[Note: This is an extremely lengthy theological essay. Due to space constraints, I'm providing the opening section. The full document continues for many more pages with detailed theological and historical discussion.] Bishop FitzSimons Allison has done me the honor and blessing of addressing serious questions to me about the church's history and calling. It is an honor, because his own witness to the Christian faith and on behalf of our church's faithfulness is one of such su

The Church of England Newspaper A dramatic, late-night intervention by Michael Green saved the proposed alliance of traditionalist Anglicans in America from collapse. Canon Green, who was Archbishop George Carey's Evangelism Advisor, rallied 14 bishops and over 100 lay and clerical delegates and observers behind a charter that will keep the group within Anglicanism. The result meant the formal establishment of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes (NACDP) at

As usual, I made a big impression at the premiere of "Big Fish." The director, Tim Burton, had been pestering me to come, and at last I agreed to pop in. What was tricky, of course, is that my husband is losing patience with the film's star, Ewan MacGregor, because he won't give up. "Give up, Ewan," I keep telling him. "I've been married thirty years." But still the roses arrive almost daily. It's a good thing I went, however, because I was needed to re-orchestrate the score,

By Tom Mitchell LEADER TIMES Monday, February 2, 2004 KITTANNING -- There will be no split in the Episcopal Church over the ordination of a homosexual bishop last fall. That's the message the Rev. Robert W. Duncan, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh imparted to the congregation of St. Paul's Church yesterday. St. Paul's Pastor, the Rev. David Wilson said Duncan was in Kittanning on his annual visit to St. Paul's, one of 75 Episcopal Churches in the Diocese. Duncan

02/02/2004 Associated Press A 157-year-old Episcopal church is becoming a ghost town on Sundays, as its conservative members have broken off to form their own congregation. Historic St. John's Episcopal Church in downtown Versailles, Kentucky, drew only 60 people to its three Sunday services. Most of its former members left after diocesan leaders fired the entire governing board at St. John's. The conservative board had clashed repeatedly with the diocese bishop, Stacy Sauls,

January 30, 2004 These are some of the ramifications that have been reported as of the end of December 2003. The fallout is expected to continue in 2004. Ecumenical The following Churches have postponed or suspended dialogue with the Episcopal and/or Anglican Church: Roman Catholic Church Russian Orthodox Church Coptic Orthodox Church Syrian Orthodox Church Armenian Orthodox Church Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox have expressed solidarity with orthodox

Episcopalians: There are seemingly irreconcilable differences and disputes over who gets to keep the house. By Frank Langfitt Baltimore Sun Staff January 30, 2004 MELBOURNE, Fla. - When Pat Vander Poest says goodbye to St. John's Episcopal Church, the toughest part will be leaving her daughter, Julie, who died in a car crash two decades ago and whose ashes lie in the shade of a moss-draped oak in the parish's memorial garden. "I would prefer to stay," said Vander Poest, 69, a

New AMIA priest invades his diocese By David W. Virtue The Bishop of Upper South Carolina, the Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson, Jr. has sent an angry letter to all his clergy condemning the invasion into his diocese of a former ECUSA priest, now with the Anglican Mission of America. In a message To the Clergy, Sisters and Brothers he writes: "This morning the Right Rev'd Victor Scantlebury, Assistant Bishop of Chicago, telephoned to share some startling--although not surprising--in

Response of Archbishops Emmanuel Kolini (Rwanda) and Yong Ping Chung (Southeast Asia) January 28, 2004 We issue this Response, as archbishops of the Anglican Communion, to the January 2004 document written by The Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner entitled "A call to accountability: the parable of the AMiA." The document demands a direct and clear response. It is incorrect in its facts and troubling in its spirit. The author's obvious and unwarranted hostility obscures his message, but

By the Rt. Rev. David J. Bena January 28, 2004 Last week, as I was checking in at an airport, the airline staff person asked if I happened to be a Catholic or an Episcopal priest. When I said I was an Episcopalian, she responded, "Well, are you an inclusive Episcopalian or an exclusive Episcopalian?" Sensing that I was being baited, I replied, "What does the word 'inclusive' mean to you?" She hesitated, and then said, "Oh, I don't know...a place here everybody can go and feel

What Are We To Do? The Humiliation of Anglicanism Ephraim Radner A talk given at the Anglican Communion Institute Conference in Charleston, SC, 8-10 January 2004 What are we to do? What are we to do when leaders of our church teach error and drive the flock astray? What are we do to when the Communion of the Church, when the teaching Scriptures and the witness of the Saints – all inestimable gifts of God -- are alienated from our midst by neglect and open contempt? What are w

By Geoffrey Kirk The question of what, if anything holds together the Anglican Communion has recently become a painfully immediate one,' writes Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury in a new book 'Anglican Identities', a excerpt from which recently appeared in The Times. Dr Williams is joining a brave and distinguished company, from Garbett through Neil to Sykes, who have tried to make sense of a protean phenomenon. The Times, unaccountably, gave the Williams excerpts the

Turning the screws a little tighter R-15 Affirmation of the authority of the Bishop Resolved, that this 209th Council affirms the authority of the Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia, the Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee as contained in the diocesan and church canons. Council respectfully encourages him to discipline those churches and clergy that do not actively support the mission, fellowship and life of the Diocese or who are actively undermining the mission, fellowship and life of

Dear members of FIFNA, The switchboard has been lighting up at our Fort Worth headquarters with many calls over the past several days. The basic question from the callers is, "What does FIFNA think about the Network, and are we really part of it or not?" Let me first say that what follows is my personal commentary as President of FIFNA. It is not a Council statement. The Council is scheduled to meet February 11-13, at which time Bishop Duncan plans to be with us, as well as r

BARNA REPORT (Ventura, CA) - Any objective social analyst would conclude that the United States faces its fair share of moral and spiritual problems. A new research study from the Barna Research Group suggests that a large share of the nation's moral and spiritual challenges is directly attributable to the absence of a biblical worldview among Americans. Citing the findings from a just-completed national survey of 2033 adults that showed only 4% of adults have a biblical worl

The Rev. Martyn Minns reflects on the new network It is about five months since the idea of the Network was conceived and now it has been officially birthed! The Network-or to use its complete name "A Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes" held its inaugural convocation in Plano on January 19-20. Teams of delegates that usually consisted of the diocesan bishop, two clergy and two laity, represented the twelve founding dioceses. Those of us who are not part of th

Feast of St. Hilary To: The Rt. Rev. Robert O'Neill St. John's Cathedral Denver, Colorado January 14, 2004 Your Grace: Inasmuch as an Archbishop of an Anglican Province in Africa has publicly declared his belief that "the devil has entered into" the Episcopal Church, and given that as you say "we have more in common than what divides us," I should like to challenge you to a public debate, me on the Affirmative and yourself obtaining the Negative, on one of the following timew

MAIL: 4800 Dupont Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55409 USA (612) 824-3933 THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED. The Fellowship of Concerned Churchmen has been working for the preservation of the historic Anglican Way since 1976 and is a unifying catalyst for Anglican traditionalists. The Fellowship continues to make available: AUDIO TAPES that are clear copies of the 1977 Congress of St Louis as recorded by the late Russell B Joseph - now in a two-tape set ($14.00 per set - postage include

By David Roseberry Dear Christ Church Leaders, Many of you will know that Christ Church hosted two very important national events this week. I am thankful to the staff and volunteers who, once again, provided incredible support and encouragement to so many around the country at this important time in the life of our church. Many of our members followed the conference on the news. I want to take a few minutes of your time to tell you what the results of the conference are. The

CHARGE by the Most Rev. Henry Luke Orombi 7th Archbishop of The Church of the Province of Uganda Sunday, January 25, 2004 St. Paul's Cathedral, Namirembe Greetings of Dignitaries Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, all God's people here present, ladies and gentlemen: This day is of special significance to the Church of Uganda Christians as well as people of Uganda. The significance extends to the worldwide body of the Church. Today the 7th Archbishop of this Church is instal