Wales Commission Urges Covenant Adoption

The Doctrinal Commission of the Church in Wales recently published a 12-page briefing paper on the Covenant. Much of the paper is devoted to describing the Covenant. The description might be said to be seen through rose-colored glasses. The Commission finally concludes:

The Doctrinal Commission of the Church in Wales commends the Anglican Communion Covenant to the Governing Body of the Church in Wales. We regard it as a theologically coherent description of the nature of the Church and the form of the Christian life as expressed in Scripture and Church tradition. The Covenant falls within a discernable trajectory in the development of Anglican identity.

Apparently, however, the views of Commission members were not uniform, judging from the final paragraph of the paper:

Most members of the Commission welcome the Covenant, regarding it as an opportunity to deal more clearly with the many tensions that have beset the Anglican Communion in recent years. Some would rather the Covenant were clearer concerning the consequences of fractured relations. Other members of the Commission express some reservations concerning the Covenant, pointing out that, of itself, it solves none of our difficulties. Much depends on the way in which the Covenant is received and lived. Properly used, the processes outlined in the Covenant should assist this process of discerning the work of the Spirit within the Anglican Communion. However, this will only be possible if a conscious effort is made to foster proper lines of communication and deeper bonds of friendship across the Communion. However, the Covenant is an attempt to describe and clarify the nature of our mutual commitments and the form of life required to begin the process of discernment towards deeper communion and a more intense participation in the life of God made known in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Seemingly, there are some big ifs here. In any case, “An Anglican Communion Covenant: A Briefing Paper” has been added to the Resources page of the No Anglican Covenant Web site.