If the Anglican Church in North America was to soften its position on same sex marriage as the primate of the Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, fears rather than maintaining a hardline position like his own province, it would demolish its principal raison d'être.
But the ACNA does not appear to be moving in that direction. Rather the College of Bishops in a pastoral statement recognized that the terms “gay Christian” and “same-sex attracted Christian” are “problematic and laden with cultural baggage” and recommended the substitution of the phrase, “Christians who experience same-sex attraction” in their place. The bishops’ pastoral statement was not a departure from the traditional view of marriage or an endorsement of same sex marriage.
The existence of the LBGTQ community in North America and the legalization of same sex marriage in the United States (with the exception of American Samoa and sovereign tribal nations), Canada, and Mexico are two of the realities of the North America mission field. While maintaining the traditional position on sex only within marriage between a man and a woman, the ACNA must nonetheless deal with these realities in a way that is guided by Christ's message and teaching.
Now Archbishop Ndukuba may be making this argument to justify the continued existence of the Church of Nigeria as a separate province from the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the ACNA in North America. As some have suggested, the Nigerians may wish to establish the Church of Nigeria as a global church separate from the Anglican Communion.
It is interesting that the Nigerians after overlooking a number of the early developments in the ACNA have suddenly become concerned about the direction that it may take.
The ACNA already has its share of problems—a naïve view of bishops and episcopacy; a lack of safeguards against episcopal abuse of power such as a genuinely synodical form of governance, term limits, and term extensions tied to a review of performance and subject to the approval of the diocesan synod; allegations of unresponsiveness to reports of sexual abuse; a simmering division over women in ordained clergy; a flawed ordinal, liturgy, and catechism; a spotty track record of church planting; and a poor appreciation of the value of affinity networks.
Like other denominations in North America, the ACNA is faced with aging congregations, politically-polarized communities, an accelerated decline in church attendance associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rejection of organized religion by the younger generations. and is dogged by an apathetic attitude toward evangelism in its local churches.
We have yet to see what the growing rift in the United Methodist Church, what was the second largest denomination in the United States, and the formation of the Global Methodist Church will have upon the ACNA.
Having survived for 12 years, it would be tragic to see the ACNA go the way of the first Anglican Church in North America and fragment as did that church. What is needed in North America in this century is strong authentic Christian witness and too much is already going on the United States, Canada, and Mexico to weaken that witness.
Now Archbishop Ndukuba may be making this argument to justify the continued existence of the Church of Nigeria as a separate province from the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the ACNA in North America. As some have suggested, the Nigerians may wish to establish the Church of Nigeria as a global church separate from the Anglican Communion.
It is interesting that the Nigerians after overlooking a number of the early developments in the ACNA have suddenly become concerned about the direction that it may take.
The ACNA already has its share of problems—a naïve view of bishops and episcopacy; a lack of safeguards against episcopal abuse of power such as a genuinely synodical form of governance, term limits, and term extensions tied to a review of performance and subject to the approval of the diocesan synod; allegations of unresponsiveness to reports of sexual abuse; a simmering division over women in ordained clergy; a flawed ordinal, liturgy, and catechism; a spotty track record of church planting; and a poor appreciation of the value of affinity networks.
Like other denominations in North America, the ACNA is faced with aging congregations, politically-polarized communities, an accelerated decline in church attendance associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rejection of organized religion by the younger generations. and is dogged by an apathetic attitude toward evangelism in its local churches.
We have yet to see what the growing rift in the United Methodist Church, what was the second largest denomination in the United States, and the formation of the Global Methodist Church will have upon the ACNA.
Having survived for 12 years, it would be tragic to see the ACNA go the way of the first Anglican Church in North America and fragment as did that church. What is needed in North America in this century is strong authentic Christian witness and too much is already going on the United States, Canada, and Mexico to weaken that witness.
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