Anglican Communion Network

Church faces hurricane, says theologian

Editor’s Note: The Rev. Dr. Kendall Harmon, canon theologian for the Network -affiliated Diocese of South Carolina, recently gave a series of wide-ranging interviews to Stand Firm inFaith.

Dr. Kendall Harmon: The Commission, we might say, needed room to work. But what we have seen since the Primates’ meeting is that that room has been steadily decreasing. It began the night of the Primates meeting in which Frank Griswold shocked not only a number of press present, but also a number of Primates, by clearly implying that, having signed a unanimous statement saying that to proceed would be to “tear the fabric” of the Anglican Communion “at its deepest level,” he intended to go ahead anyway.

Then the next morning in England, less than a day after the Primates’ statement was released, the Diocese of New Hampshire made clear they intended to go ahead.

I happened to be in the lobby of a London hotel that morning and saw an African Primate who stood there simply shaking his head after he heard what the Diocese of New Hampshire had said. He exclaimed: “We worked so hard to say the truth in love to them and they could not even wait a day before trampling on what we said.” Fast forward now and look carefully at what transpired since that time. The consecration on November 2 last year was seen, as Robin Eames recently explained, as a betrayal of the Anglican Communion, and of trust, by so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world. But, having done so, did the American Church express publicly any sorrow about the significant damage which they caused? There was almost none.

In addition, what we have seen is an embrace of the new theology even more fully developed by the American Church. Right before the Primates’ meeting in October of 2003 you had the diocese of Nevada vote to authorize ceremonies to celebrate “relationships of mutuality and fidelity.” In March 2004 the bishop of Utah authorized same-sex blessings. Then you have the retired bishop of Utah, Otis Charles, getting “married.” You have the bishop of Los Angeles blessing a same sex relationship, the bishop of Washington, D.C. doing the same, the Diocese of Vermont moving ahead with a same-sex liturgy, and even the diocese of North Carolina following suit. All this communicates a clear attitude of “we do not care what you think,” and “tough luck for the communion,” etc. It is clear that Lambeth Palace feels these developments are taking away what little room the Commission has in which to work.

Just recently, Gene Robinson said to Religion and Ethics Weekly, “The Eames Commission does not have any authority over any of the 38 constituent provinces of the Anglican Communion.” How do you think that comes off to the rest of the Communion where so many already feel betrayed? These kinds of comments, and the actions of these bishops and dioceses, and of the Canadian General Synod, have made an already frail situation much frailer.

Who said this:

“I think we are heading for a split…The Anglicans have a tremendous talent for fudge, and they must be hoping and praying it will come to the rescue again. But there is an inherent instability now and a fatalism on both sides that this split is now going to happen.”

An alarmist? A reasserting Episcopalian (as I like to call them)? No, one of the most respected English observers of religion, Clifford Longley, at one time religion editor of the London Times. Whether Mr. Longley is right or not, and I hope he isn’t, he grasps the seriousness of the present moment. Do we?

Anyone who does not realize that the Communion is heading into some of the most turbulent waters in its history in the next 6-8 months is just not in touch with reality.

Click here to read the complete interview