A Look at ACNA Archbishop-Elect Foley Bishop

By Robin G. Jordan

I have been search the Internet for information about ACNA Archbishop-Elect Foley Beach. My findings are in no particular order.

1. Beach earned his Masters of Divinity at the School of Theology at the University of the South. According to the School of Theology’s website, “historically, its position within Anglicanism is generally considered to fall within the parameters of the High Church tradition.” For many years Massey Shepherd, “a major figure in liturgical studies and the liturgical movement,” served as director of its Graduate School of Theology. Marion J. Hatchett was Professor of Liturgy and Music at the School of Theology and was a leading proponent of the liturgical movement. Hatchett advocated the revival of a number of liturgical practices that the English Reformers abolished in the sixteenth century.

I have not established that Hatchett was one of Beach’s professors at the School of Theology but if he was, it might explain why the Anglican Diocese of the South offers a course on liturgy and worship for its clergy. This course includes instruction on how the Holy Communion should and should not be celebrated, using the trial ACNA eucharistic rites. It indicates that Beach supports the use of these rites, which are unreformed Catholic (i.e. Anglo-Catholic, Roman Catholic) in doctrine.

2. Beach earned his doctorate in ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Gordon-Conwell is a former Baptist institution now non-denominational. Its Statement of Faith and Mission and Purpose are based on Protestant and evangelical doctrines, such as biblical inerrancy and penal substitution. It is not evident from these statements where the Gordon-Conwell falls in the Arminian-Reformed divide. According to the Puritan Board, Gordon Conwell is Arminian. Its presidential leadership and professors are Pentecostal.

3. Beach voted to approve the new ACNA catechism. The catechism, while initially appearing Arminian in its doctrinal views, is to large extent Anglo-Catholic on a number of key issues and permits the teaching of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox doctrine in the Anglican Church in North America. It does not extend the same license to the teaching of classical Anglican and Reformed doctrine in the ACNA. I have posted a 14-article series examining the contents of the new ACNA catechism and its doctrinal positions on Heritage Anglicans.

4. Beach on his own blog makes a number of references to the Holy Spirit that suggest that if he is not a Spirit-baptized charismatic, he has charismatic leanings.

5. The website of Holy Cross Anglican Church that Beach founded in 2004 describes the church as “an Evangelical Church in the Protestant tradition.” The exterior and interior of the sanctuary, however, are quite traditional. It is not the kind of worship center one would associate with conservative evangelicals in the United Kingdom, South Africa, or Australia.

6. The brief official biography included in the ACNA press release announcing Beach’s election emphasizes “his passion is to share the Word of God in such a way as to help others discover the incredible living Jesus.” According to the Anglican Diocese of the South’s website “Dr. Beach’s A Word from the Lord can be heard each week on radio stations throughout the United States and on the Internet. A Word from Lord’s Weekly Broadcast is a 25-minute Biblical Teaching ministry, and A Word from the Lord’s One-minute Messages offers a daily challenge from the Scriptures.” The website goes on to state, “Reaching out through the church, the radio, the Internet, and newspaper columns, in clear and concise ways, he brings out the principles of the Word of God so that listeners may apply them in their lives.”

7. The ACNA has a very loose definition of who is an evangelical. Anyone who emphasizes the Scriptures is an evangelical. Beach would meet the requirements of this definition.

8. At least one blogger interpreted Beach’s election as a movement to the center. Based on what evidence I have gathered to date, this interpretation is wishful thinking. It does, however, help explain why the College of Bishops may have chosen Beach: he is perceived to be a centrist. This perception made him the more acceptable candidate to the special interest groups represented in the College of Bishops. His election was less likely to cause controversy and division than the election of let us say John Guernsey or Ray Sutton.

The same blogger predicted that under Beach’s leadership the movement to consolidate ACNA congregations into geographically contiguous diocese and to abolish affinity networks would gather momentum. Beach’s tenure in office would see the dissolution of CANA and PEAR-USA. In this prognostication he may be on the mark.

9. Beach is opposed to women’s ordination.

10. Beach has been a bishop for about 4 years. Beach’s diocese consists of 50 congregations in 10 states. It includes 3 congregations in Kentucky. From what I gather Beach has left the development of the mission strategy for their particular area up to the deaneries of the diocese. The deanery for Kentucky has not to my knowledge planted any new congregations in the commonwealth.

11. Beach’s name does not appear on the 2012 roster of ACNA officers, courts task forces, and committees.

This is a fragmentary picture at best. I was not able to find any statements of where Beach stood on key issues. (The exception is women’s ordination.) His position can be deduced only from what he has done so far.

There is a real danger of people in and outside the ACNA projecting their own hopes and aspirations onto the Archbishop-Elect and seeing their own projection and not the real man and where he stands on things that matter. This projection may fade in time as they come to know him better. However, a great deal of damage could be done during that time with Foley Beach turning out not to be the person that they think he is.

At this stage we should be focusing our attention on what the College of Bishops and the Executive Committee are proposing, promoting, or doing. They appear to be the main loci of power in the ACNA at the present time. The Archbishop’s Cabinet is a third locus of power but it will be in transition.

Among the developments that we should be on the alert for is what kind of relationship will develop between the College of Bishops and the Archbishop-Elect. Simply put, will the Archbishop-Elect lead the College of Bishops or will the College of Bishops lead him and how will this relationship impact the ACNA? Will it make any difference as far as the direction in which the College of Bishops has been taking the ACNA?

See also
A Bitter Pill to Swallow: Looking Beyond Conclave 2014
The Anglican Church in North America Unveils Proposed New Rites and Governing Document Changes

Photo: Monroe Local News