Sunday, October 19, 2003

Primates' Meeting - Lambeth Palace, an evaluation

Before this Meeting occurred on October 15-16, it may be recalled that I was constantly warning evangelicals and charismatics from both the USA and the UK not to expect too much. I did so on the basis of my knowledge of Anglican Polity, not on any prophetic knowledge.

When I was given the Statement at the Press Conference at Church House on Thursday Evening I was pleased with what I read. Here is why.

The Meeting does not constitute an Ecclesiastical Court, or Synod of Bishops, or a House of Bishops. It is a meeting of senior bishops from 38 autonomous churches and the presence of each one there (except the host) is on a voluntary basis. Further, when an individual Primate arrives he does not usually come with the authority of his province to agree to whatever is decided; but, when present, he expresses his opinion and then takes back to his province that which the Meeting has agreed. It is usually for the Synod of his Province to declare any official response to outstanding issues.

Thus the Meeting only has a Moral Authority, but such is very important authority for truly Christian people. If this Meeting clearly states that something is very wrong, and that something else is truly wholesome and good, then that is a sure word to genuine Anglicans, who must respect the mind of such an august gathering of leaders and be ready to examine their own positions in the light of it.

We need to bear in mind that at least half of the Primates came to the Meeting having declared themselves already in impaired communion with the Diocese of New Hampshire and other dioceses (perhaps in some cases with the whole of the ECUSA). As individual Primates & Provinces they can do this, but the whole Meeting as such cannot do any such thing for it is not an Ecclesial entity as such (that is, it is unlike the House of Bishops of a Province).

So what did they achieve?

1. They expressed in very strong words their total disagreement with the sexual innovations and aberrations of the American and Canadian Churches. This has gone forth loudly and clearly to the whole world. It is a powerful moral word.

2. They recognized that there was not any suitable way for there to be intervention on behalf of the Gospel and good order by the whole or the majority within the erring provinces of the USA & Canada; and so they insisted on setting up a Commission to look into this whole area, and to report back within 12 months, so that an Anglican Way of helping erring provinces can be formulated & agreed upon and put into practice. (This, I accept, ought to have been done already and it is Dr Carey's fault that such an agreed procedure was not in place for this Meeting to be there for use.)

3. They recognized that the ongoing work of writing into the Constitutions of each Province a relation to Canterbury and to other Anglican Provinces needed to be speeded up, for, with such in place in Canon Law it would make easier, and more obviously right, any actual intervention to dispel error and heresy and to propagate the Gospel.

4.They agreed not to act precipitately but rather to work together in the difficult process of helping erring provinces. But this is based upon the one year of careful investigation and study and preparation of a plan/procedure.


Commenting on these gains, I would say that Dr Rowan Williams, into whose eyes I looked intently (I was only 8 feet away) for the duration of the Press Conference, gave me the strong impression that he will do all in his power to make these commitments work. I believe him.


BEARING all this in mind, I see the duty of the American household of the Anglican Way as being that of beginning now the painful task of putting its own house in order so that, in a year's time, when it is possible for there to be intervention, which is according to general agreement of the Primates, the internal USA situation will be such that there will be the possibility of fruitful encounters and also the emergence of a reformed national Anglican Province/Church in the USA.

The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon M.A., D.Phil. (Oxon.)

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