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CANADA: Wake Up, and Smell the Burning Coffee

Wake Up, and Smell the Burning Coffee....

CaNN Commentary

`I don't know what you mean by "glory",' Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. `Of course you don't -- till I tell you. I meant "there's a nice knock-down argument for you!"'

`But "glory" doesn't mean "a nice knock-down argument",' Alice objected.

`When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'

`The question is,' said Alice, `whether you can make words mean so many different things.' Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll, Chapter 6 Alice's Adventures in Anglican Wonderland continue, with the latest news out of the final Canadian House of Bishops Meeting before General Synod: "Church heads to General Synod without "safety net" as bishops decline to endorse Task Force recommendations." Humpty ensues!

[b]A Few Rear-view Mirror Moments[/b]

Good-hearted peace-loving hopeful Anglican Christians here and abroad might be forgiven for wondering, praying, wishfully expecting-- that somehow the March Canadian CoGS meeting was a fluke; if our piquant commentary was a bit cranky and over-the-top (see below for more); if the merciless and unapologetic liberal onslaught at General Synod 2001 would perhaps mean a sweetness-and-light "Goodbye-to-Ol'-Peersy" respite from ecclesiastical blitzkrieg and civil war this time around, or not.

It's now officially "Not"tm. This is open ecclesiastical war, schism, and impending suffering.

To put it into sharpest relief, the Canadian House of Bishops has just failed as a group to exercise their episcopal role. Even more, those pressing for the schism have abnegated their calling as Christian bishops, and broken their consecration vows (the BCP vows are still the official ones-- the Book of Alternative Services is, after all, an alternative, not a replacement) at the deepest level.

The progressives have broken with the declared principles of Canadian Anglican foundations, broken with mainstream Christianity, thumbed their collective noses at most of the Anglican world-- yet again-- and made clear that the recent deliberations of the Canadian AEO Task Force, and the ongoing work of the International Archbishop's Commission are contemptible and empty as far as the Canadian liberal Anglican leadership is concerned. Renegades with attitude; a House of Many Humptys.

[b]Meta-Narratives & Dumpty-Logic[/b]

October 2003 made clear where things stand: to continue on as ECUSA and ECUSA-North have done means a breaking of communion "at the deepest level".

This is not a threat or posturing or empty words, but a description of the spiritual and concrete situation as it exists, and is being made manifest. Some of our bishops reply: "When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, `it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less." Liberals use words, structures, and meetings to exercise power in whatever way they see fit. Dissembling or meaning three things at once when dealing with infidels (classical Christians) is par for the course; sounding orthodox while acting heterodox is the normal & stealthy modus operandi.

That local or Global South Christians might be deceived, confused, or peeved by such antics is neither here nor there.

Progressives such as Michaels Ingham or Peers, or acting Canadian Primate David Crawley, literally Cannot Get It ©. Progressives operate from the assumptions that (1) God speaks new things through us now, and (2) words are mainly about power, meaning what you want, to get what you want.

That's the meta-narrative, the "big explanatory story"-there is no other way to see it, they think. "Other people using other words?-why, of course, othey're just on about what THEY want. They can't be the boss of us. We're accountable to ourselves, and the ancient principles of territory and episcopal autocracy mean nobody can't stop us, neither. We're the bosses, and the height of the divine revelation to this point. Temporary conscience-clauses all round for the finicky ones. So let's light this candle! Wooooooo!!"

Humpty is doomed by his own blind illogic. But it makes perfect sense to him, and so he has a great fall.

That the ancient principles of Diocesan territoriality arise from the Nicaean Council-which had a lot of other words about a lot of other topics, and can hardly be appealed to to defend heresy, same-sex blessings, or renegade liberal power-tactics-is lost on the progressive Dumpty-mind: ours is to cleverly glean what we want in the way we want it from the past "resources" of Scripture, Tradition, and church-practice, in service to the higher cause as we presently define it. Not so much a church, as a style, an eclectic collection of things new and old, tastefully and smoothly arranged.

Such an outlook all makes obvious sense to those to whom it makes obvious sense: which is the very principle of sectarianism and gnosticism-not the whole of Christianity, Anglican or otherwise. This is, at bottom, open spiritual rebellion against God and his church-- in the name of the church.

[b]An Historic Moment[/b]

It appears we now stand at one of the most astonishing moments in the history of Canadian Christianity, and Canadian Anglicanism. A church is unchurching itself, and shrugging at the consequences. Taking a match to the cathedral. The world is watching. The confused but willful architects and minions of this sad event will indeed be remembered throughout Canadian Church history, though not perhaps as they imagine. We're only given one report to digest over what happened at the recent Canadian HoB meeting-however, it rings true and consistent with the trajectory of all the other recent coverange and news from official and unofficial coverage, and it comes from a reliable source. [If anybody has corrective or contrary reports or rebuttals, we're happy to post them].

We know where we are, and where we are officially headed, and what 75% of the rest of the Anglican world has said about it. The speed of the implosion in both ECUSA & the ACC (and North American society & culture as a whole) is just stunning. And Anglicans are officially in on it.

Any questions? Wake up and smell the burning coffee.

What can you do in response? Stay tuned to this and other channels: more details coming soon. Watch and pray. Embrace the cross of this and coming moments. Jesus has had the last word.

END

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