ACNA’s Trust Issues

Trust must be restored, but how?

I practically have to make myself post yet again on the current mess in the Anglican Church in North America. So if you have this vision of me rubbing my hands in sinister glee at the keyboard, you can banish that. But I have tried to keep up and be fair with this matter, so I will try to continue.

Archbishop Steve Wood and the College of Bishops (But not all of them as you’ll see.) issued letters backing up Wood and the Ruch trial Court:

Together, on behalf of the College of Bishops and the Executive Committee of the Anglican Church in North America, we want to express our deep regret for the confusion and hurt caused by recent attempts to air concerns of the Court in the public sphere. We are saddened that the parties expressing concern did not utilize any of the canonical provisions designed to address them. We remain confident in the Court’s ability to bring these matters to just resolution. Further, we find no evidence to suggest that the Archbishop or members of his staff acted in any way that violates or compromises the proceedings that are active before the court.

We affirm the integrity of the Archbishop, his provincial staff, and the Chancellor. We are grateful for their ongoing commitment to appropriate levels of transparency, faithful service, and the well-being of the Province. We affirm the integrity of the elected members of the Court and have full confidence in the Court as an independent body that is committed to act fairly and in accordance with our canonical processes.

We believe that the integrity of the church matters. We believe vulnerable people matter. We are fully committed to seeking justice and accountability by seeing this process through to the end, following the guidelines and processes set forth in our canons. We will not seek to resolve matters of the Court in the public sphere.

Together, we ask you, the church, to join us in praying for justice and peace for all those affected by this matter before the Court. Pray for our church, that we would be salt and light in the world and would bear the love of Christ Jesus to all we encounter.

It is safe to say the letters were not very well received. Then soon after, the Bishop of South Carolina Chip Edgar issued a letter stating he did not sign and that he urged the College of Bishops not to comment publicly prior to the conclusion of the Ruch trial.

I will not attempt to litigate all this. I’m not that privy to what is going on behind the scenes. Nor am I that stupid on most days. But I will point out the most important aspect of all this, as obvious as it may be.

Archbishop Wood’s biggest problem is he has lost the trust of much of ACNA. And this loss of trust is not just from one segment, but ranges from ACNAtoo to more-trad-than-you.

I am not saying he deserves to lose trust. In at least some ways, he does not. He inherited the Ruch trial mess. And, although ACNA has had a Trial of a Bishop before, it has not had one nearly this disputed and contentious. That is not Wood’s fault.

That said, Wood did not help himself with more conservative/trad Anglicans with his intervention in the Calvin Robinson situation . . .

Nor with the George Floyd letter back in 2020. So the well of trust was already low among the more conservative among us, of which I am one.

Wood also does not help himself by being reluctant to apologize even when he is clearly out of line as in the Calvin Robinson intervention or when he mishandles a matter. And I think even the most charitable among us can say he has mishandled the Ruch trial situation. But then who would have handled that mess well? Still, apologies go a long way among us Christians.

But again, up to the beginning of the Ruch trial, it was mainly conservatives who had trust issues with Wood, and certainly not all of them. Now the distrust is across the spectrum in ACNA.

And I do not see how Archbishop Wood can regain trust. And now distrust has spread toward the College of Bishops as a whole and is growing. They did not help themselves with their letter yesterday.

As if that is not enough distrust to go around, there are allegations of a bishop bullying a parish that does not want women priests. Namely the Bishop of the Mid-Atlantic Chris Warner’s alleged conduct toward Incarnation Anglican Williamsburg. The allegations may be seen on this timeline.

This from a bishop who, when he was a candidate for election, promised “generous orthodoxy” towards those who oppose women’s ordination. Instead he who wrote that Jesus was a refugee is creating orthodox refugees.

And I’ve been told other instances first hand about deceptive and manipulative conduct from other women-ordaining bishops. Why should we, especially those of us who oppose women’s ordination, put up with that? Why should we trust a denomination that puts up with that?

A denomination can endure and survive any number of difficulties and disputes. Really a healthy church has to so endure. Churches have people in them, so there will be difficulties and disputes. Anne Kennedy writes well to that today.

Heaven and Earth and Church

But how do bishops and churches continue when there is a catastrophic breakdown in trust?

I’m not saying the breakdown in trust in ACNA is complete or irreparable, but it is headed in that direction. There needs to be a change in direction and fast.

Pray for ACNA. Yes, I know I’ve said that already. I don’t care. Pray for ACNA.

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image: Bishops consecrate Chris Warner as Bishop of the Mid-Atlantic