Anglican Covenant 101

The No Anglican Covenant has issued a one-page primer on the proposed Covenant. Described as opposing the proposal while presenting “a fair but critical view,” A Short Introduction to the Anglican Covenant can be downloaded in letter-size format at http://noanglicancovenant.org.

Outlining the history and likely effects of an Anglican Covenant, the document comes in response to requests for a concise explanation of the proposal and to “the lack of even-handed discussions of the Covenant from official sources,” said a coalition press release.

“Most of the study material that has been produced to date has been designed for readers already familiar with the background and issues involved,” said the Rev. Dr. Lesley Fellowes, the coalition’s U.K.-based moderator. “This brief, plain-language explanation is intended to help ordinary Anglicans worldwide to understand what is being proposed.”

Added the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Rev. Canon Hugh Magee, the coalition’s convenor in Scotland, “Many people have complained that the official study material from the Anglican Communion Office has lacked balance and has failed to take seriously the concerns of Covenant critics.”

Magee added that recent Canadian study material on the issue “has taken a more realistic view.”