Friends from the U.K.: Anglican Mainstream at General Convention
Canon Dr. Chris Sugden, Executive Secretary for Anglican Mainstream International, is attending General Convention 2006 (GC06) both to report on and observe the process and the outcome of the Episcopal Church’s 75th Convention. Anglican Mainstream UK is an umbrella organization of orthodox Anglican groups in the United Kingdom, including the New Wine Network, the Church of England Evangelical Council, Reform, and Church Society. It works in close fellowship with the American Anglican Council and similar groups in South Africa, Canada and New Zealand.
Formed as a Network by U.K. Anglicans as they were grappling with the election of the Rev. Cn. Dr. Jeffrey John as the bishop of Reading, the actual name “Anglican Mainstream” was the suggestion of orthodox American leaders, said Cn. Sugden. John, who stepped down to preserve the unity of the Church of England before being consecrated, was in a same-sex relationship. It was clear that the orthodox side of the church needed to organize to preserve the traditional scriptural position and evangelical mission of the church. Anglican Mainstream now works with thousands of clergy and lay people in that cause.
In June 2003, Anglican Mainstream launched a website with the help of a Wycliffe Hall theology student. Since then, its web of influence has grown to where today the Anglican Mainstream site attracts 16,000 individual visitors weekly, nearly half of which come from the U.S. “We operate as a group of free standing coalitions combining many of the functions of the ACN, the AAC and the orthodox bloggers in U.S. and Canada,” said Cn. Sugden.
Much like the Network, Anglican Mainstream is primarily focused on mission and ministry in areas such as church planting, family concerns, and relief and development at home and abroad. “We come out of a very clear formation focused on a holistic understanding of the Gospel. We have tried to make clear that we are not a single issue organization,” said Cn. Sugden.
When asked how seriously American Episcopalians should take the letter released by the Rt. Rev. N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, regarding his concern that GC06’s response to the Windsor Report may not meet the clear expectation of the greater Anglican Communion, he replied, “I would take what Wright says very seriously indeed. He is one of six bishops together with the Bishop of Exeter, (who spoke to the House of Bishops here), who are in an advisory group of the Archbishop of Canterbury on this issue.”
Cn. Sugden, who has been watching how legislative process of General Convention is executed, said that there “seems to be a gap between the hearings and the final decisions.” After listening to the two and a half hours of testimonies to the Special Committee on the Windsor Report resolutions, Cn. Sugden said, “Nearly 70 people were able to state their position to the committee, but as far I can tell so far, what they said has not been debated or engaged with in any meaningful way. I am wondering when there will be real debate.”
Canon Sugden believes that the Archbishop of Canterbury will issue a statement within a week of GC06’s conclusion. The Primates have spoken clearly to the Episcopal Church, and this convention was the deadline for ECUSA to respond. “If clear decisions accepting the recommendations of the Windsor Report are not made, or if for some reason the discussions are postponed for further ‘listening and processing,’ I would hope that the Anglican Communion leadership will be firm in its resolve to break communion officially with ECUSA,” said Cn. Sugden.
What does the future hold? “It will look a lot different this time next year,” said Cn. Sugden, “I think this convention will be a point of no return. It may not be the actual moment for any separation, but if Windsor is not complied with, it will be the point of no return.”
A kindred spirit definitely exists between Anglican Mainstream and the orthodox Anglican groups in the U.S. and Canada. “We are profoundly grateful for the courage, friendship and leadership of Bob Duncan, David Anderson and those who work with them,” said Cn. Sugden. “I see us with deep and abiding friendships, holding hands firmly as we walk into the future.”