Will Orthodox Anglicans Please Stand Up?

An assessment on women's ordination and the future of Anglicanism in North America.

Recently, controversy struck the Mere Anglicanism conference when notable Catholic priest, Fr. Calvin Robinson was disinvited mid-event for his opposition toward women’s ordination (the universally held position of the Church). Though some have claimed that this was not the reason for the cancelation, all available evidence suggests that this was, at the very least, a very strong reason for the decision to bar Fr. Calvin from further participation.

Despite this lack of transparency on the part of the event organizers, it has become abundantly clear to orthodox Anglicans in North America that all is not well within the ACNA. A profound sickness is growing, one rooted within the very structure and founding of the province.

Many of us, myself included, have looked to the ACNA as a symbol of orthodoxy in contrast with the American Episcopal Church and other apostate Anglican groups in North America. The rise of GAFCON has been a huge encouragement that godly leaders still exist and are willing to defend the Catholic religion on a global scale. 

Sadly, it appears that this hope has potentially been misplaced. Not only has the ACNA tolerated women’s ordination within its very ecclesial structure, it has also (increasingly) taken a stand against those who oppose it—with Fr. Calvin being the prime example. 

Most striking about the particular cancelation of Fr. Calvin was its public nature. A simple conversation regarding the conference’s displeasure with Fr. Calvin would have been appropriate, even if wrongly motivated. However, to disinvite him during the event tells me that this action was meant to be made public. It was not supposed to be a quiet and discreet affair. It was intended to communicate to North American Anglicans within the ACNA that those who openly condemn women’s ordination will not be tolerated in the public square. 

The “duel integrities” position in the ACNA has rightly been understood as a canonical reality that recognizes the authority of a bishop over his diocese. However, it is slowly being redefined as an ecumenical term meant to safeguard women’s ordination from open criticism. Clergy and laity are essentially being asked, by a misuse of this term, to keep their disagreements to themselves and simply “coexist” with female “priestesses.” This is how woke ideology spreads: under the banner of deceitful collegiality. 

As for me, I say “no more” to this nonsense. Can heresy exist alongside orthodoxy? Can error stand next to the truth? Can the Catholic faith change its very ecclesiastical structure? God forbid! Toleration of heterodoxy is bad enough; Shutting down those who stand in the Great Tradition of the Catholic Church is quite another. 

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So now I ask: will the real orthodox Anglicans please stand up? Where are our leaders who have the boldness of St. Athanasius? Are there no clergy willing to die to the cultural agenda of the day? What about the laity? Will we continue our complacent “live and let live” attitude, damning ourselves by continuing in deafening silence? Or will we proclaim the truth boldly, holding our leaders accountable to their vow to uphold the faith once and for all delivered? 

Fr. Calvin has pointed out that we stand at a crossroads—a crossroads between orthodoxy and heresy. He is correct. The world wants to pursue unity through relativism. The ACNA is attempting this approach as well. The only problem is that this is not an option for the Church. She can only pursue unity through truth. The only path forward, therefore, is the path that remains faithful to Christ, leaving absolutely no room for heresy to coexist with orthodoxy. 

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As an orthodox Anglican, I believe the first step to change is admitting that the ACNA is not the united province that we had hoped it was. Instead, it is a collection of dioceses in broken communion. Simply slapping a provincial name on it doesn’t automatically make it a united institution. Only universal fidelity to truth can do that. Anything else is, frankly, a demonic compromise. Hope remains, but certainly not within any province that tolerates women’s ordination.

It is with this in mind that I praise God for the faithfulness of the G3 Anglicans, the APCK, the REC, and the handful of orthodox Anglican dioceses within the ACNA—including my own Missionary Society of Saint John the Evangelist (MSJ). These jurisdictions, dioceses, and societies have not bowed the knee to the culture and for that, we should rejoice.

However, if we continue on as things are, content with the simple thought of existing within these pockets of orthodoxy, global Anglicanism will suffer, especially here in North America. We need a united North American province. That is a non-negotiable. I do not think it is too much to say that the future of Anglicanism as a Catholic expression of the faith is dependent upon this. This is why the ACNA, as an idea, is profoundly attractive.

We must thus move toward the necessary goal of a united province, but one without compromise, not simply for our own sake, but for the sake of the broader Church. If we as Anglicans desire ecumenical dialogue with Rome, the various Eastern churches, and other catholic jurisdictions, we must unite around the faith once and for all delivered, speaking out against those who upset that center of gravity. If we do not do this, we disqualify ourselves. I truly believe that we can correct our current course. However—and I say this with certainty—if we fail to boldly stand against the heresy in our midst, we will fall into the dark recesses of history as all groups who embrace heresy have.

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As a real and lasting solution, I truly believe that the differences between the G3, APCK, REC, and orthodox ACNA dioceses are not substantial enough to warrant the current divisions that we find ourselves in. Though I am only a postulant to Holy Orders, I wish to call these jurisdictions to seriously consider what steps can be taken to form one province. Our future as North American Anglicans could very well be dependent upon this joining together.

At the end of the day, God requires the faithfulness of his people. We will be judged by our works, by that which we have done and that which we have left undone. Let it not be said of us that we kept silent when we needed to speak. Let it not be said of us that we chose complacency when action was required. Let it not be said that where true unity was possible, we chose sectarian tribalism.

May we choose courage and catholicity. 

St. Athanasius, pray for us!