The inaugural “Mere Anglicanism” conference was held Jan. 19-21 at the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul in Charleston, S.C. Approximately 250 gathered to hear Dr. Os Guinness deliver three talks on “Third Mission to the West: Opportunities and Challenges in Winning Back our Civilization,” and the Rev. Stephen Noll of Uganda Christian University speak on “Global Anglicanism: A Blueprint.” Both addresses were later discussed by panels of respected academicians, clergy, and active laity. The conference was dedicated to the memory of Diane Knippers, the late president of the Institute for Religion and Democracy.

Dr. Guinness, a well-known author, speaker and Episcopalian, addressed the considerable challenges faced by the Church in a world increasingly marked by free markets, free elections, and free consumer choices. Instant communication and information availability, massive engines of wealth creation, and unprecedented mobility are producing world-wide freedom, health improvements and higher standards of living while at the same time causing individual atomization, dissolution of old certainties, great losses of basic trust, and an emerging blight of sex slavery – particularly in areas of Asia. Given its advantages as the greatest global religion, with an unparalleled record of charity and concern, the Church stands poised to minister in a uniquely powerful way to the globalized world, yet has significant challenges to overcome, not least that of re-evangelizing Western Europe and America.

Fr. Noll, an Episcopal priest canonically resident in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, spoke more specifically to the circumstances of the world-wide Anglican Communion, offering a proposed blueprint for the new covenant proposed in the Windsor Report.

“Mere Anglicanism” is the brainchild of the Rt. Rev. C. FitzSimons Allison, former professor at Sewanee and Virginia Seminary, and retired Bishop of South Carolina, who, along with a small steering committee comprised of the Very Rev. William McKeachie (dean of the Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul), Sarah Hey (president of Sanctuary in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina), and the Rev. Dr. R. William Dickson (rector of St. Andrew’s, Fort Worth, Texas), has gathered a group of intellectuals to form a sort of “theological think tank,” to provide tools and resources to disciple, train, and educate lay and clergy leaders. Chief among these resources are annual conferences. Additional gatherings, publications, and other resources are being developed. According to Bishop Allison, “Our concern in Mere Anglicanism is the unity of the Church which must be grounded in the Christian faith, now widely denied within and without the churches. We hope to recover, guard, and proclaim the great treasure of the Christian faith as has been received by the Anglican Church.”

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