The Proposed Anglican Covenant is already exciting debate ahead of the design group’s September meeting, as the Prayer Book Society stands up for the place of the Church of England in the Communion.Singapore has been selected for the next meeting by the Covenant Design Group, encouraging a non-Canterbury-centric attitude. The last meeting was held in London in January, but included 12 representatives of Anglicanism from around the world who drew up a draft of the new Covenant which would provide a guide of Anglican orthodoxy as suggested in 2004’s Windsor Report.
This was offered for contemplation at the Lambeth Conference, but a letter from the Prayer Book Society notes: “At Lambeth the Bishops' thoughts were that the document, and I quote, 'needs to have a less Church of England basis, particularly in regard to the formularies'.”
This is repugnant to the society which defends the Formularies that include the 1662 Prayer Book, the Ordinal and the 39 Articles. The letter continues: “They represent the root of worldwide Anglicanism, and are still officially recognised in the majority of Anglican provinces -- not just the Church of England.”
The current text of the Covenant certainly puts the onus on the global. In its opening paragraph it reads: “As people of God, drawn from ‘every nation, tribe, people and language’, we do this in order to proclaim more effectively in our different contexts the Grace of God revealed in the gospel, to offer God’s love in responding to the needs of the world, to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and together with all God’s people to grow up together to the full stature of Christ.”
Early on in the St Andrew’s Covenant draft it currently declares that each Church of the Communion affirms the faith “which the historic formularies of the Church of England bear significant witness.” This prominent clause now looks set to be changed.
The design group is chaired by the traditionalist Archbishop of the West Indies, the Most Rev Drexel Gomez, who spoke to the General Synod last year to say: “The ‘bonds of affection’ which once held our fellowship together are strained; indeed some would say broken. A state which has been described as ‘broken or impaired’ already is declared between some of our Provinces. Suspicion is rife, as well as accusations of heresy, bad faith and of theological and ecclesiological innovation.”
The society’s chair, Prudence Dailey, who is a lay member of General Synod, said: “If we lose sight of the fundamentals of what it means to be Anglican, then it really is no wonder that the Anglican Communion is in a state of disunity.”
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(Source: RI)