Restating a Third Mill Catholic Prophecy

Let me suggest that the GafCon response is a case of self-fulfilled prophecy. As ineffective as the Archibshop of Canterbury's leadership has been, it pales in comparison to the resolve of those who seized upon the opportunity of Rowan Williams' “dithering” to force a Protestant structural change upon the Communion in the guise of a Communion-wide solution to the revisionist agenda of TEC. Truth be told, a united conservative front had the voting bloc to make a real difference in the Windsor/Covenant process, despite a “dithering” Archbishop, but now those hopes are seemingly dashed. Impatient federalists have seized the day to take control of the conservative Anglican destiny and re-create it in their own image, and now we are more divided than ever. The recent blasting of N.T. Wright by the federalists is but scratching the surface of just how divided conservative Anglicans are. I said it before, I’ll say it again: In five years, perhaps ten, there will be two distinct communions, neither of which will be recognizably Anglican.

Why Anglican Confessionalism will Undermine the Anglican Catholic Position

Spinning the 39 Articles to negate the Reformation doctrine behind them is not an honest interpretation. This was Newman’s folly in Tract 90, which even he in time came to understand. GAFCON and the Jerusalem Declaration will, in time, undermine the Anglo-Catholics who threw their lot in with the new Confessional Anglican Fellowship. Like the Reformed Episcopal Church, where some presbyters push the Protestant confessional envelope with smells and bells, debates over “catholicity” will be reduced in meaning to eccentric tastes in vestments and arguments over funny hats and sacred trinkets, which amounts to how “high church” one can be in worship and still remain a faithful Protestant!

The Problem with Confessionalism

The problem I have with confessionalism can be summarized in two words: locality and constitutionality. I don't have difficulty with confessions of faith, per se. But we must recognize them as limited by their local nature (i.e., they are not universal), local context (i.e., they address issues at hand at a particular time and in a particular setting) and local perspective (i.e., they cannot anticipate later developments, broadening horizens, or new circumstances). This is particularly problematic when a church or tradition affirms a confession as constitutive of its life and existence, where a confession stands as the unalterable sine qua non of "true" Christian faith and practice.

GAFCON's "confessional Anglican" alternative shifts the balance between "catholic" and "reformed" that presently characterizes Anglicanism dramatically to one side (i.e., the reformed). Hence, the suppression of those Anglicans out of sync with the confessional rationale is inevitable, IMO. This is not a good scenario for catholics. Just ask Jim Packer.

The Real War is Trinitarian

A long time ago I stated that the real war out there was Trinitarian, not the Bible and certainly not sex, which are but proxy wars. Think of the Korean War, Vietnam, Afghanistan (in the 80s), Nicaragua -- all proxy wars of the Cold War. Proxy wars still need to be fought. They are like moves in a game of chess, but the real war isn't over and won until checkmate. Unless we keep our eye on the real war, we may be distracted and make a wrong move to protect the wrong chess piece and end up losing the whole game. GAFCON appears to be poised to make a wrong move.

If GAFCON results in two distinct communions, neither of which are recognizably Anglican, then at that point the Anglican "knight" on the chessboard will have been extinguished, and many Anglican Catholics will be off to fight the Trinitarian war alongside the Roman "queen."

Personal Reflections on Remaining in TEC

I can continue to minister in TEC and the Anglican Communion for two overriding reasons. First, TEC and the Anglican Communion are still explicitly catholic, even if many of the bishops/clergy are (in varying degrees) preaching/teaching inconsistently with the Church's credo. Second, I don't believe in the doctrine of "the total depravity of TEC" (sorry folks). In my experience, though things may be bad, even really bad at times, I have not written off every person, every bishop, every priest or deacon that holds (to some degree) "revisionist positions."

If one were to listen indiscriminately to the rhetoric of the GAFCON conservatives, one would conclude that every person, every bishop, every priest and deacon that is in any way identified with "revisionism" is totally void of a living faith. I know this to be an unfair generalization.

In essence, I don't believe that the simple "two gospels" dichotomy is an accurate working description of the way things really are in TEC or the Anglican Communion. Truth be told, people are all over the map. Only the most tenacious folks on the extreme wings are living into the reality of "two gospels" and believe it to be their divine calling to impose one or the other "gospel" on everyone else. That's why the only thing that really matters at the end of the day is the Church's credo, not our individual "credos," and endeavoring to live into it.

GAFCON - Initial Thoughts

I'm breaking my self-imposed blogging embargo to share my thoughts about GAFCON with whoever still visits this blog.

Essentially GAFCON has tragically redefined Anglicanism in an attempt to force an ineffective Archbishop to do what needs to be done. It's a tragic day for the Communion, with plenty of blame to place on all parties. But to re-create Anglicanism as a "confessional body" along the lines of the Missouri Synod Lutherans, or worse, the PCA, is the biggest blow of all. This is not the way to fix the Communion. It is schism -- Anglican style. If we are not careful, within five years, perhaps ten, there will be two distinct communions, neither of which will be recognizably Anglican.

For those who need proof...

...that I'm still alive, here is a photo of my recent ordination.

Blessed Christmas to All...

...And a happy New Year. The Dunlaps are spending Christmas together at home this year, deciding to delay our travel to the Northeast to visit family and friends until the summer (gasoline prices nothwithstanding).

Not much to update my readers on. It has been a terribly busy and tiring semester for me, and I am glad to be seeing the end of it now, though in just a few weeks a new semester will be starting! Added to the typical stress of academic administration is our institutional self-study for the accreditation visit in 2009, which may seem far off, but really it's not.

The kids are doing great. Our oldest boy has been receiving acceptance letters from various colleges, which means "decision time" for him. He's got some great options, but yikes! Have you all seen how much college is these days! Our daughter is busy as usual. Keeping up with her social calendar, both in school and at church, is a full-time job in itself! Finally, our youngest boy, ten years old, keeps us feeling young. Lately, he's had a sudden interest in football, which of course means less time playing video games!

My wife and I keep plugging away at the daily routine. Yet we're very hopeful of some significant changes in 2008. As they happen, and as I feel free to share them in this context, I will let you know.

Best wishes to all my friends and readers for the holidays. May God's love shine on you this Christmas and in the New Year.

Dan

Announcement

God willing the Right Reverend Rayford B. High, Jr. will ordain the Reverend Daniel Kirk Dunlap, Ph.D. to the Sacred Order of the Priesthood in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast Day of Saint Adrian of Canterbury, OSB, Abbot, Wednesday, January 9, 2008, Seven-thirty O’clock in the Evening at St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas.