Coalition Sees Pattern in Oxford Introduction

In the previous post, I discussed the deficiencies of “Introduction to the Anglican Covenant Debate,” a two-page document prepared for the Diocese of Oxford by Canon John Rees. The No Anglican Covenant has now issued a statement about “Introduction” and a news release discussing the statement.

The Coalition expresses disappointment with “Introduction,” but it also sees a pattern in its approach. Here is a paragraph from “Statement from the No Anglican Covenant Coalition Regarding Covenant Background Information Prepared for the Diocese of Oxford”:

The Oxford document is consistent with the general approach to promoting the Anglican Covenant in the Church of England by downplaying its significance while claiming that the survival of the Anglican Communion depends on its adoption. While the Church of England is preoccupied with issues such as women bishops, there is a serious risk that the Anglican Covenant will be adopted without adequate or informed debate about the document and the implications of its centralisation for the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. The consistent and erroneous depiction of the Anglican Covenant as largely meaningless and harmless only increases this risk. Comparable tactics were on display a few months ago in the Diocese of Lichfield, where pro-Covenant presenters were given extensive time to sell the Covenant prior to a short debate with alternating pro- and anti-Covenant speakers.

Read both the statement and news release in their entirety. The statement can be found on the Resources page of the Coalition’s Web site here. The news release can be found on the same page here.