Pictured: The Global Anglican Communion met in Jerusalem in 2018, united together by the Jerusalem Declaration.
Blog 5/6 by Bishop Glenn Davies
Dear brothers and sisters of our shared faith,
We are delighted to share with you the fifth in a series of blogs from one talk given by Bishop of the Diocese of the Southern Cross, Glenn Davies at the recent G26 conference.
To recap, what will the series of blogs be covering?
- Introduction and first point, ‘Good order in the Church: Why constitutions matter.’
- Second point, ‘The growing independence of the colonial churches (including in Australia).’
- Third point, ‘When institutions fail.’
- Fourth, ‘Why you can reject the Instruments of Communion and still be authentically Anglican.’
- (This blog) Fifth, ‘Why separating from Canterbury matters.’
- Conclusion, ‘The Way Ahead: Guarding authentic Anglicanism.’
We encourage you to review these at your own pace.
Over to you Glenn!
“In 2005, the Church of Nigeria amended its constitution, by changing the definition of the Anglican Communion from being ‘in communion with the See of Canterbury’ to
those Churches, Dioceses and Provinces that hold and maintain the historic Faith, Doctrine, Sacrament and Discipline of the one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
This pioneering decision set the stage for the ACNA and the Anglican Church of Brazil, both authenticated as Anglican provinces by the Gafcon Primates, and each incorporating the Jerusalem Declaration in its constitution. Extra-provincial dioceses, authenticated by the Gafcon Primates have followed this lead.
As stated in paragraph 7 of the Martyrs’ Day Statement, all orthodox provinces are invited to participate in the Global Anglican Communion, by assenting ‘to the Jerusalem Declaration , the contemporary standard for Anglican identity.’
Such assent may be made by resolution of the Provincial or Diocesan Synod, or it could be incorporated into their respective constitutions. However, where such constitutions make reference to being in communion with the Church of England or the See of Canterbury, they are encouraged to amend their constitutions, as stated in the Martyrs’ Day Statement, with which we opened our address.
Provinces, which have yet to do so, are encouraged to amend their constitution to remove any reference to being in communion with the See of Canterbury and the Church of England.
However, we recognise that this will take time for provinces to meet and to be convinced of the rightness of this action. We must all be patient with one another. Some orthodox dioceses are part of mixed provinces, and some orthodox parishes are part of mixed dioceses. It will not be easy to change constitutions in such cases. Some provinces may have legal obstacles or structural barriers relating to ownership of property or government regulations. However, such difficulties should not affect their partnership the Global Anglican Communion. Our fellowship is a gift of the Holy Spirit; the Faith we share is Anglican in character and our joint desire is to proclaim Christ to the nations. These characteristics unite us, despite any canonical or constitutional obstacles. Yet seeking to achieve clarity of commitment for our clergy and laity ought to be a high priority.
‘If the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?’ (1 Corinthians 14:8).
Our battle is for the hearts and minds of those who do not know the love of Christ.”
Please continue reading at your own pace the last part of this talk.
‘The Way Ahead: Guarding authentic Anglicanism.‘ Click to read the conclusion.