FRIDAY REVIEW
Prayer and Fasting for GAFCON – Day
10
May 30, A.D. 2008
How Ready Are We for Renewed
Anglicanism?
The
hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in
spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (John
4:23)
The Global Anglican Future Conference is just a couple of
weeks away. Ginny and I plan to join others leaving on June 15th to
tour the Holy Land a bit before GAFCON begins on the 22nd. We’re
beginning to get excited. This will be our third trip to the Holy Land so we
have a good idea of the blessings that await us.
This trip will be
especially historic as we join over 1,000 senior leaders and their spouses from
some 17 Anglican Communion Provinces, to include almost 300 bishops, for worship,
fellowship, prayer, pilgrimage, discussion, and reflection. Can you imagine 300
bishops all in one place?
During these last
four years, I’ve been privileged to travel to see many of you throughout the
Southeast, to participate in conferences around the country, and even to travel
to Kenya and Uganda for the consecrations of new American bishops Bill Atwood,
Bill Murdoch, and John Guernsey.
During my travels, I’ve experienced both the joy of our
renewed Anglican DNA and a bit of the sadness of the old DNA that still holds
on to most of us from time to time. The new is full of worship in spirit and in
truth, of mutual submission to one another in Christ, and of respect and trust
for our godly leaders. Complaining, selfishness, fear, and distrust of
leadership in general sadly characterize the old. Fortunately, we witness and
hear far more stories of the uplifting and life-giving new DNA than we do of
the old that injures the sprit and depresses the soul. Many say that it’s just
the American way to be independent and suspicious of authority, but it’s not
the way of the Church. As Christians our high calling is to love one another,
to serve one another sacrificially, and to obey our spiritual leaders.
Yes, God’s Holy Word calls us to obedience, not only to our
Lord but also to God’s leaders in the Church. “Obey your leaders and submit to
their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey
them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no
advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17). The spirit of this biblical admonition was
beautifully captured last week when Bishop Valentino Mokiwa was installed as Primate
of Tanzania. Bishop Bill Atwood, who was present, noted the deeply moving
moment when the bishops gathered around the new Primate to promise “loyalty and
obedience in all things lawful and honest.”
There are still some among us who have been deeply hurt by
American bishops and other clergy. Out of their unhealed hurt and anger they
are resisting the very concept of godly obedience, even to our bishops who are
worthy of their calling. Some seem to think that the way to “protect” our new
Church is to reject submission to godly authority. One good clergy friend of
mine, who was treated badly by his former TEC bishop, jokes that he’s still in
“bishop recovery.” In his case, however, he has recovered and moved on, but
many have not.
To be ready for renewed Anglicanism, we need to be ready to
submit to leadership when it is godly, and we need to go the extra mile to love
and support our new spiritual leaders. As a Network dean, I’m privileged to be
in either telephone contact or personal touch with Bishops Duncan, Atwood,
Murdoch, and Guernsey every week. I assure you that they are the godly bishops
of whom Holy Scripture speaks.
Hear these words from 1 Peter 5:2-3 addressed to the
elders: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers
– not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;
not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted
to you, but being examples to the flock.”
My friends in
Christ, the new DNA we seek in the renewed American Anglicanism is, in fact,
the old DNA – the DNA of biblical holiness and joyful submission to apostolic
authority. What a joy it is to be led by godly bishops who love the Lord Jesus
and let his light radiate through them. Such bishops from our overseas
jurisdictions have mightily blessed many of us, and we are blessed indeed to
have the same kind of godly bishops leading us here in the Common Cause
Partnership as we rebuild a biblical, missionary, and untied American
Anglicanism. May we uphold them in love and prayer just as they are serving us
as shepherds of God’ flock.
Your brother in
Jesus the Christ,
Jim McCaslin+