Church of Nigeria splitting from Church of England?

The Church of Nigeria has released a communique that moves even further towards their self-centred, self-proclaimed “orthodoxy”. I wonder how much longer Archbishop Rowan Williams can continue to ignore their arrogance and contempt.

Synod is satisfied with the move by the Global South to continue with its veritable project of defending the faith committed to us against present onslaught from ECUSA, Canada, England and their allies. The need therefore, to redefine and/or re-determine those who are truly Anglicans becomes urgent, imperative and compelling...
The Lambeth Conference which is one of the accepted organs of unity in the Anglican Communion is due for another meeting in 2008. the Synod…believes strongly that the moral justification for the proposed Lambeth Conference of 2008 is questionable...
It therefore calls on the leadership of the Global South and Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA) to do everything necessary to put in place a Conference of all Anglican Bishops to hold in 2008 should all efforts to get the apostles of ‘revisionist agenda’ to repent and retrace their steps fail…
[Emphasis mine]

Notice that their proposed “Conference of all Anglican Bishops” is clearly aimed at the same timeframe as Lambeth. And also that the intent is clearly (given who’s being suggested as the organisers) to exclude America and Europe from this Conference – and hence from their definition of “anglicanism”.

Given their acknowledgement that the Lambeth Conference is one of the Instruments of Unity between churches in the Anglican Communion, I don’t see how it can lack “moral justification”. It sounds far more like they want a ruling council than a meeting of equals. In other words, they don’t want historic anglicanism. They want a new anglicanism that they can control. They want to walk alone.

(_Thanks to Tobias for the tip._)

pax et bonum

Article posted at 4:39pm on 04 July 2006
Category: Faith, Links