth Quadrilateral, does not go beyond affirming that article as does the ACNA Fundamental Declaration and claim that the historic episcopate is “an inherent part of the apostolic faith and practice.” The other fundamental declarations limit themselves to references to the three ministries of bishop, priest or presbyter and deacon or the” apostolic orders.” They refer to the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed or the “catholic creeds” but make no specific reference to the Athanasian Creed. The other fundamental declarations make no reference to the Councils of the Church or they use wording like “the undisputed Ecumenical Councils,” “the undisputed General Councils of the Holy Catholic Church” or “the first Four General Councils of the Holy Catholic Church.” The other fundamental declarations acknowledge the authority of the Book of Common Prayer, the Ordinal of 1661, and the Articles of Religion of 1571 as authoritative doctrinal and worship standards for Anglicans. The ACNA Fundamental Declarations qualify and dilute the authority of these historic Anglican formularies. While they may not go far enough for conservative traditionalist Anglo-Catholics such as recognizing the authority of “Holy Tradition,” seven sacraments instead of two, and all the teachings of the first seven general councils and denying the authority of the historic Anglican formularies altogether, they certainly favor a Catholic view of the historic episcopate, the first seven general councils, and the historic Anglican formularies over a charismatic or evangelical view.

As the Anglican Church in North America (the Province), being a part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of Christ, we believe and confess Jesus Christ to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no one comes to the Father but by Him. Therefore, we identify the following seven elements as characteristic of the Anglican Way, and essential for membership:

1. We confess the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God, containing all things necessary for salvation, and to be the final authority and unchangeable standard for Christian faith and life.

2. We confess Baptism and the Supper of the Lord to be Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself in the Gospel, and thus to be ministered with unfailing use of His words of institution and of the elements ordained by Him.

3. We confess the godly historic Episcopate as an inherent part of the apostolic faith and practice, and therefore as integral to the fullness and unity of the Body of Christ.

4. We confess as proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture the historic faith of the undivided church as declared in the three Catholic Creeds: the Apostles', the Nicene, and the
Athanasian.

5. Concerning the seven Councils of the undivided Church, we affirm the teaching of the first four Councils and the Christological clarifications of the fifth, sixth and seventh Councils, in so far as they are agreeable to the Holy Scriptures.

6. We receive The Book of Common Prayer as set forth by the Church of England in 1662, together with the Ordinal attached to the same, as a standard for Anglican doctrine and discipline, and, with the Books which preceded it, as the standard for the Anglican tradition of worship.

7. We receive the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion of 1571, taken in their literal and grammatical sense, as expressing the Anglican response to certain doctrinal issues controverted at that time, and as expressing fundamental principles of authentic Anglican belief.

In all these things, the Anglican Church in North America is determined by the help of God to hold and maintain, as the Anglican Way has received them, the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ and to transmit the same, unimpaired, to our posterity.

We seek to be and remain in full communion with all Anglican Churches, Dioceses and Provinces that hold and maintain the Historic Faith, Doctrine, Sacraments and Discipline of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

Conclusion

As can be seen from this comparison, the ACNA Fundamental Declarations do not score very high on solidarity with the Anglican entities that have supported the establishment of a new orthodox province in North America and extended their recognition to the ACNA as that province in formation. They also do not score high on comprehensiveness in their recognition of divergent opinions among orthodox Anglicans. A number of the other fundamental declarations offered for comparison with the ACNA Fundamental Declarations are much broader in the range of orthodox doctrinal views recognized in a province. In my next article I will look at the preliminary draft of a proposed new set of Fundamental Declarations for the ACNA.