The Courier Mail 25/07/02

THE Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, welcomed the appointment of Dr Rowan Williams as the Archbishop of Canterbury, but with some caution. Archbishop Jenser, said the Anglican community faced certain difficulties of relationship, of authority, and of questioning long-held scriptural teaching.

"Anglicans will pray, that ... Archbishop Williams will lead the communion in faithful adherence to the teaching of the scripture especially in regard to the biblical teaching on marriage and family," Jensen said.

Make that "some Anglicans". Many in Australia will welcome Williams's appointment by Prime Minister Tony Blair - "Most courageous, Prime Minister," as Sir Humphrey would say - as a change from the conventional and conservative leaders of the world's 70 million Anglicans.

Certainly his appointee was welcomed by the Anglican Primate of Australia, Dr Pet Carnley: "I am absolute delighted with this appointment. He is a theologian of very considerable stature, he is a creative thinker, not just a kind of mundane thinker. He is able to bring new light to issues in a way that really is impressive.

"He's also a very prayerful person, and also has a very keen sense of what is right and what is wrong in the area of public affairs, and is not afraid to say his piece when he thinks it's an important issue to speak on. So it is very much what we need."

In matters of doctrine, Williams is as orthodox as any of his predecessors. Not for him the views of a former bishop of Durham who thought the resurrection a "conjuring trick with bones". On wider social issues, however, the new Anglican leader might prove trouble-some to the conservative, evangelical Low Church Anglicans of Sydney.

He has ordained at least one openly Homosexual priest, in apparent contravention of the policy expressed in church issues paper Issues in Human Sexuality. He has said that he sees "God-given good" in stable, same-sex relationships; logically, it would be inconsistent to approve such relationships in the laity while denying them to the clergy.

Anglicans in Britain and Australia are sharply divided on these issues. Already there are suggestions of breakaway groups in Britain, while Jensen thought it important enough to issue this veiled warning yesterday: "We're a bit concerned to see how he develops his position on human sexuality. That's the area that we will need more information on, and to keep an eye on things." Jensen said Williams might rethink his position on these issues, given his new appointment was a 'global position'.

"To be the Archbishop of Wales is an important job, but to become the Archbishop of Canterbury he's really now speaking to 70 to 80 million people around the world. I think we have to give him time to think some of his positions," he said.

The Anglican Church is not the Catholic Church, and the Archbishop of Canterbury does not have the same authority as the Pope. As Stephen Bates rote in yesterday's Guardian: - the job involves presiding over a demoralised and declining Church of England and a fissiparous worldwide Anglican community whose 70 million members range from fundamentalists to radicals with very few beliefs in common."

WILLIAMS, in this Anglican's view, is an inspired choice. He comes not from the Church of England but the Church of Wales, disestablished since 1920. Although he has spoken of the benefits of disestablishing the Church of England - removing the formal link between church and state - he is unlikely to waste his energy and effort on this; instead, he is far more likely to spend his time on healing divisions in the church.

His spirituality is Anglo-Catholic. As a young man, he flirted with the idea of becoming a Benedictine, the order that produced Britain's most recent influential clergyman, the late Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Basil Hume. British writers have drawn parallels between Hume and Williams, notably that both are seen as holy men rather than bland administrators.

At his press conference, Williams denied he had any fixed agenda: "No, I don't come to this task with a fixed program or agenda, and I have to engage with colleagues an students who hold very varied opinions, but no pastor or bishop holds the position in which their first task is to fight for the victory of their personal judgments as if those were final or infallible."

Of course, senior clergy might modify their views to take account of a new office - Brisbane’s Anglicans have recent experience of that - but, equally, Williams is a man of strong convictions, strongly held. He is opposed to extending the war against terror to Iraq.

This Anglican rather likes the idea of having a "troublesome priest" in Lambeth Palace.

2 CORINTHIANS 6:11-18.
... how many enter by the narrow gate?.. few.........

As you read the Anglican article you no doubt witness the numbers of this religious empire .. 70 million and it is also mentioned that their would be very few in this giant religion who would have much in common belief.. so why even fellowship together?.. Amos 3:3

• My bible tells me that on the day of Pentecost all of Jesus Christs men in the upper room were in .. one accord. And my bible also says that there is but one doctrine. And if someone comes to you with any other teaching/doctrine/way/direction .. neither greet them or let them into your dwelling/home, lest you partake of their sin.

• REF: ACTS 2:1-4,1 TIMOTHY 4:1-5,HEBREWS 13:7-9,1 TIMOTHY 1:9-11 2 JOHN 1-11.....
  
  Please try not to forget the cry/message/promotion/thrust/undercover garment of the snake satan, the devil in the last days, end times, will be that all famous and well used nearly worn out word .. love!

• IT GETS THEM IN EVERY TIME .. ROMANS 16:17-20
  ..most remember the cult leader/sexual deviate, Bob Jones alias love prophet.
  
  

(Comment by Paul Sheehan)

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