Anglican Churches are not meant to be "clones"

Elfred Hughes, an officer of one oldest mission agencies in the Anglican Communion asserts in an interview that the challenge to the Communion at present is to "find ways of 'being together despite - and even because of - our diversity'".

In an interview with Michael Brown, the Rev Hughes who is the director of the British and Ireland Relations Team of the USPG: Anglicans in World Mission suggests the following four point blueprint for the needed debate:

"::Recognition that people 'on the fringes' have always been important in the history of the church and its mission;

:: Recognition that 'we can learn from each other' and rather than searching for institutional 'purity,' there should be a turning of debate into conversation;

:: There should be no fear of change. 'It is often stated we must hold on to tradition, but this suggests a misunderstanding of the meaning of tradition; the concept of 'tradition' conveys the idea of handing on from generation to generation, but it is also about proclaiming our faith anew in every generation and in a new context';

:: No setting by member-churches of their 'own agenda' - having 'a fixed view' of what the church and mission should be or should become denies 'the possibility of discovering something new and wonderful about God.' Mr Hughes, who was ordained in 1977, declares: 'In a word, a 'theology of debate' means being 'open' - open to God, to other people, to new ideas and to change.'"

Read the full article here.

Posted by Nicholas Knisely on August 17, 2009 7:31 PM | |
Comments (3)

Am amused to see the calls for doctrinal tolerance between the assorted groups which may or may not coalesce into ACNA, from those who would walk barefoot over white-hot coals sooner than countenance similar tolerance of TEC. This piece by Warren Tanghe may be of interest.

Roger Mortimer

Posted by Lapinbizarre [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 17, 2009 8:04 PM

Didn't this whole "Anglican thing" get started because there was a desire to keep foreign bishops from interfering in the internal life of the national church? If that's the case, why are we being accused of being non-orthodox Anglicans and why does diversity seem so foreign to these folks?

Posted by Peter Pearson [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 17, 2009 11:27 PM

His name is ELFED - no R

Posted by Martin Reynolds [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 18, 2009 6:11 PM

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