How to pick a primate?

While Archbishop Gregory Venables was predicting the end of the Anglican Communion as we know it, a former Bishop of the Anglican Church of Canada now licensed by Venables describes how he went about picking his new primate.

Bishop Donald Harvey, formerly of the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, said that

“We did talk to a couple of primates of different colours,” but, according the Anglican Journal, Archbishop Venables was willing to take on the job because of his connections with other primate and because he "brings few cultural barriers and no language limitations."

In the same article, Venables says that his vision of a post-Anglican Communion world is a federation of parishes, dioceses and provinces who gather across geographical lines linked by common interests.

“We’re no longer living in a world where everything is done locally,” Archbishop Venables said. “The church is a little late in coming to that.” Instead of insisting on geographical church provinces, “hopefully, this will be resolved so we can realign or restructure so everyone can follow their concerns.”

Imagine a church where what where we only worship and pray with the people just like us.
Imagine a Church comprised of voluntary networks linked by doctrine. Or culture. Or race.

Read: Anglican Journal: Venables predicts end of Anglican Communion

Posted by Andrew Gerns on June 2, 2008 1:00 PM | |
Comments (3)

Of course, the Anglican Communion originally was composed of people "just like us." As important as theology and ecclesiology were, the fact that folks were all Anglican in the cultural (read: British Empire) sense was a primary key to holding the Anglican Communion together.

At Lambeth 1998 the "children" became "adults" and suddenly started questioning what their "parents" were saying and doing. The irony is that the colonial churches are now colonizing us so that everyone can "follow their concerns."

The overriding question for the Anglican Communion is the question of what holds the Communion together in the increasing absence of cultural ties. Can we all behave like adults, or will we all behave like children?

Posted by Tom Sramek, Jr. [TypeKey Profile Page] | June 2, 2008 2:23 PM

I don't have to imagine a church where we only worship and pray with people just like us. I belong to one. It's called the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church is still predominantly white, upper-middle class, middle-aged, educated elite. There are few minorities, few young people and even fewer poor. We talk a good game about diversity, but we haven't quite managed to live it ourselves.

Posted by Patty Mueller [TypeKey Profile Page] | June 2, 2008 3:08 PM

I suppose we should congratulate Harvey on his frankness.

But does Venables reflect - in colour, language and culture - the Southern Cone as it was before it began taking in disaffected North Americans? Perhaps what's most convenient about the Cone for the adoptees is that it might be easily taken over by them - if it hasn't already been.

Posted by John B. Chilton [TypeKey Profile Page] | June 2, 2008 3:45 PM

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