New at The Beaty Beat: Can women thrive in the ACNA?

If you’ve been paying attention to developments in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), you may surmise that the relatively young denomination, composed of more than 1,000 theologically orthodox churches across the country, is facing some growing pains. Last November, its archbishop was suspended over allegations of sexual misconduct as well as bullying and plagiarism. The suspension played out against the backdrop of a years-long crisis involving the ACNA’s response to sexual abuse. Ongoing rancor on social media reveal larger cultural divisions that follow broader patterns of American polarization, from which no church body is immune.

Last week, after a small group of ACNA folks raised concerns online over a webinar titled “Imago Dei in the Church: Fostering Healthy Christian Communities free from Sexism and Abuse,” the provincial office canceled the event. In response, ANCA clergy and congregations formed a new webinar, which is tonight (February 26) at 8pm ET. According to Esau McCaulley, one of the organizers, the webinar has garnered more than 600 registrations at the time of this writing (link is included in the Substack).

Back in 2009, when the ACNA was formed, I wondered aloud whether women’s ordination would be the issue that cracked open the denomination. But according to today’s guest writer, Hannah Miller King , focusing on women’s ordination is oversimplifying things when it comes to promoting women’s flourishing and preventing abuse. I’m grateful that King, associate rector of an ACNA congregation in North Carolina and the author of the new book Feasting on Hope, leant her wisdom in a moment when some people are wondering if the ACNA is a place where women can flourish.