Category: News

Our Ambassador for Anglican & Ecumenical Affairs Responds

Bp. Keith Ackerman responds to the statement by the Bishop of Maidstone

This is one of the saddest ecclesial stories to have occurred.  This is an excellent “Evangelical” response with the Anglo-Catholic response having been posted several days ago.  (Not all Evangelicals keep us Anglo-Catholics in the loop.). The point is – if anyone wants to see how a hammered out agreement is implemented – here it is.  As long as a Bishop believes that the “ordination” of women is a matter of Doctrinal Truth and that other Biblical principles are also irrelevant – and subject to a vote – this is what happens.

Bp. North is a highly energetic Bishop, who as Administrator of our Anglican Shrine (Our Lady of Walsingham) brought vibrancy, youth, and spectacular plans for evangelization. He was appointed and then consecrated a Bishop (suffragan) and was recently appointed to Sheffield to be the Ordinary.  This is a tragic day for all of us Catholics in the Anglican world – but it is a defining moment.  The  C of E “deed” of 1992 and the later “deed” of two years ago has produced a fourth order of ministry, in my opinion:

Bishops, Priests, Deacons, and Ordained women.  It has now come home to roost in the UK.  In fact – this is what will effectively end our ecumenical relationships with other Catholic Communions such as Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy.  We had always claimed that we simply were Catholic priests or bishops or deacons serving in the Anglican Communion.  The reason was clear – we simply received the Catholic Orders without alteration, as have the Roman Catholic Church, some Old Catholics, and the Orthodox.  In the last few decades we saw the alterations, and yet we struggled to find a place where we could mutually coexist.  I think the sad situation in Sheffield brings further to the light the struggles that Faithful Catholic Anglicans have in having tried to work from within.

There are very many conclusions one may reach – but one of the points to be made is that reform within an ecclesial institution is usually destined to failure unless your name is St. Francis.  For those who know me, you know that I do not believe that Anglicanism is a Protestant Denomination, nor that it was founded in modern Church history in the 16th century, but that it is a continuation of the Catholic Faith that made its way to the British Isles.  But undeniably, Protestant behavior, (we can vote on just about anything) has become the mode in several Provinces.  I counsel priests (wearing my other hat) who are in the larger Communions (Rome, Orthodoxy, Old Catholic, etc) and they clearly are not exempt from numerous challenges and distress within their Communions.  I have also counseled a few Protestant ministers who are distressed with what they see in their church jurisdictions.

More prayer…………..less complaints………..more action………more teaching…..more compassion for those who fight for Truth – wherever they may be serving.  I fear that too many of us see the Church like a talent show, where we sit as judges assigning scores for Orthodoxy.  We need to get out from behind the Judges Desk…..and make a difference.   When I allegedly retired, I tried to give up Social Media, emails, and meetings so that I could be free to teach, write, and work with those who want to make a difference – even if they do so in unfamiliar ways to me (I am starting to learn some evangelical speak as a second language.). But the problems we are encountering are not Anglican or Roman or Orthodox or Protestant problems or sins or challenges.  Satan is interdenominational and interfaith, and he is really enjoying himself.

In Christ,
Bp. Keith L. Ackerman, SSC

FIF-UK’s Statement

See of Sheffield

Forward in Faith wishes to echo all that the bishops of The Society have said in their statement following the announcement of Bishop Philip North’s decision to withdraw acceptance of his nomination to the See of Sheffield.

We are grateful to those of different views from our own, including many female clergy, who have publicly expressed support for his nomination and for the Five Guiding Principles and the House of Bishops’ Declaration. In particular, we wish to express our gratitude to those female bishops who have honourably defended the settlement that was agreed in 2014. As they have emphasized, the continued possibility of traditional catholics being chosen as diocesan bishops was an integral part of that settlement: the House of Bishops’ Declaration imposes no stained-glass ceiling on mutual flourishing.

In the coming weeks, we shall be considering what action now needs to be taken – and by whom – to restore confidence in the House of Bishops’ Declaration, and to correct definitively the false statements that have been made about the Declaration, the Five Guiding Principles, and the beliefs of traditional catholics. We hope that this can be done in partnership with those who bear responsibility for the Church of England at national level.

We envisage making a further statement in due course.

+TONY WAKEFIELD
The Rt Revd Tony Robinson
Chairman

LINDSAY NEWCOMBE
Dr Lindsay Newcombe
Lay Vice-Chairman

ROSS NORTHING
The Revd Ross Northing SSC
Clerical Vice Chairman

The Archbishop of York’s statement is published here.

 

Bp. Ackerman Speaks on Temptation and Sin

Bp. Ackerman speaks on Quad-Cities Radio on the themes of Lent based on Luke 4:1-13.  Check it out here!

The Temptation of Jesus

1And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness 2for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days; and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’” 5And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7“Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” 9And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10for it is written,
‘HE WILL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,’

11and,
‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,
LEST YOU STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’”

12And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

13And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.