[Apologetics] African Branch Criticizes Anglican Plan

[Art Kelly]

Canon Martyn Minns is mentioned in this article.

Art

African Branch Criticizes Anglican Plan
Major African Church Criticizes Leader's Plan to Hold
Anglicans Together Despite Gay Differences

By RICHARD N. OSTLING AP Religion Writer
The Associated Press

NEW YORK - Africa's largest Anglican church is
criticizing a proposal from the archbishop of
Canterbury for two-tier membership in the global
Anglican fellowship, a plan aimed at keeping the group
together despite differences over homosexuality and
the Bible. 

The bishops who lead the 17.5 million-member Church of
Nigeria announced their stand in postings Sunday on a
pair of Anglican Web sites.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams Anglicanism's
spiritual leader suggested last month that two levels
of participation for the 38 branches of the Anglican
Communion could be created.

Under that system, America's Episcopal Church, which
consecrated an openly gay bishop in 2003, would accept
a lesser role to prevent a total break with a majority
of Anglican churches, which are conservative.

The Nigerian bishops said Williams' "brilliant"
concept sought to "preserve the unity of the church by
accommodating every shred of opinion no matter how
biblical, all because we want to make everyone feel at
home."

But the Nigerians also indicated that total exclusion
of the Episcopal Church may be required: "A cancerous
lump in the body should be excised if it has defied
every known cure. To attempt to condition the whole
body to accommodate it will lead to the avoidable
death of the patient."

The statement depicted the Williams plan as a "novel"
design that's "elastic enough to accommodate all the
extremes of preferred modes of expression of the same
faith." Instead, it said, Williams should urge
churches that chose to "walk apart" to return to
authentic Anglicanism.

The full article is at
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2148991



                           
  ART KELLY, ATM-S
  13524 Brightfield Lane
  Herndon, Virginia 20171-3360
  (703) 904-3763 home
  (703) 396-6956 work
  arthurkelly at yahoo.com
  art.kelly at cox.net
  ArtK135 at Netscape.net
   
   















__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com