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Archbishop Duncan's Wife lashes out at Bishop Iker over Women's Ordination Task Force
By David W. Virtue, DD
www.virtueonline.org
December 7, 2017
Nara Duncan, the wife of retired ACNA Archbishop Bob Duncan, has lashed out at criticism of her husband over Ft. Worth Bishop Jack Iker's withdrawing from a Task Force set up to look at the thorny issue of women's ordination in the Anglican Church in North America.
In a tweet she wrote; "You all really tick me off. Some of you assume that this task force was put together to simply rubber stamp something the Episcopal Church started some long years ago, when in fact, it was called to do the theological study that was never done when TEC started ordaining women. It was NOT to reach a conclusion. And yes, all of you who said you were there -- I assure, so was I! And why the assumption that Bishop Iker would never make a mistake and hear something that was not actually said, and, of course, Archbishop Duncan -- who gave his whole being to assure that all of you childish know-it-all's would have a safe place to worship and not be in fear of deposition, would naturally tell a porky because he ordains women? I would like to wash my hands of all of you and go somewhere else but there is no place to go for a truly catholic believer -- oh wait, yes there is -- the ACNA! Wow -- how could I forget that my husband sacrificed his all -- including his retirement -- to help start this wonderful denomination -- silly Me! Shuffle off to Rome and leave my husband alone -- you don't deserve him. And yes, this written by little 'ole me -- with no input from himself."
Bishop Iker had stated that the Task Force on Holy Orders had been instructed not to come to a conclusion or to make any recommendation as to how to resolve the debate. He, Duncan, said the chair of the Task Force, Bishop David Hicks confirmed this to him in writing, with willingness for him to quote him publicly, that no such instruction was ever given.
"That the Study provided biblical and hermeneutical grounds for both positions is the outcome of the study. That that outcome did not resolve the issue was not what many in either perspective hoped for, but it surely gives ground for the compromise that was necessarily imbedded in our Constitution and Canons when we came together in 2009. Not surprisingly, akin to Global Anglicanism, the matter of women in the presbyterate is not one that can presently be settled unless we should choose to go our separate ways."
Following this rebuttal, Archbishop Duncan said he called Bishop Iker to correct the record publicly, and issued a clarification on the Instructions given to the Holy Orders Task Force and said this, "It is a fact that the majority of our bishops do not ordain women to the presbyterate. It is also a fact that those dioceses which do ordain or license women to the presbyterate constitute a large majority of our church's membership. However, this process has never been about attaining "winning" majorities and church politics, but about arriving together at a mutual consensus.
"The conclusion of the Theological Task Force on Holy Orders Study seems to be that we are, as faithful Anglicans, not yet at a final conclusion.
"If we have learned anything about church-life in the last fifty years, it should be that political action (facts on the ground and majority rule) to settle unresolved ecclesiological challenges is an extraordinarily divisive way forward.
"Coming to Godly consensus -- as we did at the foundation of the Province in structuring a way to go forward together -- is the course that is far more difficult but infinitely more fruitful."
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