Anglican Communion Update and Background to Current Controversies
You may have noticed that the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is embroiled in serious controversy in recent years. In order to provide some assistance in understanding what is going on, this page is providing links to important background documents and links to up-to-date news sites.
Current News
The best, most comprehensive, and most up-to-date news can be found on independent Anglican news blogs. The two best are:
- TitusOneNine - conservative blog run by the canon theologian from the Diocese of South Carolina includes postings from all perspectives.
- StandFirm - conservative blog posts news very quickly and includes many editorials.
- The Living Church - provides very good coverage of major events.
Thoughtful Commentary on Anglican Issues
There are some websites that provide thoughtful commentary on the Anglican issues. Following is a sample of sites that take a moderate conservative tone while also arguing for Communion sanctioned responses. Reading the postings on this site can greatly assist in understanding what is really going on.
- Anglican Communion Institute - orthodox think tank committed to Communion discernment
- Covenant - blog committed to an orthodox, catholic Anglican Communion
Statements, Communiqués, and Resolutions from the Anglican Instruments of Unity
The Anglican Communion has what are called four instruments of unity. They are the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lambeth Conference, the Primates' meetings and the Anglican Consultative Council. Briefly these instruments are:
- Archbishop of Canterbury - The See of Canterbury is the pre-eminent diocese in the Anglican Communion (like the Diocese of Rome is to the Roman Catholic Church). An Anglican Communion bishop is defined as one who is in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
- Lambeth Conference - Every ten years, the Archbishop of Canterbury calls together all Anglican bishops to the Lambeth Conference.
- Primates' Meetings - The senior bishop from Anglican Province (seperate Anglican church) is called a primate. The Anglican primates meet about once every year.
- Anglican Consultative Council - Anglican body made up of bishops, clergy and laity.
These instruments of unity have issued several statements pertaining to the recent controversy.
Archbishop of Canterbury
- Archbishop of Canterbury's Communion, Covenant and our Anglican Future: Reflections on the Episcopal Church's 2009 General Convention - response to TEC's decisions made at its 2009 General Convention.
- Archbishop of Canterbury's Advent Letter 2007 - response to evaluation of TEC's reply to the Dar es Salaam Communique.
- Archbishop of Canterbury's Letter to Bishop John Howe - response to TEC parishes leaving for foreign oversight. The Archbishop states that the diocese and diocesan bishop is the primary instrument of unity with the Anglican Communion.
- 'Challenge and hope' for the Anglican Communion Letter (June 2006) - response to TEC's 2006 General Convention.
Primates' Communiqués
- 2009 Alexandria Communiqué - first primates' meeting after the 2008 Lambeth Conference. See Windsor Continuation Group's Report which was released at this meeting.
- 2007 Dar es Salaam Communiqué - response to TEC's 2006 General Convention.
- 2005 Dromantine Communiqué - accepted the Windsor Report with some modifications.
- 2003 Communiqué - warned TEC about its pending actions.
Lambeth Conference Resolutions
- 1998 Lambeth Resolution I.10 - laid out Anglican teaching on sexuality.
Other Anglican Documents and Information
- Windsor Continuation Group Report - report and recommendations on the current situation in the Anglican Communion and ways to move forward.
- Global Anglican Future Conference Final Statement - final statement released by the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) setting out goals and objectives of the new global confessing Anglican alliance.
- Anglican Covenant Information Page - text and explanations of the various drafts of the proposed Anglican Covenant.
- The Windsor Report - commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury to respond to the Episcopal Church's actions in 2003, and released in 2004. Was largely adopted by the Primates in 2005.
Statements and Legislation from the Episcopal Church
- 2009 General Convention Resolution C056: Liturgies for Blessings - calls for the collection and development of same-sex blessings and implicitly authorizes same-sex blessings in dioceses.
- 2009 General Convention Resolution D025: Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion - despite its misleading title, this resolution implicitly lifts the moratorium against consecrating partnered homosexual bishops in TEC.
- 2007 House of Bishops New Orleans Statement - TEC House of Bishops response to the Dar Es Salaam Communique declining to follow the requests made in it.
- 2006 General Convention Legislation - Windsor Report resolutions are numbered A159-166 and B033. Note that only A159, A160, A163, A165 and B033 passed.
- 2003 General Convention Resolution C051 - in addition to confirming Gene Robinson as the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, Resolution C051 was the other action of General Convention 2003 that was especially controversial as it stated that conducting liturgies for same-sex blessings was within the bounds of the Church's common life.