becoming

A Special Communiqué from the Anglican Mission in the Americas on The Anglican Mission’s Relationship with the Anglican Church in North America

More information will for sure come out in the next few months. But as the communiqué suggests, the move will “allow the Anglican Mission to maintain a level of connection to the North American Province, even though the missionary movement will remain under the spiritual and canonical authority of Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini and the Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda. It also allows for the Anglican Mission to continue to function as a missionary movement committed to church planting as we have for the last decade.”

Please bear in mind that what is now happening for all Anglicans in North America is simply unprecedented. We are writing Anglican church history as we speak. The move should clear the inherent confusion as to how the “dual-citizenship” model can play out as previously suggested.

Update: Duncan’s ACNA Leadership Communiqué.

Yes, let’s make it looks like we are doing something about ACNA, by making sure nothing actually happens.

友人Anson 告之近期香港「教聲」 (issue 1758,  2009.11.15）有香港聖公會大主教鄺保羅的一篇頭版專訪。文中有小段是有關鄺大主教對近期加拿大兩位華人聖公會牧師被祝聖為主教的評論。

因為所討論的專訪，並未見於香港聖公會的網頁＊，所以上載於此，若有版權問題，請通知。

在一般情況下，我會略過從香港聖公會傳來的，對北美聖公會處境，並我們在做甚麼的評論，特別是那些錯誤的指控和批評。我明白各人可能對事實可能有不同的詮釋和解讀。

但當讀過這篇專訪，特別是那短短一段有關我們在加拿大有華人聖公會牧師被祝聖為主教一事，我相信這不再是對事實的不同了解，而是嚴重地將事實扭曲。

在文中第五段，以「在9月9日和上周五…」作始的段落中，我看到最少三樣與事實不乎，並對讀者構成嚴重誤導的內容：

1. 文章題到「溫哥華只有3間華人聖公會教堂，2間脫離了加拿大聖公會…」。事實是3間華人聖公會都離開了加拿大聖公會。
2. 文中鄺大主教似在說新祝聖的華人主教是只負責牧養華人聖公會信徒。這是錯誤的。伍德賢主教負責的是加拿大的ACiC/AI教會，十數間的教會中，只有兩間是有中文崇拜。梁永康主教是加拿大ANiC教區中，推動亞裔（Asian）事工。
3. 文章說到兩名華人主教是由不同的保守派聖公會組織所祝聖，這是事實的一半而已。伍德賢主教是由Kolini大主教祝聖為盧旺達的「宣教主教」（Missionary Bishop），而梁永康主教則是由新成立的「北美聖公會教會」（Anglican Church in North America）的Duncan大主教祝聖。不過兩位新主教都是Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) 的主教院成員之一。

此外，我也對鄺大主教以怎樣才應祝聖新主教的看法很有保留。從他的說話中看出，若溫哥華的聖公會基督徒人數不夠多，那就沒有需要祝聖任何華裔的主教。若同樣的邏輯應用在早期的香港，西人聖公會基督徒也不夠多，何需有洋人主教差到香港來？不但如此，鄺大主教是否不太了解甚麼是「宣教主教」（Missionary Bishop）？不過這可能性應該不大，因為就香港和中國為例，一般聖公會信徒對19世紀就有的「宣教主教」也不應該陌生呢！

與其單向內望（有幾多信徒，才可以有多少主教），我相信鄺大主教可以嘗試向教會的四壁外望，不論是在香港或是加拿大，試試問：「還有多少人還未信主 — 不論膚色、種族 — 還有多少人仍然在神的教會以外？」

這只是我讀過這篇「教聲」頭版專訪後，其中的幾點關注。正如早前所說，在一般情況下，我是不會評論不同人對事實的不同意見。但這專訪的內容，問題並不在此。短短的一段充滿的，不只是意見，而是錯誤的資料。再加上被訪者的評論全是建基於這些扭曲的真相，以支持某些人或某批人的觀點。這是我不能接受的，因為它很有故意誤導讀者去附和被訪者立論之嫌。

聖公會多倫多以馬內利堂牧師
何尚允
2009.12.08

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註*： 專訪一文於12/22 終於出現於香港教聲網頁。

One of the major issues that hindered me back in 2007 when considering the possibility of doing church -planting under AMiA was the question of unity and solidarity. While seeing a lot of faithful Christians leaving the ACC and the ECUSA, I see many were forming their own group, doing their own thing. I felt there was a lack of unifying spirit for those who left for more or less the same reason but at various times.

I asked Archbishop Yong and Bishop TJ about this, and sure enough, they told me about Common Cause and assured me that this stage was only temporary. So I am very excited and glad and grateful to God that the Anglican Church in North America has now become as reality, with it inauguration at Christ Church Plano, Texas on June 24, 2009.

The procession of clergy and bishops for the installation of ACNA:

Other video links, including (Arch)bishop Duncan’s address at the Inaugural Assembly (2nd in list):

At a time when Christian-hopping and church-splitting are so common, isn’t it wonderful to witness a moment in church history when followers of Christ are join together for a single purpose of mission?

Thanks Anson for linking to the video. See his post for more related links and news.