He calls himself a bishop of the Anglican Church. He is the International Ecumenical Officer of The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches.
But who is Tony Palmer?
He was apparently ordained bishop by Robert Wise of The Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches http://www.theceec.org/index.html.
Tony Palmer is the founder of The Ark Community. http://thearkcommunity.org/who-we-are/
Why should I be interested in Tony Palmer. I should be interested in Tony Palmer because, apparently, Pope Francis is interested in Tony Palmer and on 14 January 2014 recorded a video message for his personal friend calling for unity in the church.
If you start watching this video, you may find it difficult to imagine that Pope Francis is going to make an appearance. But wait until 31:37 and indeed there is the Pope speaking to Tony Palmer from his private apartment in the Vatican.
In part the Pope says,
In the suburbs there are families that love each other and families that don’t love each other. Families who come together and families who separate themselves. We are kind of… permit me to say, separated. Separated because, it’s sin that has separated us, all our sins. The misunderstandings throughout history. It has been a long road of sins that we have all shared in.
Who is to blame?
We all share the blame. We have all sinned. There is only one blameless, the Lord. I am nostalgic that this separation comes to an end and gives us communion.
It is difficult to know quite what to make of this remarkable statement and the fact that it was offered by the Pope in the context of a Kenneth Copeland Ministries Conference through a man who, although he calls himself “an Anglican bishop” would not, I believe be recognized by many Anglicans as in fact part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
It is hard to keep up with the pace of changes taking place in the world and throughout the church. The Pope’s willingness to address a conference of leaders of Kenneth Copeland Ministries (http://www.kcm.org/) raises many questions.
What is an “Anglican” when the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church embraces and calls for church unity through Tony Palmer?
What does this remarkable statement from the Pope and the context in which it is given indicate about the church and the way forward for the unity of the church?
What are the implications for Anglicanism? Has Justin Welby met with Anglican bishop Tony Palmer? What does the Archbishop of Canterbury think about the fact that the Pope has entrusted this remarkable statement on church unity to Tony Palmer?
I would be intrigued to hear from anyone who feels they can explain all this to me.
In A Spacious Place 
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February 22, 2014 at 4:15 pm
robcrosbyshearer
I wonder – if we’re to look at this optimistically – if there isn’t something exciting here – even a Spirit-led convergence?
++Justin may be offended – but I don’t think he should be. It’s important to note that he did one of his first public talks after the announcement that he’d be Archbishop of Canterbury not in a Church of England parish – but at a Vineyard Church. Also, he recently invited the Roman Catholic (& charismatic-leaning) intentional community Chemin Neuf to be spiritual directors at Lambeth Palace.
This all might actually be a good thing. Perhaps this is even touched on in your post from the day before – that ‘hierarchical, bishop-centered, concerned with organizational control, and authoritarian” (and dare I add, established/historical) modes of ecumenism are less central than the once were – and that other, additional paths of connection and dialogue – be they relational and grassroots – are perhaps emerging and converging?
In the case of +Tony Palmer – I can’t say I’m a fan of the style of Kenneth and Gloria Copeland and the prosperity gospel they preach. Nor am I enthused about more and more Anglican break-away groups (or more denominations in general).
Still, I found most of his talk was actually pretty balanced and open (I’ve yet to listen to it all, but did do about 25 minutes) – and yearning for a deep unity (as was Pope Francis). And to say what Tony said in a room of prosperity charismatics even 10 or 15 years ago would have been impossible (ie the Pope=Anti-Christ in many of those traditions & sacraments = idolatry)
So I’m cautiously excited to see that someone whose ‘Anglicanism’ claims to engage and bring together the great streams of the Contemplative, Holiness, Charismatic,Social Justice, Evangelical & Sacramental & Liturgical traditions (as he says on the Ark website) – and that conversation is connecting with the highest echelons of Rome and the highest echelons of old school Pentecostals!
Heck, who know’s where and how the wind of the Holy Spirit blows?
February 22, 2014 at 4:20 pm
tressbackhouse
I only survived one minute of the video!So i did not hear what pope Francis had to say.T
The bible is the authority in the religion which we follow .and gives us an authoritative background for our study and acceptance.
St john said” Let not your heart be troubled, You believe in God? believe also in me. In my house are many Mansions:if it were not so I would have told you.
Even this , I realise can be interpreted in many ways , but it carries more weight with me than one Tony Palmer and even His Holiness the Pope , for whom I have considerable respect .
February 23, 2014 at 7:34 am
jaqueline
thought 1:
Oh my gosh Tony Palmer is really Liberace back from the drag.
thought 2:
The Pope is so serious about unity that he is reaching out from and to the absolute extremes of the Christian duality continuum
February 24, 2014 at 1:50 pm
bobmacdonald
Good questions, Christopher. I, I, I, I don’t want to begin this response with that word ‘I’. But – I made it through the whole thing and even watched again the parts that I skipped the first time. Am I only suspicious of the southern drawl! That’s not fair. I responded without prejudice to both Palmer’s remarks and the naivety of the simple Italian from Pope Francis. I was curious about the metaphorical use of Elijah and Joseph, but neither was poorly applied and both were used without specific identification of any aspect of either story with power. Rather they were used to encourage turning of hearts and reconciliation.
I am not only cautious about the southern drawl in its call to my spirit, but I am cautious about prosperity – though I prosper. Prosperity is promised repeatedly (in short order I would bring their enemies to heel, Psalms 81:14-15 Hebrew numbering) – but – but – but it is not a prosperity for the individual at the expense of others. Some of the folks at the conference have laid their property and selves at risk (to use a very human word). And now what do they have? Power for themselves? Let it not be so simple. A Spirit of power and self-control – perhaps I can accept that sense from the Pastoral epistles. Do they now have accountants and offices with bottom lines? Probably – to manage the taxes on the private jets, but they may think with greater risk than some organizations. Risk is also an old Arabic word that includes the concept of the entrepreneurial earning of one’s ‘daily bread’. (so I am told – I could not find a Hebrew or Aramaic equivalent). The reading of ‘daily bread’ in the Lord’s prayer is a unique reading, a word in the Greek that is ‘without ancestors or progeny’, to be read ‘maridly’, and which no one understands, but perhaps bread with the spice of the eschaton in it. That word questions our ability to give meaning to a phrase, to explain it, and by explpaining it, take power over it.
I questioned, while walking with my wife, whether the Pope could handle this outreach through his friend Tony Palmer from South Africa who, working in Italy and then Argentina, met Bergolio and accepted him as his ‘father’ – one of three. I questioned this and promptly walked into a branch. My wife asked me to repeat the question, but I said (since she had none of the background fermenting in my mind) that I had my answer in the shape of the branch in my face that I had walked into.
It is not mine to judge where the wind will blow. And we would do well to consider how it is that we believe and so take risks together.
February 24, 2014 at 11:30 pm
Lindsay
Bob, your excellent and vivid description of your encounter with the branch has me chuckling … I can totally picture the shock on your face … and switching mental gears and empathize … the universe has a funny way of doing that to me too. Thanks for the giggle … 🙂