If you have been following the events of the Anglican union for any length of time you will know what a "flying bishop" is. For those that don't, a little explanation is required.
Some people like old-style Coke in a bottle (in Texas and a few other places called "Mexican Coke"). They like the authentic flavor and think the glass does something for the flavor. Some people think the new Coca Cola in a can with all the cherry, black cherry, diet, diet with Splenda, etc. varieties are just as tasty and allow more people to have the Coke experience.
For Anglicans/Episcopalians the same divide applies. Some parishes like their Anglicanism the old-fashioned way - without priestesses, acceptance of the gay lifestyle, or perceived Liberal mindsets. Some parishes want "everyone" to have the "right" to feel "accepted" in their church "community" (Warning: if any sentence requires more than two quotes that distance the author from the chosen diction of those written about, there is reason to worry.). The answer to this dilemma for many U.S. parishes is to place themselves under a more conservative bishop from some far off land who will act as bishop for them.
Now in England itself a "flying bishop" is set to be appointed to care for the needs of conservative Anglicans. Here's the story from Catholic World News.
Aug. 6, 2007 (CWNews.com) - An Anglican prelate from Nigeria plans to ordain a "flying bishop" to fill the pastoral needs of conservative believers in England, the Church of England Newspaper (CEN) reports.
Archbishop Peter Akinola, who has clashed frequently with leaders of the Church of England, will probably appoint a native English cleric to serve as bishop, CEN reports.
The Nigerian archbishop has already ordained a conservative American, Bishop Martyn Minns, to lead those American Episcopalians who refuse to accept the leadership of bishops who have endorsed the ordination of women and the acceptance of homosexuality.
CEN said that the new "flying bishop" could be in place before the Lambeth Conference of 2008, at which Anglican leaders from around the world will gather to discuss the future of their denomination.
Archbishop Akinola was invited by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, to attend the Lambeth Conference. But the Nigerian archbishop is not expected to attend, because of his deep disagreements with Anglicans who have abandoned the moral standards set by Scripture and Christian tradition.
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Flying bishops are nothing new in the C of E. There are already three of them. The Bishop of Richborough and the Bishop of Ebbsfleet serve in the Province of Canterbury and the Bishop of Beverley in the Province of York.
ReplyDeleteThis move by Akinola is rather peculiar - quite different from what he's done in the American situation.
True enough. I also have some die-hard Anglo-Catholic friends holding on by their fingernails to a church that keeps cracking apart. Some are under the Nigerian effort and some under the conservative Anglican Council bishops.
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