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March 14, 2008
Communiqué from GAFCON leadership meeting - 12 March 2008
We met in England as the leadership team of the Global Anglican Future Conference and Jerusalem Pilgrimage from March 10-12, 2008 and were encouraged by the support and enthusiasm of bishops, clergy and lay leaders around the Anglican Communion who have welcomed GAFCON and expressed their desire to attend.
Communiqué from GAFCON leadership meeting - 12 March 2008
Global South Anglican
We met in England as the leadership team of the Global Anglican Future Conference and Jerusalem Pilgrimage from March 10-12, 2008 and were encouraged by the support and enthusiasm of bishops, clergy and lay leaders around the Anglican Communion who have welcomed GAFCON and expressed their desire to attend.
We affirmed that the goals of GAFCON are to:
1. Provide an opportunity for fellowship to continue to experience and proclaim the transforming love of Christ.
2. Develop a renewed understanding of our identity as Anglican Christians within our current context.
3. Prepare for an Anglican future in which the Gospel is uncompromised and Christ-centered mission a top priority.
We received reports from our various task forces involved in logistics support and program development and are grateful for the remarkable progress already made. We are confident that our time together in the Holy Land will be one of great blessing for the wider Christian community, a positive witness of Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour and anticipation of our future as Anglican Christians.
Archbishop Peter J. Akinola
On behalf of the Leadership Team.
12th March, 2008
Posted by latimer at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)
Gay bishop declines official conference invitation
The gay bishop, Gene Robinson, whose consecration threatened to destabilise the Anglican church has declined an official invitation to a once-a-decade gathering of the world's bishops and accused the Archbishop of Canterbury of cutting him "out of the herd".
Gay bishop declines official conference invitation
Riazat Butt, religious affairs correspondent
Wednesday March 12 2008
The gay bishop whose consecration threatened to destabilise the Anglican church has declined an official invitation to a once-a-decade gathering of the world's bishops and accused the Archbishop of Canterbury of cutting him "out of the herd".
Gene Robinson, of New Hampshire, said he would not be attending the Lambeth conference in a formal capacity because he felt he would be unable to play a meaningful or substantial role. Although he will still be present, he said the organisers had limited his participation so severely that their invitation constituted a "non-offer".
He told a spring gathering of the US Episcopal Church House of Bishops: "In my most difficult moments it feels as if, instead of leaving the 99 sheep in search of the one, my chief pastor and shepherd, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has cut me out of the herd."
Conservatives and liberals have accused Dr Rowan Williams of being indecisive on the issue of homosexuality and the church. He has also been under fire, from both sides, over the extent of Robinson's participation at Lambeth. Robinson acknowledged the predicament, saying he had "respect and sympathy" for Williams. He said that his attempt to attend Lambeth had started almost a year ago when the organisers rang him days before official invitations were sent out. Episcopal officials also pressed Chris Smith, chief of staff at Lambeth Palace, and Canon Kenneth Kearon, from the Communion office, to allow Robinson to take part in worship and study groups.
The London team rejected their proposals, however, responding with a counter-offer confining him to the Marketplace, a public area that will host fringe groups and commercial stalls, and one high profile event.
Posted by latimer at 11:52 AM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2008
Why I'm going to Israel - Archbishop Peter Jensen
A Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) is planned for June 2008. I want those ... to know what this is about and why I am involved.
Why I'm going to Israel
Archbishop Peter Jensen
4 February 2008
Global Anglican Future Conference is planned for June 2008. I want those in the fellowship of our Diocese to know what this is about and why I am involved.
In 1998, the Lambeth Conference made it clear that the leaders of the overwhelming majority of Anglicans world-wide maintained the biblical view of sexual ethics – that sexual relationships are reserved for marriage between a man and a woman. Five years later, however, actions were taken in Anglican Churches both in Canada and the United States of America which officially transgressed these boundaries in defiance of the Bible’s authority.
The American actions impacted churches all around the world. In particular the churches of the Global South had to own the name ‘Anglican’ while living in societies where the actions of the Americans was condemned by all, especially Muslims. The action of some North Americans severely hurt the witness of these churches. It also hindered the good effect that membership of the Anglican Communion has for those who live in a situation where Christians are in a minority.
Since 2003, patient attempts have been made to call the offending North Americans back to biblical standards. Many American Anglicans are now more aware of the distress which their actions have caused others, and regret this impact. At the same time, however, others have condemned attempts by Global South Bishops to provide ministry for the orthodox Christians who still wish to be Anglican, but cannot continue to do so in the fellowship of the American churches. Individuals, parishes and even dioceses have left the original church, becoming associated with other dioceses in other parts of the world, and with new bishops being appointed from overseas to care for the disaffected.
Such has been the fall-out that it is now clear that we will never go back to being the Communion which we once were. There has been a permanent change. We live in a new world. Some American Anglicans are as committed to their new sexual ethics as to the gospel itself, and they intend to act as missionaries for this faith, wishing to persuade the rest of us. The problems posed by the American church are not going to remain in North America. This means that the rest of the Anglican world must be vigilant to guard the teaching and interpretation of scripture. How are we going to help each other remain true to the authority of God’s word? How are we going to help each other to preach the gospel of God’s transforming power and grace? These matters require urgent attention.
The next Lambeth Conference has been summoned for July-August 2008. The Archbishop of Canterbury is responsible for the guest list, and he has invited all except for the Bishop of New Hampshire on the one hand and some of the new bishops appointed to care for the dissidents on the other. Thus, for example the Bishop of New Westminster has been invited although his actions have caused the Reverend David Short and his congregation (which includes Dr Jim Packer) to withdraw as far as they can from the Diocese. An invitation to share the Conference under these circumstances has posed a real difficulty for many of us.
Several African Provinces have indicated that they will not be attending Lambeth, because to do so would be to acquiesce with the North American actions. They are not ending the Anglican Communion, or even dividing it. They are simply indicating that the nature of the Communion has now been altered by what has occurred. They see that since the American actions were taken in direct defiance of the previous Lambeth Conference, the Americans have irreparably damaged the standing of the Conference itself. They asked without success for the Conference to be postponed. They do not think that this Conference is what is needed now. To attend would be to overlook the importance of the issues at stake.
The Anglican Future Conference is not designed to take the place of Lambeth. Some people may well choose to go to both. Its aim is to draw Biblical Anglican Christians together for urgent consultation. It is not a consultation which can take place at Lambeth, because Lambeth has a different agenda and far wider guest list. Unlike Lambeth, the Future Conference is not for Bishops alone – the invitations will go to clergy and lay people also. It seeks to plan for a future in which Anglican Christians world-wide will increasingly be pressured to depart from the biblical norms of behaviour and belief. It gives an opportunity for many to draw together to strengthen each other over the issue of biblical authority and interpretation and gospel mission.
I am hoping that we will also see Sydney laypersons and clergy in attendance with our bishops. We must look to the future, and network with Anglican Christians from around the globe who share our fundamental trust in the authority of God’s word. We have much to learn from them and they can benefit from our fellowship also. I hope that you will pray for the Conference and support our decision to attend.
Posted by latimer at 12:13 PM | Comments (0)
December 07, 2007
Gene Robinson announces he is to be “married” in June 2008, days before the Lambeth Conference
“I always wanted to be a June bride,” said Bishop Gene Robinson
Gene Robinson announces he is to be “married” in June 2008, days before the Lambeth Conference
December 5th, 2007 Posted in Lambeth Conference |
Priscilla Greear U/Miami News Service
December 4, 2007
Anglican Mainstream UK
Robinson spoke at a conference on sex, morality and the law at Nova Southeastern’s law school. (Source:Nova Southeastern Shepard Broad Law Center) The nation’s first openly gay Episcopal bishop told a crowd of about 200 that come June he’s marching down the aisle with his longtime male partner Mark Andrew.
“I always wanted to be a June bride,” said Bishop Gene Robinson at a talk on Nov. 27 at Nova Southeastern University.
“It may take many years for religious institutions to add their blessing for same-sex marriages and no church, mosque or synagogue should be forced to do so. But that should not slow down progress for the full civil right to marry,” Robinson said. “Because New Hampshire will have legal unions beginning in January, my partner of 20 years and I will enter into such a legal union next June.”
Wearing a raspberry clergy shirt with a cleric collar and pectoral cross, Robinson characterized the “religious right” as close-minded, taking a literal interpretation of Bible condemnation of homosexuality.
“The greatest single hindrance to achievement of full rights for gays and lesbians can be laid at the doorstep of the three Abrahamic faiths– Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It’s going to take people of faith to end discrimination,” said Robinson, who was invested as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2004.
Read here
Hat-tip Virtueonline
At New Orleans, The TEC house of Bishops urged that Gene Robinson be invited to Lambeth; the Archbishop of Canterbury said he expressed a desire to explore a way for him to participate, but the TEC HoB stressed that they want him invited as a full participant.
Posted by latimer at 10:01 AM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2007
Second Anglican Network in Canada bishop received into Southern Cone
“I am deeply grieved that the church I have loved and served for over 30 years, has left me no choice.” said Bishop Malcolm
Second Anglican Network in Canada bishop received into Southern Cone
22 November 2007
Anglican Network in Canada
(see also: Church of England Newspaper Online Daily Edition 23/11/07)
Bishop Malcolm Harding, retired Bishop of Brandon, has announced that he will minister under Archbishop Gregory Venables and the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone of the Americas, effective immediately.
Bishop Harding is the second Canadian bishop to make this announcement in the past week. It was announced on Friday that the Right Reverend Donald Harvey had been received under the Primatial authority of Archbishop Venables and would be free to offer episcopal oversight to biblically faithful Canadian Anglicans distressed by the seismic shift in the theology and practice of the Anglican Church of Canada.
Bishop Harding will assist Bishop Harvey in performing episcopal ministry in Western Canada.
We are thanking God that Bishop Don Harvey is now a part of this Province,” said Archbishop Venables. “We are equally delighted to receive Bishop Malcolm Harding as our co-worker. He too is a man whose very being is centred around the gospel and whom the Lord has used for the salvation of many… It is also good to be able to say that these steps we have taken are fully supported by a significant number of other orthodox Anglican provinces. There is no need for any to walk alone or step outside the Anglican family.”
"Bishop Malcolm is a highly respected and gifted man of God, whose gentle humility and passion for revival is deeply appreciated by biblically faithful Canadian Anglicans,” said Bishop Harvey. “I look forward to ministering together.”
Bishop Harding, who also has a master's degree in social work, ministered in the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) for 30 years, retiring in 2001. Since retirement, he has served with Anglican Renewal Ministries (ARM), traveling across Canada to promote renewal in the church that he loved and served.
“I am deeply grieved that the church I have loved and served for over 30 years, has left me no choice.” said Bishop Malcolm, “My heart yearns for revival in Canada and in Anglicanism but I have lost hope for reformation within the Anglican Church of Canada.
I now realize that we cannot have unity at the expense of truth. I cannot in conscience travel the path that the Anglican Church of Canada is traveling, away from historic Christian teaching and established Anglican practice.”
The Anglican Province of the Southern Cone (Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de America) is one of 38 Provinces that make up the global Anglican Communion. It encompasses much of South America and includes Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay and Argentina.
The Anglican Network in Canada is currently holding its national conference in Burlington, Ontario to outline details of the new episcopal option now available to biblically faithful Canadian Anglicans who are in “serious theological dispute” with the Anglican Church of Canada and want to be recognized as “fully Anglican” and in the mainstream of global Anglicanism.
The Anglican Network in Canada is committed to remaining faithful to Holy Scripture and established Anglican doctrine and to ensuring that orthodox Canadian Anglicans are able to remain in full communion with their spiritual brothers and sisters around the world.
Contact:
Marilyn Jacobson, communications
Anglican Network in Canada
604 929-0369
Posted by latimer at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)
November 23, 2007
Bishop Ingham says Church is now in ‘full-blown schism’
The Anglican Church in Canada is in ‘full-blown schism’, the Bishop
of New Westminster, the Rt Rev Michael Ingham, has claimed.
Church of England Newspaper
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 21, 2007 No: 226
Bishop Ingham says Church is now in ‘full-blown schism’
THE ANGLICAN Church in Canada is in ‘full-blown schism’, the Bishop
of New Westminster, the Rt Rev Michael Ingham, has claimed.
His comments, reported in a Canadian newspaper, Anglican Journal Canada come as a retired bishop announced plans to ordain two men in conservative dioceses who are linking with the Province of the Southern Cone.
Bishop Ingham has declared that only he (or another bishop to whom he
has delegated authority) can ordain priests in the diocese. He warned that if the Rt Rev Don Harvey goes ahead with the service, the
ordinations will be ‘irregular’ and he will take steps to discipline
those concerned.
The former Bishop of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, the Rt Rev
Don Harvey, announced last weekend that he was coming out of retirement to look after conservative Canadian Anglicans who are
opposed to the national Church’s liberal direction.
Bishop Ingham told his Diocesan Council that he had issued a warning
about the service of ordination planned for December 2 ‘not to restrain freedom, but to preserve freedom’. He said that he believes the diocese is one in which people can hold differing theological positions in an atmosphere of “generosity and tolerance and a spirit of charity.”
He said that he had written to Bishop Harvey explicitly prohibiting the planned service, and if it goes ahead he will take disciplinary
action.
The row has erupted over divisions on homosexuality, and Bishop Ingham has been at the centre of the dispute. Although the American
Church is at the top of conservatives’ concerns, because of their consecration of an openly gay man, the conservatives are also unhappy at moves in the Diocese of New Westminster to authorise gay blessings, which they say are against Christian doctrine.
Last week it was reported that the conservative Archbishop of the Southern Cone, the Rt Rev Gregory Venables, was preparing to
offer pastoral care to other dioceses in north America who felt they could no longer remain within official Anglican structures.
But last weekend the Canadian Church’s Council ruled that it would
not recognise the actions by the Southern Cone ‘purporting to extend its jurisdiction beyond its own borders.’
The Archbishop of Canterbury has been asked that he ‘make clear that such actions are not a valid expression of Anglicanism.’
Posted by latimer at 12:15 PM | Comments (0)
November 21, 2007
Carey and Tutu wade into conflict over gays
Dr Williams is to give an address entitled "Present realities and future possibilities for lesbians and gay men in the Church"
Carey and Tutu wade into conflict over gays By Jonathan Wynne-Jones
Last Updated: 4:36pm GMT 18/11/2007
The Anglican Church will be hit next week by a new row over its "obsession" with homosexuality.
Two of the Church's most respected figures are to deepen the growing rift over gays, which already threatens the biggest split in the Anglican movement since it began four centuries ago.
In attacks that will be seen as aimed at the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, both his predecessor, Lord Carey, and the South African archbishop Desmond Tutu take conflicting views on the issue.
advertisementThe South African Nobel Peace Prize winner accuses the Anglican movement of being "almost obsessed with questions of human sexuality". He says that under Dr Williams's leadership the church became "extraordinarily homophobic" during the debate over whether Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, should be allowed to be the Bishop of New Hampshire.
Lord Carey accuses liberals of being "unbiblical" and undermining marriage by supporting gay partnerships.
His outspoken defence of the right of Christians to say that homosexual behaviour is wrong is in marked contrast to the tone of his successor, who has adopted a more conciliatory approach.
Insisting that he will "stand firm" against the pro-gay agenda, Lord Carey says that traditionalists should not be considered homophobic for saying that same-sex relationships are not acceptable.
His remarks will be broadcast two days before a controversial service being held by Dr Williams for gay clergy and their partners. The archbishop is due to celebrate the eucharist with them despite traditionalists claiming that this would defy Church guidelines that say that homosexual priests should be celibate. Evangelicals wrote to Dr Williams last month urging him not to preside at the service. Liberals fear Lord Carey's comments will add to the pressure on Dr Williams to pull out.
Lord Carey says: "I don't think that homosexuality is a human rights issue and one of justice. For me and many, many people, the issue is deeply theological. It has a lot to do with our humanity and how we find it and express it, to do with marriage… faithfulness and friendship."
Lord Carey and Archbishop Tutu make their comments on a Radio 4 programme, From Calvary to Lambeth. Lord Carey says: "I've never discriminated against them [homosexuals]. Having said that, I believe that the Church should have the right to make its own rules and I stand very firmly with what the Bible has to say about practising homosexuality."
He argues that the Bible is "clearly unequivocal" in stating that it is wrong, and accuses liberals in the Church who support a homosexual lifestyle of undermining marriage.
"I respect homosexuals, their right to exist, their right to set up homes and have same-sex relationships, but it's quite a different thing to say that those things should be normative within the Christian community," he says. "The Christian community has every right to say that certain behaviour is right, certain behaviour is wrong, and to hold to that without being called homophobic."
Lord Carey's interview will be broadcast at 8pm on Tuesday, November 27. Two days later, Dr Williams is to give an address entitled "Present realities and future possibilities for lesbians and gay men in the Church" during the service at St Peter's, Eaton Square. The London parish contains some of the most liberal Anglicans.
Canon Giles Goddard, chairman of Inclusive Church – a pro-gay group - said Lord Carey's comments were "seriously unhelpful" to his successor's attempts to prevent the Church from splitting. But evangelicals will welcome Lord Carey's remarks.
Dr Williams says his attendance at the service is an attempt to listen to the concerns of different groups within the Church and to try to resolve the divisions.
Posted by latimer at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2007
A letter from Bishop Iker to the Presiding Bishop
"I have received your letter of November 8th ... The threatening tone of your open letter makes no attempt to promote reconciliation, mediation, or even dialogue about our profound theological differences." Bishop Iker
A letter from Bishop Iker to the Presiding Bishop
November 12, 2007
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Dear Katharine,
I have received your letter of November 8th and am rather surprised by your suggestion that I have somehow abandoned the communion of the church and may be subject to ecclesiastical discipline. Such a charge is baseless. I have abandoned nothing, and I have violated no canons. Every year at our Chrism Mass, I very happily reaffirm my ordination vows, along with all our clergy, that I will be “loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them.” (BCP, pages 526 and 538)
It is highly inappropriate for you to attempt to interfere in the internal life of this diocese as we prayerfully prepare to gather in Convention. The threatening tone of your open letter makes no attempt to promote reconciliation, mediation, or even dialogue about our profound theological differences. Instead, it appears designed to intimidate our delegates and me, in an attempt to deter us from taking any action that opposes the direction in which you are leading our Church. It is deeply troubling that you would have me prevent the clergy and laity of this diocese from openly discussing our future place in the life of the wider Anglican Communion, as we debate a variety of proposals. As you well know, the polity of this Church requires the full participation of the clergy and lay orders, not just bishops, in the decision making process. It grieves me that as the Presiding Bishop you would misuse your office in an attempt to intimidate and manipulate this diocese.
While I do not wish to meet antagonism with antagonism, I must remind you that 25 years ago this month, the newly formed Diocese of Fort Worth voluntarily voted to enter into union with the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. If circumstances warrant it, we can likewise, by voluntary vote, terminate that relationship. Your aggressive, dictatorial posturing has no place in that decision. Sadly, however, your missive will now be one of the factors that our Convention will consider as we determine the future course of this diocese for the next 25 years and beyond, under God’s grace and guidance.
In closing, let me be very clear. While your threats deeply sadden us, they do not frighten us. We will continue to stand firm for the unchanging truth of the Holy Scriptures and the redeeming Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whatever the costs. I shall continue to pray for you, as I trust you will pray for me, in the difficult days ahead.
Faithfully in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth
The Presiding Bishop’s letter
8 November 2007
The Rt. Rev. Jack Iker
The Episcopal Diocese of Ft. Worth
2900 Alemeda Street
Fort Worth, TX 76108
Dear Jack,
As you are undoubtedly aware, it is my view that recent amendments to your Diocese's constitution violate the Constitutional requirement that the Diocese maintain an "unqualified accession" to the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church. I have now reviewed several proposed constitutional amendments that will be considered at your forthcoming diocesan convention. It is evident to me that several of these proposed changes would further violate the Church's Constitution, while some other proposed changes would undo the problems created by the earlier amendments. It is clear from your public statements and from what I understand your position to be regarding these matters that you endorse the first set of changes. Your statements and actions in recent months demonstrate an intention to lead your diocese into a position that would purportedly permit it to depart from the Episcopal Church. All these efforts, in my view, display a fundamental misunderstanding of the relationship between The Episcopal Church and its dioceses.
I call upon you to recede from this direction and to lead your diocese on a new course that recognizes the interdependent and hierarchical relationship between the national Church and its dioceses and parishes. That relationship is at the heart of our mission, as expressed in our polity. Specifically, I sincerely hope that you will change your position and urge your diocese at its forthcoming convention to adopt the proposed amendments that will bring the Diocese's constitution into agreement with the Church's Constitution and Canons.
If your course does not change, I shall regrettably be compelled to see that appropriate canonical steps are promptly taken to consider whether you have abandoned the Communion of this Church -- by actions and substantive statements, however, they may be phrased -- and whether you have committed canonical offences that warrant disciplinary action.
It grieves me that any bishop of this Church would seek to lead any of its members out of it. I would remind you of my open offer of an Episcopal Visitor if you wish to receive pastoral care from another bishop. I continue to pray for reconciliation of this situation, and I remain
Your servant in Christ,
Katharine Jefferts Schori
Posted by latimer at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
Pittsburgh Episcopal Diocese votes to leave & letter from Katharine Jefferts Schori
* Pittsburgh Episcopal Diocese votes to leave and will realign with theologically conservative Anglican province in another nation
* If your course does not change, I shall regrettably be compelled to see that appropriate canonical steps are promptly taken to consider whether you have abandoned the Communion of this Church ...and whether you have committed canonical offences that warrant disciplinary action." Katharine Jefferts Schori
Pittsburgh Episcopal Diocese votes to leave
Pittsburgh will realign with theologically conservative Anglican province in another nation
Bishop Robert Duncan -- "We have a tough road ahead. We will be faithful and charitable and do everything we can to help those congregations who are uneasy about this, or who may be very opposed to this, to be part of our fellowship."
In yet another ecclesiastical earthquake to rock the Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has voted to leave that denomination and realign with a theologically conservative Anglican province in another, yet to be chosen, nation.
At their annual convention in Johnstown, laity voted, 118-58, and clergy voted, 109-24, to join another Anglican province, and to allow like-minded parishes outside the 11-county territory to become part of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The vote came two days after Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of the Episcopal Church warned that such action could cause the denomination to remove Bishop Robert Duncan from office as bishop of Pittsburgh.
"We have a tough road ahead. We will be faithful and charitable and do everything we can to help those congregations who are uneasy about this, or who may be very opposed to this, to be part of our fellowship," Bishop Duncan said after the vote. During his speech prior to the vote, he proposed finding ways for two local Anglican dioceses, one of which would be the minority still aligned with the Episcopal Church, to share important assets such as Trinity Cathedral and Sheldon Calvary Camp.
He read the brief reply to Bishop Jefferts Schori. The first of its three lines was a famous quote from Martin Luther when he broke with the Catholic Church: "Here I stand. I can do no other." It continued, "I will neither compromise the faith once and for all delivered to the saints, nor will I abandon the sheep who elected me to protect them."
So far, he said later, three Anglican provinces have "expressed willingness" to welcome the Diocese of Pittsburgh, but he did not name them. The resolution adopted yesterday cannot be adopted unless the convention approves it again at next year's convention. A choice about which province to join will not be made until after that vote. The Anglican provinces that are best known for taking in conservative U.S. parishes are in Africa.
Because of the requirement to vote again next year, "Today's action of the Diocese of Pittsburgh is not final," said Robert Williams, director of communications for the Episcopal Church. "But, more to the point, dioceses do not leave the Episcopal Church. Dioceses are set in place by the churchwide general convention."
The divisions between liberal and conservative Episcopalians, and between many of the U.S. bishops and their counterparts in the global South, derive from differences over biblical authority and interpretation. Many conservatives say their main concern is that some bishops do not believe that Jesus was God incarnate.
But the differences reached a breaking point in 2003 with the consecration of a partnered gay bishop in New Hampshire. The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, with about 20,000 members in 71 churches, is part of the 2.2 million-member Episcopal Church, the U.S. branch of the 72 million-member Anglican Communion. At least three other dioceses have initiated or are contemplating measures similar to Pittsburgh's.
The Rev. George Werner, a former dean of Trinity Cathedral, Downtown, and a former top official of the Episcopal Church, told the assembly that Bishop Jefferts Schori was not trying to intimidate them, as some speakers had said. "Her heart is filled with Jesus," he said, saying that it was her legal and moral responsibility to exercise governance over the church and the property that was entrusted to the denomination.
After the vote, the Rev. Werner predicted "chaos" in the Diocese of Pittsburgh as parishes are pitted against each other and against the national church in property lawsuits. Joan Gunderson, a member of Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill, had presented a counter-resolution to keep the diocese in the Episcopal Church. "I think it's been a tragic mistake. The Episcopal Church is not what it has been called [by those who want to leave]. I mourn the division and its consequences," she said after the vote.
In his speech, Bishop Duncan said that diocese had come to a fork in the theological road. "The matter finally comes down to an unavoidable choice between cultures. There is the culture of the wider Episcopal Church: Theologically innovative, at the edge of mainstream Christianity, secularly attuned, declining ... and ready to sue or depose to obtain its way," he said. "By contrast there is the culture of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh: Scripturally centered, critiquing the secular agenda, among the fastest and few growing dioceses of the Episcopal Church, relative to the population decline ... allowing vast freedoms in the form and manner of ministry."
Debate was fraught with talk of litigation and of loss of pensions and cuts in salary for clergy who left the Episcopal Church. Many supporters of the resolution said those were sacrifices they were prepared to make.
"At the end of the day, the issues before us aren't about canons and conventions and procedures and lawsuits. They are about the centrality of the cross of Christ," said the Rev. Jonathan Millard, rector of Ascension parish, Oakland, who introduced the resolution.
Not all theological conservatives advocated breaking now. The Rev. Daniel Hall, an Episcopalian working at First Lutheran Church, Downtown, said he shared Bishop Duncan's theological concerns, but that the primates of the Anglican Communion should be allowed more time to try to resolve the situation.
"I cannot support this resolution because of this time of spiritual desolation in which I find myself ... St. Ignatius commends us to refrain from making significant decisions when we find ourselves so desolated," he said.
Supporters and opponents of the resolution spoke alternately and in equal numbers. "As a lesbian, I have found the Episcopal Church to be embracing. I have been transformed by the love in this church," said Mary Pat Donegan from Church of the Redeemer, Squirrel Hill, who wanted to keep the diocese in the denomination.
Joan Morris, a member of St. Andrew's Church, Highland Park, spoke against breaking apart. "None of us has a full understanding or could divine the full truth, but we do have a divine call to search together as one body in Jesus Christ, regardless of the differences among us. Without each other we each see a smaller truth and lose the corrections that we need from each other," she said.
After the vote, the Rev. Werner said he believed that Bishop Jefferts Schori was willing to talk, but that simply allowing local Episcopalians to leave the denomination taking millions of dollars of Episcopal property was not a legal option.
"On a case-by-case basis, all things are possible. The presiding bishop will carry out her fiduciary responsibility. She will keep the door unlocked. She will welcome people back," he said.
Bishop Duncan said he was proud of the way people on all sides had conducted themselves. "This is the most wonderful diocese in the church," he said. "There is no reason that we cannot continue being this way with each other" even as different members choose different provinces.
"Maybe some day God will put us back together," he said.
Letter from the Presiding Bishop to Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan
31.10.07
The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan
Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA
Dear Bob,
There have been numerous public references in recent weeks regarding resolutions to be introduced at your forthcoming diocesan convention. Those resolutions, if adopted, would amend several of your diocesan canons and begin the process of amending one or more provisions of your diocesan Constitution. I have reviewed a number of these proposed resolutions, and it is evident to me that they would violate the Constitutional requirement that the Diocese conform to the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church. It is apparent from your pre-convention report that you endorse these proposed changes. I am also aware of other of your statements and actions in recent months that demonstrate an intention to lead your diocese into a position that would purportedly permit it to depart from The Episcopal Church. All these efforts, in my view, display a fundamental misunderstanding of the relationship between The Episcopal Church and its dioceses. Our Constitution explicitly provides that a diocese must accede to the Constitution and Canons of the Church.
I call upon you to recede from this direction and to lead your diocese on a new course that recognizes the interdependent and hierarchical relationship between the national Church and its dioceses and parishes. That relationship is at the heart of our mission, as expressed in our polity. Specifically, I sincerely hope that you will change your position and urge your diocese at its forthcoming convention not to adopt the resolutions that you have until now supported.
If your course does not change, I shall regrettably be compelled to see that appropriate canonical steps are promptly taken to consider whether you have abandoned the Communion of this Church -- by actions and substantive statements, however they may be phrased -- and whether you have committed canonical offences that warrant disciplinary action.
It grieves me that any bishop of this Church would seek to lead any of its members out of it. I would remind you of my open offer of an Episcopal Visitor if you wish to receive pastoral care from another bishop. I continue to pray for reconciliation of this situation, and I remain
Your servant in Christ,
Katharine Jefferts Schori
Letter to the Presiding Bishop from the Bishop of Pittsburgh
1st November, A.D. 2007
The Feast of All Saints
The Most Revd Katharine Jefferts Schori
Episcopal Church Center
New York, New York
Dear Katharine,
Here I stand. I can do no other. I will neither compromise the Faith once delivered to the saints, nor will I abandon the sheep who elected me to protect them.
Pax et bonum in Christ Jesus our Lord,
+Bob Pittsburgh
Posted by latimer at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2007
Global South Archbishops call for postponement of Lambeth
Today nine Primates, including Nigeria's Peter Akinola, Uganda's Luke Orombi and South East Asia's John Chew, said the conference should be postponed until all bishops could meet "in a spirit of true collegiality and unity in the faith."
Ruth Gledhill Religion Correspondent of The Times
7 November 2007
The evangelical Archbishops who head the "Global South" grouping have called on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, to postpone next year's Lambeth Conference.
Several senior bishops, including the Bishop of Rochester, Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, have already warned they could boycott the conference, the ten-yearly gathering of Anglican Communion bishops from across the globe, because of the row over gays.
Today nine Primates, including Nigeria's Peter Akinola, Uganda's Luke Orombi and South East Asia's John Chew, said the conference should be postponed until all bishops could meet "in a spirit of true collegiality and unity in the faith."
Their call came just days after the 490th anniversary of the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Cathedral in Wittenberg, prompting the Reformation. This week, organisers of the Lambeth Conference are meeting to agree the agenda and other matters regarding the July meeting at Kent University. Dr Williams has previously indicated that he has no intention of acceding to calls to postpone it.
In a letter to all the Church's Primates, Dr Akinola said: "The world needs to understand that the situation that we now confront is not primarily about structure or conferences but about irreconcilable truth claims. It is worth remembering that in the Biblical narratives religious structures have often been the enemy of revealed truth."
Meanwhile, Britain's lesbian and gay Christian community community have launched a protest against the appointment of evangelical leader Joel Edwards to be a protector of gay rights.
The appointment of Joel Edwards, head of the Evangelical Alliance, as commissioner to the new human rights and equality "superquango" was also condemned by secularists as a "slap in the face" to the gay community.
The National Secular Society called for an "urgent rethink” of the appointment of Mr Edwards as commissioner to the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
The Evangelical Alliance is among the Christian bodies that have opposed aspects of the Sexual Orientation Regulations. The legislation outlaws discrimination against gay people in the area of goods and services.
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: “This appointment must be reversed immediately.
“Mr Edwards comes to the job with a pre-formed agenda that is based on a literalist reading of the Bible. How on earth is he going to look objectively at gay issues when he has made a career out of opposing equality for homosexuals?”
The Rev Richard Kirker, of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, said: “I was stunned when Joel told me personally he was to be a commissioner on the Equality and Human Rights Commission.”
“Holding such a key role in the organisation charged with supporting gay equality will put him at loggerheads with many in his own fundamentalist constituency. I am delighted he now seems to have “seen the light” and can embrace and support all the recent pro-gay legislation without exception, and with a clear conscience. I can only hope his late conversion to equality is genuine, deep-rooted and sincere."
Posted by latimer at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)
October 16, 2007
CAPA Bishops Communique Call for Covenant and Postponement of Lambeth
Thirteen CAPA Primates who make up the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA), meeting in Mauritius recently, concluded that an Anglican Communion Covenant was the only way to hold the Anglican Communion together and to guide it into the future. Lay and clergy delegates were also present.
VirtueonLine
CAPA Bishops Communique Call for Covenant and Postponement of LambethNews Analysis
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
10/12/2007
www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6893
Thirteen CAPA Primates who make up the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa (CAPA), meeting in Mauritius recently, concluded that an Anglican Communion Covenant was the only way to hold the Anglican Communion together and to guide it into the future. Lay and clergy delegates were also present.
They also described the report of the Joint Standing Committee (JSC) of the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council delivered at the American House of Bishops in New Orleans recently as "unsatisfactory" concluding that that the assurances made were without credibility and its preparation severely compromised by numerous conflicts of interest. "The report itself appears to be a determined effort to find a way for the full inclusion of The Episcopal Church with no attempt at discipline or change from their prior position."
"We are convinced that what is at stake in this crisis is the very nature of Anglicanism - to understand it simply in terms of the need for greater inclusivity in the face of changing sexual ethics is a grave mistake. It is not just about sexuality but also about the nature of Christ, the truth of the Gospel and the authority of the Bible. We see a trend that seems to ignore the careful balance of reformed catholicity and missionary endeavor that is our true heritage and replace it with a religion of cultural conformity that offers no transforming power and no eternal hope."
The current situation is a twofold crisis for the Anglican Communion: a crisis of doctrine and a crisis of leadership, in which the failure of the "Instruments" of the Communion to exercise discipline has called into question the viability of the Anglican Communion as a united Christian body under a common foundation of faith, as is supposed by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. Due to this breakdown of discipline, we are not sure that we can in good conscience continue to spend our time, our money and our prayers on behalf of a body that proclaims two Gospels, the Gospel of Christ and the Gospel of Sexuality.
They said the current situation is a twofold crisis for the Anglican Communion: a crisis of doctrine and a crisis of leadership, in which the failure of the "Instruments" of the Communion to exercise discipline has called into question the viability of the Anglican Communion as a united Christian body under a common foundation of faith, as is supposed by the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. Due to this breakdown of discipline, we are not sure that we can in good conscience continue to spend our time, our money and our prayers on behalf of a body that proclaims two Gospels, the Gospel of Christ and the Gospel of Sexuality.
The Anglican leaders urged a postponement of the Lambeth Conference next year, a position that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams refused to consider when confronted by this reporter with that question at the House of Bishops meeting in New Orleans. Preparations were too far advanced for Lambeth to be postponed he said, acknowledging that Archbishop Peter Akinola (Nigeria) and other voices had called for such a postponement. The two-page statement released by the CAPA primates called for a special primates' meeting and a postponement of next year's Lambeth Conference.
"We believe that meeting together is essential if we are prayerfully to allow the Holy Spirit to work through our interactions and bring us to a common mind," the primates said.
Such a delay would allow them to review the actual response made by The Episcopal Church and to "finalize the Covenant proposal and set a timetable for ratification by individual provinces."
However there has been significant criticism that such a "covenant" would not offer a way forward for the communion largely because if it pleased conservatives, liberals would not endorse it and vise versa. Many orthodox Episcopalians and Anglican have expressed the view that the Articles of Religion written in 1801 by the Bishops, the Clergy, and the Laity of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, are adequate as a basis for unity for the whole Anglican Communion.
The newly elected chairman of CAPA, the Most Rev. Ian Ernest, while a kinder, gentler leader than outgoing Nigerian Primate Peter Akinola has demonstrated that he is opposed to the innovations of The Episcopal Church. In August the Indian Ocean Archbishop assisted in the consecration of two missionary bishops to the United States in Kenya. In a statement issued on the final day of the CAPA meeting, Archbishop Ernest said unity "must never be at the expense of the truth of the Holy Scriptures that is the bedrock of our faith."
A priest from the Diocese of Harare blasted the CAPA leaders saying they should stand firm against homosexuality and not attend Lambeth next year.
The Rev. Morris Brown Gwedegwe wrote to VOL saying the Primates had not come out strongly enough against the liberal Episcopal Church and Church of England leaders. "I have serious objections to homosexuality based on our cultural beliefs, which are supported by Holy Scripture. What has gone wrong with our consciences? What is so special about the British and the Americans? The Bible condemns such practices. We Africans are being used as scapegoats. Please educate your fellow bishops that the wider road leads to hell."
Gwedegwe said Africans who say homosexuality is not an issue misses their fifth sense. "They have been brainwashed by the American dollar. We in the Diocese of Harare call on the new Chairman of CAPA, the Most Rev. Ian Ernest to stand for Africa. "We want you and us to be on the side of Jesus and not of man."
The priest, whose Central African province is splitting over the issue, said the American Bishops lied when they said there was no September 30, 2007 deadline calling for a stop to same sex blessings and homosexual ordinations. "The Primates resolved that in Dar es Salaam. When they went back to America, and debated the issue, they were busy preparing to elect the Rev. Tracey Lind, a lesbian, to be Bishop of Chicago. At the same time, whilst they were preparing for the New Orleans meeting of the HOB, Archbishop Rowan Williams was conducting a secret service for gay priests in England, all for the love of the dollar. Archbishop Williams has no morals. He has compromised himself on the Civil Partnership motion passed at the CofE General Synod." We Africans We are too soft, he said.
He urged the CAPA bishops to re-read again the Communique which read: "We are convinced that what is at stake in this crisis is the very nature of Anglicanism - to understand it simply in terms of the need for greater inclusivity in the face of changing sexual ethics is a grave mistake. It is not just about sexuality, but also about the nature and person of Jesus Christ, the truth of the Gospel and the authority of the Bible. We see a trend that seems to ignore the careful balance of reformed catholicity and missionary endeavor that is our true heritage, and seeing it replaced with a religion of cultural conformity that offers no transforming power and no eternal hope."
"If we are to go by this, your statement, then there is no need for African Bishops to go to the Lambeth Conference next year. I am concerned with the softness from our African Camp. We think and write very intelligent communiques, but action is always delayed. Let us move with speedily to God so our children will have a legacy to follow."
Canon Dr. Stephen Ayo Fagbemi, an African resident in Sunderland in the Diocese of Durham. England wrote VOL critical of the liberal Bishop of Botswana Trevor Mwamba who was present at the CAPA meeting, saying that the liberal bishop did not represent the mind of Africans regarding homosexuality.
"I was stunned and rather disappointed by his claim that 'Loud voices from Africa, aided by the "almighty dollar" and internet lobbyists, are distorting the true picture of what Africa's 37 million Anglicans really think about sexuality and the future of the Anglican Communion'. This is not only disparaging of those who speak with honesty on this issue, but is also false and demeaning to suggest that those who are opposed to the homosexual agenda in Africa do so because they are aided by the 'almighty dollar'. Such an accusation makes me wonder whether Bishop Mwamba's own position has been influenced by the 'almighty dollar' or 'sterling'.
"As an African I feel really insulted by this argument and wonder why any one would defend any position, however credible, because of financial inducement. Many Africans who have been unduly subdued by Western paternalism or imperialism need to be delivered of this mindset. They believe that you are not allowed to take a different position to your colonial masters or Americans because of their monetary influence."
Present in Mauritius were:
The Most Rev'd Peter J. Akinola, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
**The Most Rev'd Justice Akrofi, The Church of the Province of West Africa
The Rt. Rev'd Philip Baji*, The Anglican Church of Tanzania
The Most Rev'd Fidele Dirokpa, Province de L'Eglise Anglicane Du Congo
The Most Revd Ian Ernest, The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean
The Most Rev'd Emmanuel Kolini, L'Eglise Episcopal au Rwanda
The Most Rev'd Bernard Malango, The Church of the Province of Central Africa
The Rt Rev'd Trevor Mwamba*, The Church of the Province of Central Africa
The Most Rev'd Bernard Ntahoturi, The Anglican Church of Burundi
The Most Rev'd Benjamin Nzimbi, The Anglican Church of Kenya
The Most Rev'd Henry Orombi, The Church of the Province of Uganda
**The Rt Rev'd Johannes Seoka*, The Anglican Church of Southern Africa
The Rev'd Canon Dr. Sami Fawzy Shehata*, Diocese of Egypt *Representing the Province
** Absent during discussion of Communique due to travel schedule
Posted by latimer at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)
September 20, 2007
Archbishop fears split over gay clergy
The Archbishop of Canterbury fears the Anglican Church will finally split if his warnings over promoting gay bishops are not heeded.
UK Telegraph, 17.09.07
Archbishop fears split over gay clergy
By Jonathan Wynne-Jones
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/09/16/nrowan116.xml
The Archbishop of Canterbury fears the Anglican Church will finally split if his warnings over promoting gay bishops are not heeded.
Dr Rowan Williams has confided in his closest aides that he believes his visit to a summit of Church leaders in America this week is critical to the survival of the Anglican Communion.
In one of the most crucial weeks of his tenure as Archbishop, he will fly to New Orleans on Wednesday to urge American bishops to heed the recommendations of the Windsor Report, which called on liberals to refrain from making further pro-gay moves.
They have been given the "deadline" of September 30 to introduce a moratorium on electing gay bishops.
Dr Williams's efforts to keep the warring factions within the fold of the Anglican Communion will effectively be rendered meaningless if the American Church refuses to comply with the demands of the global church leaders.
"He's in no uncertainty as to the importance of this meeting," said one of his closest aides.
"The meeting is a major step in deciding whether the Anglican Communion can stay together as a global family. The Archbishop will try to find out whether the Episcopal Church is prepared to seek a way forward."
The Anglican Communion - which has 70 million members worldwide - was plunged into the present crisis by the election of Gene Robinson, an openly gay cleric, to be Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.
advertisementDr Williams has spent much of the past four years trying to find a solution to the apparently intractable problems of reconciling the conservative wing - who believe homosexuality is a sin - and the liberals.
He also faces a potential "civil war" in the Church of England because parishes are divided in their support for the Americans and Africans who are opposed to gay clergy.
At the General Synod in July, the Church agreed to proceed with plans for a covenant - or book of beliefs - despite claims that this could jeopardise the traditional freedom of churches.
Dr Williams has no jurisdictional power in the American Church, which is one of the Communion's 38 autonomous provinces, but hopes they will heed his plea for restraint.
"He will talk to them about the current affairs in the Communion and explain his concerns to them," the aide said. "It is up to them to decide whether to act on it."
The Very Reverend Tracey Lind, a lesbian cleric, has already been nominated for the Bishopric of Chicago and is one of the front-runners to get the job.
She would have to withdraw from the election if the Episcopal Church chooses to halt its liberal agenda.
Presented with a similarly explosive situation last year when the Canadian Church was considering authorising same-sex blessings, Dr Williams was successful in persuading it to back down.
Dr Williams will sit in two three-hour sessions with the American bishops and will be accompanied by other Primates and members of the Anglican Consultative Council - the Communion's executive body.
The American bishops will not announce their decision until next Monday.
Posted by latimer at 01:36 PM | Comments (0)
Postpone Lambeth Say Nigerian Bishops in Letter to Archbishop Williams
We have reviewed the paper “A Most Agonizing Road to Lambeth 2008″ ... We found it to be a compelling summary of many of the key events and meetings of the past ten years ...
Open letter to Archbishop Williams from Bishops of the Church of Nigeria
An open letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury from the House of Bishops of the Church of Nigeria meeting in Osogbo, Osun State
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the one and only Lord Jesus Christ.
We write to you out of profound love for our beloved Anglican Communion and recognition that this current crisis in our common life together is an unrelenting source of anguish for you and for all concerned.
We have reviewed the paper “A Most Agonizing Road to Lambeth 2008″ that was made available to us by our primate, the Most Rev’d Peter J. Akinola. We found it to be a compelling summary of many of the key events and meetings of the past ten years. It highlights the intractability of our current crisis.
We are persuaded that a change of direction from our current path is urgently needed and write to assure you of our willingness and commitment to work towards that end. We have noted your desire that the proposed Lambeth Conference be a place for fellowship and prayer and an exploration of our shared mission and ministry - all of these are of course commendable aims.
We all know, however, that the pressures of the present situation would adversely affect the outcome of the conference unless there is a profound change of heart; for how can we as bishops in the Church of God gather for a Lambeth Conference when there is such a high level of distrust, dislike and disdain for one another? How can we meet as leaders of the Communion when our relationships are so sorely strained and our life together so broken that we cannot even share together in the Lord’s Supper? It would be a mockery and bring dishonour to the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus the King.
We are also concerned about the abuse directed towards those who hold to traditional views on matters of Human Sexuality. The spate of hostility in the UK is alarming.
We are all witnesses to:
- The presence of placard carrying and leaflets distributing campaigners at the last Lambeth Conference distracting Bishops who travelled thousands of miles for fellowship. These protesters effectively shifted the focus of the conference to human sexuality - as if that was all that mattered.
- The physical assaults against clergymen with opposing view, such as your predecessor attacked in his own Cathedral pulpit, and a Kenyan bishop assaulted by two people dressed as clergymen.
- The occasion when your own General Synod was disrupted by protestors angry over the handling of the Canon Jeffery John issue.
- Recent attempts to mandate unbiblical views in the UK through force of law and the protests and attacks by activists determined to disrupt and intimidate any group that seeks to uphold biblical teaching.
In truth anyone who does not embrace revisionist views is a potential target. We know it is possible to provide some security to minimize such occurrences but is the additional cost justifiable? Would the resultant atmosphere of fear and uncertainty be conducive to the goals of such a large gathering of bishops?
These are all matters of concern but in our opinion there is a way forward.
The proposed Anglican Communion Covenant is the one way for us to uphold our common heritage of faith while at the same time holding each other accountable to those teachings that have defined our life together and also guide us into the future. It has already received enthusiastic support from the majority of the Communion. Therefore we propose the following action plan:
As a matter of utmost urgency, call a special session of the Primates Meeting to:
a) Receive the responses made by The Episcopal Church to the Dromantine and Dar es Salaam Communiqués and determine their adequacy.
b) Arrive at a consensus for the application of the Windsor Process especially in Provinces whose self-understanding is at odds with the predominant mind of the Communion.
Set in motion an agreed process to finalize the Anglican Covenant Proposal and set a timetable for its ratification by individual provinces. This cannot be done at the Lambeth Conference because it is simply too large and, we all know, the Anglican Covenant requires individual provincial endorsement and signature.
Postpone current plans for the Lambeth Conference (as has been done before).
This will:
a) Allow the current tensions to subside and leave room for the hard work of reconciliation that is a prerequisite for the fellowship we all desire.
b) Confirm that those invited to the Lambeth Conference have already endorsed the Anglican Covenant and so are able to come together as witnesses to our common faith.
We make these proposals in good faith believing that they provide an opportunity for us to reunite the Communion consistent with our common heritage and give us a way forward to engage the world with the holistic Gospel of Salvation in Jesus Christ.
Bishops of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion)
September 13, 2007
Posted by latimer at 01:28 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2007
Revisionists will dominate Lambeth if traditionalists pull out says Gomez
REVISIONISTS WILL DOMINATE LAMBETH IF TRADITIONAL ANGLICANS PULL OUT SAYS GOMEZSpecial Report
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
7/29/2007
www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6420
If traditional Anglicans don't turn up at Lambeth 2008, the liberals in the Anglican Communion will change Anglicanism and will do so without blinking an eyelid.
Speaking to traditionalists at a Festival of Faith gathering in Bladensburg, Maryland, on Saturday, West Indies Archbishop the Most Rev. Drexel Gomez said the communion was at a turning point and he had grave doubts it will survive in its present form.
"The official Anglican representation will be synonymous with the American Episcopal Church and that movement is increasing if Global South traditionalists don't attend. Many believe that if that happens the communion will no longer be Anglican.
"We need a communion meeting that reflects the future of the communion. There is no reason why a priest or congregation is persecuted because they simply want to practice traditional Anglicanism. We cannot go on with an ambiguousness and intolerance that is only increasing.
"The Bishop of Western Louisiana, the Rt. Rev. Bruce McPherson made an impassioned plea at Dar es Salaam, (Tanzania) to give us the space to practice our religion; "Just allow us to practice our faith."
Gomez told his audience, "We have to change the mindset of people in The Episcopal Church who not only resent traditional Anglicanism but want to root it out. We must claim our God given space. God has not given them the right to deny us what the church has believed and practiced. We need a communion meeting and a communion decision on how we move forward, and that might lead us to move beyond the geographic delineations we have imposed on the communion."
According to the Anglo-Catholic Archbishop the communion has no mechanism to deal with the situations that have arisen in the communion. "We must be able to meet and take action collectively."
The erudite archbishop said the Primates meeting in Tanzania was one of the most difficult meetings he has ever attended. "We started in an atmosphere of gloom and no one expected a resolution to the impasse. Traditional Anglicanism is under siege in the U.S. and Canada. We focused on the Anglicans in the U.S. By the grace of God we labored and came out with a good result."
"In our private discussions we decided as primates that the time had come for the Anglican Communion to try to be of assistance to The Episcopal Church in America after hearing from the three U.S. bishops who had been invited to attend and tell us their story on the state of the Episcopal Church." (The three were: Bishops Bob Duncan, Pittsburgh, Bruce McPherson, Western Louisiana, and C. Christopher Epting, the Episcopal Church's deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations.)
"We sought an amicable solution to a difficult problem. We proposed that there be established a Pastoral Council and provision made for Alternative Primatial Oversight for those provinces under siege. We saw it as a temporary arrangement - a space for all sectors in the church to live and work together until we had achieved a covenant that we could all sign up or sign off onto. This would be with the consent of the American Presiding Bishop and TEC in which the Archbishop of Canterbury would appoint a chairman of this council and the Presiding Bishop would be present in person."
This council was to work with all sectors of the church and all sides were to work and worship without interference, said the archbishop.
"There was no doubt that traditionalist Episcopal priests, parishes and parishioners are under siege. Liberals were not just against them they were oppressing them. It was bad for them and Anglicanism. So we sought to create a space out of interest for all the members of the church. Our proposal and that is all it was, because the Primates had no authority grew out of our concern at large but especially for the church in the US."
Gomez said the Archbishop of Canterbury didn't try to assume a consensus. "For the first time he asked each Primate individually for a 'yes' or 'no.' Every Primate present said 'yes' including the American Presiding Bishop, Mrs. Schori.
"Unfortunately the Presiding Bishop then went around [later] qualifying what she voted for, but in the meeting no such qualification was given."
The West Indies archbishop then blasted Mrs. Schori. "After the House of Bishops met two weeks later, they did two things. They misunderstood (in the sense of charity) our aim and intention and then they acted as if the Primates were trying to force the Episcopal Church into an untenable position. No such thing happened. It was offered up only as a way forward.
"They not only rejected the offer, they then [turned around] and accused the Primates of being colonialists, and outsiders interfering with their church polity. This was very strange because it had to be under the aegis of the Episcopal Church! Mrs. Schori said that only General Convention could make such an offer, said Gomez. "This ended up giving General Convention an authority it does not have. General Convention cannot decide truth or doctrine; it has no background or authority to do that."
"In rejecting the offer, they have requested the Archbishop of Canterbury meet with them so they can share their concerns with them in September in New Orleans.
"We hope and pray that as a result of that meeting there might be a change of heart and direction; that is my hope and prayer." Gomez admitted, however, that that seemed a bit difficult in light of the position taken by the House of Bishops and the Executive Council of TEC.
"If the 30th Sept. deadline fixed for an answer by TEC is not met, answering without clarifications and unambiguity on where they stand on same sex blessings, then it could signal a break up of the communion."
"Their (the TEC's) action was known and done in defiance of the rest of the entire Anglican Communion. The American Church, on its own, and knowing the position held by the rest of the communion acted in defiance of the beliefs and practices of the rest of the Anglican Communion."
Gomez said 12 African Anglican provinces have put out a Road to Lambeth statement saying they could not attend Lambeth if those bishops who consecrated Gene Robinson were invited; it would tear the fabric of the Communion. "It was so torn that they refused to take communion at the primates meeting."
"In planning for Lambeth we don't know who is going or coming, but if there is a large group who will not attend it will change the structure and significance of the Lambeth Conference. The Archbishop of Canterbury wants to focus on spirituality and mission.
"The big question is how can you have a meeting of the leaders of the communion in one place while refusing to address the issues that are tearing the communion apart and preventing the Anglican Communion from moving forward?"
Gomez criticized Episcopal Church liberals and revisionists who blame conservatives over sexuality issues. "The first misrepresentation is about the type of sex - homosexuality, and secondly we are perceived as being against homosexual persons."
"The issue is about homosexual practice. The Bible addresses not the existence of homosexuality. No one is preaching in the abstract but about the homosexual lifestyle about which the bible speaks negatively. Everywhere in the bible homosexual practice is always spoken of negatively - it is contrary for God's will for the human race."
Gomez said the reason it was so important is that the issue is not simply about sexuality but the meaning attached to homosexual practice, its context and biblical revelation.
"In the church's long history the uninterrupted consensus is that physical intercourse is only intended for man and woman within marriage in a life long commitment. Anything else is contrary to God's will for humanity. The ground for the church taking this stand is the bible and it is transparently clear about homosexual behavior."
Gomez praised the writings of theologian Dr. Robert Gagnon, author of the book "The Bible and Homosexuality", as "the best book on the subject."
Citing various New Testament passages on explicitly homosexual practices, he said it was treated as a negative. "Any sexual practice outside of marriage reflects a way of life and lifestyle that is doomed to perish. Christ by his death and resurrection has set us free."
Gomez condemned the failure of those who opposed traditional teaching and underrated the text. "They have failed to produce an interpretation of the text and its fuller understanding to the satisfaction of the larger church."
Gomez cited passages from the Book of Romans, I Corinthians and I Timothy condemning sodomy. "God gave them over to a depraved mind. Homosexual acts are contrary to God's will. It is not just the sexual act being criticized but deliberate rebellion against what God has revealed and stands for. It is a revolt against the gospel. The Apostle Paul singles out homosexual intercourse as reprehensible because it is a fundamental denial of what God has created.
"The challenge of the church is the fundamental question of the nature of reality. Which relationship corresponds to God's ordering of life and which violates it?"
Gomez said the Canadian church, in questioning homosexuality, had said that while it had doctrinal roots it was not core doctrine. "If something is about God's ordering of life how can it be not be core doctrine. Our sexuality must conform to the divine ordering. By endorsing homosexuality we are going against God's ordering of life. Gomez said that Rochester Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali had adequately criticized the Canadian position.
"What can be more fundamental than to follow God's way; that is the issue we are wrestling with? Is it God's will or is it not? I represent the traditional mind of the Anglican Church and we have been maligned and called all kinds of names. But we are to stand for what God stands for and God's ordering...that is the issue."
"The new agenda for the church is not consistent with God's agenda. We don't believe that there can be any other agenda for the church."
"We traditionalists had been accused of being homophobic which is a bit like saying if we condemn adulterers we are should all be called adulterophobic. The word homophobia has become a blunt weapon in an acrimonious campaign to overturn the unanimous conviction of the church that homosexual practice is used to repudiate and malign the traditional position and persons who hold the position."
Gomez said homosexuals were using names and slogans on the position we hold accusing us of bigotry, prejudice without any just cause. "Worse still when you quote Romans Chapter 1 you are accused of being a Fundamentalist to dismiss what we stand for.
"We have leading Biblical scholars who address the text using all the expertise available. When they refer them to the text they use these terms because they are unable to deal with technical evidence we are able to present."
Gomez found fault with Jeffrey John, the Dean of St. Alban's who accused orthodox bishops of using selective texts FOR being 'fundamentalist.' "But using quotes of the bible to try and refute it is just as fundamentalist. We have to be consistent. We believe that the teaching of the Bible is core doctrine because it is about the divine ordering of life; it is about the human condition. By introducing a new anthropology they forget about Genesis. Now we are being asked to look at human beings in a new light. There is no justification or solid evidence. We believe that it is wrong and we are determined to fight it. The Anglican Communion continues to uphold the position decided in 1998 (Lambeth 1:10) - it is the position of the overwhelming number of Christians across the globe."
DURING a question and answer period that followed his speech Archbishop Gomez answered a number of questions put to him by this reporter and those from the floor.
Here is his answer to several questions on what Christians believe in other denominations about homosexuality:
Gomez: "The vast majority of Christians believe the position we put forward. The Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox family of churches all teach the same and most of the denominations in the Western world teach what we are upholding.
"They, the liberals, represent only a small number who believe differently. They do not reflect the belief of the vast majority of Christians even though they like to give the opposite impression.
On Scripture:
Gomez: "We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers. It is a fight we are engaged in and we will see it through to the end, and we intend to see the Anglican Communion maintain its orthodox position. We will end up on the right side of the debate."
On how the Global South will respond:
Gomez: Bishops and archbishops will respond to Sept. 30 whatever TEC puts forward by way of response
On money:
Gomez: The Episcopal Church is the largest contributor donor within the Anglican community. We cannot end up hostage to money. Some Africans have said they won't take any action if we become hostages to money.
On Boycotting Lambeth and decisions they make without traditionalists present.
Gomez: If Lambeth happens with a large boycott, liberals could try and vote to overthrow previous resolutions. Archbishop Williams wants a different type of Lambeth. There are two main areas of concern - The Windsor Report and the Covenant that he wants the conference to address.
Gomez: If bishops of CAPA and their 12 Primates they don't show up or only a small portion, it means that half of the bishops representing two-thirds of the communion won't be represented. Nigeria alone has over 100 bishops representing 18 million Anglicans. Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda all have large constituencies. That is why the whole future of Lambeth is so important. The decisions of Lambeth represent the mind of the communion. We are seriously challenged by the present situation.
On the Covenant:
Gomez: Discussion on the Covenant has only just started.
END
Posted by latimer at 03:56 PM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2007
Bishops Gene and Martyn 'not invited' to Lambeth
22.05.07 Ruth Gledhill Times Online: I fear Dr Williams has lost some friends with this decision and I pray he knows what he is doing. It seems odd that he has done this so long before the September 30 meeting of TEC bishops
Full story:
www.timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2007/05/gene_not_invite.html#more
Posted by latimer at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
Gay Bishop Gene Robinson not invited to Lambeth conference
22.05.07 Ruth Gledhill, Times Online: ...The Rev Chris Sugden, of Anglican Mainstream, the orthodox lobby group, said: "The Archbishop is in a very difficult position. It appears he is making the criteria of withholding an invitation causing division, or scandal or making resolution difficult. Who is to be the judge of these things once the criteria is not Biblical truth as held by the universal church and Anglican doctrine but ecclesiastical correctness?"
Gay bishop not invited to Lambeth conference
Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1825375.ece
The openly gay Bishop of New Hampshire, whose consecration in 2003 has taken the Anglican Church to the brink of schism, is to be excluded from the 2008 Lambeth Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury said today.
In a significant blow to the lesbians and gays campaigning for equal rights within the Church, Dr Rowan Williams has decreed that Bishop Robinson will not be among the 800-plus Anglican bishops invited to Canterbury next summer for the three-week gathering.
Dr Williams' decision provoked fury from the gay community in the Church of England, who said it demonstrated the "institutional homophobia" haunting the Church of England. Dr Williams was also accused of practising "ecclesiastical correctness" by the conservative evangelical opponenents of Bishop Robinson.
But the Archbishop, once a proponent of liberal catholicism of the kind preached by Bishop Robinson and his supporters, had little choice in the matter. If he had invited Bishop Robinson, the conference would almost certainly have been boycotted by conservative evangelical bishops and archbishops from the 'Global South' provinces in Africa and Asia.
The first invitations for the 2008 conference were sent out today by Dr Williams. The gathering, which takes place every ten years and which next year will be the largest ever in the history of Anglicanism, will bring together bishops from the Churches in the 38 Provinces of the Anglican Communion together with ecumenical and other invited guests.
The 2008 conference will differ from previous gatherings in that the bishops will begin with a period of retreat and reflection. Much of this retreat time will be held in and around Canterbury Cathedral. There will be attempts, almost certainly futile, to avoid the controversies of previous years. In 1998 the controversy over homosexuality "came out" into the open for the first time, and 1988 was dominated by the controversy over women bishops.
Bishops' spouses will be invited later in the year by the Archbishop's wife, Dr Jane Williams, a theologian in her own right on the evangelical wing of the Church.
In his letter, Dr Williams acknowledges that there has been keen discussion of the Lambeth Conference of 2008, and makes a plea for a spirit of tolerance.
"Because there has been quite a bit of speculation about invitations and the conditions that might be attached to them, I want to set out briefly what I think the Conference is and is not," he writes.
"It is an occasion when the Archbishop of Canterbury exercises his privilege of calling his colleagues together, not to legislate but to discover and define something more about our common identity through prayer, listening to God’s Word and shared reflection. It is an occasion to rediscover the reality of the Church itself as a worldwide community united by the call and grace of Christ."
He continues: "Coming to the Lambeth Conference does not commit you to accepting the position of others as necessarily a legitimate expression of Anglican doctrine and discipline, or to any action that would compromise your conscience or the integrity of your local church."
Referring to the debates tearing the Church apart, he says: "At a time when our common identity seems less clear that it once did, the temptation is to move further away from each other into those circles where we only related to those who completely agree with us.
"But the depth and seriousness of the issues that face us require us to discuss as fully and freely as we can, and no other forum offers the same opportunities for all to hear and consider, in the context of a common waiting on the Holy Spirit.
"I have said, and repeat here, that coming to the Conference does not commit you to accepting every position held by other bishops as equally legitimate or true. But I hope it does commit us all to striving together for a more effective and coherent worldwide body, working for God’s glory and Christ’s Kingdom."
Justifying the exclusion of Bishop Robinson, he says: "I have to reserve the right to withhold or withdraw invitations from bishops whose appointment, actions or manner of life have caused exceptionally serious division or scandal within the Communion."
He indicates there are "one or two cases" on which he is seeking further advice. Each letter is sent with "a reply slip" for bishops to indicate whether they will be attending or not, with replies needed by the end of July this year.
The Rev Martin Reynolds, spokesman for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, condemned the policy. He said it demonstrated "the institutional homophobia presently haunting the Anglican Communion."
He quoted a recent communique from the Church's primates, which said: "The victimisation or diminishment of human beings whose affections happen to be ordered towards people of the same sex is anathema to us.”
Mr Reynolds continued: “This is a flagrant example of victimisation that quite clearly intends to diminish Bishop Robinson’s status. If the Archbishop of Canterbury is unable to follow the dictates of the Primates Group, let alone the dictates of his own conscience, we are in a very unsafe state.
"We are deeply sorry for the failure of the Communion to live up to its own standards. Bishop Robinson and the diocese he was duly and canonically elected to serve have our full support and we believe they deserve much better.”
He said the decision placed most US bishops along with others throughout the world in an embarrassing position. "If they accept their Lambeth invitations this might appear to support Bishop Robinson’s victimisation, while if they reject the invitation they will abandon our Communion to the homophobes.”
The Rev Chris Sugden, of Anglican Mainstream, the orthodox lobby group, said: "The Archbishop is in a very difficult position. It appears he is making the criteria of withholding an invitation causing division, or scandal or making resolution difficult. Who is to be the judge of these things once the criteria is not Biblical truth as held by the universal church and Anglican doctrine but ecclesiastical correctness?"
Posted by latimer at 04:00 PM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2007
The 'Listening' Process
A Study Guide For use at the Lambeth Conference 2008 on: The Process of Listening to Gay and Lesbian people and Mutual Listening on Human Sexuality. The culmination of months of work on what is known as "The Listening Process," a process begun in response to the mandate of Lambeth Conference 1998 Resolution 1.10, and subsequent Primates Meetings,
Listening Process Summaries now on-line
Preparation of a Study Guide on Human Sexuality for the 2008 Lambeth Conference Announced
Study Guide can be found here: www.aco.org/listening/study/
Summaries can be found here: www.aco.org/listening/reports/
The culmination of months of work on what is known as "The Listening Process," a process begun in response to the mandate of Lambeth Conference 1998 Resolution 1.10, and subsequent Primates Meetings, is now set out on the Anglican Communion website for use around the Anglican world. The Anglican Consultative Council, at their meeting in Nottingham, requested the appointment of a facilitator for this work.
Each of the summaries has been compiled in co-operation with the Primate of that Province. Facilitator Canon Phil Groves of the Anglican Communion Office said, 'The summaries have drawn upon public statements and further research. Each Primate has approved the final text.'
Each Province has sent reports, statements and papers. In addition the Facilitator has taken time to speak to Primates and their representatives form each of the Provinces and in order to produce these summaries. The primates asked for the summaries to be 'made more fully available across the Communion for study and reflection
In addition to the summaries, and the materials being formulated on our website, A Study Guide for use at the Lambeth Conference 2008 on: The Process of Listening to Gay and Lesbian people and Mutual Listening on Human Sexuality is underway. The facilitator requests contributions for the study guide, the full details are on the website.
The Primates also asked for 'the preparation of material to assist the bishops at 2008 Lambeth Conference.' The Facilitator for the Listening Process is asking for contributions to be used in the writing of a Study Guide.
The Revd Canon Phil Groves can be reached at the Anglican Communion Office in London. Email is phil.groves@aco.org, telephone +44 (0) 207
313 3917.
ACNSlist, published by Anglican Communion News Service, London,
Posted by latimer at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)