Our future is GAFCON, not the Archbishop of Canterbury
by Chuck Collins, Virtueonline:
In his actions especially the last few months, the Archbishop of Canterbury has rendered himself as an unnecessary appendage to the worldwide “Anglican Communion.” Our honorary head is unwilling to lead the Anglican Communion well, either refusing to face head-on the thorny theological issues that threaten the Communion with any biblical conviction or outright calling evil good and good evil.
In recent years it has become popular among some Anglicans and Episcopalians to define themselves in terms of their relationship to the Archbishop of Canterbury. To be “in communion with Canterbury,” for some, is more important than maintaining continuity with historic Anglicanism and the teaching of Holy Scripture.
In recent years Anglicans have seen the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury balloon in stature from being the first among equals (among Anglican primates and bishops) to almost pope-like status. This constitutes a stunning shift in understanding from a theological to an institutional identity of what it means to be “Anglican.”
With uncanny foresight, the 1948 Lambeth Conference declared: “Former Lambeth Conferences have wisely rejected proposals for a formal primacy of Canterbury… authority which binds the Anglican Communion together is therefore seen to be moral and spiritual, resting on the truth of the Gospel, and on a charity which is patient and willing to defer to the common mind.”
The Primates, also concerned about the exponential growth of Canterbury’s power and influence, expressed this after their 2005 meeting in Dromantine, Ireland: “We also have further questions concerning the development of the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Council of Advice. While we welcome the ministry of the Archbishop of Canterbury as that of one who speaks to us as primus inter pares (first among equals) about the realities we face as a Communion, we are cautious of any development which would seem to imply the creation of an international jurisdiction which could override our proper provincial autonomy.”
Even the recently retired Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, spoke of the overstated view of his bishopric: “I think someone recently said that ‘the path to heaven doesn’t necessarily lie through Lambeth.’ I agree entirely. The path to heaven lies solely through Jesus Christ our Savior and the unity he gives, and the only use and integrity of the instruments of unity [including the Archbishop of Canterbury] is when they serve that.”
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