More blogging and op-ed pieces about the Covenant, especially from England. General Synod will be convening soon and this will be high on the agenda.

Paul Bagshaw: “What is the Covenant for?”

Bishop Alan Wilson: “Will the Covenant kill or cure?”

Some statistics on the covenant and other Anglican matters from the Simply Massing Priest

From the Modern Church:

This reveals their main dilemma: how to produce a text which on the one hand is forceful enough impose its demands on the provinces, but on the other will persuade them to sign it. Their solution is to present the Covenant as an entirely voluntary agreement which does not affect a province’s governance or autonomy. Provinces signing it would, as before, act as they wished – so long as no other province objected. Once the Standing Committee upheld an objection, it would impose ‘relational consequences’, which would generally mean treating them like non-signatories.

And more (written for the Church of England)

How would it affect my church?

• It would become more backward-looking. All changes would have to be justified either by biblical texts or church law.
• It would become more inward-looking. It would have to give priority to its relations with Anglican churches in other parts of the world, at the expense of responding to the needs of its own people.
• It would increase interference from outside. Those who want to interfere with the actions of other provinces would be handed a formal procedure for doing so.
• It would make the church more centralised and hierarchical. The Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion would have power over the system of government each province currently has.
• It would restrict options in parishes. Increasingly we would find that we are being told from above which beliefs and norms are permitted to Anglicans.
• It would hinder ecumenical relations. Local initiatives would in effect be subject to veto by provinces in other parts of the world who know nothing of the local situation.
• Would the Church of England be different from other provinces? In principle, no. But as the mother church it has great influence. If the Church of England’s General Synod votes against it, it will probably not be a viable proposition.