Anglican Perspectives

Biblical Reconciliation in Action

 

For several months now I have been privileged to serve on a team from the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), led by Archbishop Foley Beach, meeting with leaders of the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA). The purpose of our meetings has been to heal the wounds between the ACNA and the AMiA. So, in the wake of our meeting on Wednesday, April 13, I wish to share some good news—the latest statement from our meetings—as a model of Biblical reconciliation for the sake of fulfilling Christ’s Great Commission together:

 

Here is our statement:

 

On Wednesday April 13, 2016 Archbishop Foley Beach, Bishop Philip Jones, Bishop Bill Atwood, Bishop Sandy Greene, Canon Phil Ashey and the Rev. Allen Hughes met in Dallas to continue conversations about our relationship, history, and ministry.

 

Our conversations over many months have yielded substantial progress. Poignant times of sharing have led to meaningful expressions of forgiveness and reconciliation. Coming to a good place of personal relationships has allowed us to begin to address our ongoing ministry relationship and foster ways of cooperating.

 

We are seeking to be careful for our mutual ministries: to coordinate efforts so that objectives are fulfilled without undermining each other. Practically, we were able to address and resolve some cross-jurisdictional points of concern and foster positive and accountable relations.

 

Our ongoing conversations are now turning to address and articulate values and goals with a view to find ways to collaborate for the good of the Kingdom and the witness of Anglican Christianity.

 

We are asking of all our clergy to continue in prayer, to continue to seek reconciliation even when it does not seem possible, and to model loving one another in a Christ-like manner.

 

Finally, we were profoundly aware of those who interceded for our meeting and want to give thanks for their faithfulness and continue to ask for fervent prayer.

 

Let me offer some observations about this process of Biblical reconciliation:

 

1.       While relationships have been essential in driving the process, all our relationships stand under the Holy Scriptures, as the ultimate and final authority for our faith and practice. Rather than dividing us, such doctrine has brought all of us to the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ, where we can recognize that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23). Rather than dividing us, such doctrine has enabled us to identify and call specific actions and attitudes what they are—sin—rather than obfuscate, avoid, or make excuses.

 

2.      Because we are under the authority of God’s word as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, we share a common faith that we can celebrate together. This includes such Christian essentials as fallenness of humankind due to sin, the uniqueness and universality of Jesus Christ as LORD and savior of all, that “there is no other name under heaven and earth whereby men may be saved,” and such Anglican essentials as the Historic Creeds, the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and its Ordinal precisely because they are in keeping with the ultimate authority of the Holy Scriptures.

 

3.      Because we are under the authority of the Holy Scriptures, we have been able to engage in meaningful expressions of forgiveness and reconciliation. Not “I am sorry you have taken offense at what I have done,” but rather, “I understand now how I have offended you and why it offended you. Please forgive me—and I will try not to do that again.”  In other words, such forgiveness has included genuine repentance and change of actions as reflected in our ability now to address points of difference in graceful ways that honor each other.

 

4.      Because we are under the authority of the Holy Scriptures, we concede that our own “contexts” do not permit us to avoid Christ’s commands for us to honor and care for each other. We recognize instead that our own contexts stand under God’s judgment as well.  We also recognize that we have a shared context as Anglicans with brothers and sisters in east Africa—Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. So we are, in ACNA and AMiA, heirs of the East African revival which shaped those leaders who cared for us when we left The Episcopal Church, and who encouraged us to “Walk in the light as he [Jesus] is in the light” so that we may have fellowship with one another and so that the blood Jesus shed on the cross will cleanse us from all our sins (I John1:7-9)

 

5.      Because we are under the authority of the Holy Scriptures, we have recognized the unique place that ‘apostolic authority” has in ordering relationships within the Church for the sake of its mission (see Acts 6:1-6).  For this very reason the principal bishops of ACNA and AMiA, Archbishop Foley Beach and Bishop Philip Jones, with the assistance of Bishops Atwood and Greene, have exercised the “enhanced responsibility” of their respective offices to guard the order and relations of our churches for the sake of mission.

 

6.      Finally, because we are under the authority of the Holy Scriptures, we share a common Biblical mission, Christ’s Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) “to make disciples of all nations…”  This Dominical, Biblical, Gospel imperative means we must find ways to help each other reach North America with the transforming love of Jesus Christ.  If this were not so, each of us would not be as fully engaged as we are with church planting, among other Great Commission imperatives.

 

Obviously there are many issues that remain unsettled.  That’s OK—because we are all standing under the authority of the Holy Scriptures. At the foot of the Cross of Christ together, all in humility, all in need of his precious blood to cover our sins and cleanse us from our sins so that we can move on together (think “substitutionary atonement,” “sanctification,” and “perseverance of the saints,” among other Biblical doctrines…) we have confidence that our good and gracious Lord will enable us to sort these issues out as He will, in His way, and in His good time.

Now imagine what could happen in the Anglican Communion if these same principles were observed?

 

Phil-Ashey-2014The Rev. Canon Phil Ashey is President & CEO of the American Anglican Council.

Share this post
Search