Links to South Carolina posts - latest first in each section: (Last Updated January 25th 2012 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern)
IMPORTANT NOTE - SEE LATEST NEWS and BISHOP'S LETTER and PRAYER
FURTHER IMPORTANT NOTE - SEE here and here and here

Videos from MERE ANGLICANISM 2012 are here [NEW]

Materials From the Diocese of SC:

South Carolina Standing Committee Responds to Letter of Province IV Bishops December 12, 2011 at 11:33 am

Bishop Lawrence Writes to the Diocese About Disciplinary Board Decision
November 29, 2011 at 3:28 pm

South Carolina Releases Correspondence Relating to Josephine Hicks, Church Attorney
October 13, 2011

S.C. Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese Meet on “Serious Charges” Made Against Bishop Lawrence
October 12, 2011

A look back to a 2006 Mark Lawrence Address – “Who are these birds that can sing in the dark?”
October 8, 2011

****Urgent Message from the Diocese of South Carolina Bishop and Standing Committee****
Originally posted October 5, 2011 - reposted Oct. 10, 2011

South Carolina Bishop and Standing Committee Respond to Actions of Executive Council
October 3, 2011


Analysis and Commentary

Province IV Bishops Release Statement Concerning Meeting with Bishop Lawrence
December 15, 2011 at 11:15 am

A S.C. Layman who worked as a College President Writes Bishop Daniel and the Province IV Bishops
December 13, 2011 at 11:35 am

Shay Gaillard—Purple Shirts Proof-texting in Public
December 8, 2011 at 9:01 am

Province IV Bishops Seek a Meeting with South Carolina Bp. Lawrence
December 5, 2011 at 4:25 pm

Kendall Harmon Answers Media Questions on the Disciplinary Committee—S.C. Bishop Matter
December 5, 2011 at 7:00 am

Anglican Communion Institute—South Carolina: The Disciplinary Board Decides
December 1, 2011 at 11:16 am

Lent and Beyond offers Thanksgiving for the Report from South Carolina
December 1, 2011 at 7:49 am

A Living Church Editorial on the Mark Lawrence News from the Bishops Disciplinary Board
November 29, 2011 at 11:30 am

(Liv. Ch.) Disciplinary Board of Bishops is Unable to Certify Abandonment Against Mark Lawrence
November 28, 2011 at 5:05 pm

GetReligion Critiques the recent Charleston, S. C., Newspaper piece on the Episcopal Fracas
November 25, 2011

(Living Church) Mark Lawrence: ‘The Bishop Brings the Crozier’
November 23, 2011 at 3:50 pm

An AP Article on Bishop Mark Lawrence and the Diocese of South Carolina
November 23, 2011 at 11:40 am

Local paper Article: “S.C. Episcopal Diocese releases property claim”
November 21, 2011 at 12:25 pm

(Church Times) Harriet Baber—The Episcopal Church is alienating its own members
November 20, 2011 at 7:15 am

What was announced at the South Carolina Clergy Conference this past Tuesday Evening
November 19, 2011 at 9:00 am

A Serious Prayer request for the South Carolina Clergy Conference This week
November 14, 2011 at 4:55 am

Bishop C. FitzSimons Allison—Shrinking Jesus and Betraying the Faith
November 11, 2011 at 8:19 am

Leander Harding on the Mark Lawrence Investigation—Choose Inclusive Justice
October 27, 2011 at 6:19 am

Gavin Dunbar on the Mark Lawrence Investigation—Southern Discomfort
October 27, 2011 at 6:00 am

Diocese of Upper South Carolina Convention Passes Resolution on the Mark Lawrence Investigation
October 25, 2011

A.S. Haley—Conflicts Galore on the Disciplinary Board for Bishops with regard to the S.C. Matter
October 22, 2011 at 2:00 pm

The Bishop of Tasmania Writes in Support of Bishop Mark Lawrence
October 21, 2011 at 6:00 am

(Anglican Communion Institute) South Carolina: The Church Needs Transparency
October 20, 2011 at 6:07 pm

(The State) The Bishop of Upper South Carolina on the Mark Lawrence Investigation
October 19, 2011 at 5:22 pm

(Mark McCall)—South Carolina: Upholding The Church’s Discipline By Upholding The Constitution
October 18, 2011 at 7:38 am

A.S. Haley on the Further Revelations in the South Carolina Episcopal Investigation
October 17, 2011 at 9:04 pm

(Living Church) Attorney J.B. Burtch Returns to Bishop Mark Lawrence Case
October 17, 2011

Anglican Unscripted Episode 14
October 17, 2011

A.S. Haley Responds to An Embarrassingly Inaccurate Piece by Andrew Gerns on the S.C. Matter
October 17, 2011

CEN—Evangelical bishop under assault in America
October 14, 2011 at 5:36 pm

(Living Church) Episcopal Church Attorney in South Carolina Matter Recuses Herself
October 14, 2011 at 3:35 pm

A.S. Haley on the Disciplinary Board, Their Chosen Lawyer, and the South Carolina Process
October 14, 2011 at 8:21 am

Charles Alley—The Injustice of it All!
October 14, 2011 at 1:31 pm

Living Church—Bishop: Attorney Never on Disciplinary Board
October 13, 2011

Robert Clawson Chimes in on the Disciplinary Proceedings involving Mark Lawrence
October 13, 2011

A.S. Haley on Bishop Henderson’s Statement regarding procedure in the Bishop Mark Lawrence Matter
October 12, 2011

Anglican Communion Institute on the Continuing S.C. Story—Title IV: Abandonment Without Offense?
October 12, 2011

(Living Church) Bishop Henderson Explains His Understanding of the Disciplinary Board’s Duty
October 12, 2011

Anglican Unscripted Episode 13
October 10, 2011

Dale Matson—Rowan Williams And The Deposition Of Bishop Lawrence
October 7, 2011

ACI says Presiding Bishop Had to be Involved in the S.C. Actions if the Canons Were Followed
October 7, 2011

A.S. Haley—Clearing up Misconceptions about the Diocese of South Carolina 'Charges'
October 6, 2011

A.S. Haley on South Carolina—Episcopal Church Foments Strife and Civil War
October 6, 2011

Living Church—Board Hears Case against Bishop Lawrence
October 5, 2011

(ACI) A Response to the reported Title IV Disciplinary process begun against Bishop Mark Lawrence
October 5, 2011

A.S. Haley—What if the TEC Foundations Were not Designed for the Current Structure?
October 3, 2011

The Dangers of Church Centralization: Some Remarks on the Proposed Changes in the TEC Constitution
October 3, 2011

A.S. Haley—TEC Executive Council Fires on the Diocese of South Carolina
Sept. 30, 2011

Other Resources

South Carolina: Praying for the Diocesan Leadership
October 6, 2011

Prayer Resources for those praying for Bishop Mark Lawrence and South Carolina

Seeing Jesus with Bishop Mark Lawrence
October 16, 2011

Title IV Canons


Press and Other Reports

(ENS) Province IV bishops call meeting with colleague ‘honest, forthright’
December 15, 2011 at 4:02 pm

(Christian Post) Episcopal Church Clears South Carolina Bishop of Violating Principles
December 2, 2011 at 6:15 am

Reuters Article on Disciplinary Board Decisions vis a vis Bishop Mark Lawrence
November 30, 2011 at 6:00 pm

Local Paper Article on Disciplinary Board Decisions vis a vis Bishop Mark Lawrence
30, 2011 at 3:02 pm

The ENS story on the Disciplinary Board dismissing abandonment complaint against Mark Lawrence
November 29, 2011 at 6:15 am

Nicholas Beasley (Upper South Carolina) Chimes In
October 19, 2011 at 4:45 pm

Another (longish) AP article on The Episcopal Church’s South Carolina Investigation
October 16, 2011

(Times and Democrat) Orangeburg, S.C., Area Episcopal clergy: Probe ‘not a healthy situation’
October 14, 2011 at 7:45 am

Another AP Story on the South Carolina Clergy Meeting Tuesday
(AP) Diocese of SC clergy discuss allegations against bishop
October 12, 2011

Local Paper—Episcopal Church investigates Bishop Mark Lawrence
October 6, 2011

An ENS Story—S.C. bishop investigated on charges he has abandoned the Episcopal Church
October 5, 2011

An AP Story—S.C. Bishop said to have abandoned Episcopal church
October 5, 2011

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Latest News • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Conflicts • TEC Conflicts: South Carolina • TEC Polity & Canons • * Culture-Watch • Law & Legal Issues • * Resources & Links • Resources: ACI docs • Resources: blogs / websites • * South Carolina

Kendall has been doing an incredible job at posting excerpts from the blogs of dozens of US and British bishops, as well as posting gazillion articles from the US and UK press. But like the Lambeth conference itself, (where US bishops make up over 20% of the participants), the voices from the US, UK and Canada threaten to overwhelm all the other voices.

We'd love to start featuring reports and blog entries from Anglican Provinces around the World. If you know of reports from bishops or news articles being published in other Provinces, please post the links in the comments or e-mail us!

I've just come across two websites that have reports from Brazilian and Cuban bishops.

I’ve just discovered a blog that has entries by Bp. Miguel Tamayo of Uruguay and Cuba

http://desdelambeth.blogspot.com/

The blog entries by +Tamayo are here:
http://desdelambeth.blogspot.com/2008/07/mensajes-del-obispo-miguel-tamayo-4.html
http://desdelambeth.blogspot.com/2008/07/mensajes-del-obispo-miguel-tamayo-3.html
http://desdelambeth.blogspot.com/2008/07/mensajes-del-obispo-miguel-tamayo-2.html
http://desdelambeth.blogspot.com/2008/07/mensajes-del-obispo-miguel-tamayo-1.html

These can be translated using Google’s Language Tools
http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

====

Also, the website of the Anglican diocese of Brasilia has Lambeth reports posted:
http://dab.ieab.org.br/

Again, you can use Google language tools to get a rough translation from the Portuguese.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Lambeth 2008 • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Updated: July 21, 12:30 UTC (8:30 a.m. EDT) **This is sticky -- New posts are below**

The amount of Lambeth coverage and commentary is pretty overwhelming. Here are some of the links we have found most helpful so far in following and making sense of what's going on. We're emphasizing first-hand coverage in these links. Feel free to post additional links in the comments.

The "Lambeth Daily" page at the official Lambeth site
An index of all the daily stories and photos, etc. by ACNS is here

The Episcopal Church's "Lambeth Journal" blog (daily reports from various TEC bishops)

Anglican Mainstream -- providing firsthand coverage by Canon Chris Sugden and others, as well as excerpts of many others' commentary

The Rev. George Conger's blog (George writes for the Living Church, the Church of England News, Religious Intelligence, and other publications). Note especially some of George's fantastic photos of bishops from around the Communion.

The Living Church's News page

The Rev. Todd and Cherie Wetzel of Anglicans United. Todd & Cherie are providing daily first-hand reports and commentary.

StandFirm will be sending the Rev. Matt Kennedy and Sarah Hey to cover the conference, and of course they've got tons of articles and commentaries about Lambeth in the meantime.

The PrayerBook Society's Lambeth Commentary

Ruth Gledhill's blog (Ruth is covering Lambeth for the London Times)

The Church Times blog

BabyBlue (who will be reporting live from Lambeth during the final week of the conference)

Lydia Evan's very cool "Anglican Feedbag" page with many many RSS feeds of Lambeth news from sources all over.


Prayer for Lambeth:
Pray Lambeth (look for the links to the Daily Prayer Bulletins on the lower left hand side of the home page)
Lent & Beyond's Lambeth prayers


Coverage from Reappraisers:
Thinking Anglicans (provides thorough roundups of the British Press Coverage)
Episcopal Cafe (Lambeth Category) (Jim Naughton is at Lambeth)
Integrity President Susan Russell's blog
Integrity's LGBT Lambeth Portal

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Lambeth 2008 • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

We thought it might be helpful to round up a list of those who are providing first-hand coverage and blogging of GAFCON this week.

Anglican TV's Kevin Kallsen is there and is providing live-streaming coverage of some of the sessions, as well as written diaries. All the AnglicanTV coverage is here. (This elf is currently watching such live stream coverage as I type this. You rock, Kevin. Thanks for your service!) (Note: Stand Firm should usually be broadcasting Kevin's live feed.)

Stand Firm's Matt Kennedy+ is there and will be sharing his impressions and insights, and showing off his amazing live blogging skills. Just keep an eye on Stand Firm for Matt's posts throughout the day.. Matt's wife Anne+ is also at GAFCON. You can follow her accounts at her blog, an undercurrent of hostility, here.

The London Times' Ruth Gledhill is in Jerusalem and you can find her reports here.

Anglicans United's Cherie Wetzel and her husband, the Rev. Todd Wetzel are there. You can follow Cherie's reports here.

Scotland's the Rev. David McCarthy is at GAFCON and blogging at his Gadget Vicar site.

The official GAFCON site is here.

If you know of others who are blogging and reporting from GAFCON, please post links in the comments. Thanks.

Update:

Thanks to a tipster, we note that Fr. Russell Martin of St. Timothy & St. Titus parish (under the Southern Cone) in San Diego, is blogging. His entries are posted at San Diego Anglicans.

George Conger is in Jerusalem. His blog is here.

Sydney Anglicans has a dedicated GAFCON page here.

Christianity Today reporter Tim Morgan is in Jerusalem. The CT blog is here.

Five Delegates from Melbourne Australia are blogging here.

Some folks from Reform Ireland are blogging. Their blog is here.

Thinking Anglicans are in touch with those covering GAFCON for the Lesbian & Gay Christian movement and have posted e-mail from them as part of a GAFCON coverage roundup.

A Sydney attendee, Tony Payne, is blogging here.

Do keep us posted if you come across more links for first-hand reports from GAFCON. Thanks!

Update 2:

Father Lee Nelson (dio Fort Worth) has a GAFCON photoblog that is very nice, here.

A blogger from the Anglican Coalition in Canada, Pastor Barclay, has many excellent photos, here.

The Sydney Anglicans GAFCON page has news, pictures, videos, and also blog entries. We've noted three blog entries so far. Abp. Peter Jensen, Bishop Robert Forsyth, and Dr. Karin Sowada.

There is an excellent collection of daily photo albums from GAFCON set up at Picassa, here.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Latest News • - Anglican: Primary Source • Global South Churches & Primates • GAFCON 2008 • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Did you know the Common Cause Partnership has a prayer blog? Well, they do. And today they've begun posting a series of daily prayer entries for the GAFCON event in Jordan and Jerusalem next month. Here's the link to today's entry for Day 1 of this 40 Day prayer effort.

And here's the background on the call to 40 days of prayer and fasting. Note the specific focus on reading and praying through the Psalms of Ascent:

The bishops have specified that the Daily Office, the Great Litany, and the Psalms of Ascent (120-134) be used during this season. The Psalms of Ascent were chosen because of the impact they had on the Global South meeting in Nairobi out of which GAFCON was birthed. Contributors to the Common Cause Partnership prayer blog will be posting these resources along with reflections, scriptures, collects and other aids to prayer as the 40 days unfold. Participants are invited to report specific needs, praises, and other feedback on the prayer blog.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Common Cause Partnership • * Christian Life / Church Life • Spirituality/Prayer • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Check it out.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • * Culture-Watch • Blogging & the Internet • * International News & Commentary • Asia • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

It occurs to us in the busyness of life the past few weeks, we elves have been seriously remiss in not posting the links to the alternate (backup blogs -- perhaps soon to be permanent blogs) of many of the Anglican sites hosted by Classical Anglican Net which suffered serious hacking about 2 weeks ago, and which is still offline as a result.

Mike Daley of CaNNet is still working to restore the blog databases and partitions, and hopes to have the blogs backup as soon as possible, perhaps within a few days. But in the meantime, please note these links. Our apologies for the delay in posting these!

Brad Drell: http://descant.wordpress.com/

Confessing Reader: http://confessingreader.wordpress.com/

Lent & Beyond: http://anglicanprayer.wordpress.com/

Rather Not Blog: http://idrathernotsay123.wordpress.com/

Surrounded (Diocese of San Joaquin): http://sanjoaquin.wordpress.com/

As for the archives of the old Titusonenine site, most posts can be accessed either by using the Google Cache feature, or by using an internet archive site like "The Wayback Machine." Feel free to e-mail the elves if you need help finding something or accessing something on the old blog.

And please keep Mike Daley in prayer as he works to restore the CaNNet blogs. Even if all or most of the blogs make the switch to new sites, having access to their archives is important. Thanks.

Filed under: * Admin • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Hi all. As we noted in the comments on one of the threads below, we were having trouble accessing the Living Church's website earlier today. We've since learned via e-mail that those problems were due to a site upgrade. We've just now been able to get into the new site and it looks terrific.

Here's the news page link:
http://www.livingchurch.org/site/news/

Here's a section for online exclusive features:
http://www.livingchurch.org/site/news/exclusives/

We're still having trouble accessing the TLC home page: http://www.livingchurch.org/, which is taking us to the TLC's hosting company instead. It may just take awhile for the site upgrade to "propagate" throughout the web, or we might need to clear out our browser cache.

Be sure to update your bookmarks for the new site. (The news page link is new, for instance). It looks terrific! Congrats and thanks to the TLC team.

Filed under: * Admin • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Give him a look.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Blogging & the Internet • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

San Diego Anglicans blog has set up an open thread re: the wildfires in Southern California, as well as a photo gallery.

If you need to know how various churches in the area have been affected, this is the go to site. As of yesterday evening, there were reports of up to 513,000 people evacuated, 500 homes lost in San Diego County, 800 homes destroyed outside the county.

Please keep the situation in prayer.

Filed under: * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Here's a roundup of folks who are providing live coverage of the HoB meetings in New Orleans.

NOTE: I've un-stickied two previously sticky posts. Here are the links:

-- Monday mornings' "Catch Up Reading" Links by Greg G. is here.
-- Kendall's Proposal is here:

Episcopal News Service:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/elife/

latest article: Eight bishops agree to serve as 'episcopal visitors'
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_90174_ENG_HTM.htm

UPDATE: Here is a MUCH better link. ALL the HoB stories from ENS on one page. http://www.episcopalchurch.org/89878_ENG_HTM.htm

----------------

Stand Firm has a big team onsite: Greg Griffith, the Rev. Matt Kennedy, Sarah Hey, Jackie Bruchi
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/

Matt's latest entry is here: http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/6068/

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Anglicans United: Cherie Wetzel is providing detailed reports online and via e-mail
http://www.anglicansunited.com/

Cherie's latest is here: http://www.anglicansunited.com/2007/09/report_2_thursday_morning_sept.html

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The intrepid and wonderfully creative Baby Blue is onsite too:
http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/

Mary's latest is here: http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/2007/09/depo-revisited-schori-seeks-to-endorse.html [link fixed, sorry!]
She's also got some pictures to help "set the scene" here: http://babybluecafe.blogspot.com/2007/09/setting-scene.html

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The Living Church has the Rev. George Conger and probably others (?) reporting:
http://www.livingchurch.org/news.asp

TLC's latest is here: http://www.livingchurch.org/publishertlc/viewarticle.asp?ID=3819

[Not sure whether George Conger will be posting articles or pix to his personal blog, but if he does, here's the link: http://geoconger.wordpress.com/ ]
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Anglican TV's Kevin Kallsen is also onsite, though doesn't yet have anything posted from N.O.
http://www.anglicantv.org/blog/index.cfm

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Integrity's reports from John Gibson and John Bradley can be found here: http://walkingwithintegrity.blogspot.com/

Here's the latest update/commentary from them: http://walkingwithintegrity.blogspot.com/2007/09/update-house-of-bishops-in-new-orleans.html

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Not sure if Episcopal Cafe has anyone in N.O. [no, Jim Naughton is not there. Not sure if any other cafe reporters are there.]
Here's the link: http://www.episcopalcafe.com/

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EpiScope (Jan Nunley's official TEC blog) is here: http://episcopalchurch.typepad.com/episcope/

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UPDATE:

Just had an e-mail from Chip Webb of the IRD. He too is in N'awlins and is commenting at his blog Anglican Action: http://anglicanaction.blogspot.com/


With the unintended juxtaposition of links to EpiScope and the IRD, the elf must confess a strong temptation to break out into a chorus of "Hail hail the gang's all here...!"

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Latest News • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • Sept07 HoB Meeting • TEC Conflicts • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

The Rev'd Dr. Leander Harding has moved his blog. Here is the new address:
http://www.leanderharding.com/blog/

Please update your bookmarks! We've updated the link on the T19 sidebar.

Filed under: * Admin • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

The following is an excerpt from a lengthy article on the 9Marks website, which I can't recall having visited before, but which has a lot of interesting articles online all focused on helping Christians be better able to defend the Gospel. If you've got a few moments, check out what they claim are the 9 Marks of a church that glorifies God. This definitely looks to be a site this elf wants to browse around further. Note, however, that this is an unabashedly evangelical reformed Protestant site. (Predominantly Southern Baptist, it appears.) I for one find the final line of the excerpt below offensive in how it lumps the Vatican and the WCC together. Nonetheless, in this elf's opinion, this was a worthwhile and thought-provoking read. --elfgirl
------------

What’s the point of the story? Conversion is dirty word. It’s scandalous in today’s pluralistic and relativistic world to contend for one religious truth over and against another. It smacks of pride, arrogance, disrespect, perhaps hatred, maybe even violence.

This is the consensus among many of the secular elite. Popular television personality Bill Maher believes Christianity can only be explained as a "neurological disorder."[1] Only the most unenlightened, uneducated, and uncouth Neanderthal would both believe and contend for a conversion to religious faith, especially Christianity. It's absolutely what the modern man does not need.

And Maher simply represents what secular humanism as a movement has been saying all along. To quote from their own manifesto, "traditional theism… and salvationism… based on mere affirmation is harmful, diverting people with false hopes of heaven hereafter. Reasonable minds look to other means for survival."[2] Reasonable minds…you can hear the condescension dripping from the pen.

Some go further, of course. They say such attempts at diversion (i.e. conversion) actually breed violence.

[...]

Yet it seems that conversion is even under attack among some professed evangelicals. This ought to strike us as nonsensical. Our English word "evangelical" comes from the Greek word for "good news." What is this good news? It is that we, who are at enmity with God in our sin, can now be reconciled to him on account of Christ’s death and resurrection, when we repent of our sin and believe upon Christ. Conversion from our former way of life and thinking to Christianity is required. This much should be blatantly obvious.

Nonetheless, Brian MacLaren, perhaps the most prominent leader within the emerging church movement, calls for a reconsideration of conversion, if not an outright rejection of it. He writes in A Generous Orthodoxy,

I must add, though, that I don't believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (though not all) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu, or Jewish contexts. This will be hard, you say, and I agree. But frankly, it's not at all easy to be a follower of Jesus in many 'Christian' religious contexts, either.[5]

We are told to embrace other faiths "willingly, not begrudgingly." To be fair, McLaren asserts the uniqueness of Christianity apart from other religions.[6] And yet his belief in "a gospel that is universally efficacious for the whole earth," his unwillingness to "set limits on the saving power of God" in reference to the unevangelized, and his belief that we must continually expect to "rediscover the gospel" as we encounter other religious traditions, "leading to that new place where none of us has ever been before," raises significant and serious questions.[7] Frankly, I have difficulty seeing how he is recommending anything Christian, let alone orthodox. In the end, his proposals are eerily similar to those being set forth by the Vatican and the WCC.

The full entry is here. It is really quite comprehensive. The various sections are as follows:
-- CONVERSION—A DIRTY WORD?
-- CONVERSION—A BIBLICAL IDEA?
-- CONVERSION—WHAT IT IS AND ISN’T
-- BENEFITS FOR BELIEVERS
-- CONCLUSION: ONE OF THOSE CHRISTIANS?

(hat tip: TwoOrThree.Net)

Filed under: * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites • * Theology • Theology: Evangelism & Mission • Theology: Salvation (Soteriology)

How interesting to come across this story from the NY Times today (hat tip to Pat Dague) after we'd already prepared to post the entry below on the new faith and politics blog that's past of the Washington Post/Newsweek's On Faith site. Blogging, faith, and politics especially in relation to the 2008 Presidential election certainly seem to be a very hot topic at the moment.

WASHINGTON — The morning meeting could have been at any news outlet, with discussion around the glass conference-room table about stem cells, Iraq and the presidential candidates. But afterward the members of the small group in the room bowed their heads in prayer.

“I just pray for all of us, reporters, photographers and editors,” said David Brody, a reporter. “Give us the strength to get through the day. Bless our work, Lord. Give us the right words to say.”

Mr. Brody, 42, writes a blog and covers politics for the Christian Broadcasting Network, the television station founded by Pat Robertson. With the three leading Republican presidential candidates in the early going each confronting his own serious obstacles in winning over evangelical Christians, Mr. Brody occupies a position of influence in the 2008 presidential campaign as a gatekeeper to a crucial constituency.

CBN has about a million viewers a day on television, making it a big platform for Mr. Brody and the Republican candidates.

In addition, Mr. Brody’s blog, the Brody File, which scours the conservative credentials of Republican candidates but also looks at Democrats on occasion, has become required reading for political insiders, and is frequently cited by mainstream news organizations and bloggers on both ends of the political spectrum. With its blend of reporting, jokey commentary and savvy explanations of the concerns of evangelical voters, it now draws almost 100,000 hits a month, more than five times the traffic it was getting just several months ago.

Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York recently became the latest Republican presidential candidate to appear with Mr. Brody on the network’s main news program, “The 700 Club,” with segments posted on the Brody File. Earlier this year, Mr. Brody interviewed Senator John McCain of Arizona. He has twice sat down with Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts.

The full article is here.

The link to the Brody File is here.

---------

This elf confesses that she isn't yet following the Presidential election very closely, has never to her knowledge read the Brody File, and doesn't have a lot of political blogs in her list of bookmarks. (Unless, of course we're talking ANGLICAN politcs! That's a whole 'nother story! )

What political blogs do you all recommend, and which do a good job of focusing on issues of faith and politics?

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Blogging & the Internet • Religion & Culture • * Economics, Politics • US Presidential Election 2008 • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Over at Stand Firm, Matt Kennedy has now posted two entries in a series of essays on the Articles of Religion.

On the First Article of Religion

Who is the Son?: Essays on the Articles of Religion part 2

It has become apparent recently through reading responses to the proposed Covenant Draft, that many reappraisers within TEC reject the truth and authority of the Articles of Religion. This elf is thinking especially of SE Florida's response which stated:

The statement “led by the Holy Spirit, it [i.e. each member Church, and the Communion] has borne witness to Christian truth in its historic formularies, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and the Ordering of Bishops, Priests and Deacons,” is factually untrue and inappropriate for a Communion-wide Covenant. [...] Moreover, the “truthfulness” of several of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion is debatable (e.g. Articles VII, XIII, XVII, XVIII, XX, XXIX, and XXXIII). The validity of several of the Articles has been a subject of debate and doubt in The Episcopal Church since its inception.

Obviously the question of a Covenant raises the question of the Formularies. Thus this elf really welcomes and appreciates Matt's effort to help us examine the Articles afresh. Go read his essays!

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Analysis • Anglican Covenant • Anglican Identity • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites • * Theology • Christology

The Church of England General Synod begins tomorrow. One of the central items on the agenda is the proposed draft of the Anglican Covenant. Below is a roundup of links to various background papers and Covenant responses we've seen on various blogs and websites (from various sides of the spectrum) in recent days. We very much welcome input from our CoE readers with additions, corrections, clarifications. Thanks!

I. Simon Sarmiento's Thinking Anglicans blog (reappraising side of the aisle) has been posting quite a number of background papers and responses from different leaders, groups and organizations within the CoE in recent days. You can keep up with Thinking Anglicans CoE General Synod coverage here.

In addition to posting the Fulcrum paper we posted here earlier this week, Simon has also recently posted two entries with statements from Affirming Catholicism here and here.

The first entry from Affirming Catholicism reveals that they are backtracking on support for the Covenant:

Alarm raised over draft Covenant

In the week before the General Synod of the Church of England will be asked to endorse the process to create an Anglican Covenant, Affirming Catholicism has sounded alarm over the current proposed draft. In a commentary on the Covenant design group’s proposal to give the final say on Anglican doctrine to the meeting of the leaders of national churches, the Primates, The Rev’d Dr Mark Chapman, editor of a forthcoming Affirming Catholicism publication on the Anglican Covenant, and Vice-Principal of the Ripon College, Cuddesdon, said:

The emphasis given in the current proposals to the Primates’ Meeting (composed of 38 men and one woman) downplays the importance of synods. There is something disingenuous about giving power to determine membership of the Communion and to decide what constitutes the ‘common mind’ of the Churches to a group who at the moment refuse even to share Eucharistic communion with each other.

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II. Also in the lead up to General Synod, Andrew Goddard has published various materials on Fulcrum's site:


In The Anglican Covenant: A Briefing Paper for the Evangelical Group on General Synod, Goddard reaches this conclusion:

There are no solid reasons - either in principle or pragmatically in the current political context - for evangelicals or anyone else to object to Synod making a commitment to positive participation in the covenant process. There are many reasons - theological and political - why evangelicals and others who share our commitments to world mission, to learning from Anglicans around the globe, to safeguarding biblical faith and to facilitating harmony among Anglicans should wish the Church of England wholeheartedly to support the covenant process. Indeed, in terms of our life together as a Communion, the covenant process is - like the Windsor Report in which it originated - now 'the only poker game in town'. If the Communion is to have a future together then the form of this will be discerned in and through this covenant process. For the Church of England to abandon that process through non-participation, or destructive participation, would therefore be for the eye to say to the hand 'I don't need you' and for us as a province to embrace a vision of Anglicanism in which every one does what is right in their own eyes.

Also at Fulcrum is Goddard's The Anglican Covenant: Background and Resources

Fulcrum's news page is here.

==============================

III. Anglican Mainstream has also been tracking various responses to the Anglican Covenant. Last week they published a link to the Modern Churchpeople's Union's (MCU) rejection of the covenant draft.

All the MCU materials related to the Anglican Covenant are here. Their 2 page summary of their longer response paper is here.

Here are some of MCU's justifications for rejecting the Draft Covenant:

Communal and theological consequences
The MCU anticipates that the centralisation and authoritarian character of the proposed polity will have a deleterious effect on the life of the Communion. In particular it is likely, over time, to discard much of the richness of the Anglican inheritance, to narrow theological and spiritual life, and to reduce both the diversity of the Communion and the positive valuation of difference. As power moves from synods to Primates it is also likely to diminish further the role of the laity.

We also anticipate that the desire for an ever more centralised and uniform Church is likely to result in greater structural inflexibility and thus to generate more division and schism.

Justification
No innovative change of this magnitude should be embarked upon unless it is clear that the proposals are both in accord with the inheritance of faith and will also (to the best of prayerful judgement) positively serve to build up all aspects of the body of the Church. The Draft does not address how its proposed changes will lead to these wider benefits.

Alternatives
The MCU recognises that there are strong reasons for looking again at the future of Anglicanism. However we believe that there is much in the storehouse of classical Anglicanism with which to build hope for a new and vibrant future. We value the existing polity of the Anglican Communion characterised by dispersed authority, responsibility and wisdom. In the absence of adequate reasons for change we would wish to continue to work within and to build on this framework.

We look towards a Communion characterised by diversity and mutual respect, accountability and hospitality. We would value and include all members of the church in decision making. We would refuse the use of power to limit the faithful life of the Church.

For all these reasons the MCU believes that the proposed Draft Anglican Covenant is not appropriate as a foundation for the future of the Anglican Church. The MCU urges its rejection.

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Chris Sugden of Anglican Mainstream's personal response on the Covenant is online here. Sugden concludes:

So we must have our eyes open when discussing this matter.

The issue is not about agreement and disagreement, but conformity to the standard of teaching of the faith, expressed in a text – the Covenant - that is accepted by the Communion as a family of churches rather than by individuals.

The issue is about the clarity of what the Communion is committed to which is public and accessible

It is also about what the Communion is committed to being accessible to all, not kept unwritten, vague and therefore only to be interpreted by those in power.

=================================

IV. Finally in terms of sites to follow what is happening at the CoE Synod, the Church Society (an Evangelical group) has an excellent and helpful Synod page:

July 2007 Synod Issues

Here is their issue page on the Anglican Covenant. Here's how the Church Society frames the issue of the Anglican Covenant:

On Sunday 8 July the General Synod will be asked to endorse the following resolution.

18. ‘That this Synod:
(a) affirm its willingness to engage positively with the unanimous recommendation of the Primates in February 2007 for a process designed to produce a covenant for the Anglican Communion;
(b) note that such a process will only be concluded when any definitive text has been duly considered through the synodical processes of the provinces of the Communion; and
(c) invite the Presidents, having consulted the House of Bishops and the Archbishops’ Council, to agree the terms of a considered response to the draft from the Covenant Design Group for submission to the Anglican Communion Office by the end of the year.’

The last item refers to the draft covenant drawn up by the Covenant Design Group and circulated to members of the General Synod.

There are three main areas of concern with this motion.

* First, the text of the draft covenant.
* Second, whether the Presidents (Archbishops) and Bishops are capable of addressing the real issues.
* Third, whether the concept of the Covenant, which originally surfaced in the Windsor Report, will really solve the problems in the Anglican Communion, or potentially make them worse.

The full agenda of the CoE Synod is published here.

While Synod is sitting, the Church Society will be posting news here.

===================================

Whew. That's a lot of material to try and cover. This elf confesses to feeling in over our head in trying to follow this. We would very much welcome comments, clarification and links from our British readers. Thanks in advance!

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UPDATE

The Inclusive Church blog has a commentary posted today linking the Covenant Process to the situation with extra-provincial bishops in North America. We may post this as a top level entry. But in the meantime, here's the beginning of the blog entry:

The growing number of bishops created by African provinces for “pastoral oversight” in North America (and potentially in other provinces), the attempts to create a Covenant that defines Anglican doctrine and ethics, and the apparent intention to organise an alternative to the Lambeth Conference in London next year all point towards one thing. The strategy to destabilise the Anglican Communion is moving into another phase.

I think Kendall may have previously posted an Inclusive Church Covenant response. We'll check and may update this with more links later.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Covenant • Anglican Provinces • Church of England (CoE) • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

We hope our readers know that Reformed Pastor is the best blog to keep up with what's happening among reasserting Presbyterians (if we can use Kendall's Anglican-coined term in such a way). [Of course, this statement is merely this sometimes not-so-humble elf's opinion! I'm trying not to presume to speak for Kendall. But you know, while the cat's away....!]

Here's David Fischler's most recent Presbyterian news post. Interesting that as in ECUSA it's some of the most-historic parishes that are leaving.

And David often provides excellent commentary on things Anglican. For instance, he's picked up the news we posted this morning about Ed Bacon's sermon about Vice President Cheney at All Saints Pasadena. And his comments are open. So, should you have been eager to comment on that story, now you can.

Filed under: * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches • Presbyterian • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

One of the things this elf has found a very encouraging development in the orthodox Anglican blogosphere is the increase of blogs and websites designed to help encourage and mobilize reasserting Episcopalians and Anglicans at a local level. Montana Anglicans is one such local-level blog. One of their contributors, Kathrine, has just posted her reflections on what it has meant for her family to join Christ Church Anglican in Butte, which is under the oversight of the Province of Uganda.

Most of this year I have looked back as well as looked forward. As July of 2006 has progressed into July 2007, I’ve caught myself thinking, “Oh, yes, last year this time we went to Spokane, or were reading Matt Kennedy’s account of the 2006 Convention on-line, or I met with 3 other members of my church over coffee at Denny’s, or had a last meeting at my old parish.” So, when I saw the announcement by our Spirit Life Committee that this Sunday we would celebrate our first meeting that really began the movement for Christ Church Anglican - Butte, it was a moment for long reflection. What has my family lost and gained this past year? Where are we going? I ponder all these things as I think about meeting with my church community this Sunday at the Costin’s.

What have we lost this past year :

When thinking of what has been lost, the first things that come to mind are the material ones. For my family, the loss of our place of worship was a sadness. My husband and I were confirmed there, our children were baptized and had first communion at our old parish. There were the endless winding stairs and the silence of the sanctuary. There was the silence of the chapel during Easter Vigil and the Parish Hall decorated for Vacation Bible School. It was an old building – with great Butte history – since I love history, I loved the historic nature of the place. However, with all of that, I cannot say I’ve missed it that much – the building, was only a building, easily replaced and not that important to a community of Faith. No, while it was beautiful and full of memory, I do not see it with a sense of longing one might expect. So, as a real ‘loss’ I cannot count it as such.

Yet I do miss the people of my old parish that chose to stay. I miss the community we had as believers – not always agreeing but always family. The National Church, with its resolve to break the bonds of the Communion has destroyed many things, including the fellowship of our wider Anglican family here in Butte. When we Anglicans had to part in August, some resolved to stay with The Episcopal Church (TEC) and others with the wider Anglican Communion. This parting was hard on all of us. We love each other still – but no longer worship together – and that makes me very sad. This is the greatest loss I would count to in my Christian community this past year.

The full entry is here.


In addition to commenting on Katharine's article, we'd like to use this post to work towards compiling a list of the various blogs and websites designed to facilitate local-networking among reasserting Anglicans. Here are a few we know of. Please chime in with others in the comments.

Albany Intercessor (Dio. Albany prayer blog)
Anglican District of Virginia (website, not a blog)
Anglican Watchman (Diocese of Newark)
Connecticut 6 (covers much more than CT, but it has all the CT news as well.)
Drell's Descants (although Brad covers much more than local news, his is a key blog for news of and networking in Western Louisiana.)
Montana Anglicans
Northern Plains Anglicans
Northwest Anglicans Blog
South Carolina - ACN
Surrounded (Diocese of San Joaquin)
Windsor Coalition of Western Louisiana

What sites are we missing?

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Conflicts • * Christian Life / Church Life • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

The news from Seattle about the Rev. Ann Redding, an ECUSA priest in the diocese of Olympia who claims to be both a Christian and a Muslim, is generating a ton of interest around the blogosphere. (We'll post some of those links here in a little while.)

It's also generating a lot of comments. As of now, there are 128 comments on the Seattle Times' story thread, meaning it's in a tie for first-place among all T19 comment threads on the new blog.

Also of particular interest, we think, is that the story is generating NEGATIVE attention among some of our reappraising friends and bloggers. The AAC blog, for instance, is reporting that Jim Naughton, the communications director for the Diocese of Washington, and an influential reappraising blogger, is trying to encourage all other Episcopal "Communicators" (i.e. diocesan communications directors) to ignore and not publicize the story. Mind boggling.

We'll pull together a round-up of links to this story from around the blogosphere shortly and add it to this post as an update.

UPDATE: Roundup of links we've seen (only a partial list, I'm sure) is below.

Original Story from Diocese of Olympia's "Episcopal Voice"

Original Titusonenine comment thread on the Diocese of Olympia article

Original Stand Firm comment thread on Dio Olympia article

Albert Mohler's blog: Clueless in Seattle -- Can You Be Both a Christian and a Muslim?

Seattle Times: Q&A (Redding answers reader questions)

Seattle Times: Reader Feedback on Story

WorldNet Daily

Get Religion: She’s a dessert topping and a floor wax

Magpie Girl: Early Adaptor

Gospel Prism: Jesus Is the Only Way, but Allah Can Come Along Too

OK Preacher: Thumbs Down: Rev Ann Holmes Redding

David Fischler's 3 part series at Reformed Pastor: Apostasy in the Great Northwest
http://reformedpastor.wordpress.com/2007/06/03/apostasy-in-the-great-northwest/
http://reformedpastor.wordpress.com/2007/06/17/apostasy-in-the-great-northwest-part-2/
http://reformedpastor.wordpress.com/2007/06/19/apostasy-in-the-great-northwest-part-3/

From the Answering Muslims blog: Can a person be both a Christian and a Muslim?

From Ad Orientum: Apostasy... Not an Issue

Three entries from Chris Johnson at MCJ:
http://themcj.com/3186
http://themcj.com/3182
http://mcj.bloghorn.com/3164

Whitehall: "I am both Christian and Muslim"

IRD June 20 Press Release: Inclusion Run Amok: A Muslim/Episcopal Priest

Bishop Epting: Christian “and” Muslim?

Anglican Centrist (Fr Jones.com): Another One of those Crazy Episcopalians

Tobias Haller: Of Doubts and Discipline

Stand To Reason: Religion as Ice Cream

The Point (Breakpoint's blog): The Priest Said to the Imam

Rod Dreher (Cruncy Cons): What Would we Do without TEC

The Corner (Mark Steyn): Interfaith Outreach (and Steyn was linked by Instapundit)

On the Verge: Episcopal Priest Defies Logic! (was posted at Stand Firm here)

Mark Shea (Catholic & Enjoying It): This Being Seattle...

Riddleblog: Worse than Caricature

The Reformed Evangelist: Koran-quoting "Christians"

Update 2:
A technorati search will bring up at least a dozen (or two... or three dozen) more references. Here are one or two that looked particularly noteworthy:

Christianity and Islam Merge in a Postmodern World

Pursuing Truth: "Muslim & Christian" Reverend: Jesus Is Not God

Spiritual Confusion

Balaam's Ass: Both Christian & Muslim

Anyway, all of the links above suggest that Jim Naughton's plan to hide the story isn't going to work. It really is ALL over the blogosphere.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Episcopal Church (TEC) • * Admin • * Religion News & Commentary • Church Discipline / Ordination Standards • Other Faiths • Islam • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites • * Theology • Christology

From Magic Statistics blog:

The big event is almost here.  On Tuesday morning, a week of festivities kicks off as General Synod 2007 convenes in downtown Winnipeg.  Lots of important stuff will be discussed and voted upon.  A new primate will be chosen on Friday 22 June, with formal installation scheduled for the following Monday.

You can follow the action via the internets.  Here are a few suggested sources.

Anglican Essentials Canada is running a blog where they will endeavour to post the latest news as it happens.  The blogmeister is Peter (I don’t know if he’s ever mentioned his last name online), proprietor of the fine blog The Age To Come.  He’s from an orthodox Anglican parish on the south side of Calgary.  AEC also has a page of general information about General Synod 2007 and another on the AEC 24/7 prayer vigil.

The mighty, mighty webelf Binky oversees the CaNN General Synod 2007 blog.  At last report, Binky has been laid low by the hot humid weather out east, combined with other health problems.  Prayers, please.

Also in attendance will be my friend The Rev Joseph Walker, of St Timothy’s, Edmonton.  Joe’s been making fun of certain Anglican leaders and talking about going on pub crawls with Winnipeg Anglican priest Preston Parsons, so I don’t know if Joe will be a reliable news source.  On the other hand, he may be able to report dirt information that no one else can, so stay tuned to his blog felix hominum.

For those who want the official line, the Anglican Church of Canada says it will provide webcast and other coverage here.

Much prayer is needed for the bloggers, for their jobs demand stamina, quick thinking, and nimble fingers.  Pray also for the clergy and lay delegates, for they will need our Lord’s wisdom and guidance.

In the run-up to GS 2007, Anglican prayer blog Lent & Beyond has posted a series of prayers for Canada.  This one was posted today:

O Lord,
The Anglican Church of Canada is fragmented and in need of rebuilding. Turn the hearts of its leaders to fear and obey You that they may become like a signet ring, carrying the authority of Jesus, teaching Your people to obey everything He has commanded, and making disciples of all nations.

Lord, it is our hearts’ desire that the Anglican Church of Canada be rebuilt upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone. All authority is given to Jesus in heaven and in earth. Rebuild this church on Jesus, dear Lord. Amen.

Haggai, Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 2:20

You can read Scott's full post, including links to previous background on General Synod here.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Anglican Provinces • Anglican Church of Canada • Canadian General Synod 2007 • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

We've added the following links to the Anglican Blog section of the sidebar. Note that we've made a separate section for international Anglican bloggers and that at least for now, we are not categorizing those bloggers as reasserters or reappraisers.

US: Reasserters

Adiaphora
http://adiaphora.curzons.cc/

All Too Common:
http://all2common.classicalanglican.net/

Northwest Anglican
http://northwestanglican.blogspot.com/

Quo Vadis
http://adamantius.net/


US: Reappraisers

Fr. Gawain ("John Wilkins")
http://stbartswp.dioceseny.org/saltyvicar


And to the list of overseas Anglican blogs:

Anglicans All, from New Zealand:
http://www.duomo.ac.nz/acnz/

Anselmic's place (a T19 reader and Anglican vicar in the Philippines)
http://anselmic.wordpress.com/

David Ould (didn't realize he still had a blog. Glad he wrote us)
http://www.davidould.net/

Dave Walker (Cartoon Church)
http://www.cartoonchurch.com/

Do let us know of Anglican blogs we've missed. Kendall makes the final call on these and there are some blogs he is choosing not to promote. But we'd love to know about blogs we may have overlooked. So, if there is a blog you read which you don't see, please let us know.

Filed under: * Admin • Blog Tips & Features • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

We've just added a huge slew of links (nearly 70) to Anglican / Episcopal blogs on "both sides of the aisle" or debate. We've used Kendall's "labels" reasserters & reappraisers as easy shorthand since that is understood by most regulars on the blogs. Of course there are nuances. (We could make a separate category for poor Fr. Greg Jones, the Anglican Centrist, perhaps?! )

These are by no means all the blogs on either side, but they are those which we've linked to with some regularity, and / or which provide good sources of news or commentary and thoughtful discussion. (We also tried to focus on those which are updated frequently, although there are a few exceptions to that on the list.)

Feel free to let us know what we've missed, and also if you find any broken links.

You can view the entire list of links on the sidebar here in a larger format that may be easier to read and use.

We'll be working to add links to excellent non-Anglican sites and resources in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • * Admin • Blog Tips & Features • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Read it all from Anglican Mainstream.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • Lambeth 2008 • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Take the time to give him a visit.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Readers are encouraged to read through much related material to the House of Bishops study document at this (relatively new) website--KSH.

(ENS)

Mary Frances Schjonberg

The Theology Committee of the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops on June 1 released a study document aimed at helping the bishops respond to the requests made to them by the Primates of the Anglican Communion.

The 15-page "Communion Matters: A Study Document for the Episcopal Church" is available online. A color PDF version of the document is available here. A black-and-white PDF version is here.

Theology Committee chair and Alabama Bishop Henry Parsley told Episcopal News Service that the report is meant for bishops to use in conversation with the people of their dioceses in the three and a half months between now and the mid-September meeting of the House of Bishops in New Orleans. Rather than call for responses from individual Episcopalians, Parsley said the committee will in late August and early September gather input from bishops on the result of their conversations in their dioceses.

He said the committee hopes that Episcopalians will "read, mark, inwardly digest and then come talk" about the document with their bishop.

"Every diocese will have to do that in their own way," he said. "We didn't want it to be an individual thing. We wanted it to be a diocesan, corporate process overseen by the bishop."

Parsley said the corporate nature of the conversations is important, given the nature of the requests made by the Primates at the end of their February gathering in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania via a communiqué.

"The Anglican tradition is always that bishops are in the midst of the people of God and, when thinking about important matters, need to take counsel with the deacons, priests and laypersons in order to be well-informed and to listen to the Church," he said. "We felt that since the communiqué addresses the request to the House of Bishops in response to resolutions of General Convention, we couldn't just act unilaterally. We needed to take counsel with the people of the Church in responding to the communiqué."

He added that bishops need to exercise their "unique role as chief pastors and teachers ... but we exercise it best when we are in conversation with -- in counsel with -- the Church in our dioceses."

"Communion Matters" begins with a preface in which the committee writes that it offers the document "as a contribution to the discernment of this church as we seek the mind of Christ and endeavor to be faithful to our calling as members of the Anglican family in the world."

It includes three chapters of information, a set of questions for reflection and resources for more background.

The preface says that the guide aims to be a summary, not an exhaustive history.

"Constraints of space and concerns about maintaining easy readability prevent us from recounting all the important details of the conversation taking place in our church and Communion," the committee writes. "We hope that we have faithfully described the essentials."

Parsley reiterated the preface's hope. "We wanted this to be readable, brief and accessible to all of our people," he said. "In that way, it's a little simpler than some people might want, but we want it to be read and stimulate conversation."

The chapter on "Relationships within the Anglican Communion" says that the Communion matters because "in this fellowship all give and receive many gifts," "it enables us to be disciples in a global context," "we have sought it for many years," and "the maintenance of mutuality and trust with the Communion effects future mission opportunities."

The next chapter, titled "Our Special Charism as Anglican Christians," says that Anglicans have always valued the via media -- "the middle way between polarities" -- as a "faithful theological method."

The chapter describes the via media as an approach that "acknowledges paradox and believes even apparent opposites may be reconciled or transcended."

"Moreover, many within our church believe this is a good thing and a major charism (gift)," the chapter says. "In our own day, we especially need to preserve this special Anglican charism, not only for our own Communion but for all Christians."

The third chapter sets the Dar es Salaam communiqué in the context of the Communion's on-going debate about human sexuality, noting that "because the Communion has no central constitution and no form of synod or council beyond that of each province, issues of authority and conciliarity can present acute challenges for the maintenance of communion."

The chapter references the 1998 Lambeth Conference debate and the previous objections by the Primates Meeting, traces the Windsor Report process, outlines the Episcopal Church's response to the Report, summarizes how the Primates Meeting came to be and summarizes the pertinent parts of the communiqué and the House of Bishops' statements about it to date.

The House of Bishops has already responded to a portion of the communiqué. In three "Mind of the House" resolutions passed during their March meeting, the bishops said, in part, that the Primates' proposed "pastoral scheme" for dealing with disaffected Episcopal Church dioceses "would be injurious to The Episcopal Church." The bishops urged that the Executive Council "decline to participate in it."

The communiqué gave the bishops of the Episcopal Church until September 30 to "make an unequivocal common covenant that the bishops will not authorize any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in their dioceses or through General Convention" and "confirm that the passing of Resolution B033 of the 75th General Convention means that a candidate for episcopal orders living in a same-sex union shall not receive the necessary consent; unless some new consensus on these matters emerges across the Communion."

The third chapter states that these two requests "raise significant issues about the role of the primates in the Anglican Communion, Anglican ecclesiology, and the role of the House of Bishops in the Episcopal Church," including:

"Are such requests appropriately addressed by the bishops as chief pastors and teachers, or more representatively by the General Convention?"
"How best may theological and mission development take place in churches which are ‘autonomous in communion'?" and
"How can the Communion appropriately consult about important matters such as these without a centralization of authority that is unknown to Anglicanism?"
The three chapters are followed by a series of eight questions for reflection with some background on each question, and then a page of online resources for more background. When viewed on a computer in its PDF form, the clickable links on the resources page send readers to electronic versions of the documents.

"As bishops we are charged in ordination to guard the faith and unity of the Church. Being charged with this task does not mean it falls to us alone," the document concludes. "This study document is written to allow us to hear and receive the response of the whole of this province so that together we might respond faithfully as a constituent member of this great Communion."

In addition to Parsley, the members of the Theology Committee are David Alvarez of Puerto Rico; Joe Burnett of Nebraska; Robert W. Ihloff, recently retired of Maryland; Carolyn T. Irish of Utah; Paul V. Marshall of Bethlehem; Steven A. Miller of Milwaukee and Jeffrey Steenson of Rio Grande.

The Rev. Dr. Ian Douglas, an Executive Council member and professor at Episcopal Divinity School, is the committee's consulting theologian. Douglas also worked as a liaison between the Theology Committee and a subcommittee of the Executive Council's International Concerns Committee (INC), which released a six-page study guide to the draft version of the proposed Anglican Covenant.

The covenant guide calls for congregations and individuals to submit responses by June 4. Responses will be used in the creation of a response by the Executive Council at its October meeting in Detroit, Michigan.

Prior to that, at the Council's June meeting in Parsippany, New Jersey, INC will propose that Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson appoint a Covenant Review Group to follow the covenant-development process, enable comments from the wider Episcopal Church and provide comments on behalf of the church to the Communion's Covenant Design Group.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Primary Source • -- Statements & Letters: Bishops • Anglican Identity • Anglican Primates • Primates Mtg Dar es Salaam, Feb 2007 • Episcopal Church (TEC) • TEC Bishops • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites • * Theology

The guy who taught many of us Anglican bloggers (and upstart elves) all we know about blogging is back online following the recent death of his mother, Susan Jane. Good to have you back, Binks! Check out his latest Anglican Carnival post. You may THINK you've seen all the Anglican news and links on other blogs, but we guarantee that Binks will have some you missed!

Oh, and Binks sharpened up the commentary pen too: he's got lots to say about recent Anglican goings-on in Canada.

UPDATE: well, when Binky's on a roll, he's on a roll...! All of the above, and now a big round up of all the Pre-General Synod News from Canada

The other site to go to for Canadian General Synod news (especially live during Synod) is here, the Anglican Essentials Synod Live blog site.

And rounding up the links re: Canada's General Synod (June 19 - 25): the Lent & Beyond team have been posting daily prayers for Canada of late.

Filed under: * Anglican - Episcopal • - Anglican: Commentary • - Anglican: Latest News • Anglican Provinces • Anglican Church of Canada • Canadian General Synod 2007 • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites

Let's take a look at a few things you can do to help complete your registration:

1. Remember that registration requires you to sign up, and confirm your registration with an email that is sent to you by our system.

When you sign up, be sure and double-check the email address you provide. If you provide an incorrect email address, your confirmation message will never reach you.

2. Be sure and check your "junk" mailbox, or your spam filter.

The confirmation emails our system sends out occasionally get stuck in your junk folder or your spam filter. If your confirmation message doesn't show up within a few minutes of signing up, check these places.

3. If you forget your password, please try the system's "Forgot password?" link first. It's found on the login screen, and you can also click here. A message will be sent to you that will enable you to recover your password. Again, check your spam filter or junk folder if you use this option.

4. Remember that if you have a Stand Firm account, you can use it at TitusOneNine, and vice-versa. There is no need to create separate accounts.

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Update from the elves: We went through the "pending members" list and tried to send e-mails to about 10 folks whose names we recognized as past T19 commenters who appeared to be stuck in "limbo." In 4 cases, it appears the e-mail address you've left is invalid. In two cases it may just be a typo (gmaill (two ls) instead of gmail; or mwn.com instead of msn.com) We're doing whatever we think of to help folks register, but you MUST have a valid e-mail address. Again, if you need help of any sort re: registration or login, give us a shout: T19elves@yahoo.com

Filed under: * Admin • * Resources & Links • Resources: blogs / websites