Biblically faithful Anglicans seek new ecclesial oversight.

Burlington, ON -- The issue of blessing same-sex unions has proven to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back for biblically faithful Canadian Anglicans. They have been witnessing an increasingly liberal theology take hold of the Anglican Church of Canada in recent years. At a conference at the Crossroads Centre in Burlington Nov. 22-23, 2007, almost 300 of them from across the country formally moved to obtain new ecclesial oversight from a province in South America.

Several Canadian Anglican dioceses--first in New Westminster, B.C., followed by Ottawa, Montreal and, most recently, Niagara-have voted to bless same-sex unions in some form, with final protocols still to be worked out. In June 2006, the Anglican Church of Canada defeated a motion to permit dioceses to decide for themselves about allowing individual parishes to perform such ceremonies--but it also approved a motion that declared the blessings not be a violation of core doctrine. The latter motion effectively opened the door to having such blessings take place (National Post, Nov. 19, 2007).

"If there is schism in the situation, the guilt applies to the people who have forced us out of our own dioceses by violating our consciences," said Anglican theologian J.I. Packer. "We are only seeking to be Christians in the historic mode, believing what we've always believed about the Bible and its authority, believing what the church has always believed about the moral teaching of the whole Bible with regard to homosexuality."

As for homosexuality itself, Packer said, "it is no part of the order of creation. It's not something that God accepts under the order of grace and redemption. It is off-limits and the way to help homosexuals, therefore, is to affirm them as human beings with particular besetting temptations and by friendly support, as you would do in the case of heterosexual people with a different sort of besetting temptations. You try to stand by them and help them not to yield to their besetting temptations. That's what it's all about" (LifeSite News, Nov. 27, 2007).

Two Canadian bishops have come out of retirement to lead the disaffected Canadian Anglicans--Don Harvey of Newfoundland and Malcolm Harding of Manitoba. They will serve under the authority of the Province of the Southern Cone, which includes dioceses in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay, and is led by Archbishop Gregory Venables. Two B.C. parishes have announced they will join the Southern Cone--St. John's in Richmond and the Church of the Resurrection in Hope.

The moves drew a stern rebuke from Canadian Primate Fred Hiltz, who condemned the actions as "inappropriate, unwelcome and invalid." He also said he "deplores" the efforts by Venables to extend his influence into Canada.

The ANIC is encouraging Canadian parishes to hold a vote, preferably in February, over whether they wish to remain under the oversight of the ACC or join the Southern Cone. Then, at a large-scale conference in Vancouver this coming April, Venables is scheduled to be present to welcome new Anglicans from Canada under his wing.