----- Original Message -----
To: Charlie J. Ray
Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 2:15 PM
Subject: Re: Confess or Die
Charlie,
Thank you for your e-mail. The general picture is gloomy.
You are right to be critical of Jim Packer and Gerald Bray over ECT. Gerald maintained that the ECT statement was never more than an interim 'progress of discussions to date' and he did not sign it as such. However he would not distance himself from it as fully as many wanted. It is still an unresolved issue but I get the impression ECT has died a death. Jim, sadly, was much more involved.
With regards ACNA, FCA and GAFCON matters are definitely still developing. In Church Society we have always been wiling to be 'co-belligerents' with others over issues of common concern, such as patronage, women's ordination, church structures and so on. But matters have gone beyond that now and I am certainly unhappy about how things are going.
I was pretty much squeezed out of things early in 2008 and did not go to GAFCON. Either I or Church Society was seen as too troublesome but I was never able to find out exactly who took exception to me/us.
Within FCA in England there are the same tensions. Some are adamant that FCA must endorse the 39 Articles in their plain sense and if Anglo-Catholics want to be part of FCA they must be willing to sign up to them. There is a feeling that this is what was achieved at GAFCON and some said that the North Americans Anglo-Catholics in particular were very uneasy. Almost no Anglo-Catholics went from England.
However, the Jerusalem Declaration is also open to alternative readings and we are waiting to see what the official commentary says. Some are hopeful this will firm it up, but I think there are others who will want to ensure that GAFCON and FCA-UK remain a broad coalition. If it was just co-beligerency we would be willing to go with it, but if it means genuine 'fellowship' some, and probably most of the Church Society Council are not going to go with it.
For myself, I have been trying to draw attention to the problems and that is why we have published and drawn attention to things Robin has written. However, I do want to see whether some of those trying to firm up FCA will succeed.
I suspect things are going to get much more difficult within the next few months.
David Phillips
General Secretary
Church Society
Www.churchsociety.org
Dean Wace House, 16 Rosslyn Road, Watford WD18 0NY
Tel : 01923-235111
Charity No: 249574
Company No : 213142
Thank you for your e-mail. The general picture is gloomy.
You are right to be critical of Jim Packer and Gerald Bray over ECT. Gerald maintained that the ECT statement was never more than an interim 'progress of discussions to date' and he did not sign it as such. However he would not distance himself from it as fully as many wanted. It is still an unresolved issue but I get the impression ECT has died a death. Jim, sadly, was much more involved.
With regards ACNA, FCA and GAFCON matters are definitely still developing. In Church Society we have always been wiling to be 'co-belligerents' with others over issues of common concern, such as patronage, women's ordination, church structures and so on. But matters have gone beyond that now and I am certainly unhappy about how things are going.
I was pretty much squeezed out of things early in 2008 and did not go to GAFCON. Either I or Church Society was seen as too troublesome but I was never able to find out exactly who took exception to me/us.
Within FCA in England there are the same tensions. Some are adamant that FCA must endorse the 39 Articles in their plain sense and if Anglo-Catholics want to be part of FCA they must be willing to sign up to them. There is a feeling that this is what was achieved at GAFCON and some said that the North Americans Anglo-Catholics in particular were very uneasy. Almost no Anglo-Catholics went from England.
However, the Jerusalem Declaration is also open to alternative readings and we are waiting to see what the official commentary says. Some are hopeful this will firm it up, but I think there are others who will want to ensure that GAFCON and FCA-UK remain a broad coalition. If it was just co-beligerency we would be willing to go with it, but if it means genuine 'fellowship' some, and probably most of the Church Society Council are not going to go with it.
For myself, I have been trying to draw attention to the problems and that is why we have published and drawn attention to things Robin has written. However, I do want to see whether some of those trying to firm up FCA will succeed.
I suspect things are going to get much more difficult within the next few months.
David Phillips
General Secretary
Church Society
Www.churchsociety.org
Dean Wace House, 16 Rosslyn Road, Watford WD18 0NY
Tel : 01923-235111
Charity No: 249574
Company No : 213142
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