Anglicans Form Breakaway Church – So This is News?

The Daily Telegraph reports here about the new Anglican breakaway church.

Developing out of a worldwide Evangelical Traditionalist movement called GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) the new alliance brings together Evangelical Anglicans from America and Africa mostly–who are upset at the Anglican decision to ordain women bishops, espouse the gay agenda and allow their buildings to be used for Islamic prayer.

The Anglican Church, like all Protestant churches, is no stranger to schism. Go here to read about the multiplicity of Anglican breakaway churches. Some break away because the Anglican Church is too liberal, some because it is not liberal enough. Some because it is too charismatic, some because it is not charismatic enough. Some because it is too Catholic, others because it is too Protestant.

That Anglicans continue to go into schism should not be a surprise as schism is one of the foundation principles of Anglicanism.

How could a Church that cut itself off from the historic Catholic Church hope to retain unity? It was founded in schism. It continues to foster schism.

I personally have a fair bit of sympathy for the conservative Evangelicals in the Anglican tradition.

In the face of the C of E becoming the Church of Everybody (and therefore nobody) where else can they go?

Because of their Protestant doctrine and their basic assumption that the Catholic Church is wrong, wrong, wrong, they can’t join the Ordinariate or become mainstream Catholics.

All they can do is form their own little group.

What is most disconcerting is that the little Anglican breakaway churches can’t even seem to gather enough agreement to merge among themselves.

I once asked a pastor in one of the so called “continuing” churches why the different schisms didn’t unite.

He explained, “We agree with this group doctrinally, but they are charismatic and we can’t have that. Then we agree with that group liturgically but they have women priests and that’s not good. Then we agree with this group doctrinally and liturgically but they’re soft on Anglo Catholics and turn a blind eye to gays. Then we agree with some members of this group but they have some real wackos. We like the prayer book this group uses but their bishop is a tyrant and we like the hymnal of that group but they…..” you get the idea.

Everybody playing at church and making it up according to their own good ideas.

So it must be if you build on sand and not the solid Rock called Peter.

Image Andrew K. Gross