Akinola's Reponse? Zzzzzzzz

Is this strong enough for our separatists?

It is remarkable that this rebuff is so...restrained, no? Compare it to Radner, Seitz, Noll and Harding--in fact, I think Akinola should just up and Ordain all of them right away to the Episcopacy so he can finally get better help writing these things. He's still around stateside, no? If he hurries, he can beat the 9/30 deadline. I know, I know--now that would really be alot of purple; but hey, I'm not issuing an ultimatum here, OK?

While we await a meeting of all the Primates to receive and determine the adequacy of The Episcopal Church’s response it seems clear from first reading that what is offered is not a whole hearted embrace of traditional Christian teaching and in particular the teaching that is expressed in Lambeth Resolution 1.10. [my boldface type]

We're waiting for all the Primates to meet to determine the adequacy of the HoB response--note the relatively moderate conciliar tone, admitting that he--Akinola--alone is unfit to make that type of determination. Consitent with that relatively irenic, conciliar tone he uses "seems" in rebuffing it, logically leaving open space for disagreement and error on his part.

Yes, there is some immoderate hyperbole thrown around, but this stuff is trivial, unconnected:

we have looked forward with hope to the response of The Episcopal Church as requested by the Primates when we met earlier in the year in Dar es Salaam. That request was the culmination of many conversations and years of painful negotiations [about four years]

It was our expressed desire to provide one final opportunity for an unequivocal assurance.... [I guess it's an ultimatum after all]

our pleas have once again been ignored [what a goofy thing to say: so obviously false]

we have been offered is merely a temporary adjustment in an unrelenting determination [as if the HoB were some homogeneous army marching in flawless lockstep; I'm reminded of old Soviet posters extolling factory workers to unrelenting labor]

In truth, though I'm fisking the hyperbole (I'm only kind of sorry), there isn't much of it and it is much milder than I expected: like a writer using too many adjectives. It's as if there is so little substance--c'mon, of all Scripture quotes to end on, John 14:21? Isn't there something better that couldn't be so easily appropriated by his opposition? Something a tad more concrete?--what little meat he can offer up has to be dressed up with these tawdry ribbons.

Should we just blame an unusually sleepy Minns and/or Sugden, and let Akinola off the hook?

But seriously, if this missive is indicative of things to come, we have turned the corner as a Communion and may look forward to better times. I can't help but think someone here or in the CoE will lean on Akinola/Minns/et al for something with a little more fire. But maybe the fix is in, and the Separatist/Realignment program has lost the allegiance of enough CoE evangelicals to have lost its leverage over Williams. That would be news. If true, how should we best use the time?