On Monday I sat down with Kevin Kallsen of the Anglican Unscripted podcast to discuss Charleston’s annual Mere Anglicanism conference. Themed “Speaking the Truth in Love: The Church and the Challenge of the New Morality,” it was a time rich in Anglican worship and teaching by theologians and scholars.
Mere Anglicanism also had provocative moments: in his address on Critical Theory, British commentator and clergyman Calvin Robinson wasted no time rolling the figurative grenade of women’s ordination down the aisle at the sold-out Charleston Music Hall (“ontologically impossible”), then condemned liberalism as sin, seemingly placing blame at the feet of Martin Luther.
I hope that our conversation is edifying to listeners. My overview of the Mere Anglicanism conference is published here.
UPDATE [1/23/2024]: The Rev. Jeffrey S. Miller has posted a note of clarification on the conference Facebook page: “For the concluding panel discussion of the 2024 Mere Anglicanism Conference, Father Calvin Robinson was pulled from participating not because of his views on women’s ordination, but because he failed to address in his plenary presentation the topic that was assigned to him. Father Robinson was not asked to leave the conference, but remained through its conclusion and was paid his full honorarium.”
UPDATE [1/24/2024]: South Carolina Bishop Chip Edgar has written to his diocese about the conference: “I do require, as a matter of godliness among us, that we always treat those with whom we disagree with love and charity and kindness. The kind of demeaning talk that marked the Revd Robinson’s presentation will not be countenanced.” Read Bishop Edgar’s full letter here.
Show Notes (download podcast audio here):
Mere Anglicanism Conference website
Fr. Calvin Robinson “Cancelled from Mere Anglicanism“
A Pastoral Letter from Bishop Chip Edgar
Comment by Katherine on January 23, 2024 at 2:46 pm
I have read Robinson’s transcript of his remarks. I don’t think he so much blamed Luther as pointed out that in Germany the church was splintered, unlike the English Reformation. Marx used the German individualism as a weapon to destroy the faith as well.
Whether one agrees with ordaining women as priests or not (I don’t), the organizer’s reaction makes it clear that although ACNA claims to have “two integrities” on the issue, in practical effect, the non-WO faction is being told to just shut up about it.
My REC rector was in attendance and says he was looking forward to what questions would be asked of Robinson in the Saturday morning forum. Instead, Robinson wasn’t on the panel.
Comment by Katherine on January 23, 2024 at 3:35 pm
And I have now listened to the entire video above. I attended an earlier Mere Anglicanism conference at which evolution and intelligent design were discussed. One speaker said forthrightly to this conservative Christian gathering that he believed humans had evolved, despite the presentations to the contrary. He was not disinvited from the question and answer forum so far as I know.
The basic disagreement here is that the conference organizer doesn’t think that feminism is included in the category of critical theory. Robinson disagrees, and so do I, if we’re talking of the feminism that eradicates all distinctions between male and female, and further treats females as an oppressed category and female ordination as a “justice” issue.
Thanks for this discussion.
Comment by Tim Ware on January 24, 2024 at 12:02 am
Robinson obviously committed a horrible offense by questioning the ordination of women. Such a transgression cannot be overlooked.
50 to 75 years from now, when the new “conservative” denominations have fully embraced LGBTQ…and they will…when they hold a symposium and someone dares question their obviously biblical new stance, they will be agast and will deplatform that speaker.
Comment by Jim on January 24, 2024 at 5:48 pm
Bishop Chip characterized Rev. Robinson’s language as “demeaning.” I read Rev. Calvin’s speech. Where was the “demeaning” part?
Comment by Lou on January 29, 2024 at 10:01 am
Example of ACNA future
https://www.incarnationanglican.org/our-team