The Lead

Thanks to some good work by Mark Harris and his correspondents, it became clear over the weekend that the Rev. Julian Linnell, a member of the Evangelism and Church Growth Initiative (ECGI), is a priest in Bob Duncan's schismatic Anglican Church in North America.

The Rev. Linnell is the executive director of Anglican Frontier Missions. I know nothing about this group, other than what I can learn from a quick look through the website. The name reeks of empire ("What you think of as 'frontiers', white man, we think of as 'home'.") but it may be doing excellent work.

There is a temptation, when encountering yet another instance of the Anglican Communion Office pulling a fast one--which no doubt has an explanation of excruciatingly nuanced bureaucratic subtlety --to launch into a recitation of the previous instances in which the Communion bureaucracy has cut the schismatics and their international allies more slack than they have cut the Episcopal Church, or instances when they have come down harder on those who believe gays and lesbians should be bishops than they have on those who believe that gays and lesbians should be killed. But, having led this litany in the past, I find myself unmoved in this instance.

The way in which the Communion puts together its committees is problematic. Candidates are not nominated by their churches, but selected as individuals by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Communion office. As a result, it is possible to have people actively working against the church of which they are members serving as its "representatives" on Communion wide bodies. (You know who you are.) And there have been egregious abuses of the appointment process: Schism cheerleader Drexel Gomez served as chair of the covenant design group. The influential Windsor Continuation Group was composed entirely of opponents of LGBT equality. But at some point, if we can't just roll our eyes and get on with the work of the church, we participate in the self-trivializing behavior that will be Rowan Williams' legacy when he steps down as Archbishop of Canterbury.

If we really believe that the Communion consists not in committees but in relationships, we need to worry less about the composition of the former and more about the depth and breadth of the latter. Which is not to say we shouldn't be watchful, just that we should have confidence in our ability to endure what, in many cases, are simply indignities and not threats.

And, in the meantime, we can await the opportunity to weigh the explanation of this appointment against the one explaining why it is permissible for the principle author of the document that laid out the Episcopal Church's support for LGBT equality to represent the Communion on ecumenical bodies because he has been disinfected through his current membership on the faculty of an English university.

Comments (9)

I'll hazard a guess. The AOC is going to say, "how would we know he was ACNA?"

To which we will say, you would if you bothered to consult with the province about appointments.

Which gets to the larger point - it's not Anglican to make appointments this way. We're a communion, not a church, let alone an empire.

Posted by John B. Chilton | February 21, 2011 2:39 PM

I genuinely respect your opinions but I must beg to differ. ACNA has an espoused goal of eliminating the Episcopal Church. EVERY nuance has meaning. In this instance TEC is not advocating loudly or longly enough on issues such as deposition of clergy. Why is it the Anglican Communion Office does not have a complete list of all clergy that have been deposed? Why are we not at every turn asking for ACNA to not be recognized and to honor those agreements on deposed clergy currently in place?

Posted by Fred Schwartz | February 21, 2011 2:48 PM

For all TEC's vaunted power-sharing, several aspects of our polity remain anti-democratic: election of our PB by the House of Bishops, as if presiding at their meetings is her chief function; maintaining communion with a foreign prelate whose selection we have no part in; being taxed for a decennial meeting our laypeople cannot attend and to which our bishops may be disinvited.

None of these anachronistic procedures help us reveal the Gospel to our neighbors in the 21st century; they maintain governance by a monarch in council.

It's time to declare our full independence, while continuing to participate in voluntary international structures.

The place to start is by electing our Presiding Bishop in the upper House of Deputies, from among candidates nominated by the lower House of Bishops. Let her serve for a six-year term, eligible for re-election once.

The "first among equals" in the Communion itself should also be subject to Communion-wide election, not the automatic privilege of the English province.

Posted by Josh Thomas | February 21, 2011 3:38 PM

@Fred, Why is it the Anglican Communion Office does not have a complete list of all clergy that have been deposed?

Or granted release:
http://www.episcopalpgh.org/wp-content/uploads/file/2010DioConv/2010PreconventionPacket09162010v2.pdf

p. D-14, #6.
"6. Granted release under Canon III.9.8 and Canon III.7.8 from
licensed ministry in The Episcopal Church
to the following clergy ... Julian Linnell..."

Posted by John B. Chilton | February 21, 2011 3:54 PM

Mr. Chilton,

since the Episcopal Church is the only recognized Anglican presence in the United States and since Mr. Linnell is not "licensed" to practice I would assume, unless lay persons are now part of that body (which they may be and he may be) something is resounding amiss here.
My point is still worth noting, the Episcopal Church as an international body ought to be lobbying to be sure that decisions made by the Episcopal Church are not only recognized but honored by all other Anglican provinces.

Posted by Fred Schwartz | February 21, 2011 5:49 PM

Agree entirely, Fred.

Posted by John B. Chilton | February 21, 2011 8:23 PM

Does anyone know when Dr. Linnell was appointed to this group. Was it before or after he was "released"?

It's my understanding that TEC informs the ACO when a bishop has been deposed or has "renounced" his/her ministry, but not when a priest or deacon does. If Dr. Linnell's appointment was before his release, it doesn't seem reasonable to expect the ACO to keep checking the status of every appointee to every committee in the Anglican Communion. It's also possible that given his undeniable experience in foreign mission work, the ACO thought that Dr. Linnell would be a valuable addition to the group regardless of his status as a priest in TEC. Also, the group includes laity, and there's no indication that he has been released from his baptismal vows.

Posted by Paul Powers | February 21, 2011 9:59 PM

By the way, recognizing other Province's depositions cuts both ways. If TEC wants to insist that other Provinces recognize its deposition of Archbishop Duncan, it can't complain if Uganda demands that it recognize Bishop Ssenyonjo's deposition as well

Posted by Paul Powers | February 21, 2011 11:56 PM

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