Rev. Phil Ashey: Tale of Two Communions

May 22nd, 2009

As many of you may know, I have just returned from Jamaica where I observed first-hand the confusion, lack of procedural rules, lack of prayer, arbitrary chairmanship, delay, and priority for property and non-revelatory religion that prevailed in the institutional politics of the 14th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council.

I have reached the same conclusion (again) that many here and in the Global South have reached: namely, that there are now in fact two communions which call themselves Anglican.

In the one communion, a numerical and theological minority holds hostage the Ridley Cambridge Draft of the Anglican Communion Covenant on the grounds that the language of section 4 is "not mature enough" and needs more work. As usual, such work is subject to the timetables of an office that has set no firm date for the conclusion of that work before the whole Covenant can be released to every Province in the Anglican Communion. The rest at Anglican Mainstream