The Episcopal Church and the Proposed Anglican Covenant: A Case of Aggressive Disproportion

It is no secret that the bishops who assembled at Lambeth were asked to complete a survey soliciting their views on the proposed Anglican Covenant.  It is now no secret, based upon public statements made by TEC Bishops, that, while most American bishops may favor some version of the first two sections of the proposed covenant, they oppose the third section and the appendix.  Here are outlined the likely consequences should a Province exceed the limits of diversity generally accepted by the Communion as a whole. Opposition to the appendix indicates that the Episcopal Church (TEC) espouses a minimalist view of the requirements of communion"”one that emphasizes relations of hospitality and mutual aid but down plays or utterly avoids issues of common belief and practice. The future of Anglicanism as a communion of churches that holds in tension both Catholic and Protestant concerns will be determined by the sort of covenant that in the end will be ratified.  Considerable pressure is being exerted on the Covenant Design Group (scheduled to meet at the end of this week) to produce a covenant proposal that says little or nothing about the consequences of going beyond the accepted views of the Communion about the limits of diversity.  If the Covenant Design Group accedes to these pressures, it is our belief that Anglicanism will cease to exist as a credible form of Catholic Christianity and will become little more than a Federation of utterly independent churches. Given the seriousness of the moment, we believe it important to set out certain facts so that the Covenant Design Group can take them fully into consideration. Some 200 bishops were absent from the recent conference, the majority of whom decided not to come in protest over TEC's actions in the matter of Gene Robinson.  As a result, a significant portion of the Communion will not play a part in the survey of Episcopal opinion.  Needless to say, the absent bishops are more than likely to favor real consequences in cases where a Province crosses the boundary of acceptable diversity. Though TEC is one of the smaller provinces of the communion in terms of numbers, its bishops made up roughly ¼ of the bishops who attended the recent Lambeth Conference.  In light of the absence of so many bishops who oppose TEC's recent actions and in light of the disproportion between the number of TEC bishops (over 100) and the actual number of TEC members (roughly 2,000,000), one must conclude that the results of any survey of the assembled bishops will be dangerously skewed in TEC's favor. In this respect, it is important to note that while it is one thing for the Covenant Design Group to be (rightly) concerned about neglecting small regions (like Wales or Scotland) it is quite another for a small numerical region like that of TEC to have a significantly disproportionate percentage of registered views.  A result such as this can in no way be taken to express the mind of the Communion. Finally, there is a problem with the Covenant Design Group itself.  We believe that a very genuine and successful effort was mounted to ensure that the make up of the Committee is balanced.  However, the balance achieved does not reflect the numerical realities of the Communion as a whole.  The gap between global North and global South is particularly noticeable. So, for example, if it is indeed the case that 75% of the Anglican Communion favors limitations on diversity and accountability mechanisms for those pursuing autonomous practices, it remains a fact that this proportion is not represented on the Committee which is charged with designing the Covenant for all. We find these facts on the ground troubling, to say the least.  A covenant that carries no consequences for those who ratify it but fail to abide by its requirements certainly has no basis in Holy Scripture; and it certainly will not pass the test of realism and effectiveness.  Yet given TEC's disproportionate Episcopal numbers and financial resources (some $72,000,000 in Trinity Wall Street accounts alone) there is a real danger that what amounts to a "toothless" covenant will be presented to the Provinces for ratification. It is our hope and prayer that the political and financial pressures emanating from North America, and particularly from TEC, will be viewed for what they are"”pressures exerted by a financially powerful but numerically weak Province that exhibits a strong sense of 'right' and 'autonomy' but a weak sense of what it means to be part of a communion of churches that stretches throughout the world.  It is our hope and prayer that the Covenant Design Group will take these facts into consideration and in so doing present the communion with a covenant proposal that is both theologically sound and effective.  Only in this way will Anglicanism as a communion of churches be preserved. It should also be added, in conclusion, that we have never understood the covenant to be a form of prosecution for excluding dioceses, provinces, or individuals. The Covenant is the mechanism by which Anglicans will decide that they wish to exist in full Communion, whilst others for reasons of conviction will, by virtue of those convictions and that choosing, decide they will exist in a more attenuated relationship. This is what the covenant process is about. At issue is a just way to see the Communion bring such a covenant to form.  Then decisions can properly be made about the character of life in Communion.