New ACA theme, Jake Worley's firing, and looking ahead to General Synod 2019
Newsletter #22
Contents of our ACA Advent 2017 Newsletter:
Reflections by Chair, Dr. David Smith—New ACA theme!
National Director’s Update: ACA Board Mtg; Abp. of Toronto & Diversity; Jake Worley’s Firing.
Looking ahead to General Synod 2019 - Plans and Fundraising
Advent Prayer
1. Deepening Biblical Faith in the Anglican Church of Canada
In the last few months, the Anglican Communion Alliance has tried to shine a light on the questionable practices of our church towards the Rev. Jake Worley in the Diocese of Caledonia. Jake was elected bishop of Caledonia but, contrary to the accustomed practice, he was questioned and his past investigated until his election was overturned on the grounds that he had contravened the teaching of the Anglican Church. Many saw this as ironic. How many bishops have been elected in recent years that have broken with the stated teaching of the Anglican Church in one way or another? Unfortunately, this double standard has been in place for years. If someone’s actions are in line with “the direction the church is going,” then it doesn’t matter if they break the church’s law. If they are thought to be in the “wrong direction,” then discipline is applied. We allow one person’s moral fervour to override the letter of the law and say we refuse to be “legalistic.” Another person’s moral fervour is unacceptable, and we come down hard.
The firing of Jake Worley, only a few months after his election as bishop was disallowed, raises the same issue in an equally disturbing way. What did he do in a few months’ time to go from having a high enough esteem in his diocese to be elected bishop, to being found unacceptable as a priest? The ACA has looked into this in every possible way, and we have found no sufficient reason or, really, any reason for Jake’s firing. It would be good to be assured that this was not a case of Jake’s moral and theological convictions being unacceptable to those in authority. Unfortunately, we have no such assurance.
Is it really the role of a group such as the Anglican Communion Alliance to raise this kind of question? Some might see it as being too negative, or too divisive. But it’s informative to look at St. Paul’s correspondence with the Corinthians. There St. Paul bends over backwards to show that he has no desire to enter into controversy for controversy’s sake – that he doesn’t delight in division but in unity. Nevertheless he is compelled to call into question the actions of certain Christian leaders because they are not in accord with the gospel that is the basis of the Corinthians’ faith. St. Paul doesn’t want a fight, but he cannot stay silent.
St. Paul’s intention is not “personal” and, hopefully, neither is ours when we raise questions about our church, its teachings and its actions. Creating personal animosity is not his goal at all. It is wrong belief and the actions that stem from it that he is confronting. He writes, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” (2 Cor 10:5). St. Paul sets himself against “arguments,” against attitudes affected by an underlying pride, and so opposed to “the knowledge of God.” He only sets himself against people when it is necessary in order to confront those arguments and attitudes.
We in the Anglican Communion Alliance hope and pray that in a small way we are following the practice of St. Paul with the Corinthians. And we try to keep in mind that our purpose is both positive and uniting. We want to express this in our new statement of purpose: “Deepening Biblical faith in the Anglican Church of Canada.” Sometimes this will necessarily take the form of bringing criticisms of actions within our Church, but these criticisms are not the primary way to help the Kingdom of God to grow. Our purpose is to encourage whatever deepens a Biblical, orthodox faith in our church. For ourselves and for our church, it is to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Sometimes that means being in the role of opposition, but most importantly it happens through the slow, long-term work of teaching and witness to the power of the Biblical orthodox faith. That’s what we are about and that’s what our church should be about. “Deepening Biblical faith in the Anglican Church of Canada” – that expresses well, I think, our purpose and goal.
--Dr. David Smith, Chair of ACA
2. National Director's Update
Our ACA Board met Nov. 12-13 in Brighton Ontario—what a good time of fellowship and planning! We are very excited to move forward with the theme Dr. Smith has described: “Deepening Biblical Faith in the Anglican Church of Canada.” One of the things that resonates with us is this theme’s clear implication that ACA is about addressing the issues underlying the various challenges we currently face. We also recognize that deepening our Biblical faith will challenge all of us in many areas of our lives. So while we do have a significant focus on the Marriage Canon, our vision is much broader than the current challenges to traditional marriage.
At our meeting, we also developed a plan to grow our connections with Anglicans across the country. In January, we will be promoting a new way for you to connect with ACA, and to identify yourself with the goals of this theme—stay tuned!
ACA Board Meeting in Brighton, ON Nov. 12-13. Pictured from front left around table: Sharon Dewey Hetke (National Director); Dr. Roseanne Kydd; The Rev. John VanStone; The Rev. Dr. David Smith (Chair); The Rev. Dr. Peter Armstrong; Rosemary Greer; Roger Spack; Linda Alkenbrack. Not pictured are Board members Jeff Boldt & The Rt. Rev. Larry Robertson.
This past month brought news of several developments that highlight our need for wisdom and for the light of Christ to guide our way. Dr. Smith has described the sudden firing of the Rev. Jake Worley On Nov. 10, then priest in the Diocese of Caledonia. Here are a few more details: After the May overturning of his election as bishop, Worley was assured that he was still a priest in good standing and returned to serve his parish in the Bulkley Valley. However, in the interim between diocesan bishops, Archbishop John Privett terminated Worley’s employment without giving cause. Due to Worley’s immigration status, he had only weeks in which to pack up his family and leave Canada.
In response to these events, ACA released the following Statement: “In the wake of Archbishop John Privett's termination without stated cause of the Rev. Jake Worley’s employment as a priest in the Diocese of Caledonia, we are deeply concerned both for the wellbeing of Worley and his family, and for the rebuilding of trust within that diocese. Last May, many Canadian Anglicans were dismayed by the sloppy procedural path that led to the Provincial HOB's majority decision rejecting Caledonia's choice of Worley for bishop. It was Worley himself who asked how he could be acceptable as a priest but not a bishop, given what were regarded as his grave violations. The answer given was that he was a priest in good standing, with the implication that his place in his parish was secure. This standing has not been revoked and so Worley and others have expressed shock at last week’s firing in the interim between local diocesan bishops. Questions are being raised about the motivations behind this move, and whether or not other traditionally-minded clergy can count on fair treatment. While the Diocese has released a statement, our hope is that the Archbishop will be able to bring more clarity to this situation. In the meantime, we continue to keep the Worley family, the Archbishop and the Diocese of Caledonia in our prayers.”
Anglican Communion Alliance continues to monitor this situation and we are doing everything we can to stand up for orthodox clergy who remain in the Anglican Church of Canada.
"Blue Ice" by Sue Careless
ACA has also been paying careful attention to discussions between the leadership of the Diocese of Toronto and those of a traditional conscience on marriage. On Sept. 29, Abp. Colin Johnson released a Pastoral Statement “on Commitment to Diverse Theological Positions in the Diocese of Toronto.” In this letter, he says that within the diversity of his diocese “there is and will be a continued and honoured place in all aspects of diocesan life for those who do not agree to the provisional arrangements for same sex marriages. Theirs is an authentic, sustainable conviction that bears significant and historic weight. It remains a coherent theological and biblical position within our Anglican tradition.”
While this letter contains gracious language and an encouraging pledge of fairness, it brings to mind the question: How do those of a traditional conscience on marriage see their own position? Is it just one of several competing "truth claims"? And what are the authoritative criteria by which those claims will be evaluated--is there even agreement on that? While Abp. Johnson goes to some lengths to establish a sense of respect for the traditional position, there would seem to be little common ground if authorities such as tradition and the direct revelation found in Scripture are either no longer agreed upon...or are, perhaps, simply not given the place and primary authority we think they should hold.
Furthermore, for traditionalists on marriage, the introduction of same-sex marriage cannot be seen as allowing diverse practice, but is rather a move that undermines our understanding of marriage itself--therefore continued resistance is inevitable. And while in the Diocese of Toronto provisional permission has been given to proceed with same-sex marriage (in spite of the fact that the Marriage Canon has not been changed), have concrete provisions been made for those of a traditional conscience? Other troubling questions arise: Is there room in this “diversity” for the exclusive claims of the cross and incarnation? While, historically, our tradition has accommodated diverse ways of being Anglican Christians, we are concerned that this is now being stretched to include a way of interpreting Scripture that undermines that very tradition.
In this Advent season, there is much to pray for. While the world around us wants to move full-swing into Christmas celebrations, our faith teaches us that careful attention to the spiritual disciplines of self-examination, confession, and prayerful waiting leads us to a much greater joy. My hope is that some of the “tough topics” addressed in this letter will not discourage us, but spur us on to greater prayer, and greater boldness in our Christian lives. In this Advent season, may we look with humility at all the areas where we need the light of God’s word to shine, growing together, deepening Biblical faith in our own lives, our families and our parishes.
--Sharon Dewey Hetke, National Director of ACA
3. Looking ahead to General Synod 2019
Although many are treating the revision to the Marriage Canon as if it were a fait accompli, it is not. We all remember that it passed by only a few votes; we need to continue our efforts to encourage those who don’t want to see it pass in 2019.
Providing resources for General Synod delegates, planning for a hospitality suite in Vancouver and advocating for real structural provisions and conscience protection for traditionally-minded clergy in the ACC are major parts of our strategy for GS 2019. All of this work requires a great deal of time, energy and planning.
We realize that not everyone can dedicate significant time to the kind of work the ACA Board and National Director are doing—but every traditionally-minded Anglican can help us!
We are in critical need of funds, if we are to move forward with our bold initiatives. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation before the end of the year. Our registered charity number is: BN 83249 6855 RR 0001.We
Our goal is to raise $36,000 this year. Consider how this would look if we broke that number down by monthly PAG:
At least 25 donors at $25, and
At least 20 donors at $50, and
At least 10 donors at $75, and
At least 5 donors at $100, and
At least 1 donor at $125.
These amounts and donors add up to $36,000. Please prayerfully consider how God may be calling you to support our work. We also ask that you consider forwarding this newsletter to friends who may be interested in learning more about ACA, or in supporting us financially. For links and more info, go to www.anglicancommunionalliance.ca/donate/.
Collect for Advent 4 (From the Book of Common Prayer): RAISE up, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, world without end. Amen.
