Friday 18 June 2010

From Acorns

Notice the launch of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCA) down in the Conservative Evangelical hotspot of Chelmsford on June 16th. This FCA replaces the local version of Anglican Mainstream, so called. The FCA is a loyalty of correction to Anglicanism, what otherwise provides an alternative to Anglican breadth and thus 'entryism'.

FCA is a Reformation based entity, despite tagging along some traditionalist Anglo-Catholics, with an interpretation that joins The Book of Common Prayer (BCP), the Thirty-nine Articles and the Ordinal, despite Anglicanism in the Church of England now regarding the Thirty-nine Articles as a historic formulary that needs no more than a nod by the ordained and a Common Worship liturgy that is at a little distance from the BCP.

The FCA extends its activity here from its opposition from The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada - thus is an embryo of the Anglican Church of North America - and sees the liberal Christian stances (that of social inclusivity and apparent theological liberalism) as present in England and elsewhere in the UK, indeed that in England liberalism is dominant in ministerial education that excludes other theologies.

Really? There are quite a number of evangelical theological colleges, and one more Conservative Evangelical party college at Wycliffe. There is the supposed centre ground occupied by Fulcrum (although it's a nice position for a division) and previously the likes of Fulcrum could never have imagined it was at the centre. There is an Archbishop who is theological but he is no Robert Runcie. The "doublethink" or double-expression of Anglican theological liberals and radicals is even more intense these days, those that can stand it of course. The idea that liberal Christianity is predominant now is a fantasy of those of narrow creed like the FCA types who promote their present day agendas by waving their little BCP books.

1 comment:

Ron Miller said...

You might find the 2010 Statement from the Council of Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission of interest. It can be found on the following page http://www.associatedparishes.org/statements.htm
APLM is an independent Episcopal think tank concerned with the overlap between liturgy and mission.
Ron Miller