Goddard had fewer than four months to research and write the book and acknowledges that his conclusions and judgments are “initial [and] tentative” (p. 8). Each chapter provides a summary of Williams’s speeches, interviews, and sermons relevant to the topic at hand, along with commentary from Goddard and a handful of other individuals whom he interviewed. At times, the chapters feel like little more than lengthy quotations from Williams’s own writing. This is no bad thing, however. To read Williams’s original words in the context in which they were first delivered is refreshing. In any event, their complexity and depth defy easy summation. (At least two other books on Williams, Rupert Shortt’s Rowan’s Rule and Mike Higton’s Difficult Gospel, similarly rely on lengthy quotations.)

Goddard’s tight writing schedule presents other problems, as it causes him occasionally to pass over significant moments too briefly. For instance, he mentions Williams’s “historic meeting with [Zimbabwean President Robert] Mugabe” (p. 144) but provides no additional information on what made it historic or why it was significant to Williams’s ministry. These are judgments that a tight publishing deadline likely cannot accommodate.

A larger disappointment is that the people Goddard interviewed to inform his judgments seem a limited lot. They are overwhelmingly male and from the Euro-Atlantic world.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • --Rowan Williams • * Culture-Watch • Books

So, Christmas Christians are on the up.

And the number of christenings increased by 4.3%, which was accompanied by a rise of just over 5% in adult baptisms with a combined total of 139,751 baptisms – meaning that the Church of England conducted an average of over 2,600 baptisms each week during 2011. Thanksgivings for the birth of a child also rose - an 11.9% increase, taking numbers to 6,582....

The bad news?

Sunday attendance has declined over the decade, and this is particularly noticeable with child attendance:

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Christian Life / Church Life • Liturgy, Music, Worship • Parish Ministry • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

The Court says that Virginia is a State that follows and applies "neutral principles of law," but don't let that fool you. What exactly is so "neutral" about (a) judges creating a trust out of whole cloth that the parties themselves never formalized, so that (b) a church like ECUSA can secure a windfall for the unjust enrichment of one of its dioceses?

Justice Powell's result rests entirely upon her finding that a "fiduciary relationship" existed between The Falls Church and the national Church. But she spends no time whatsoever in examining the particulars of such a relationship, or deciding just when and how it actually came into being.

Fiduciary relationships are very special in the eyes of the law. A fiduciary is a person or entity in whom one confides (such as a client with his attorney, a patient with his psychiatrist, or a penitent with his priest) -- or it can also be a person or entity to whom one entrusts money or property, such as a client with his stockbroker or banker. Or it can simply be the trustee who holds certain property in trust for what the law calls the beneficiary of that trust -- the person for whose benefit the trust was established.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: Virginia • * Culture-Watch • Law & Legal Issues

...One hundred or 150 years from today, the generations then may look back at ours and wonder about how unenlightened we were in some spheres of life.

Take Church leadership: they will wonder about how come a people who lived in the age of air travel, the Internet, and pinhole surgery, had for long been so blind to the obvious – that the strength of the Church, across its main denominations – Catholicism, Anglicanism, Pentecostalism (CAP) – in the late 20th and through the 21st Centuries lay in the Global South, and that is where its leadership should come from...

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary

From a letter to the editor in the local paper:

I was saddened and appalled, but not surprised, by the vindictive and mean-spirited language Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori used in her sermon on Saturday.

Alluding to Bishop Mark Lawrence as a "tyrant" and comparing him to "citizens' militias deciding to patrol ... the Mexican border for unwelcome visitors" was unconscionable.

And to say, "It's not terribly far from the state of mind evidenced in school shootings, or in those who want to arm school children, or the terrorism that takes oil workers hostage," was despicable.

That any Christian, much less a presiding bishop, would use such invective and incendiary words says more about the speaker than the person she is attempting to vilify.

However, she is the same person who has spent over $22 million to sue churches over their property, who refused to sell a church back to its congregation and instead sold it to a Muslim organization, and who sued beloved, retired bishops because they challenged her authority.

It is not surprising that the fruits of Bishop Jefferts Schori's leadership of TEC are a significant decline in members, controversy and confrontation with the majority of the Anglican Communion, and financial problems resulting in the need to sell prized land in Manhattan.

"They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love" has been a favorite hymn of mine for over 50 years.

It is also a good barometer of a person's Christian character. The language used by Jefferts Schori from the pulpit is as unloving and un-Christian as it gets.

Still, as one who believes in a forgiving God and in spiritual transformation, I will continue to pray that TEC and Jefferts Schori may be inspired and imbued with the Holy Spirit and in the process may rise above petty name-calling and invective and embrace the love of Christ in what they say and do.

Dr. Peter T. Mitchell

Broad Street

Georgetown

I will take comments on this submitted by email only to at KSHarmon[at]mindspring[dot]com.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Adult Education • Ministry of the Ordained • Preaching / Homiletics • * Culture-Watch • Law & Legal Issues • * South Carolina • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

In our supposedly "secular" culture, the Church of England seems to have succumbed to the idea that theological ideas do not matter very much, and this may bespeak a deeper malaise even than the current crisis itself. Young people are turning back to the Church, longing for spiritual and intellectual bread; by and large stones await them, even despite a most promising new generation of young priest-scholars (women and men) who are beginning to rise through the ecclesial ranks. Perhaps in a generation things will be different.

But for the moment the Church has in effect signed its own theological death warrant. At the end of this summer, amid a new storm of fury about a confused conservative amendment to the Measure (astonishingly backed by both Archbishops to placate the defectors), I was invited to address the House of Bishops on "the theology of women bishops." I made the following three points, and stand by them:

we cannot compromise on the historic theology of the bishop as locus of unity;
we must return afresh to our distinctively Anglican notions of reason and tradition to solve this crisis, not lapse into rational incoherence; and
we must resist in the Church the supervenience of bureaucratic thinking (with all its busy political pragmatism) over theological and spiritual seriousness.

I offer here just a brief further expansion on each of these points.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops • * Culture-Watch • Women • * Theology

What has caused the rust? The easy answer: the church lost the gospel. Waves of pragmatism, liberalism, and "Anglo-Catholicism" (a blend of Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism) have swept through the church, leaving wreckage in their wake.

But the actual cause is slightly more subtle. Anglicans still talk about the gospel, a lot. And mission. And even about being evangelical---the new archbishop self-identifies as an evangelical, though he certainly wouldn't recognize the definition of the term Don Carson and Tim Keller give in TGC's Gospel-Centered Ministry booklet.

The denomination never lost the words. But it lost the biblical content. In order to keep unity among people who differ over essentials, Anglicanism has increasingly emptied key concepts of their content. So you can sit in a room with 10 Anglican ministers and talk for half an hour about "the gospel" without ever defining the term and always knowing there are probably ten (or eleven!) different views.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Theology • Anthropology • Christology • Soteriology

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori doesn't play by the rules. Specifically, she and her Council of Advice decided that the Bishop of South Carolina had renounced his orders as a bishop without following the canons, or laws, of the church. For example, the church's canons state that in order to renounce your orders, one must do so "in writing." The Bishop of South Carolina never wrote the Presiding Bishop, or any one for that matter, claiming to renounce his orders. This is just one example of the current state of lawlessness in The Episcopal Church. Canon Phil Ashey reflects on these recent events in this week's Anglican Perspective.

Watch it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • TEC Polity & Canons • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

After the General Synod failed to give Final Approval to the draft legislation on the ordination of women to the episcopate, I had hoped for a period of calm, prayer and reflection all round; and perhaps some sense of regret, on the part of the proponents of the Measure, that they had not got the legislation right. Of course, as we now know, this was very far from the case: instead, a media furore, and a sense from some quarters that those who had voted against the Measure need to be punished in the future for daring to step out of line.

We need to say very clearly, that we understand, and deeply regret, the pain, hurt and anger felt on the part of many women clergy and their supporters; that we value the huge contribution of ordained women to the life of the Church of England; and that we recognise the gifts which God has given in and through their ministries.

However, we also need to challenge some errors and misunderstandings which have been widespread since the vote was taken....

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops • * Culture-Watch • Women

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • TEC Diocesan Conventions/Diocesan Councils • * South Carolina

During my career that included being president of two church-related liberal arts colleges, an insightful faculty member at one of the colleges called the relativist philosophy sweeping across campuses as a “diverse like me” mind-set. Diversity is great as long as it includes all those who agree with a certain postmodern worldview....

Where is diversity with fellowship and communion? Where is affirming the image of God in persons who disagree? Where is welcoming with abundant and radical hospitality? Where is the church broad enough to embrace within its communion every living soul? Where is the tiny space we worked so hard to find so that we could remain in TEC?

That tiny space to stand on principle and belief has become a razor’s edge of hypocrisy, severing a tie that should have remained. That tiny space has been eliminated by a “diverse like me” mind-set in a dysfunctional polity. And the Episcopal Church, the original and legitimate Diocese of South Carolina, the Anglican Communion and God’s kingdom on Earth will be the worse for it.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • TEC Diocesan Conventions/Diocesan Councils • * South Carolina • * Theology

At an uncongenial hour, I find myself on Radio 4’s excellent Sunday programme, telling Ed Stourton that I can’t imagine that Justin Welby has ever thrown a bread roll in a restaurant in his life. Others were discussing the new Archbishop of Canterbury’s churchmanship, but there isn’t a serious issue that I’m not prepared to overlook when I’m at the BBC – just call me George “Entwistle” Pitcher.

What I was really trying to say is that Archbishop-elect Welby isn’t an Old Etonian in the Boris Johnson and David Cameron tradition. He’s about as far from the Bullingdon Club of Boorish Hoorays as it’s possible to be. Well, as far as Cambridge is from Oxford, anyway.

But it made me wonder, in the early hours of Sunday on national radio, if I was indulging in a gratuitous and offensive stereotype of Etonians.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops

Why in the world, then, would the "remain Episcopal" group, consisting of some twelve parishes in the Diocese, want to get off on such a wrong foot under South Carolina law? The answer is plain, no matter how much they may try to disavow it, and play the innocent: they are wholly subservient to their captain, and that captain is Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Chief Outlaw of the Episcopal Church (USA).

It is only with her recognition, aid and support that these others could go down such a lawless path of their own. Inspired by her example, they have impersonated the Diocesan office in two emails, misused the corporate seal, and pretended to be who they are not under South Carolina law. This is, of course, all pursuant to, and in order to further yet again, 815's Grand Strategy for dealing with dissident dioceses, as spelled out by 815 itself and discussed in this earlier post.

As the ACI article carefully explains, the ...[Presiding] Bishop's outlaw strategy in South Carolina is not just invented from day to day; it is self-contradictory, and will result in embarrassment in the courts. On the one hand, 815 is acting as though the Diocese has not left, but has only had all of its positions suddenly become vacant -- and it is going about the process of filling them with new people.

But on the other hand, the actions in South Carolina being taken by the Presiding Bishop are canonical only if there is no longer a Diocese there, but only patches of raw territory waiting to be organized as a new diocese. So which is it?

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori • TEC Bishops • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • TEC Polity & Canons • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Alternative Primatial Oversight (APO) • Anglican Provinces • Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia

I am in Auckland, NZ, at the 15th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC15). The agenda moved into high gear today with presentations on "The Bible in the Life of the Church" (BILC), the Network for Interfaith Concerns (NIFCON) Report "Promised Land?", an Anglican Communion resource for addressing Israeli-Palestinian relations, and the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) report on The Instruments of Unity.

I believe that the discussion on BILC revealed an important major conclusion that tips the hand of the ACC's leadership: that the process of how Anglicans interpret scripture is as important as the substance of scripture. Two conclusions will follow from this premise: (1) Context reigns supreme in how people interpret, and in the diversity of interpretations that flow from diversity of contexts NO interpretation is better than another (a point made by the preselected TEC leader of one of the small groups), and (2) There are no "limits" on faithful interpretation (point made by the preselected Church of England rep from another reflection group).

In this discussion, initial enthusiasm for the affirmation of Bible study gave way to sharp differences over the language in the proposed resolution, and then to frustration that there was not enough time to consider the resolution.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Consultative Council • * International News & Commentary • Middle East • Israel • * Theology • Theology: Scripture

Williams did however say in his interview that, because of growing demands, “I suspect it will be necessary, in the next 10 to 15 years, to think about how that load is spread; to think whether in addition to the Archbishop of Canterbury there needs to be some more presidential figure who can travel more readily”, who “has the support of the primates of the Anglican Communion” and “would have an executive role to implement what they decide”.

There are echoes of the controversial Covenant he had pushed for which would have bolstered the power of the primates over provinces other than their own, threatening “relational consequences” for those which failed to obey. This was rejected by the majority of dioceses in the Church of England and elsewhere, but it would appear that another drive for 'unity' is planned.

However, most of the overseas archbishops who have pushed hardest for disciplinary structures would be highly resistant to any interference in their own provinces, a recipe for further splits if any 'president' did not entirely do their bidding. Having an international leader could also be disastrous for the Church of England, already facing a sizeable drop in involvement in recent decades.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • --Rowan Williams • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

The last 12 months has seen a significant development in the Anglican Communion. National Anglican Churches (Provinces is the technical term) have begun to hold significant large gatherings of all Anglicans in their area along with international guests from other parts of the Communion.

This is part of the “celebration” level of church gatherings which can be classed as “cell” – or home groups, “congregation” – what most of us experience on Sundays and “celebration” – everyone getting together in an area or region. Churches in Oxford have done this for the last seven years with “Love Oxford” when many churches shut their doors on one Sunday and all meet together in a central outdoor location. English dioceses have occasionally done this by taking over a football stadium. Gatherings such as Word Alive, Bible by the Beach, Spring Harvest, New Wine and Keswick are also such celebrations....

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • * Culture-Watch • Globalization

Not a week goes by (even in August) when the Unscripted team can't dig up some interesting news. Kevin and George discuss the...(recent developments) with AMiA and the turmoil at Pawley's Island. They also reveal some Crown Commission secrets, Anglican Job Postings and Affinity Dioceses. Peter Ould talks about an Englishman trying to sell more books and Allan gives some interesting history about leaving and staying in TEC at the same time.

Watch it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • - Anglican: Latest News • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • Episcopal Church (TEC)

While a decline in the size of the church is unfortunate, I’m fairly certain that truly liberal Christians are unconcerned.

Many liberal churches, even conservative churches that fall under traditional denominational labels (Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran) have seen declines in membership. Bloggers and commentators are scrambling to figure it out. Can we blame the sexual revolution? Busy, two-career families that have no time for church? Consumerism, materialism, multiculturalism and relativism? Mega-churches?
But in decline, and perhaps only in decline, can churches re-discover the true ministry and mission of Jesus, which was to be radically tolerant and helpful to those who are poor, sick, outcast and marginalized.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012 • TEC Data • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012

Whilst the British Government seem to be considering easing some sanctions against Mr Mugabe and his personal allies, I am not convinced that the time has come to weaken international opposition to the President of Zimbabwe’s irresponsible, undemocratic, lawless, and at times brutal regime. I certainly won’t be placing an order for a new clerical collar at Wippells just yet.

We cannot allow Robert Mugabe off the hook. When I cut up my clerical collar, I said I would not put it on again until Mr Mugabe had gone from office – we need to stand in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe and not forget the abuses and exploitation they have suffered at the hands of that administration.

The reason given by Her Majesty’s Government for this ‘step change’ in relations with Zimbabwe is the work going in to drafting a new constitution for that country. The recent meeting of European Union foreign ministers, which agreed to lift these restrictions on Mr Mugabe’s colleagues, have made this decision dependent only upon whether a ‘credible’ referendum is held on the new constitution. Perhaps if they had read the draft constitution they might have taken a different view.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of York John Sentamu • * Culture-Watch • Law & Legal Issues • Violence • * Economics, Politics • Foreign Relations • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • Africa • Zimbabwe

[Bishop Seabury Church]...is not alone in its decision to withdraw from the Episcopal fold. For decades there have been increasingly impassioned and heartfelt disagreements within the Episcopal community with respect to Christianity and the proper interpretation of the Bible.

The rip in the fabric of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America began tearing at least as far back as the 1960s when California Bishop James Pike decided the Holy Trinity did not exist and there was no Virgin Birth. Heresy charges were invoked against Bishop Pike but there was no will to move forward. For whatever reason (perhaps Pike’s beliefs were quietly shared) the church failed to reprimand the obstinate bishop....

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Christian Life / Church Life • Church History • * Theology • Christology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Theology: Scripture

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Culture-Watch • Law & Legal Issues • Church/State Matters • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Culture-Watch • Law & Legal Issues • Church/State Matters • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

While I tend toward the progressive side in this controversy, I am not persuaded by either analysis. My own sense is that we face a crisis of credibility. For those especially under 40, the Episcopal Church (and its companion churches and faith traditions) no longer seems a credible place in which to engage God, learn to pray or to give ourselves in ministry. We seem, to those outside us, exclusive and opaque.

Those of us who love the traditions (and habits) of institutional Christianity might feel somewhat wounded by the seeming disinterest in the practices we have come to live by. But if the Episcopal Church is to thrive in the 21st century, it must do three things. It must develop a clear, missional identity. It must project that identity outward and invite people into it. And it must take seriously the needs and concerns of those who come toward us and adapt to the new life and energy they bring.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012 • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • * Theology

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012 • * Culture-Watch • History • Media • Religion & Culture • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Faiths • Secularism • * Theology

I experienced profound pride as my bishop was interviewed on CNN and gently explained the position of the Church and some of the pastoral implications of a decision that Convention had taken that would have a direct impact on me. I watched as a democratic deliberative body wrestled with deep theological and pastoral issues on the nature of the Church, its sacraments, and its mission. I watched in awe as members of the official youth presence, including our own David Kilp, stood to address the House of Deputies and Convention commissions and committees with passion, conviction, carefully crafted arguments, and all with aplomb. At their age, I could NEVER have done what I watched them do. And they did it with love for the Church. It gave me hope.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012

How could anyone attend General Convention, where soaring worship, beautiful music and uplifting preaching marked daily worship, and note only the size of the Presiding Bishop’s crozier? And to pick two pieces of legislation out of more than 400 pieces presented (and then to mischaracterize one of them) is grossly unfair.

At this convention we decided to embark upon significant changes in our Church’s structure, agreed to trial use of a same-sex blessing policy and passed substantive resolutions in a variety of areas of our common life. Failing to address any of these key topics is to have missed the lede.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012 • TEC Bishops • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture

...as a Christian theologian, I believe that the soundness of theological teaching does indeed manifest itself over the long run. That doesn’t imply that the churches should teach only what has been handed down from long ago; the church has changed its mind, and the church has erred, not only in their living and manner of ceremonies, but also in matters of faith. There is no way to guarantee that you’re not off-base. On the other and, if you adhere to what millennia of the saints have taught and believed, you’re a least somewhat less likely to be found in error than if you decide that you’re going to think it all up on your own, taking as fundamental a set of political and philosophical ideas developed over the last couple hundred years. The Enlightenment wasn’t A Bad Thing, but neither was it the dawning of the messianic era. If there’s something you want to identify with Jesus, or Christianity, then your argument is stronger if you can actually give numerous reasons for making that identification; and the more such reasons that you can provide, the stronger the theological argument. And if you want to repudiate a great deal of what is plausibly associated with Jesus and Christianity, it’s not unreasonable for people to question the extent to which your enterprise is still ‘Christian’.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012

Earlier generations of liberal Christianity, according to Gary Dorrien at Union Theological Seminary, were led by men who had a "deep grounding in Bible study, family devotions, personal prayer and worship." Their calls for reform were made in the context of a belief in "a personal transcendent God . . . the divinity of Christ, the need of personal redemption and the importance of Christian missions."

That's the liberal Christianity that helped produce the civil rights movement, for example. We owe this tradition a debt.

So what are we - especially we evangelicals - to make of the decline of the mainline churches? Dr. Timothy George, Chairman of the Board here at the Colson Center and Dean at Beeson Divinity School, has written an excellent article about this and we have it for you at BreakPoint.org. He issues a powerful call to spiritual vitality, theological integrity, humilty, and most of all, prayer.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Christian Life / Church Life • Church History • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A.

In a sense, this was probably to expected. Just view the language now used around issues of sexual identity. Whereas gay and lesbian — or even just gay — was once considered fine it is now necessary to add a whole bunch more of sexual identities.

The simplest is LGBT — lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender — but it is not uncommon to see LGBTTIQ — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, intersex, queer and questioning.

Use these terms enough and no longer is it right question why these various groups are being jammed together — even though being transgender has nothing to do with being gay and I still have no idea how two spirited became a category. The decision that they are related comes from interest groups and not common sense. And now politicians, journalists and social scientist feel obliged to repeat this litany as if it was the law of the land.

This is nothing to do with liberalism but with group-think.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012 • * International News & Commentary • Canada

SAME SEX LITURGY RESOLUTION A049 PASSED

Latest Developments [Updated 6th August 2012]
A prayer for the bishop and clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina who met on 25th July 2012 is here. Bishop Lawrence's report of that meeting is here. A parish letter sent to Bishop Lawrence during General Convention is here

On 6th August 2012 a Member of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion, charged with overseeing the operation of the Anglican Communion Covenant, Bishop Ian Douglas approved the holding of gay weddings and blessings by clergy in the Diocese of Connecticut in solidarity with the Bishop of New York.

more below in the Quick Guide

Latest Posts
[*NEW] *Bishop Ian Douglas, Communion Standing Committee Member, Undertakes Same Sex Marriages [6th August 2012]
[*NEW] *(Moultrie, Georgia, Observer) St. John’s leaves Episcopal Church over theological rift [6th August 2012]
[full list of posts is now continued below the fold and is being updated regularly]

Responses from South Carolina
[*NEW] *Kendall Harmon—In an age of Angst and Anxiety, Be Mindful that The Lord will Provide [6th August 2012]
*What one South Carolina Parish Wrote Bishop Mark Lawrence During General Convention 2012 [2nd August 2012]
*Bishop Lawrence Meets with Clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina Following General Convention [31st July 2012]

[*NEW] *(Local Paper Faith and Values Section) Mark Lawrence—Church needs to be clear in its teaching [29th July 2012]
*[Lent & Beyond] A Prayer for the Diocese of South Carolina [25th July 2012]
*Bucking National Trend, Diocese of South Carolina Experiences Growth in 2011 [18th July 2012]
*On Short notice, Bishop Mark Lawrence Summons South Carolina Clergy to Talk about Gen. Con. 2012 [18th July 2012]
*Bishop Mark Lawrence’s Letter to the Diocese of S.C. to be read in all parishes Sunday morning [15th July 2012]
*Kendall Harmon Interviewed by The World Today about the recent General Convention [15th July 2012]
*South Carolina Differentiates Itself from Actions of 77th General Convention [12th July 2012]
*The deputation of South Carolina have released a statement this afternoon [11th July 2012]
*Kendall Harmon’s response to the GC 2012 Passage of Rites of Blessing for Same Sex Unions [10th July 2012]
*The South Carolina Deputation Statement on Passage of Rites of Blessing for Same Sex Unions[10th July 2012]

Quick Guide to Same Sex Liturgy Resolution AO49 [Regularly Updated]
Passed by the House of Bishops on 9th July 2012 with 111 for, 41 against, 3 abstentions. The Resolution in this final form was sent to the House of Deputies for consideration. Doubts about the procedure for approving these 'provisional' rites have been expressed by commenters Allan Haley here, The Living Church here, Anglican Ink here and Professor Seitz here and here and in this Christianity Today article

On 10th July 2012 the House of Deputies also passed the resolution voting by orders - Laity: 78% [86 yes, 19 no, 5 divided] and Clergy: 76% [85 yes, 22 no, 4 divided]. The final conformed resolution is here, a pdf of the official version is here and the resulting approved Liturgy for Blessing Same-Sex Relationships is here.

Protests have followed by 12+ bishops in the Indianapolis Statement, 30 deputies supported a statement read to the House of Deputies, and there have been further statements by the South Carolina delegation, Canon Theologian Kendall Harmon, and on 11th July 2012 the bishop and most of the deputation departed, and this Statement was issued. On 13th July 2012 the Standing Committee of the diocese of Central Florida issued this Statement and the Albany Bishops and Deputation this Statement.

On Sunday 15th July 2012, Bishop Mark Lawrence issued a pastoral letter to be read in Diocese of South Carolina churches reported in The State and Allan Haley comments here and there is a prayer here

On 19th July 2012, Bishop Mark Sisk of New York authorized clergy to officiate at same-sex marriages both in a religious capacity and as agents of New York State. On 20th July ACI released an analysis that Resolution A049 is legally, theologically and constitutionally flawed and made outside the constitutional authority of General Convention. On the same day the Global South Primates released a Communiqué noting with great sadness the passing of Resolution A049 authorizing 'a liturgy for blessing same-sex unions' and confirming their 'disappointment that The Episcopal Church has no regard for the concerns and convictions of the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide'.

Among those issuing pastoral letters or other statements saying they will not approve or permit Same Sex Blessings under Resolution AO49 in those dioceses are the bishops of South Carolina, Albany, Central Florida, Dallas, Florida, South Dakota, Springfield, Tennessee, Western Louisiana, and [with qualification] Northern Indiana who has made alternative arrangements and Alabama who nevertheless voted for them, and it is not clear where Upper South Carolina stands [please advise us of any updates on your bishops]

A prayer for the bishop and clergy of the Diocese of South Carolina who met on 25th July 2012 is here. Bishop Lawrence's report of that meeting is here. A parish letter sent to Bishop Lawrence during General Convention is here

On 6th August 2012 a Member of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion, charged with overseeing the operation of the Anglican Communion Covenant, Bishop Ian Douglas approved the holding of gay weddings and blessings by clergy in the Diocese of Connecticut in solidarity with the Bishop of New York.


Posts on Same Sex Liturgy Resolution AO49 Continued from Latest Posts above
*Saint Francis in the Fields, Harrods Creek, Kentucky, responds to General Convention [2nd August 2012]
*An interview with Bishop “Holly” Hollerith (Southern Virginia) regarding blessing same sex unions [1st August 2012]
*Christopher Benson—Toward A Better Conversation about Same-Sex Unions among Christians [1st August 2012]
*Peter Moore on the Importance of How we Treat and Describe Other Christians [1st August 2012]
*Rector and Vestry Resign at Saint John’s in Moultrie, Georgia [31st July 2012]
*Alex Sanders and Peter Moore Debate the Inevitability of Same Sex Marriage (I) [29th July 2012]
*Communion Partner Participants Report on the Global South Mission Conference in Bangkok [26th July 2012]
*Bishop Howard: Same Sex Blessings not to be Authorized in the Diocese of Florida [26th July 2012]
*Dr Timothy George: Beware the Well Worn Path [26th July 2012]
*A Letter from Bishop Scott Benhase to the Diocese of Georgia [26th July 2012]
*Bishop John Bauerschmidt: no plans to authorize same sex blessings in the Diocese of Tennessee [25th July 2012]
*Bishop Duncan Gray: Same-sex blessings not to be held in the Diocese of Mississippi [25th July 2012]
*Bishop Jake Owensby reports to the Diocese of Western Louisiana on General Convention [25th July 2012]
*Dean Limehouse of Advent Cathedral Alabama responds to General Convention [23rd July 2012]
*[Birmingham News] Episcopal bishop says yes to same-sex blessings, but not in Alabama [23rd July 2012]
*Bishop Greg Brewer’s Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Central Florida [22nd July 2012]
*Bishop Ed Little’s Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Northern Indiana [22nd July 2012]
*Communiqué of the Global South Primates Bangkok, Thailand, 20 July 2012 [20th July 2012]
*[ACI] Same Sex Blessings: What Did General Convention Do? [20th July 2012]
*Bishop Mark Sisk: Gay Marriage Authorized ignoring Constitution and The Book of Common Prayer [20th July 2012]
*(ABC Religion and Ethics Report) America’s most influential church on the brink of collapse [20th July 2012]
*(CEN) The Episcopal Church endorses temporary local option on same-sex blessings [20th July 2012]
*(NBC News) Is liberal Christianity signing its own death warrant? [20th July 2012]
*(The State) Talks continue as potential split in SC Episcopal diocese looms [19th July 2012]
*Bishop Stanton’s Pastoral Letter to the Diocese of Dallas [19th July 2012]
*Anglican Unscripted Episode 45 [19th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Upper South Carolina Writes about General Convention [18th July 2012]
*Bishop who leads Central Gulf Coast Episcopal diocese will bless gay unions [18th July 2012]
*Beaufort County Episcopal church reactions vary to bishop’s letter on same-sex blessings [18th July 2012]
*(CNS) General Convention 2012 Decisions “a huge obstacle on the path to Christian unity” [17th July 2012]
*Western Mass. Episcopal clergy to bless, but not wed, same-sex couples [16th July 2012]
*Fort Worth parish protest over GC Indianapolis [16th July 2012]
*Diocese of Missouri Deputation—Telling our story [15th July 2012]
*Key Page for Finding out the Final Wording and Status of All General Convention 2012 Resolutions [15th July 2012]
*(RNS) Reaction mixed to Episcopal Church’s approval of same-sex rites [15th July 2012]
*An Article on the situation on the ground in East Tennessee after General Convention 2012 [15th July 2012]
*The Presiding Bishop Visits La Crosse, Wisconsin [15th July 2012]
*A Look Back to 2009: Philip Jenkins on TEC and the Communion—Their Separate Ways [15th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Fond Du Lac on General Convention 2012—Same Sex Blessings [15th July 2012]
*(Local Paper Faith and Values Section) Episcopal diocese officials object to recent church actions [15th July 2012]
*Allan Haley—Bishop Mark Lawrence Addresses His Diocese Following General Convention [15th July 2012]
*(Diocese of Albany) Chip Strickland on the last day of General Convention 2012 [15th July 2012]
*(The State) South Carolina Episcopal bishop blasts national church [15th July 2012]
*Ross Douthat—Can Reappraising Christianity [especially as practiced in Mainline Churches] Be Saved? [15th July 2012]
*(Orangeburg, S.C. Times and Democrat) S.C. Episcopal representatives denounce same-sex blessing rite [15th July 2012]
*Ryan Anderson reviews Debating Same-Sex Marriage by John Corvino and Maggie Gallagher [15th July 2012]
*(Tulsa World) Oklahoma Episcopal bishop will consult with diocese on same-sex unions [15th July 2012]
*The Episcopal Church: Liturgy for Blessing Same-Sex Relationships [14th July 2012]
*[Christianity Today] Episcopal Church Approves Same-Sex Blessing Rites [14th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Arizona responds to the WSJ Article on General Convention Posted below [13th July 2012]
*A Letter from the Rector of Truro Anglican Church on General Convention 2012 [13th July 2012]
*Statement of the Albany Bishops and Deputation in response to General Convention 2012 [13th July 2012]
*(WSJ) Jay Akasie on General Convention 2012—What Ails the Episcopalians [13th July 2012]
*A Statement from the Deputation of the Diocese of Central Florida on General Convention 2012 [13th July 2012]
*(Living Church) An Action of Solidarity in the House of Deputies [12th July 2012]
*Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island Statement on the Blessing of Same-Sex Relationships [12th July 2012]
*(ENS) South Carolinians have ‘grievous concern,’ over General Convention actions [12th July 2012]
*Episcopal Church passes same-sex blessings, Houston area church to offer new rite [12th July 2012]
*(KQED) What the Episcopal Same-Sex Union and Transgender Resolutions Mean for Californians [12th July 2012]
*Todd Wetzel’s Anglicans United Report on the House of Bishops debate on Same Sex Blessings [12th July 2012]
*(York Daily Record) Local pastors respond to Episcopal church approving same-sex unions [12th July 2012]
*Allan Haley—Diocese of South Carolina Fed up with General Convention [11th July 2012]
*(RNS) Reaction mixed to Episcopal Church’s approval of same-sex rites [11th July 2012]
*(CSM) Episcopal approval of same-sex blessings: Will it hurt church’s global ties? [11th July 2012]
*(Anglican Ink) 12 bishops say no to Same Sex Blessings [11th July 2012]
*(Seattle PI) It’s official: Episcopalians ratify same-sex “covenants” [11th July 2012]
*The Episcopal Bishop of Texas on Same Gender Blessings Vote(s) at GC 2012 [11th July 2012]
*Bishop Christopher Epting on Recent General Convention Developments [11th July 2012]
*(ENS) Same Sex Union Blessing rite authorized for provisional use from First Advent [11th July 2012]
*(USA Today) Episcopal Church approves same-sex blessing rite [11th July 2012]
*(BBC) US Episcopal Church approves same-sex blessing service [11th July 2012]
*(NY Times) Episcopalians Approve Rite to Bless Same-Sex Unions [11th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Bethlehem on Today’s Decision—Same Gender Blessings Resolution [10th July 2012]
*Statement of Integrity on Today’s Decision—Episcopal Church Authorizes Same-Sex Blessings [10th July 2012]
*Friends calling for prayer regarding The Episcopal Church and General Convention - Lent and Beyond
*Kendall Harmon: About Today and How to Receive the [Same Sex Liturgy] Resolution that will Pass [10th July 2012]
*Allan Haley Analyzes the Bishops Vote Yesterday, Showing its Violations of their own Governing Rules [10th July 2012]
*A Living Church Article on Yesterday’s Debate and Vote in the House of Bishops on Same Sex Liturgies [10th July 2012]
*(Reuters) Episcopalians set to be first big US church to bless Same-Sex marriage [10th July 2012]
*(ENS) Bishops vote to approve resources for same-gender blessings [10th July 2012]
*(Anglican Ink) House of Bishops endorses “provisional” same-sex blessing rites [9th July 2012]
*Finally Tweaked Version of Same Sex Liturgy Resolution A049 as Passed by the House of Bishops Today [9th July 2012]
*ENS Article pre Bishops Vote—‘Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant’ recommended for provisional use [9th July 2012]
*(AP) Episcopal bishops OK trial same sex blessing service; full church backs transgender ordination [9th July 2012]
*Episcopal Bishops Pass Same Sex Union Blessing Liturgy Authorization Overwhelmingly [9th July 2012]
*Live Twitter Feed (one of them) on the current House of Bishops debate on Same Sex Liturgies [9th July 2012]
*(SF) Sarah Hey—Why The Same Sex Trial Liturgy Will [Very Very Likely] Pass [9th July 2012]
***Important*** New Text Version of Same Sex Blessing Resolution A049 (as Amended in Commitee) [9th July 2012]
*Chicago Consultation—Nightly Update for General Convention 2012 on July 7 [9th July 2012]
*(ENS) General Convention PBLCM Committee hears testimony on same-gender blessings liturgies [8th July 2012]
*Hearing Tonight on Res. A049: Authorize Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Gender Relationships [7th July 2012]
*(Detroit Free Press) Episcopal Church losing members as it strives for inclusion [7th July 2012]
*(Indianapolis Star) Sexuality among key issues Episcopalians will confront at General Convention [7th July 2012]
*(Boston Globe) Episcopalians review a new rite for Same Sex unions [7th July 2012]
*Upper South Carolina Episcopal bishop not ready to endorse same-sex blessings [5th July 2012]
*(Phil. Inquirer) Episcopal Church leaders set to consider blessing rite for same-sex couples [5th July 2012]
*The Bishop of Milwaukee’s Thinkpiece on Same-Gender Unions on the Eve of GC 2012 [5th July 2012]
*NW Penna. Bishop Will Bless Same Sex Unions if General Convention 2012 gives the Go Ahead [5th July 2012]


COMMUNION WITHOUT BAPTISM RESOLUTION [CO29]
*An Important Anglican Ink Article on the House of Bishops Communion w/o Baptism Discussion [13th July 2012]
*New Text of Communion Without Baptism Resolution [C029] as Amended and Sent Back to HoD [12th July 2012]
*Resolution C029 on Communion for the Unbaptized Passes House of Deputies on a vote by orders [11th July 2012]
*Whats Happening with the Communion of the UnBaptized? [10th July 2012]
*(Diocese of Texas) William Treadwell on Communion w/o Baptism: Pastoral Theology vs. Doctrine [8th July 2012]
*TEC Gen. Con. 2012 Evangelism Commission rejects Communion of the Unbaptized outright [7th July 2012]
*An Interesting Blog Post from July 2007—How widespread is Communion Without Baptism? [7th July 2012]
*(ENS) ‘Water first, or table?’ Committee hears ‘open table’ testimony [7th July 2012]
*Res. C040, Called “Open table” resolution, but really Communion for Unbaptized, Has Hearing Today [7th July 2012]


TRANSGENDER RESOLUTIONS [D019] and [D002]
*(World) Expressing themselves—Episcopal Church votes to allow transgendered clergy and church ldrs [14th July 2012]
*Mark Tooley—A Transgendered Episcopal Church [11th July 2012]
*Living Church on the gender Identity Resolutions Debate in the H of Deputies Yesterday [10th July 2012]
*Jeffrey Walton—Activists for TEC’s New Theology Hail Victories at Episcopal Convention [10th July 2012]
*(AP) Episcopal bishops OK trial same sex blessing service; full church backs transgender ordination [9th July 2012]
*A Living Church Article on Yesterday’s Debate in the House of Bishops on Gender Identity [9th July 2012]
*(Reuters) U.S. Episcopalians move closer to allowing transgender ministers [8th July 2012]
*Both Transgender Resolutions Pass House of Bishops, Both South Carolina Bishops Speak Against [8th July 2012]
*Resolutions D002 and D019 Pass the House of Bishops [8th July 2012]
*Chicago Consultation (II)-Transgender People and the Church’s Transformative Mission [7th July 2012]
*Chicago Consultation (I)—Nightly Update for General Convention 2012 on July 6 [7th July 2012]
*(Reuters) Episcopalians debate transgender issue in Ministry [6th July 2012]
*Sarah Lawton offers Reflections on Resolutions D002 and D019 for General Convention 2012 [5th July 2012]
*The TransEpiscopal Blog on General Convention 2012 [5th July 2012]
[*NEW] * [6th August 2012]

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • - Anglican: Latest News • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Culture-Watch • * Religion News & Commentary • * Resources & Links • * Theology

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012

Things at the General Convention, from a certain perspective, certainly didn't look good. My fellow deputies — I admit to serving as an elected member of this naughty assemblage — endorsed pretty much the same menu that hooked Episcopal appetites during the wild and woolly '60s. We're a church whose worship and formularies presuppose the ancient Christian truths; except the way we have come lately to express these truths often makes it seem our principal interests are "social justice," cultural diversity and the liberalization of sexual norms.

We slammed "colonialism," patted the Palestinians on the head, urged new government programs to create jobs, called for a carbon-unfriendly energy policy and instructed priests desirous of doing so to confer the church's blessing upon same-sex unions. I mean, are we the churchy version of The New York Times editorial page or what? Can't you see millions of Americans beating our doors down to hear us address the worst of modern anxieties — family disintegration, the loss of meaning in life, the burgeoning of government supervision and control over daily existence?

Actually, that's not what the church itself, at a slightly less exalted level, was saying. A report by the Standing Commission on the Mission and Evangelism of the Episcopal Church noted bleakly....

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012

You can find it over here. The segment begins about 1 minute and 45 seconds in and lasts around six minutes.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Global South Churches & Primates • * South Carolina • * Theology • Anthropology • Ecclesiology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology • Theology: Scripture

"Shaw, MA: Our diocese has had significant growth recently, in thanks to including all people. ‪#gc77‬" I was listening and it is certainly an accurate paraphrase, though not an exact quote.

Here are the figures--Massachusetts' 2007 to 2010 ASA [average Sunday attendance]

20,121
19,351
18,130
17,903

Perhaps there are 2011 figures that show a [small?] increase, but still, there is a large disconnection here--KSH.

Update: You can find some of these statistics here and you can find a great deal more over there.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012 • TEC Bishops • TEC Data

There have been a number of occasions over the years in TEC like this where a key document or statement has come out, and the response has been, shall we say, less than satisfactory. Therefore there needs to be some preparation on our part so as to try to react in a Christian manner. Herewith some suggestions:

(1) Please try to read the actual text of the resolution itself and concentrate on the language used. I am sorry if this seems obvious but my Mom was an English teacher--you would be amazed at how little it actually occurs. Who are the worst people to do a Bible study with? Seminarians. Why? Because they have the most deep seated ideas of what the text says before they read it. It is vital that the text be heard on its own terms.

(2) Try to draw conclusions yourself FROM THE TEXT before getting your head clouded with what others think. Be aware that some of the early reactions will be wrong.

(3) When you consider others reactions, read from a variety of sources. You should regularly be visiting reappraiser and reasserter sites, writers you agree with and authors who drive you crazy.

(4) Make your early evaluations tentatively. "It seems to be saying that," "what I hear the statement saying is," are the kinds of things I would prefer to hear.

(5) Be aware that every statement like this goes through a process of sifting. Give it at least three days. There is an earthquake, there are aftershocks, and then things settle down.

(6) Expect the discernment to be a corporate activity. We still seek to be part of the Church of Jesus Christ, and we need one another. We are. as Ephesians says (4:15), to speak the truth in love. May the way we respond demonstrate this--KSH.

By the way--anyone recognize most of the language here? It is from something I wrote in 2007. Nick Knisely wrote [now Bishop-elect of Rhode Island] at the time that he found himself "pretty much full agreement with [my]suggestions"

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • --Gen. Con. 2012 • TEC Bishops • TEC House of Deputies • TEC Polity & Canons • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings • * By Kendall • * Culture-Watch • Marriage & Family • Media • Religion & Culture • Sexuality • --Civil Unions & Partnerships • * Theology • Anthropology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology • Theology: Scripture

Any Anglican theology of law is bound to use both pre- and post-Reformation authors such as Gratian, Aquinas, and Hooker. At the beginning of his Decretum, Gratian offers two important definitions: “What is put in writing is called enactment or law, while what is not collected in writing is called by the general term ‘custom.’” Aquinas used this distinction to posit a difference between divine law and natural law, both of which are unchanging, and human or positive law, which can be revised. Following Aquinas, Hooker maintained the same. Canon law is human law and insofar as it achieves a good end, the law itself is good. Should canon law fail in this, it must be revised. It is precisely here in a discussion of the good that canon law invokes other canons, namely, the canon of Scripture. If Scripture contains “all things necessary to salvation,” then canon law should be written to aid the Church in attaining these same divinely revealed ends.

Canon law is thus evangelical through and through. A church’s witness to the wider society begins with its own, internal witness. In this way, canon law is constructive, even in its punitive functions. The purpose of ecclesiastical discipline is never to punish but always to restore. The violation of canon law is a matter of no small importance in the Church, just as the violation of civil law is a matter of importance in the State. Only the arbitrary use of authority allows law to be violated in an ad hoc fashion. In the State this is called tyranny; in the Church it is called abuse. A church that cares nothing for canonical infractions also cares nothing for restoration. A church without confession is a church without repentance, and such a church is also without forgiveness, for it stands in need of lawful and righteous judgment. How can there be justice if there is no law?

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Polity & Canons

We believe the past General Convention structure has slavishly copied in ecclesial ink the politics and legislative processes of American culture. Episcopalians are fond of saying that the men who wrote the U.S. Constitution also created the church’s Constitution and Canons. It is an exaggeration but a telling one: General Convention looks and acts too much like Congress and not enough like a council of the Church.

Joseph D. Small, longtime director of theology, worship and education ministries for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), wrote in the March issue of First Things about what he called his church’s “democratic captivity” — its reliance on secular democratic procedure rather than proper theological discernment to order its common life. This, he argues, has been a key factor in aggravating his church’s divisions. To such observations, we can only concur.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • General Convention • * Culture-Watch • History • * Economics, Politics • Politics in General • * Theology • Ecclesiology

From here:

And, if you’re following what’s happening, what you’re seeing is the conservatives who have left, now that they’re out, and their identity was defined in part by what they were against as well as the Gospel they were for, trying to figure out how to live together, and how they should live, has actually been harder than they thought, and they’ve actually started to divide among themselves. And so, one of the current tragedies is the group that has left looks very American and very Protestant and very chaotic. And that just has to owned on the front end. I wish it were different, but they are having a hard time cohering and working together. And that is a problem not simply for them, but also for the other conservatives in the Episcopal Church, because they have said, essentially, “this is the faithful way to do this and you need to come join us.” And I just need to tell you that, in all sorts of ways, and I say this with a very sad heart, it’s not attractive. They’re really struggling. So that’s one side.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Conflicts • TEC Departing Parishes • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * Theology • Ecclesiology • Pastoral Theology

You may find the link and comment thread here.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Global South Churches & Primates • FCA Meeting in London April 2012 • * South Carolina

At the end of 2012 when he retires to Magdalene College, Cambridge Rowan Williams will have been Primate of All England for a decade. He did not need to retire until June 14, 2020. Various commentators after the announcement of his return to academe in a prestigious but largely honorary role described the post of Archbishop of Canterbury, primus inter pares of the Anglican Communion, as an “impossible job”. But, sadly, it is Rowan whose tenure of the job has made it seem so.

His term of office has been in many ways disastrous, and it is important to consider why that should be so. In different ways both he and his predecessor George Carey have destabilized rather than stimulated the Church of England. Carey’s poorly conceived and insensitive managerial reform of the central church institutions added to the bureaucratic governance and undermined the existing representative structures, while Williams’s search for a new control mechanism to over-ride the existing auto-cephalous provincial authority would have created more problems than it solved. Neither archbishop seemed to possess a well-grounded vision of where the established Church of England was or should be going. But Carey and Williams were outsiders with little or no experience as diocesan bishops in the CofE or of the political aspects of “establishment”.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

If you believe, as most Americans do, that the upper reaches of the church don’t have much to do with the ground floor, the next Archbishop of Canterbury will have mostly trivial interest to you. Perhaps it will be John Sentamu, and the ECUSA is in for the deep-freeze. Perhaps it will be a conciliator or a caretaker. Perhaps it will be someone with an even more lush and vigorous patch of Muppet fur insulating his brows from the slings and arrows of church leadership. Who’s to say? But Easter will come, just as it did this year. There will be babies to baptize, teens to confirm, crappy church coffee to be drunk (maybe good sherry if you’re in the right congregation), and ministry to be done, regardless of who fills Williams’ seat.

But if you believe, as many Americans do, that it is of the utmost importance to speak with one voice on women in ministry, or the place of gays and lesbians in the church—if you believe that without a common creed and ethics and way of reading scripture, there’s no point in calling it a “church”—well then, you’re in for a very interesting six months or so. It’s unlikely that you’ll get a champion of orthodoxy like Benedict, and probably not such a fierce champion of unity-at-all-costs as Williams. You may have to face the same uncomfortable ideas that the rest of us are confronted with: that there is no single voice for Christianity, that Christ’s prayer “that they may all be one” is and always has been a fond wish and ardent desire but never a fact on the ground, that Christianity as a world movement has not produced a standard culture but has shaped and been shaped by many different cultures in many different ways, to the detriment of its coherence. But at this point, who the hell knows? You may find somebody who can bring it all back together, or (more likely), you may find another weak leader committed to togetherness in principle but unable to do much about it in practice. Either way, good luck, and definitely let us know if you find somebody with bigger eyebrows than Rowan Williams. We’ll want to be warned about that right away.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • --Rowan Williams • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • America/U.S.A. • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • United Church of Christ • * Theology • Ecclesiology

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the leader of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion, recently announced that he would step down by year’s end. A few days later, the Church of England rejected a Williams-backed unity plan for global Anglicanism, a church fractured by issues of gender and sexual identity. The timing of the resignation and the defeat are probably not coincidental. These events signal Anglicans’ institutional failure.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • --Rowan Williams • * Christian Life / Church Life • Spirituality/Prayer • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture

Saying that he hopes that his successor has the constitution of an ox and the skin of a rhinoceros. Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, will resign at the end of this year and return to academics. He will become the Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge where he can meander along the River Cam and take tea at the Orchard Garden in Grantchester far away from the turbulence of the 85-million member Communion he leaves behind. When an archbishop retires at the usual age of 70, no one bats an eyelash. But when he resigns in good health nearly a decade before normal retirement age, people sit up and take notice. It evokes the image of a battle weary pugilist whose “sponger” looks at the condition of his man and tosses his sponge in the air. The fight is over. We might as well declare defeat.

The battle, of course, was his to lose. Anyone with half an eye could see the turbulence that lay ahead for someone assuming the role of leader of the world’s second largest Communion. The same year he took office an openly gay man, Gene Robinson, was consecrated bishop of New Hampshire despite public assurances from Frank Griswold, the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, that he would not participate in the consecration. Griswold went right ahead and did just that. With one part of his Communion going its own way, and thumbing its noses at the rest, while the vast majority were profoundly upset, Williams was forced to choose. Either he would take a self-imposed mediatorial role, and desperately try to keep all parties at the table. Or he would take sides, and do what he could to bring the truculent back in line.

He chose the former, with the result that no one was satisfied. Privately he held to a liberal position on sexuality, as enunciated in his well-known, though highly inscrutable, paper entitled The Body’s Grace. Publicly, he towed the line that was spelled out by Lambeth Resolution 1:10, which stated as the official position of the Communion that “homosexuality was imcompatible with Scripture.”

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • --Rowan Williams

I can support both the Jerusalem Declaration and an Anglican Covenant. The reason for this is not that I want to be accepted by two Anglican constituencies that seem to be dividing along supporting one or the other. Rather, they are both useful and valid in their proper context. The Declaration is a creedal statement to which I can subscribe as a clear articulation of what I believe and what I think is the Scriptural stance proper for the Church. As a matter of witness to the world and the Church, it is necessary to state publically one’s belief and be willing to be held accountable to that stated belief. One could argue that the fatal disease of the contemporary (as in present day and not style) church is that as a community it is unwilling to be seen as odd or is afraid of being accused of intolerance. An objective statement of belief is essential to any credible identity as a church.

The problem that I have with the Jerusalem Declaration is not to be found in its substance, but in its use. A creed does not unify, it solidifies. In other words, creeds help those who subscribe to them to coalesce around the creed, but ends any conversation with those who do not. If Jesus Christ is our foundation, then the creeds are the anchor bolts that hold our house to the foundation. They are not doors and windows through which we can talk to our neighbors. Historically, the creeds have demonstrated this property quite amply. The great ecumenical councils of the early Church were called to deal with false teachings, or at least to establish a benchmark for orthodoxy. The creeds that resulted were therefore reactions to specific problems rather than instruments that prospered relationships. It follows that a new creed has to be composed or the old one amended every time a novel idea enters the arena.

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Global South Churches & Primates • GAFCON 2008 • * Theology • Ecclesiology

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Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • --Rowan Williams

Diocesan synods voted against the covenant, often in the face of great pressure from the vast majority of English bishops, who frequently made sure that the case for the covenant dominated proceedings. The bishops also exerted a certain amount of emotional blackmail, suggesting that if the scheme didn't pass, it would be very upsetting for the archbishop of Canterbury (cue for synod members to watch a podcast from said archbishop, looking sad even while commending the covenant).

Well, it didn't work, and now those particular bishops need to consider their position, as the saying goes. Principally, they need to consider a killer statistic: as the voting has taken place in the dioceses (and there are still a few to go), the pattern has been consistent. Around 80% of the bishops have voted in favour of the covenant, but the clergy and laity votes have split around 50-50 for and against, with votes against nudging ahead among the clergy. That suggests an episcopate that is seriously out of touch, not just with the nation as a whole (we knew that already), but even with faithful Anglican churchgoers and clergy in England.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops

In my opinion, there have been three instances when Rowan Williams had an opportunity to do something about The Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada and chose not to. Number one was at the gathering of archbishops of the Anglican Communion in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania in 2007 where the archbishops agreed that some discipline needed to be taken against these rogue churches. However, Rowan Williams took matters into his own hands, didn’t do what his fellow archbishops asked him to do and as a result, many of them decided not to come to future gatherings. They seemed to be thinking, “what’s the point in going if the Archbishop of Canterbury is going to overturn our decisions and take matters into his own hands anyway?”

Secondly, in a gathering of Anglican leaders, bishops, clergy and laity, in Jamaica, 2009, Rowan Williams intervened in the debate about the Anglican Covenant. The Covenant was designed to try and hold the Communion together around some kind of a confession of faith and discipline. His interventions during that debate, which I was present for, were bewildering. He seemed to undermine the very Anglican Covenant he’d been championing and cast doubts about his own leadership behind it.

Thirdly, in response to the crisis in the Communion, instead of giving more authority to those archbishops who were faithful to the Gospel, the Archbishop of Canterbury attempted to centralize power in his own Anglican Communion office and in the creation of the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion. These actions undermined the legitimacy and respectability of the other existing instruments of communion, unity and governance-and especially the Primates’ meetings.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Episcopal Church (TEC)

Much of what Rowan Williams writes and says carries the air of a man who has grown accustomed to being received seriously regardless of the soundness of his ideas, and who is used to having even the most incomprehensible of his pronouncements met by the irritating acquiescence common to other “bearded lefties.” But sounding profound is not the same thing as being profound, and we should not let the man’s spiritual standing distract us from the reality that he is wholly dangerous to the power of Western ideas.

Documenting his many missteps is a little like cataloguing the utterances of Prince Phillip, but without the compensation of the consort’s dry sense of humor. An example: In response to protesters whose actions were steadily destroying the income, and thus upkeep, of London’s St. Paul’s cathedral, Williams claimed that Jesus Christ would have been an Occupier. Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey took a different view, noting that the protesters were “opportunistic and cynical,” and questioning the way in which senior clergy “mismanaged” the situation; his skepticism was vindicated when protesters began to defecate inside the cathedral and spray-paint graffiti — including “666” — on its walls.

With all of this in mind, Rowan Williams will, no doubt, fit in nicely in his new post as master of Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * Economics, Politics • Politics in General • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

My...reaction is that though everyone is being very complimentary about his time at Canterbury — “As a man of great learning and humility,” said David Cameron, “he has guided the church through times of challenge and change. He has sought to unite different communities and offer a profoundly humane sense of moral leadership that was respected by people of all faiths and none” — despite all that, actually he has been a much greater disaster than was actually necessary. He hasn’t “guided” the Church of England at all. He has lurched, with it, from one crisis to another, as often as not making things a lot worse. He is supposed to be a distinguished theologian (a proposition about which there is, to say the least, more than one view) and also a man of integrity: but he has consistently failed to handle crises with any theological coherence (theology, incidentally, is supposed to clarify complex problems, not make them more obscure than they need be); and, as for integrity, instead of remaining true to his beliefs, he has sought to avoid conflict between opposing views in his Church not by attempting to convince those he believes are wrong but by retreating in the face of internal political pressure, sometimes changing direction in mid-stream.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

Against the background of increased anticipation of a black Archbishop of Canterbury, a backlash appears to be in full swing to deny Sentamu this appointment. Put simply, will the British Crown follow due process and Episcopal order and allow a Blackman head the Church?

Seven years ago, a black Catholic priest, Nigerian-born Cardinal Francis Arinze, was shortlisted as a possible successor of the late Pope John Paul II. But after the emission of an inexplicable black and white smoke, Arinze was dropped and the present Pope, Pope Benedict VI, was (s)elected as the pope.

According to theweek.co.uk, insiders regard the Ugandan-born Archbishop as too old, too undiplomatic and too ill. His.. [traditional] posture though applauded by the larger church, may also count against him.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * International News & Commentary • Africa

Not everyone had the capacity of the willingness to suffer through the audio, and now through the kindness of some very hard working individuals you can read a transcript if you are interested.

You may find part one there and part two is here.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Analysis • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • TEC Conflicts • TEC Departing Parishes • TEC Parishes • * By Kendall • Sermons & Teachings • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology • Theology: Scripture

Part one is here and part two is there. You are encouraged to take the time to listen to (suffer through?) it all.

Please note--these are both audio files. The time begins with a short Q and A to introduce me to those present before the questions shift to the subject at hand. Note, too that Bishop Kee Sloan of Alabama was invited by the Dean, Frank Limehouse, to come, which he (graciously) chose to do. During the time, Dean Limehouse invited Bishop Sloan to speak, and he chose to do so. This covers a wide range of recent events/developments and will be of broad interest to many blog readers--KSH.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Analysis • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • TEC Data • * By Kendall • Sermons & Teachings • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Adult Education • Ministry of the Laity • Ministry of the Ordained • Stewardship • * Culture-Watch • Law & Legal Issues • * Theology • Christology • Ecclesiology • Ethics / Moral Theology

Take the time to go through them all as your schedule permits.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Analysis • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * South Carolina • * Theology

unfortunately, there is another issue that has been made public; it is now part of the historical record: Chuck Murphy and eight AMIA bishops have removed themselves from Rwandan oversight, having done so for no particular theological or biblical reason. The issues are both personal and ecstatic. By personal, I mean personality conflicts. By ecstatic, I mean that the only spiritual reason given for the departure was Chuck Murphy’s sense that the Lord had told him personally that he was like Moses leading people out of Egypt: “I must now say … that I believe that the Lord’s present word to me (and to us) now directs me to look beyond Genesis chapters 39-45, and on into the Book of Exodus…. that Africa (Egypt) could no longer be viewed as [AMIA’s] lasting home…. Things have now been made very clear to me” [letter of Dec. 5, 2011 to Archbishop Rwaje].

I think it critical in such times that we say what a thing is–only the truth will set us free. And this thing that happened has a name: schism. All the AMIA bishops who have resigned are schismatics.

This is a hard sentence to write and to read, because these are otherwise godly men, whose leadership we have admired. Some we call friends and colleagues. But there is no other word to describe what they’ve done other than the word schism.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of Rwanda • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • * Theology • Ecclesiology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

At this point it is hard to know what to make of this - well, let's call it what it is, a spiritual mess - and to know exactly how to unring the many bells that have now already been rung. I will note for the record that I am a bishop of CANA/Nigeria and of the ACNA, and that as President of the AAC, my organization is comprised of AMiA and non-AMiA members, and I will further note that at GAFCON, MaryAnne and I chose to ride on the bus that had all AMiA (except us) members on board, because we enjoy their company. When AMiA decided to move from ACNA member status to "mission partner" status, I was disappointed in the distancing that I felt.

With all of this said, I first sensed alarm when the letter of the Washington, DC AMiA members was posted publicly, as it gave evidence that all was not well in the Anglican Mission, as it is currently called. Then additional letters, most of which have been posted on Stand Firm in Faith or TitusOneNine websites began to come in, some from Rwanda, and some from Chairman Murphy in response. There has been a communications train wreck unfolding in slow motion. It would seem that Rwanda is not pleased with the new direction that +Chuck Murphy wishes to take the Mission, and in taking it out of Rwanda proper. They told him to stop his action and repent or resign from the AMiA chairmanship.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of Rwanda • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches

But matters are proceeding apace. The world is changing. The Global South objected to the consecration of a gay bishop with a partner, but Gene Robinson is no longer alone in that category even in the US House of Bishops (If he ever really was...). They objected to the idea of bestowing a blessing on a same-sex couple, and yet now in many states of this Union, including our own, the church is not only bestowing its blessing, but either seriously considering or already solemnizing the civil status of marriage.

In short, the process of organic development is afoot, it is not going to stop, and reception is or isn’t happening as I speak. In the meantime, the mainstream via media of the Episcopal Church is steadily reasserting our understanding of our authority to vary— to live out the variety of rites in our own context, which is very different from that in much of the Global South. As I learned intimately and personally at the conversation I attended in South Africa just a few weeks ago. The people in those places represented at that conference are free to maintain their various rules and traditions, suitable as they are for their contexts. I will say more in the open discussion about the extent to which the friction between the North and South has been exacerbated by misunderstanding and misinformation. But it is my sincere hope that corrections to those misunderstandings, and better information, through the mandated listening process and the Continuing Indaba — in both of which I have been involved — will assist to lessen the friction and perhaps even help calm the storms that have swept through our beloved Anglican Communion — not just the issue, but the issues behind the issues of Anglican disunion.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant • Anglican Identity • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Global South Churches & Primates • Instruments of Unity • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings • Windsor Report / Process • * Theology • Ecclesiology

The developing impasse between the diocese and the canonical instruments of General Convention is a tragedy in the making. It is very possible that the result will be the unnecessary loss of dozens of parishes and tens of thousands of Episcopalians. It is a moment to take stock and to recall the purpose of the canon law of the church. The canon law of the church has the peace of the church as its ultimate aim. The course of justice will be perverted if this new and arguably unconstitutional canon is used as an instrument by those of a majority opinion to gain the upper hand over those with whom they disagree. These proceedings threaten to reduce to the vanishing point the ground from which any future reconciliation might grow.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • TEC Diocesan Conventions/Diocesan Councils • TEC Polity & Canons

In an ecclesiastical outlook that has recently offered little comfort, the very serious charge of abandonment made against Bishop Mark Lawrence of South Carolina is chilling indeed. The charge is striking, because under his leadership the Diocese of South Carolina has not ‘abandoned’ the Episcopal Church (as did the dioceses of Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, San Joaquin, and Quincy). What it has done, openly and publicly, is to insulate itself as much as possible from what Lawrence has called the "false gospel" of "indiscriminate inclusivity" advocated by the national church, through a reform of its diocesan laws and constitution. It is precisely this achievement - to remain within the Episcopal Church but not of the Episcopal Church - that has enraged its enemies and spurred these charges.

It is no secret that the national church has been looking for grounds for a legal challenge against South Carolina; yet, we are assured, the information presented against Bishop Lawrence came not from the Presiding Bishop's office, but from communicants within the diocese - disaffected progressives presumably, following the familiar progressive strategy of using bureaucratic process to advance agendas which otherwise fail to gain support. The Presiding Bishop, however, is not off the hook. One must ask whether her aggressive policy of litigation to quell opposition to her theological agenda has not created the climate and established the precedent for a resort to litigation by other militant progressives. Whether or not they are acting formally in concert, the effect is the same.
The charges will be the first major test of the newly reformed Title IV canons on Discipline. Though these have been criticized for removing due process protections, we have been given assurances that these fears are overblown. Perhaps so: but many eyes will be watching closely to see what justice the Bishop of South Carolina receives under them. A heavy responsibility lies with the Disciplinary Board and its president, Bishop Dorsey Henderson, retired of Upper South Carolina (and recent visitor to St. John's on behalf of Bishop Benhase), as they investigate these charges, to ensure that these new canons do not become another instrument of coercion. Bishop Henderson and the Board will need your prayers.

To his credit, Bishop Benhase has expressed hope that the charges will be dismissed. Even if they are, the process will be costly in terms of money and morale: a further and needless embitterment of a church already divided and demoralized by unilateral theological change and aggressive litigation. To put it bluntly: the message being sent by these charges (as by the evident hostility of the Presiding Bishop) is that conservative dissent will not be tolerated within the Episcopal Church, and that significant theological differences will be resolved by coercion. One could hardly devise a stronger incentive for conservatives to leave. Militant progressives longing for ideological purity may rejoice at the prospect of getting rid of so much "dead wood" - but those who cherish the Episcopal Church will know that such losses leave it diminished, and not just in numbers or dollars.

This case raises a question for us: given the ascendancy of the agenda of “indiscriminate inclusivity” in the Episcopal Church - will there be a secure place in the Episcopal Church for the conscientious dissent of those who hold to historic Anglican doctrine and worship? That security cannot be taken for granted.

----The Rev. Gavin Dunbar is rector of Saint John's, Savannah, Georgia

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • TEC Polity & Canons • * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Ministry of the Ordained • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

Watch it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • - Anglican: Latest News

Watch it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • * South Carolina

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Anglican Covenant • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • * South Carolina

For those of us who are part of the Diocese of Melbourne it is important that we reflect on what it means to be an Anglican, or to use contemporary terminology, what is distinctive about Anglican ‘spirituality’. We are the most diverse diocese in Australia. On the theological level we have anglo-catholic, liberal catholic, reformed evangelical, evangelicals of other persuasions and charismatic parishes well represented, growing numbers of Chinese congregations and several other ethnic parishes, as well as a complete range of ages. What we see in our diocese at a micro level is magnified on the world scene.

Today, the Anglican Communion is an association of national Anglican churches organised as dioceses in 160 countries with a membership of approximately 80 million people. Following the Reformation of the church in England in the 16th century, catholic and evangelical emphases were from this point part of Anglicanism. The theological differences were for centuries contained within a common liturgical practice grounded in English culture. However in recent times doctrinal, liturgical and cultural diversity has become more pronounced and so differing spiritualities live side by side within Anglicanism. Today the Anglican Communion embraces evangelicals and anglo-catholics (with liberal and conservative strands in both cases), theological radicals and demonstrative charismatics, all modified by the ethnic and cultural variety of the Communion....

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Identity • Anglican Provinces • Anglican Church of Australia • * Christian Life / Church Life • Church History

...I appreciate the cautions about this linking of conciliarism too easily to Anglican provincial autonomy that Professor Radner makes me aware of. What are we to do in the 21st century with the international vision of Christian fellowship that was so much a part of the idealistic program of the medieval canonists who crafted conciliarism? What new structures might allow us to realize more deeply what it means to be members of the worldwide body of Christ? The Episcopal Church is no longer a “national church” but is made up of a family of nations, most of which do not share the English heritage of 18th-century American Anglicans (and in some nations the Episcopal Church in fact overlaps with another autonomous Anglican province). How can the 18th-century adaptation of conciliarism to one republic serve an international church that is no longer confined to one continent? The debate about the Anglican Covenant, which enters a new stage now as we prepare for the 2012 General Convention, is an opportunity for the whole people of God to engage prayerfully the issues concerning the constitutional structures of the body of Christ that Professor Radner and I have raised.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Executive Council • Instruments of Unity • * Christian Life / Church Life • Church History • * Theology • Ecclesiology

Now, in 2011, The New Puritans has been revised and brought up to date with a new title: Sydney Anglicans and the Threat to World Anglicanism: The Sydney Experiment. As with the earlier book, Muriel Porter acknowledges quite openly that she is "obviously not able to report on Sydney objectively and even-handedly."

The acknowledgement was unnecessary. Even without it, the highly polemical nature of the book - and a significant degree of distortion that inevitably arises from that - is obvious. The book is littered with unsubstantiated assertions introduced with words such as, "Some have suggested ..." and "I suspect the real reason ..." and "Perhaps ......."

Unfortunately, it is also littered with factual error, half-truth and the attribution of false or hidden motives to those with whom she disagrees. Sydney Anglicans might think they are taking a stand on the teaching of Scripture but in reality, she repeatedly asserts, their motivation is much more sinister.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Anglican Church of Australia • * Culture-Watch • Books

From here:

...Muriel Porter has [written] a tirade against the greatest evil facing world Anglicanism, viz., Sydney Anglicans. Now I might have a more inclusive view of women in ministry than some of my Sydney Anglican friends, but I would point out that (i) There is a lot more diversity in Sydney Anglicanism than Porter admits; and (ii) The Diocese of Sydney employs more women in ministry than any other Anglican Diocese in the world (even if not in ordained priesthood ministry). I have no intention of defending the Sydney Anglicans (they are more than equipped to do that themselves). But in my mind Porter’s attack is not just on Sydney Anglicans, but on all Anglicans all over the world who hold to the Creeds, Prayerbook, and 39 Articles, i.e., the orthodox. The irony is that her purportedly inclusive brand of Anglicanism is anything but inclusive of anyone who disagrees with her. What is more, she treats African Anglicans as little more than puppets controlled by Sydney Anglicans. Porter is so blatantly condescending towards Anglicans in the global south that it is almost unbelievable that anyone could be that arrogant. I mean, it is borderline racism, and I wonder if an African Anglican would agree with me here? Her rant is indicative of the liberal Anglicans who are absolutely livid that African and Asian Anglicans refuse to comply with their theological revisionism. The mere fact that Global South Anglicans have any voice or vote in the communion and dare speak against their former colonial masters is positively outrageous for Porter. They must have been coaxed, cajoled, and coached into orthodoxy by Peter Jensen – I mean, really, who actually believes this non-sense? For a response to Porter, see Mark Thompson’s review of her book at the Anglican Church League.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Anglican Church of Australia

The segment description is as follows:

Kevin and George take you back to 2003 and the ultimate challenge for the Anglican Communion. They also discuss the London Riots and Potter-mania. Our guest Bishop this week is Archbishop Duncan who brings Kevin up to speed on the new Ordinal for the Anglican Church in North America.

Watch it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Instruments of Unity • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • * Theology • Ecclesiology • Ethics / Moral Theology

The segment description is as follows:

George Conger and Kevin Kallsen discuss this day in History and the death of John Stott. This week we also have two contributors - AS Haley delves into New York states new same sex marriage law and Bishop Love discusses how this new law affects the Diocese of Albany NY. --Oh and for the curious.... we have the blooper reel at the end of the show.

Watch it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings • * Culture-Watch • Law & Legal Issues • Marriage & Family • Religion & Culture • Sexuality • --Civil Unions & Partnerships • * Economics, Politics • Politics in General • State Government • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Evangelicals

Frankly, much of the Church has been mad for decades. There has been a general infantilisation at work. It is not so long since the archbishops of Canterbury and York put their names to a Lent booklet distributed to all the parishes. They wrote the foreword to three guides: one for The Family; one for Adults and Youth and the other for Kids.

These glossy booklets feature Mr Men-style cartoons which we must suppose represent the general public. Achingly politically correct, with all races represented – but no fat people or smokers – and dumbing down beyond the farthest reaches of infantilisation, the booklets urge us to: “Do fun things together. Create a space in your home... a corner of a room... an understairs cupboard... make a prayer den using furniture and blankets... gather some objects that are fun to touch, feel and smell: a piece of velvet, feathers, a tray of sand, lavender bags or pine cones.”

And what are we supposed to do in the prayer den? “Take in some pebbles, shells or feathers...” presumably to demonstrate impeccable ecumenical relations with primitive animists and tree-huggers. And prayers are indeed supplied: “Dear God, make wrong things right... ” But this is not praying to God, only the sentimental wish-fulfilment of appealing to Father Christmas or the Tooth Fairy. We are even educated as to the correct manual acts to perform while making this desolate prayer: “Shake your finger from side to side for 'wrong’ and then do thumbs up for 'right’.” You feel there should be a caution not to do this near a window in case the neighbours see you and phone for the men in white coats.

Read it all (from the long queue of should-have-already-been-posted material)

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • England / UK

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • - Anglican: Latest News

Frankly, I find it impossible to reconcile the good Canon's version of our Church's history with the known facts. There was no "Presiding Bishop" created by the founding documents to be "the head of this new Church", much less a lead bishop "reflecting the principles of the young republic" -- see the details about the gradual establishment of that office, and its subsequent mushrooming into its current form, in this earlier post.

Moreover, the Church of England and its bishops were emphatically not unwilling to "embrace [their] child's new status." They simply had to eliminate certain procedural hurdles, and to iron out a few doctrinal differences, before they could proceed with consecrating an American bishop, all as explained (in painstaking detail -- which I know for many readers is the bugaboo of this blog) in this post, in which there are full links to all the historical documents. There, one will learn, for example, that far from being unable to "convince Church of England leadership to consecrate indigenous bishops for the fledgling Church", the Rev. Dr. White was one of the first two American bishops to be consecrated by the then-Archbishop of Canterbury. That august official, together with the Archbishop of York, went to great lengths to accommodate the desire of the "fledgling Church" to have proper bishops to lead it, and to ensure that it was truly a church founded in the image of the Church of England, if not under its jurisdiction.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Identity • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Christian Life / Church Life • Church History • * Theology • Ecclesiology

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • - Anglican: Latest News

Well what do you know: a year ago I called it correctly on my blog in my reflections on The Limits of Management. At that point the cogniscenti in the Episcopal Church were convinced that they could push through any program they wanted by “using psychology” and beating up anyone who wouldn’t get on board. There would be “workshops” with “materials” in three-ring binders at which we poor sods could “ventilate” our feelings. The agenda would be ratified by General Convention and then there would be more workshops for “healing” and “reconciliation” with hugs and making nice. And everyone would live happily ever after except for the recalcitrant few who would soon die off.

I predicted that it wouldn’t happen, and I was right.

Now, as we await the Eames Commission’s report, I’ll venture another prediction. The report will censure the Episcopal Church for the ordination of Bishop Robinson, propose some symbolic gesture to make it good, and make noises about flying bishops and alternative jurisdictions. Within ECUSA it will not make one whit of difference—except to the extent that it provides more opportunities for bishops and their staffs to go to conferences. Conservative congregations will continue pursuing litigation to retain rights to their property, liberal clergy will keep sucking up to the secular elite and congratulate themselves for being cool, the secular elite will not notice and despise them as much as ever, and the majority of Episcopalians, preoccupied with bake sales and Sunday School construction paper projects will not give a damn.

The Episcopal Church will continue in its slide, with membership down from 5% of the population in 1960 to 1% now, and I look forward with pleasure to its eventual demise, facilitated by the arrogance of clergy who regard themselves as members of the enlightened intelligencia and imagine that they can manipulate or bully us into buying their half-baked politically correct nonsense and into doing church they way they want it done.

--Dr. Harriet Baber in a blog comment on October 11, 2004.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary

Most readers of this blog would agree that it would be hypocritical for the Church of England to refuse to appoint Jeffrey John to a Bishopric whilst it continued to have bishops installed who were in identical situations as Dr John and his partner. But, I am led to believe, that is not the case and the bullet points above have been drawn up because they cover safely in their five points any of the men that some might wish to out in their angry response to the leaks of this week. If it were not so then the Church of England, quite rightly, would open itself wide up to the charge of blatant hypocrisy and despite the fact that people at Church House and in the highest echelons of the CofE do make mistakes, they do not deliberately make those kind of mistakes. Those kind of mistakes lead to resignations at the highest level. If that is all true, then what would the outing of gay bishops in the Church of England actually achieve?

Well firstly, it would expose to public view as homosexual a number of men who have been faithfully celibate and abiding to the church’s teaching steadfastly for all of their lives. They would be outed for the only reason that they were single and gay rather than single and straight, outed by folks who argue vociferously on their blogs and websites that people should not be singled out just because they were gay and for no other reason. Who at this point would be the hypocrites?

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings • * Culture-Watch • Religion & Culture • * International News & Commentary • England / UK • * Theology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops

The Covenant is a framework for just this mutual sibling encouragement and admonition around the pole of “recognizability.” This responsibility is in fact entailed in the very idea of “oversight,” of episcopacy. That is why bishops are not merely local administrators, but also constitute a worldwide collegium of stewards of the recognizability of the Gospel in the Church’s life and teaching. This is why, in the patristic era, there arose a custom that three bishops, ordinarily from neighboring dioceses, would participate in consecrations. The ministry of vouching for the catholic and apostolic nature of life and teaching was held by them jointly.

In other words, embedded in the very concept of a bishop is a ministry of recognizability beyond the merely local. A covenant of oversight for the sake of communion is implied by episcopacy itself. This ministry, to be sure, is best exercised in a flexible manner that provides for discernment over time and gathering in council. (The Covenant presents such opportunities in abundance, which makes the accusations of quasi-Romanism so extraordinary.)

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant • * Christian Life / Church Life • Church History • * International News & Commentary • Canada • * Theology • Ecclesiology

The opposition of Nigerian Bishops and their congregations to any softening of attitudes towards homosexuality has made them increasingly uneasy with the notion of being in full communion with overseas churches which allow - in their view - an unacceptable latitude in sexual matters. The size and faithfulness of this province means that in any ensuing schism, to be able to claim communion with the Church of Nigeria will be invaluable for a body seeking to present itself as the genuine inheritor of the Anglican tradition. As British, Australian and North American churches fight within themselves over the status of women Bishops and active homosexual clergy, the Church of Nigeria, along with the other African provinces such as South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, finds itself courted by traditionalists and reformists, Anglo Catholics and Evangelicals, as a fountain of legitimacy for whatever schismatic or unifying agency can claim it. In an extraordinary moment of thwarted ecumenicism the low church, evangelical, and frequently anti-Catholic African Anglicans even found themselves rejecting an advance by Pope Benedict XVI, who wanted to bring them into his newly formed Personal Ordinariate, where they would have been permitted exceptional latitude in liturgy and practice, including the ordination of married men.

The irony of this is that the Church of Nigeria itself is relatively untroubled by internal dissent. The old debates between Anglo Catholicism and Evangelism which wracked British and North American Churches in the 19th century barely touched the African Provinces, where Anglicanism was always defined by its distance from both the Catholic Church on one side and the Baptist and Pentecostalist movements on the other.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of Nigeria

(Please note the piece to which Dr. Turner is responding may be found here).

Bagshaw envisions regional groupings of autonomous provinces committed to ongoing conversation and where possible cooperation. These groupings need not, however, be committed to mutually recognized forms of belief and practice. In his future, there need no longer be “eagerness to maintain unity in the bond of peace.” There need be only occasional meetings that might prove mutually advantageous or serve to further regional and local self-interest. What Bagshaw sketches as the future of Anglicanism more closely resembles the British Commonwealth of Nations than the body of Christ. In Bagshaw’s world adjustments to division are perfectly acceptable. As in all free trade zones, divisions simply become opportunities for regional cooperation and mutual benefit on the one hand or self-assertion on the other

I am profoundly troubled by all this first because Bagshaw’s view of an Anglican future gives the lie to all that God is up to; namely, to unite all peoples in Christ so that all people worship the one true God as God truly is. I am also troubled because the free trade zone of autonomous churches that may well lie in our future is to be ordered by centers of bureaucratic or local power rather than by Bishops whose particular charism is to maintain unity of faith, holiness of life, and peace within the church. If one thing the recent meeting in Dublin makes clear, it is that the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates there assembled have abdicated the responsibility of Bishops to maintain catholic belief and practice not only within but also beyond the borders of their particular dioceses or provinces. I am troubled, in short, because Dublin spells the end of catholic order within the Anglican future he foresees. Bagshaw is quite comfortable with this eventuality. Indeed, in one place he makes the amazing statement that the discussion of the Primates present in Dublin about the differences in their roles in their various provinces was not about theology but how “to work better in the new Anglican Communion.” Just imagine a communion where theology and polity have nothing to do one with another! Bagshaw can do so with no difficulty at all. I can only say, I have a great deal of difficulty!

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Primates • Partial Primates Meeting in Dublin 2011 • * Theology • Ecclesiology

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Cono Sur [formerly Southern Cone] • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Global South Churches & Primates • Instruments of Unity • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings

The documents posted at the close of the recent Primates' Meeting in Dublin tell the story. The takeover of the Instruments of Communion by ECUSA, aided and abetted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, is now complete. Anything of substance was carefully avoided at Lambeth 2008; the proposed Covenant itself was derailed at ACC-14 in Jamaica, and then carefully defanged by the newly reorganized Standing Committee; and now the Primates' Meeting has let itself descend into irrelevance -- with the primates of the churches having most of the Anglican Communion's membership absenting themselves, and refusing to prop up the pretense of normalcy any longer....

There is not a word in any of the statements released from Dublin today about the commitment that ECUSA's House of Bishops was supposed to make, and which bishops such as +Bruno, +Shaw and the Presiding Bishop herself have so deliberately flouted ever since -- along with the General Convention of the whole Church. It is abundantly clear, based on the statements from Dublin, that the Primates who gathered there are not going to follow through with their commitments at Dromantine and Dar es Salaam. So ECUSA has prevailed, and will have its way.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Anglican Primates • Partial Primates Meeting in Dublin 2011 • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Global South Churches & Primates

See also:
1. Video and Transcript of Archbishop Anis' talk at Mere Anglicanism
2. Video and Transcript of Q & A with Archbishop Anis

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East

There’s a dynamic of divergence in the Anglican Communion. It is absolutely clear to most people in the Anglican / Episcopal churches in North America that the gospel demands the full inclusion of gay people. It is absolutely clear to those who speak for most churches in the developing world (though not all) that this inclusiveness merely dilutes the gospel. It provides evidence that the churches in North America – and the UK is under intense suspicion as well – are falling into a decadent decline. They just can’t be trusted; the only thing to do is to change the whole structure radically, either from within, or through a totally new structure. The first is preferable of course, as it means you inherit the resources; but either is preferable to the status quo.

The thing which is the obvious gospel imperative for one side is for the other side an equally obvious sign of the opposite. Blessing same-sex relationships is an unavoidable call of faith – or a clear rejection of Christian values. Planting new churches is mere obedience to the call to proclaim the good news – or an obvious rejection of the body of Christ in the churches already present.

No wonder a moratorium can have no effect. But what can anyone then do? Maybe giving up blaming the ‘other’ would help: no-one can be asked to act against their conscience, however misguided any of us might think it is....

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Anglican Church of Canada • Church of England (CoE) • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Global South Churches & Primates • Instruments of Unity • Sexuality Debate (in Anglican Communion) • Same-sex blessings • Windsor Report / Process • * Theology • Ecclesiology • Pastoral Theology

A little candor by those in attendance would be nice: there is a problem, and it is a major problem. Are the Primates who have gathered in Dublin facing it, or are they still pretending that everybody has “moved beyond” the resolute disrespect of TEC and The Anglican Church of Canada towards their previous commitments and the commitments of the Communion at large?

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Primates • Partial Primates Meeting in Dublin 2011

ARCHBISHOP MOUNEER ANIS RESPONDS TO QUESTIONS
[Transcript starts 34 mins and 17 seconds into video]

Moderator: At this time I think we can open up the floor so that other people have an opportunity to ask some questions – Bishop Dickson

Q: Very quickly – I think most of us here agree with the vast majority of what has been said here today. There is one thing that Archbishop Anis said that sticks with me and I felt this has been the focus we should have, and that’s with the phrase ‘we need a joint commitment to read and interpret together’. My question is: What then? What then as a Communion do we do? We don’t just come together and have conferences like we have been doing at Lambeth. When do we do something to support the truth that we’re proclaiming? And I would like to raise the question: If this is not indeed the time to call for a general council within the Anglican Communion? And I suggest that the strength of that could be found in the African church. Now I would just appreciate your reaction to that.

Moderator: I would love to respond to that but I have no power and no authority to do such a thing, but Archbishop Anis you do, so would you like to respond?

Archbishop Anis: I agree that it is time now to take the lead. The Church in Africa and the Global South, not only them, but also the orthodox Anglicans from around the world need to take the lead.

In the last 10 years or so we have been reactive and spent a lot of time in reacting to what The Episcopal Church is doing and the wrong things that are happening in the Anglican Communion. I think we need now to take the lead, and we really look at the gathering of the bishops and the Primates of the Global South, with those bishops from dioceses that are orthodox in the West, as a Conciliar body. So that is, is going to happen, and that is happening now. This is a Conciliar body. We need to be like a faithful remnant that keeps the Word, that keeps the centrality and the authority of the Word in the middle of the Anglican Communion. We don’t have to bother much now with what is going on around us. We have to move forward and do things.

And I have said that several times before, that the orthodox church in Egypt was a small, oppressed, displaced church at the time when the Arians took over and became powerful; and in 625 AD the Arians disappeared, and don’t ask me why they disappeared, they disappeared. Even the Coptic Orthodox don’t know how they disappeared. But the faithful remnant are the ones who are strong now; ready to pay the price for their faith and taking a great lead in the Middle East. So we have to. I agree with you.

Q: I agree that we need a reformation of the great ministry of preaching the Word both in season and out of season, but we are also desperately in need of a ministry of presence. I was one of those who was privileged to enjoy the conference in Jerusalem, one of the great highlights of my life - to see bishops, archbishops, clergy, laity from all over the world in the first five minutes of the conference be drawn into the Spirit, and to be singing in the Spirit, together – many of whom had never spoken in tongues or sung in the Spirit before, and weren’t even sure what it was that was happening. But there was such joy in that time together. The thing that made Lambeth 2008 so hard was that that presence was curiously absent and I could not help but wonder how much Lambeth 2008 would have been enriched by the presence of those who were in Jerusalem – how the presence of our current House of Bishops in The Episcopal Church could be enriched by a vital, determined and unapologetic presence of orthodox bishops. Since the early days of Episcopalians United and the many other groups that have formed, we as orthodox have remained reactionary and our reactionism has made us determined to withdraw our presence, rather than to advance the presence of the Kingdom and to advance the proclamation of the Word. It has not served the Gospel well, I don’t believe. How can we determine to be present and the same time have fellowship one with another that strengthens and encourages us, and at the same time holds the rest of the church accountable?

Archbishop Anis: In Lambeth 2008, I attended Lambeth 2008; I didn’t believe in withdrawal. But unfortunately I was faced by the fact that meetings like this are manipulated, orchestrated – orchestrated in a way that nothing happens. And I felt now that it’s a waste of time when you go to a place where the results and the outcome is already decided; and there is no consultation in order to ‘own’ the agenda of a meeting like this, it’s cooked! - pre-cooked thing! And it is very sad, very sad, that this is happening.

But once things are done differently, I would like to assure you, you will find us right at the heart of any of the meetings even if there are people who have different views, have revisionist agendas, we are not afraid of these people, as long as the process is fair, honest, and it is not like a hidden agenda kind of thing. If there is this honesty of the process, then no one can fear to speak the truth in the presence of others.

That is why as the Secretary now of the Global South, Honorary Secretary, I want to respond to those people who say that about 10 Primates are not attending the coming Primates Meeting; they are saying they are boycotting. That is far from the truth. We are not boycotting at all the meeting. We did ask that the recommendations of the previous meetings should be followed through otherwise our meeting would be meaningless. We decided things, we recommended things, and now, time to have decisions. And we got this invitation to sit in two separate rooms, which is a joke! It’s a joke to sit in two separate rooms. And we wanted to – there was not enough consultation, in order to feel that we ‘owned’ this meeting to go to – but yes, I agree one hundred percent, and that is behind our attendance to 2008. Some other people were aware of the process much better than us and they didn’t come to Lambeth.

[Our thanks to Kevin Kallsen at Anglican TV and a faithful T19 reader who provided this for us--KSH].

Also available Video and Transcript of Archbishop Anis' talk at Mere Anglicanism to which he refers

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East

We may consider the great Bishop Charles Gore, the melancholy protagonist in Michael Ramsey’s Anglican Theology from Gore to Temple. Gore wanted to take full account of historical criticism of the Bible and to engage with modernity, in his case in the form of evolution, and from our different perches we would all applaud this. Bishop Gore believed that the Creeds could remain a kind of safe haven from this hurly-burly, though even in his time, and afterward, a more extreme version of that same modernist method had gone to work on the Creeds themselves (as examples of fourth-century power politics, deployments of outdated Greek metaphysics, premodern cosmology, and so forth).

As a result people could keep reciting the Creeds but mean different things by them. In this vein, a generation ago the renowned pluralist John Hick would say that he enthusiastically affirmed the Creeds, though they were for him only a familiar kind of picture-language for the inexpressible transcendent. A more particularly Anglican tack might be to say that the sheer act of praying (or talking, or in this case confessing the Creeds) together constitutes our unity. My point is not to accuse, but only to point out that saying the Creeds together (which I wholeheartedly support) sometimes locates the modernist question more than it solves it.

Unfortunately the same kind of point can be made for some of the other words that are quite rightly used in the responses to identify the distinctive features of our faith. Jesus is indeed unique, but “uniqueness” per se is something that any one of us could claim.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Theology • Christology • The Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

The Primates’ Meeting must be that place where the integrity of the Instrument is worked through. If one does not attend the Dublin gathering, it remains the case that the Primates as individual leaders and as a body must propose and resolve how they will gather and do their work. Physical attendance may not be necessary at the month’s end and it is not going to happen anyway. But it remains the case that the composition and good working of the Primates as a Meeting, as a council, must be addressed by the Primates. How will they do this?

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Anglican Primates • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Instruments of Unity • * Theology • Anthropology • Ethics / Moral Theology • Pastoral Theology

Last weekend, in London, three Anglican bishops and their families were received into full communion with the Catholic Church in a very public ceremony in Westminster Cathedral. Three Anglican nuns and some laypeople were also received. By Easter it is expected that the Anglican Ordinariate will have been set up, and up to 50 more Anglican priests will be received into the Catholic Church along with a significant number of laypeople.

This public reception is in marked contrast to the manner in which I, and many others were received into the Catholic Church in England in the mid 1990s. At that time "ecumenism" was still the main priority for the Catholic bishops of England and Wales as well as the Anglican establishment. There was a pact between the rulers of both churches that the defections to Rome would be low key. No one wanted to rock the ecumenical boat. Consequently, the publicity machines of both churches went into overdrive to downplay and minimize what was happening. In fact, in the mid 1990s there were not fifty Anglican priests who converted but 500. Some even reckoned the numbers to be between 750 and 1000. The reason it was difficult to establish how many of us converted to the Catholic faith at that time was because certain categories of Anglican priest didn't register in the official tally....

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Religion News & Commentary • Ecumenical Relations • Other Churches • Roman Catholic • Pope Benedict XVI • * Theology • Ecclesiology

....being in The Episcopal Church, and considering all that has happened in the last year, I wanted to throw out there some thoughts on what is going on in Anglicanism.

I will certainly make for these reflections to be theological, but I imagine that some will fall back into sentiment and they will have a sense of arbitrarity, for which I cannot apologize. It may seem that at times I will ramble but I hope, especially for our Anglican readership, that my fears and hopes will reveal a bit about the struggles in our Churches to be faithful both to the “gospel” as we perceive it, and to ourselves as a Communion of Churches.

I’ve grown a bit more into the role of a “Traditionalist” in matters of theological revision but I hope that I will never be received as a “Stand Firm” type. I have no pretensions about having the whole of Truth wrapped up and if I say things that are “conservative” or whatever the damn word we want to use, I am quite passionate about living together in diverse minds. But it is the width and nature of and reasons for diversity that is up for question.

Read it all, noting especially his remarks on what he has recently been reading.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Theology

What is lost in the midst of all the opinion and statements offered by various groups in the church is the ecumenical and ecclesiological implications of this movement. In particular, it may be helpful for a moment to consider this development in light of the approach to Anglicanism articulated by Michael Ramsey, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1961 to 1973. Ramsey is not only well-respected by both liberals and conservatives within contemporary Anglicanism, he likely has had more significance than any other person on modern ecumenical relations between Anglicanism and other Christian traditions. It was Ramsey who oversaw the creation of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). It was Ramsey who had fought so mightily for the union of English Methodism with the Church of England. And it was to Ramsey that Pope Paul VI gave his own episcopal ring, back in days when relations between the two traditions were somewhat warmer.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Roman Catholic • Pope Benedict XVI • * Theology • Ecclesiology

A Covenant will yield a stronger, more coherent and unified Anglicanism. It may mean that some Provinces such as TEC and some of the GAFCON Provinces will opt out both from the Covenant and attendance at inter-Anglican meetings.

That does not mean a complete break-up of Anglicanism - participation in the “instruments of communion” is important but not the only expression of being Anglican. The liturgies of Anglican Provinces bear a strong family resemblance. The mission societies, the Mother’s Unions, diocesan links, fraternal links among cathedrals and schools will not cease to operate.

Meanwhile as the Archbishop of Canterbury has made clear, work will be done on reforming the “instruments” because it is largely their failure to be effective that has triggered the crisis in Anglicanism.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant

Prof. Hunter may be right about the Anglican Church in Britain today. But there is a problem if his readers confuse what is going on in Britain — or Canada or the United States, for that matter — with the reality of worldwide Anglicanism.

First, Anglicanism is not dying; it is growing at a stupendous rate in Africa, where more than half the world’s 80 million Anglicans live. Philip Jenkins, the distinguished professor of history and religion at Pennsylvania State University, has estimated that by 2050 there will be 150 million Anglicans in the world, “of whom only a tiny minority will be White Europeans.”

Second, while it is true some Anglicans are defecting to the Catholic Church there are also conservative Anglicans who are leaving their national Churches — such as the group in Canada that separated itself from the Anglican Church of Canada — but remain aligned with the global Church and seek oversight from orthodox African Anglican bishops. This group has little interest in becoming Catholic. If anything, they want to be more Protestant and put the Bible at the center of their lives....

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary

You may find the programme [at present hosted by William Crawley] link here.

The BBC blurb reads in part:

Earlier this week the General Synod voted to press ahead with the Anglican Covenant, a worldwide deal designed to keep Anglicans around the world united. But the traditionalist lobby group, the Global Anglican Future Conference, rejected the Covenant saying it was 'no longer appropriate'. We'll be hearing Bishop Martyn Minns, a member of the Secretariat of the Global Anglican Future Conference Primates' Council and Dr Graham Kings, Bishop of Sherborne in the Diocese of Salisbury.

There are two segments of particular interest to blog readers. The first starts about 6 minutes in and features comments Guardian report Stephen Bates (it last about four minutes).

The second starts approximately 33 1/2 minutes in. It features those mentioned in the above blurb as well as former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord (George) Carey (the total length of this part is some ten minutes or so).

Listen to it all and note, alas, that this audio is only available for a limited time.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops • Global South Churches & Primates

“The contumacious actions of the Diocese of New Westminster and ECUSA have and continue to have profoundly divisive consequences within the Anglican Church of Canada, ECUSA, and the Anglican Communion as a whole. Within the Anglican Church of Canada and ECUSA, the “scandal” caused by the actions of these bodies has caused

–some to leave for other churches,
–some to call for more adequate Episcopal oversight,
–some to form ecclesiastical bodies independent of the Anglican Church of
Canada and ECUSA (but in communion with one or another province of the
Anglican Communion),
–some to withhold money for the support of their parish, diocese, and national
church.

Within the larger communion, a number of provinces have declared broken or impaired communion with both ECUSA and the Diocese of New Westminster. Some have even spoken of a break with the See of Canterbury if no action is taken to check the excessive claims to autonomy that lie behind the actions recently taken in Canada and the United States.

Finally, some of the most important ecumenical partners of Anglicans have issued strong statements about the divisive implications of the actions taken by the Diocese of New Westminster and ECUSA.

In short, the actions taken in Canada and the U.S. have set off shock waves both locally and internationally. They have produced as well a degree of bitterness and contentiousness throughout the communion that brings shame upon the ame of Christ and weakens the credibility of the witness of Anglican Christians. To ignore by silence and/or inaction such rending of Christ’s body is to stand idle as fellowship both within and between the provinces of the Anglican Communion disintegrates.”

–Communion and Discipline, the Anglican Communion Institute submission to the Lambeth Commission, page 38, as posted on the old blog in June 2004

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Archbishop of Canterbury

One should be clear that objections to the Covenant that have been articulated in the past weeks represent entrenched strategic interests, not without principled motivation, but nonetheless driven by worries over maintaining particular stakes in the church’s decision-making process. The fact that objectors openly admit that the text of the Covenant itself is irrelevant to their concerns – they rarely cite its actual words or argue on their basis – disclose the nature of their anxieties as lying elsewhere. The Covenant has become a symbol. But if so, a symbol of what? Onto its screen has been projected the ideologies of one after another group.

But the Synod needs to do its own projecting. What can it see? If it cannot see an image of the Church of England’s own life and calling in the Covenant’s discussion of Christian communion, common commitments, and mutual deference and accountabilities – a discussion derived from several hundred years of shared ministry and a rich ecumenical service and desire – then the Church of England will indeed have chosen to stand still, as other Anglicans move forward with a life that promises to go far deeper and more vibrantly into Christ’s purposes than what is left behind.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Theology • Ecclesiology

If Christians are alienated from each other, culturally, sociologically and psychologically, how high a formal fence should they erect between themselves? Enough, surely to give reflective space to both and a chance to relate their partial interests in the whole gospel picture whilst they live in tension and await, in joyful hope, a new heaven and a new earth. But temporary fencing, as low and light as possible, has to offer the best way forward if it’s relationships that count.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops

The most obvious disagreement is whether provinces will be subordinated to the international authorities and threatened with punishment if they do not obey. We wrote that the Covenant

was first proposed by the Windsor Report in 2004 to put pressure on the North American churches, after a diocese in the USA had elected an openly gay bishop and a diocese in Canada had approved a same-sex blessing service. Opponents had no legal way to expel the North Americans, so the Covenant is designed to achieve the same result by redefining the Anglican Communion to exclude them.

Goddard considers this a 'highly implausible spin'. He does not explain why, but he does reply:

In fact, the Windsor Report's stated aim was that a covenant 'would make explicit and forceful the loyalty and bonds of affection which govern the relationships between the churches of the Communion' (para 118).

Our point exactly! How one can force people to be loyal and affectionate has been one of the great puzzles of the project; clearly any talk of force is obviously meaningless without some kind of punishment.

Later, repeating the denial of any subordination or punishment, Goddard describes how the current text was established:

In fact, the Windsor Report's stated aim was that a covenant 'would make explicit and forceful the loyalty and bonds of affection which govern the relationships between the churches of the Communion' (para 118).

Our point exactly! How one can force people to be loyal and affectionate has been one of the great puzzles of the project; clearly any talk of force is obviously meaningless without some kind of punishment.

Later, repeating the denial of any subordination or punishment, Goddard describes how the current text was established:

There was substantial resistance to the idea that there should be any development of a body which could be seen to be exercising universal jurisdiction in Anglican polity. Anglicans wished to keep the autonomy of their Churches. Secondly, it became clear that the processes of adoption of the Covenant would be immensely complicated if the Covenant were seen to interfere with or to necessitate a change to the Constitution and Canons of any Province... Section Four of the RCD is therefore constructed on the fundamental principle of the constitutional autonomy of each Church.

This too accords with our argument: the reason why the Covenant restricts its punitive proposals to the relationships between provinces is that legally it cannot do more.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Analysis • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Covenant • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Theology • Eschatology

You may find the link here (22 minutes, 45 seconds long)--listen to it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops • Church of Ireland • * Culture-Watch • Women

Speaking to the Gazette editor in an interview while visiting Ireland, Bishop Tom Wright, former Bishop of Durham and now a Research Professor at the University of St Andrews, has said that the Church of England should not proceed to the consecration of women as Bishops if the move were to create a large division.

He said: "my own position is quite clear on this, that I have supported women Bishops in print and in person. I’ve spoken in Synod in favour of going that route, but I don’t think it’s something that ought to be done at the cost of a major division in the Church."

Bishop Wright warned that if the Church of England were not able to resolve the matter "a ‘quick fix’ resolution" would be "a recipe for long-term disaster".

Read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • CoE Bishops • Church of Ireland • * Culture-Watch • Women

How do you come up with an extra $10 million in a budget which you are already slashing by $2.1 million? "Voodoo economics" is a term which Episcopalians may have to revive to apply to the solution for the hurting Diocese of Haiti which the Executive Council finds in this particular situation. Once again, I am somehow certain that whatever that solution turns out to be, it will not involve the settling of any pending lawsuits . . .

And then today, we have ENS's next item about the Executive Council Meeting, which reports -- among other things -- the opening address to it given by the Presiding Bishop. I hesitate to criticize the ENS reporter, who is an experienced professional, and has always has done her job superlatively. Therefore, in copying that reporter's exact words in what follows, I leave it to the reader to determine whether what is reported is, shall we say, more or less coherent:

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori challenged the Episcopal Church's Executive Council Oct. 24 to avoid "committing suicide by governance."

Jefferts Schori said that the council and the church face a "life-or-death decision," describing life as "a renewed and continually renewing focus on mission" and death as "an appeal to old ways and to internal focus" which devotes ever-greater resources to the institution and its internal conflicts.

Does anyone else besides this Curmudgeon perceive in these words a certain parallel -- not exact, I grant you, but close enough to be exceedingly troubling -- with a certain situation involving a sinking ocean liner, whose Captain is urging everyone, while facing a "life-or-death decision," not to spend too much more time rearranging the deck chairs, and instead to scramble for the lifeboats?

Read it carefully and read it all.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • Episcopal Church (TEC) • Executive Council • General Convention • House of Deputies President • Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori • TEC Bishops • TEC Polity & Canons