Sydney Anglicans with a Charlie Horse Between the Ears

We offer a story from the Sydney Anglicans, another story of more Manglicanism and muddling mediocrity. Weakness if you will. Compromise of principle. Lack of a strong centre of conviction. Sydney has long portrayed and believed itself to be Protestant, Reformed and Evangelical Anglican.

The Head of Moore College in Sydney, Dr. Mark Thompson, has given that impression. But according to the article, he yields "to the moment." He calls it the "opportunity of the moment to forge new understandings with orthodox Anglicans--anglo-catholic, evangelical, charismatic--and through principled co-operation ..." What a pile of nonsense.

We've had 150 years to understand anglo-catholicism; we know what it is. We've had 50 years of exposure to hand-waving enthusiasts. And disciplined Prayer Book piety comports with hand-waving, jean-wearing, guitar-pluckin' enthusiasms? Did I miss something here? We're n0t sure what "evangelicals" means above; but we think Dr. Moore thinks he is one; if so, it means weak compromise.

But while Mark speaks of "principled co-operation," how about sage, consistent, "principled application" of the Protestant, Reformed, and Evangelical faith he touts?

We stress the words "principled" and "application," that is, the governance by those "principles" touted---Protestant, Reformed and Evangelical. Stress on the word "application" of those principles to the affairs of daily decision-making, ecclesiology, leadership, statesmanship, including the ACNA, Anglo-Romewardizers, and charismatics.

Talk is cheap. Non verbum, sed actum is the phrase on the arches of the high-end Merchant Marine Academy.

I highlighted Mark's vertigo in the final paragraph. More theology with the governing hermeneutic as "institutional demands." Another hugfest. Another chairos-moment of enthusiasm.

The title of the article is entitled "We see them and embrace them." "Gosh-golly-gee-whiz, fellas, let's just all love Jesus and get along. Let's just emote and embrace them. Let just put our faith and principles to the side."

More double-, triple-, and quadruple-mindedness. Say one thing, do another. Say one believes one thing and betray that belief and statement by action. It's more of the old John Stott-weaknesses when he and other "so-called" evangelicals buried the hatchet with the Anglo-Romanists during the 1970's.

We wonder when Phillip Jensen will have a Mary-invoker at his next diocesan convocation---have Jack of Texas to lead or Keith of Quincy. Why not? It's orthodox Anglicanism, right? Or, offer Paul of FIF an opportunity to give lectures on the "orthodox Anglicanism" on the subject of Purgatory? Or, why not bring Metropolitan Jonah to the next Sydney convocation to lecture about the "heresy" of the Reformation? Why not, Mark tells us these men are "orthodox Anglicans." And not just Mark, but the entire Diocese of Sydney.

Another Anglican group: " They've got baggage." Rather than being principled, we find them half-hearted, enthusiastic, and double-minded. Thank God for exposure to leadership principles afforded from United States Marines. And thank God for my earthly father, a man of life-long consistency, fidelity, principle and honour. "Principled, consistent" leadership is not evident here.

We're not here to be weak, but honest Churchmen.

Where else and on what else will they compromise?

Another college we won't recommend to others as well...for theological training.

http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/news/stories/we_see_them_and_embrace_them/

We see them and embrace them
Russell Powell
October 28th, 2009

On the final night of the 2009 Synod, the Anglican Diocese of Sydney has passed a resolution embracing the new Anglican province, the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

In the words of the resolution “Synod welcomes the creation of the Province of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) under the leadership of Archbishop Bob Duncan and notes the GAFCON Primates’ Council recognition of the ACNA as genuinely Anglican and its recommendation that Anglican Provinces affirm full communion with the ACNA. Synod therefore expresses its desire to be in full communion with the ACNA.’
The resolution also asks the Standing Committee of the diocese to seek a General Synod motion affirming the national church be in full communion with the ACNA.

In moving the motion, Sydney rector Gavin Poole, who spent time in the US working at an Episcopal Church, spoke of his first hand experience with the liberalism of TEC and paid tribute to what he called ‘the courage of Archbishop Duncan’.

“Canterbury may be blind to them, but we see them and embrace them. Please offer the ACNA your right hand of fellowship” Mr Poole told the Synod.

The motion also asks General Synod Standing committee to note the publication of the Jerusalem Declaration and to encourage its study as a means to Anglican identity and cohesion.

Photo: Archbishop Jensen and diocesan officials during debate.

The motion was seconded by Sydney layman Robert Tong who helped in the creation of the province as a consultant to its governance taskforce.

Mr Tong was also at GAFCON when the Jerusalem Declaration was formulated and hailed it as “a clear statement about Anglican identity and coherence and based clearly on scripture.”

The resolution also contains a section on the recent Vatican offer to disenfranchised Anglicans.

The motion “Welcomes Archbishop Duncan’s assessment that the recent Vatican offer of a Personal Ordinariate ‘will not be utilised by the great majority of the Anglican Church in North America’s bishops, priests, dioceses and congregations’ and urges all Anglicans to reject the Vatican’s proposal”.

The President of the Anglican Church League, Dr Mark Thompson described that as an important part of the statement, even though it was a separate issue to the welcoming of the new province.

“The opportunity of the moment is to forge new understandings with orthodox Anglicans from different traditions – anglo-catholic, evangelical, charismatic - and through a principled co-operation, and the emphasis needs to be on principle, to rescue the denomination from the liberal agenda to which it has been captive for over 50 years” Dr Thompson said.

The motion was carried on the voices in the last hour of Synod.