http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=14577
A new Anglican Mission Society was announced this past week in England. The Anglican Mission in England (AMIE) held its inaugural event on Wednesday June 22 during an evangelical ministers' conference in central London.
AMIE was established as a society within the Church of England dedicated to educating the unchurched and biblical church planting. The AMIE has been encouraged in this development by the Primates' Council of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON) who wrote in a communiqué from Nairobi in May 2011, "We remain convinced that from within the Provinces which we represent there are creative ways by which we can support those who have been alienated so that they can remain within the Anglican family."
The AMIE is determined to remain within the Church of England. The desire of those who identify with the society is to have an effective structure which enables them to remain in the Church of England and work as closely as possible with its institutions. Churches or individuals may join or affiliate themselves with the AMIE for a variety of reasons. Some may be churches in impaired communion with their diocesan bishop who require oversight. Others may be in good relations with their bishop, but wish to identify with and support others.
This looks like yet another tank parked on Lambeth Palace lawn along with the Ordinariate and the new GAFCON/FCA office in London.
There has been little public reaction to this except from Riazat Butt of the "The Guardian" newspaper. She came out slamming the group saying, "beware of strangers bearing gifts. AMiE states, not at all ominously, that its intention is to support "those who have been alienated so that they can remain within the Anglican family. Churches or individuals may join or affiliate themselves with the Amie for a variety of reasons. Some may be churches in impaired communion with their diocesan bishop who require oversight. Others may be in good relations with their bishop but wish to identify with and support others.
"So, in non-Anglican parlance, this means if you don't like your bishop you can have another one that fits more neatly with your world view. They don't even have to be a bishop in the Church of England. I have three words for you - cross-border intervention."
The liberal evangelical UK Anglican blog FULCRUM was none too happy with the idea of AMiE either and in a predictable press release, Fulcrum all but accuses the Anglican Mission of being a breakaway group. One wag said, "I guess Fulcrum thinks they possess a world of knowledge." The Anglican Mission has made it very clear that they intend to work within the Church of England, not unlike English missionary societies of the past: "The AMIE is determined to remain within the Church of England. The desire of those who identify with the society is to have an effective structure which enables them to remain in the Church of England and work as closely as possible with its institutions."
But, of course, Fulcrum will not keep mere facts from getting in the way of expressing "concern" about evangelicals who somewhat live up to the name
A new Anglican Mission Society was announced this past week in England. The Anglican Mission in England (AMIE) held its inaugural event on Wednesday June 22 during an evangelical ministers' conference in central London. AMIE was established as a society within the Church of England dedicated to educating the unchurched and biblical church planting. The AMIE has been encouraged in this development by the Primates' Council of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (GAFCON) who wrote in a communiqué from Nairobi in May 2011, "We remain convinced that from within the Provinces which we represent there are creative ways by which we can support those who have been alienated so that they can remain within the Anglican family."
The AMIE is determined to remain within the Church of England. The desire of those who identify with the society is to have an effective structure which enables them to remain in the Church of England and work as closely as possible with its institutions. Churches or individuals may join or affiliate themselves with the AMIE for a variety of reasons. Some may be churches in impaired communion with their diocesan bishop who require oversight. Others may be in good relations with their bishop, but wish to identify with and support others.
This looks like yet another tank parked on Lambeth Palace lawn along with the Ordinariate and the new GAFCON/FCA office in London.
There has been little public reaction to this except from Riazat Butt of the "The Guardian" newspaper. She came out slamming the group saying, "beware of strangers bearing gifts. AMiE states, not at all ominously, that its intention is to support "those who have been alienated so that they can remain within the Anglican family. Churches or individuals may join or affiliate themselves with the Amie for a variety of reasons. Some may be churches in impaired communion with their diocesan bishop who require oversight. Others may be in good relations with their bishop but wish to identify with and support others.
"So, in non-Anglican parlance, this means if you don't like your bishop you can have another one that fits more neatly with your world view. They don't even have to be a bishop in the Church of England. I have three words for you - cross-border intervention."
The liberal evangelical UK Anglican blog FULCRUM was none too happy with the idea of AMiE either and in a predictable press release, Fulcrum all but accuses the Anglican Mission of being a breakaway group. One wag said, "I guess Fulcrum thinks they possess a world of knowledge." The Anglican Mission has made it very clear that they intend to work within the Church of England, not unlike English missionary societies of the past: "The AMIE is determined to remain within the Church of England. The desire of those who identify with the society is to have an effective structure which enables them to remain in the Church of England and work as closely as possible with its institutions."
But, of course, Fulcrum will not keep mere facts from getting in the way of expressing "concern" about evangelicals who somewhat live up to the name
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