Archbishop moves to soothe Primates

Saturday, 14th December, 2002
Archbishop moves to soothe Primates

Rowan Williams has moved to avert a widely predicted schism in the Anglican 
Communion by meeting leading Primates and Bishops. On the second day of his 
archiepiscopate Dr Williams met the Primates of Nigeria, South East Asia, 
Rwanda, Kenya and North India to head off growing unease with his views on 
homosexuality.

He repeated his commitment to the traditionalist Lambeth resolution on human 
sexuality, according to sources, and the bishops are said to have been 
impressed by his assurances.

But these Primates have given their staunch support to a new evangelical 
statement which attacks changes in Church teaching on marriage. The 
statement from a cross-section of evangelicals called on bishops "to uphold 
the teaching of the Church, being faithful to the Scriptures and to such 
traditional formularies as the Creeds, and to refute contradictory 
teaching."

Signatories to the statement included the Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev 
Graham Dow, Canon Professor Oliver O'Donovan from Christ Church, Oxford, and 
the Bishop of Dallas, the Rt Rev James Stanton. Conservatives in America and 
in the traditional Provinces of Asia and Africa have been worried by 
increasing liberalisation in the Anglican Communion typified by events in 
New Westminster, Canada, where there have been moves by the bishop towards 
blessing same-sex relationships.

The statement continues: "We cannot accept the prevailing individual moral 
autonomy where every self expression is equally acceptable and valid, and 
which often positions itself as self evident and above challenge or 
testing."

While the group were keen to stress that they are not lining up against the 
new Archbishop of Canterbury, several of those supporting the statement have 
publicly criticised Dr Williams in the past. The Archbishop was handed the 
statement personally last week and expressed his concern that it would be 
viewed as a fresh attack on his authority. The Rev David Banting, Chairman 
of Reform and a signatory to the statement, said: "We have deep concerns 
about anyone who stands back from Christian orthodoxy."

The group has in the past called Dr Williams a "false teacher" and Mr
Banting admitted that there was still much work to be done.







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