I am both amazed and delighted that the Anglican Covenant was defeated in Wakefield. Some of us spent time scrabbling to get information about what happened. I didn't even know that the debate was happening. Some dioceses have lots of people who are part of our 'No Anglican Covenant' campaign, but Wakefield is certainly not one of them. I will have to visit the town when I am better to pay tribute, it has now been dubbed 'Wakeful'.
As usual, I feel extremely frustrated about the lack of information available. I have drawn a blank from the diocesan website. How is it I can find out exactly how many runs have been scored in a cricket match the other side of the world, but I can't find out the information on an important diocesan vote? I did my usual job of ranting to myself about the Church of England getting into the twenty-first century! (Am I the only one who is perpetually frustrated by this?)
Anyway, the information that I think is accurate is as follows:
Laity 10 for 23 against,We hastily put together a Press Release, telling people about the news. I was clearly not the only one who was surprised because one well known journalist responded with a single word..... 'gosh'. I believe there will be quite a bit in the Church Times this week on the Anglican Covenant, so look out for that.
Clergy 16 for and 17 against with 1 abstention
and Bishops 2 for
Tentatively I have been given a bit of a feel about the points made in the Wakefield debate - that it was one thing for people to put themselves out of communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury, but a very different thing for the Archbishop to put himself out of communion with them. There were concerns made about how this would affect our relationship with churches in the Porvoo Communion, and a general feel that excluding people isn't a good way of resolving disputes, conversations should continue.
The points in favour were that we've come so far with this process that we may as well sign up to it and there isn't any alternative on the table.
Lichfield Diocese are the next to debate the Covenant - there is a rather proud boast that 'Lichfield Diocese could be first to adopt Anglican Communion Covenant', which makes it sound like a bit of a rubber stamp job. An alternative title to the article could be 'Lichfield Diocese could be the second to reject the Anglican Communion Covenant'... just saying. Anyway, they have Graham Kings as their only guest speaker , who has declared that 'The Anglican Covenant is the only way forward', we wait to see whether the people of the Lichfield Diocese agree.
Photo by rofanator
8 comments:
I missed this synod but I can speculate.
We have a lot of colourful characters who will say what they think. There's a lot of people in forward in faith parishes who have their living and aren't afraid of the consequences of speaking out.
I suspect that there was little push for the covenant and more of an attitude of "not brok, dunt fix it". We can be a bit like that oop 'ere.
Personally? Fish and bicycles. It isn't that I have strong feelings in any particular direction, we just don't have a communion for which it could possibly work. It is pointless and to talk about it gives it credance.
The reality is that it would need a completely different kind of church structure to make it work. We don't have it. We can't have it. We won't have it.
Not a lot to discuss when you see it like that. I've never heard anyone mention it in the diocese other than "what's this on the agenda for synod"?
Thanks for this. - We have a newly created facebook page for Sheffield Diocese here and I have been trying to prompt some discussion on there - but so far with no response. - I have now posted report of the Wakefield decision.
I told you all that the laity would save the day.
You did, MadPriest. I doubted you...
'We have a newly created facebook page for Sheffield Diocese here and I have been trying to prompt some discussion on there - but so far with no response'.
This may be because that link does not work ! I drew a blank
Laurence Roberts
Okay - try this
My pessimistic prediction, after just one result is this:
The Bishops will overwhelmingly support the covenant.
The covenant will just scrape through in the house of clergy.
The laity will overwhelmingly reject the covenant.
The number of lay people who reject the covenant will far outnumber the number of people in all three houses who support it.
The covenant will be accepted by the C. of E. due only to our crazy-arse, undemocratic voting system.
My hope is that the Government will take note of the overwhelming hostility towards the idea among churchgoers themselves and veto the whole idea.
Hi, Anonymous Laurence,
Sorry about the link not working - I am obviously not as clever with HTML as I thought I was. - Anyway, the facebook page is this: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Diocese-of-Sheffield/177202768990662 - or if you search for "Diocese of Sheffield" be warned that they are on facebook twice - once as a "page" (that you can "like") and once as "person" (to whom you have to send a friend request!) - I have tried to start a discussion on the "page" with several posts on the wall and something on the "discussions" bit - to which Lesley has now added. - Thank you Lesley.
*(You probably have to be logged in to facebook, first, for this link to work, or something, - I don't know.)
Post a Comment