Disciplining TEC vs. New Province: What's our focus?

There has been tremendous gloom and doom on many of the reasserting blogs regarding the events in Tanzania. Quite frankly, I’m pleased about it. This may sound as a bizarre statement from a reasserter and yet I am emphatic about it. I have been extremely disturbed by the fact that so many bloggers have been looking to the meeting as the meeting where TEC is gonna git the whoopping it deserves! It’s a bit of a sadistic streak which has suddenly blossomed and I for one hate it.

I have been anxiously awaiting Tanzania in the expectation that this meeting will lay down the foundation for 1) an orthodox province in North America and 2) a covenant which will hold each Province accountable to each other, thereby forever preventing the actions of TEC at GC2003 from every occurring without AC consent.

While many other reasserters have also ascribed to this hope, many have been duped into a different agenda: that of insuring that TEC is punished for their WR non-compliance. Many reasserters have been actively advocating for the expulsion of TEC from the AC in a rather irrational manner. Thus, this sub-group report on TEC’s response to WR has been received by them with tremendous dismay.

A wonderful analysis of the ABC’s role in this report has been prepared by Craig Uffman, a gifted student at Duke Divinity School. I encourage all to read the report on the T19 website. I think it may help many of us take our focus off TEC and get us back on track focusing our prayers and energies in the effort to seek the creation of an orthodox province and a covenant.

I think that those who believe that in due time, TEC will walk away from the AC when it finds it can not assent to the new convenant, are correct in their analysis. Perhaps, they will be wrong. In either case, it seems to me that our hope and efforts must be for a new province. Of course, we may not get it. In that case, our eyes will then focus on whether or not, the Global South Primates are true to their theological positions and walk away from the AC. Failure to do so will have tremendous credibility and integrity implications for these Primates. May the Holy Spirit bring conviction into all our hearts during this difficult time.