Bishop of Southwark “welcomes” Southwark Declaration” as “significant contribution to Facilitated Conversations”

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This will bring a smile to your face. The Church Times in England are catching up with the Southwark story that we’ve been reporting on. Their reporter, Madeleine Davies, has written a helpful piece [paywall] covering the ground we’ve already set out. It ends with this hilarity:

On Wednesday, the Diocese of Southwark issued a statement: “The Bishop of Southwark is aware that the Declaration is circulating among members of the Diocesan Evangelical Union. He welcomes it as a significant contribution to the Facilitated Conversations.”

It’s a classic example of liberals doing the whole “we’re all talking nicely” thing while attempting to sidetrack the impending crisis. The reality is that the Facilitated Conversation programme in the CofE may be dead in the water before it even begins.

Besides, the leaders of the Southwark evangelical movement I have been talking to don’t want a facilitated conversation; they simply want the Bishop of Southwark to keep his consecration vows and uphold Biblical doctrine (i.e. the official position of the Church of England) and they don’t think there’s much discussion that needs to be had about it. The Bishop is not handling this well and I understand it won’t be long until the financial impact of his deleterious leadership will start to be apparent in the diocesan treasury.

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  1. Tim Anderson

    How is it that God has been so kind to Australian Anglicans that we have avoided this kind of confrontation so far? I understand that one may come in the not too distant future, but we've been incredibly blessed not to have it already.

  2. David Ould

    hi Tim. My theory which I've held for a while is that the constitutional structure of the Anglican Church of Australia prevents the General Synod from pushing ahead with innovation (since any change requires each diocese to consent). It puts the brakes on and forces any innovator to go it alone.

    Added to that is our relative isolation as dioceses. Innovation doesn't spread as rapidly and cross-polinate. In the CofE this has led to a real dilution of the convictions in the House of Bishops.

    I think that's part of it. Then couple that protected isolation with a number of strong evangelical dioceses and there is an entirely different dynamic at play.

  3. Nigel Poore

    Facilitated conversations…..mmmm…..am so glad scripture is written in plain language !! Why we have to talk like this beats me…..nothing like talking proper gov’nr !!

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