Anglicanism in New Zealand - can it survive?

Below is a letter from David Pickering in response to other letters by JS Fisher, an Anglican Priest, in the Christchurch Press. The point of putting it here is that it clearly states the foundations of Anglicanism and suggests that they are being radically challenged by some. The question I have is are there those in the younger generations who really care anymore about the foundations of the church who will stand up and say so? Has the modern propensity of living for the now with scant regard for the past so infused the church, that Anglicanism as it has been for generations is all but dead in the water and at the mercy of those with the most political power to push it where they will?


Dear Sir,

The Christian church has from its inception been firmly based on the revelation given in Scripture. The doctrines enshrined in Scripture have eternal verity that may not be twisted to meet the convenience of a later age. This is firmly entrenched in Anglican Canon Law. The unhappiness that the Anglican Church is experiencing at present is not, as J S Fisher claims, the result of a small group of questionably loyal church members who want to impose their will on the church. The unhappiness is because some Anglican Church authorities have wilfully moved outside the church’s mandate. Latimer Fellowship, which Mr(s) Fisher vilifies, is but one of many voices calling the church to order.

The declaration by Anglican clergy of their willingness to obey their appointed superior is dependent on that superior acting within the generally recognised regulations of the church. What do loyal Anglican congregations and clergy do when their bishop or diocese moves outside the church’s heritage? They try to call these authorities back to the church’s orthodoxy. Which is precisely what many of us are trying to do.


Yours faithfully,

David Pickering.


my PS -some useful links:
39 Articles of the Anglican Church
NZ Canon Law