Walking Apart

Last Friday, at the meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion near Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, seven archbishops refused to receive Holy Communion with their fellows due to the presence of the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. These lofty princes in purple, led by Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola, cited rubrics from the Book of Common Prayer as the reason for the snub:

Ye that do truly and earnestly repent you of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbours, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in his holy ways; Draw near with faith

The Rev. Br. Tobias S. Haller, BSG, has an excellent blog entry up entitled Those Who Walk Apart, which clearly explains:

the utter inversion of the principles of repentance and forgiveness (that is, it is only in one's own power to repent and forgive -- to demand either of others is not a Gospel value!)

contained in the "reasoning" of these appallingly self-righteousness church leaders.