COMMENTARY By Uwe Siemon-Netto UPI Religious Affairs Editor WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- There is no doubt that the cloning of the first mature human embryos in South Korea is a triumph of sorts. But from the Christian point of view, it is a scary triumph indeed -- the triumph of man's hubris. As Margot Kaessmann, bishop of the territorial church of Hanover, Germany, said last year, "Cloning humans is an attack upon God's creative power." In the eyes of the Rev. Gerald E. M

Nine Canadian Clergy Obtain Spiritual Shelter From Revisionist Bishop Special Report By David W. Virtue VANCOUVER, BC--Nine clergy from six biblically orthodox parishes and a disciple-making ministry from Calgary, Alberta, have been granted adequate episcopal oversight, albeit temporary, from four Anglican Primates of the worldwide Anglican Communion. They are: The Revd Charles Alexander, Timothy Institute of Ministry, Calgary, Alberta; Dr David Bowler, Comox, Vancouver Isla

The "Miracle Church" of Morehead City By David W. Virtue MOREHEAD CITY, NC--All Saints' Episcopal Church is a "miracle church" according to its leaders and laity. By any human standard it should not exist. Its birth grew out of a former Episcopal parish - St. Andrew's - which split from the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of East Carolina. After a bitter legal dispute over property ownership, Bishop Clifton Daniel III got possession of the church property, and a treasury of

Press Release 12 February 2004 As the members of the Council of Forward in Faith North America we offer greetings in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Mindful of the sacrificial labors of many of our members over several decades; the vision cast in 1989 (in the structure of the formation of the Episcopal Synod of America); sharpened in 1997 (in the Rosemont Statement); we rejoice that vision is now being recast in the cooperative efforts of

By David W. Virtue JACKSON, TN -- St. Luke's, an Evangelical Episcopal parish that was ripped apart by a tornado last May, has suffered another tornado, this time a human one. Sixty-five of its most active members and 22 young people, including half the vestry, have upped and left to form All Saints Anglican Church in Jackson because of General Convention's twin decisions to approve a homosexual to the episcopacy and same-sex blessings. St. Luke's became another casualty in t

Special Report By David W. Virtue EVANSVILLE, IN - In what might be the first test case of Adequate Episcopal Oversight in the Episcopal Church, a fellowship has been formed in the Diocese of Indianapolis, under the oversight of the Diocese of Springfield that is drawing parishioners from four parishes primarily in the Dioceses of Indianapolis and some from the Diocese of Kentucky. "It is the first of its kind," said the Rev. Robert Todd Giffin, 33, an orthodox priest who wil

By David W. Virtue The Bishop of the Diocese of Puerto Rico of the Episcopal Church, David A. Alvarez, has escalated his persecution of two orthodox priests, by submitting formal accusations against them to the Standing Committee. The Rev. Dr. Dennis Paris told Virtuosity that the Rev. Dr. Manuel A. Rivera and he had received letters from the president of the Standing Committee summoning them to appear before the committee on February 19, to defend themselves against the bish

Cover photo of the September 1996 issue of the Christian Challenge. (NOTE: Gary Gloster announced in a letter on the eve of the 188th NC Convention, that he planned to resign, and thus begin retirement, as Bishop Suffragan as of the 31st of August 2004. The cover of the Challenge had a photo of the bishops wearing a big red clown nose.) Is Your Church Run By These Guys!? Send in the Clowns? It had to be the ultimate in liturgical changes. The solemn rites for the consecration

By David Phillips With an afternoon devoted to sex it was intriguing that in many respects the most contentious part of the business at today's General Synod was the first item on the future use of the Church Commissioners' funds. This was an unusual exercise. The Commissioners are formally answerable to Parliament and therefore this debate was part of the consultation exercise by the Commissioners regarding its proposals. The Commissioners are proposing to fund directly so

By David Phillips The morning of the second day of the General Synod (Tuesday 10 February) was taken up with changes to the composition of the General Synod. The initial work had been done several years ago by the Bridge Commission and although some recommendations had already been implemented most of them had to wait until now. There were over 70 items on the agenda paper although many of them were interlocking. It was agreed to reduce the number of Suffragan Bishops on Sy

Church of England Heads Seek Harmony By JILL LAWLESS Associated press Writer February 11, 2004 LONDON (AP) - Church of England leaders issued a plea Wednesday for more understanding and less acrimony in the divisive debate over homosexuality in the church. The church's governing General Synod endorsed a report by bishops calling for "interpretive charity'' between reformers and conservatives - and a balancing of biblical teaching with social reality - in the debate that is

Irish bishops issue open letter on human sexuality The Church of Ireland Bishops has issued an open letter offering to arrange meetings and receive written submissions on human sexuality issues. The following is the full text of the Bishops' letter Following the Pastoral Letter on Human Sexuality in September 2003, the Bishops of the Church of Ireland have received responses from a number of groups and individuals. The bishops are aware that others may also wish to be hear

By David W. Virtue ATLANTA--The split was amicable. There were no hard feelings or fights, just a sense of sadness and loss that it had reached the point that long time friends must now part. "It was like a death in the family. Most of the congregation was on the same side, making the parting just that much sadder and harder," a departing member said after seeing the devastating moral blunder committed by the Episcopal Church in consecrating a self-proclaimed homosexual to th

By Evelyn Kwamboka NEWS FOCUS February 10, 2004 The move by the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) to block the ordination of one of their own by a bishop from the pro-homosexual church in the US has again brought to the fore the sharp split in the church. The Kenyan deacon was stopped from graduating to priesthood by the ACK – simply because the ceremony was to be presided over by a bishop from the United States' pro-gay Episcopal Church. The church is well known for backing gay

Kenyan Bishop pulls back from fete linked to US Episcopal Pro gay bishop By MIKE MWANIKI Daily Nation 2/10/2004 Cash-for-prayers bishop Peter Njoka has narrowly escaped a new storm — he was stopped at the last minute from attending the ordination of a Kenyan deacon by clergymen allied to the controversial American gay bishop. Bishop Njoka, who is at the centre of a Nairobi City Council payments scandal, was reportedly scheduled to attend the elevation in Los Angeles, United

Text of remarks by the Archbishop of Canterbury to General Synod. [ACNS source: Lambeth Palace] Madam Chairman: as the Dean of Derby indicated there may be some members of Synod who have some questions in their mind about the issue affecting the wider Anglican Communion, and whether it is appropriate to debate such issues in this forum. And I hope you'll bear with me if I say just a word about some of those wider issues, perhaps in explanation of why we have not thought it fi

Williams supports Americans who oppose gay bishop BY RUTH GLEDHILL, RELIGION CORRESPONDENT The London Times The Archbishop of Canterbury. Dr Rowan Williams, has offered his support to a network of traditionalist churches being set up in America to oppose the gay Bishop Gene Robinson. Dr Williams, addressing the General Synod of the Church of England said that he had been following "sympathetically" the discussions about setting up a network to operate within the Episcopal Chu

Commentary By Uwe Siemon-Netto UPI Religious Affairs Editor WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- More than 50 million Americans, perhaps even twice as many, including a substantial segment of Catholics, consider themselves evangelicals, according to the Rev. Gerald R. McDermott, an Episcopal scholar. They are a highly diverse group of Christians united in, among other things, their faith in Jesus Christ as incarnate God and Lord and Savior of sinful humanity -- and the supreme author

Episcopal bishop requests shelving of 4 resolutions By RICHARD VARA Houston Chronicle Religion Editor Bishop Don Wimberly will ask delegates to the Episcopal Diocese of Texas' annual meeting next week to shelve four resolutions that concern biblical sexual morality and the national church's approval of an openly gay bishop. In his address to the council, Wimberly also plans to declare out of order a proposed amendment to the diocesan constitution and canons that would nullif

By David W. Virtue Patricia Young should know. She has been a traditionalist member of St. Martin's parish in North Vancouver for a number of years and the actions by two members of the vestry installed by revisionist Bishop Michael Ingham to return the parish back to the New Westminster fold, does not sit well with her. In fact she is downright angry. "It is not the will of the people who worship there," she told Virtuosity at an Anglican Mission conference recently in Desti