News Analysis By David W. Virtue This is a tale of two churches. By any standard they would be considered successful. Both churches are large with significant ministries. Both are wealthy and both are powerful forces in their communities. One is old money, one is new. They are landmark churches in their dioceses and at least one rector is the apple of his bishop's eye. Their rectors are known nationally and each is respected for their work and ministry in the circles they tra

BBC News Most African Church leaders have condemned Robinson's appointment. Africa's Anglican bishops have resolved to stop receiving donations from western congregations which support the ordination of gay bishops. The bishops also made clear that they would continue to accept funding from what they termed people of good faith. Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola said they would not sacrifice their faith and conscience on the altar of money. Although two-thirds of Anglicans ar

Thursday, April 15, 2004 NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- Africa's Anglican archbishops decided Thursday to reject donations from any diocese that recognizes gay clergy and refuse cooperation with any missionary that supports the idea. Their decision at a meeting with their counterparts from Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America was the latest attack by church conservatives against the consecration of an openly gay bishop in the United States. The African archbishops also recommended t

News Analysis By David W. Virtue Episcopal Church leaders have repeatedly said that giving to the ECUSA is down because of the economy and not because of the consecration of V. Gene Robinson an openly homoerotic bishop to the episcopacy. The Episcopal Church is being financially hit hard but the people at 815 insist it is the economy not the decisions to promote sodomy and approve Robinson's consecration that is the problem. According to Episcopal Church treasurer Kurt Barnes

By TOM MALITI The Associated Press 4/15/2004 NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Anglican archbishops from Africa resolved Thursday to reject donations from any diocese that recognizes gay clergy and recommended giving the Episcopal Church in the United States three months to repent for ordaining an openly gay bishop. The archbishops also said they will refuse cooperation with any missionary who supports ordaining gay priests. They said the Episcopalians — the American branch of Anglicanis

Until the past few years, almost all Americans—and especially Presidents and candidates for President—firmly believed that America had earned God’s blessings. Now, secularists and even some Presidential candidates question this bedrock belief of religious Americans. The naysayers may unwittingly prove to be correct—if they are successful in imposing their secular agenda on the majority. From the religious point of view, same-sex marriage and its public sanction of homosexuali

Who are the ultimate victims? On a micro level, our children are the victims—but on a macro level, our free society will be the victim. As President John Adams said in 1798: “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” [39] George Washington expressed this same idea in his 1796 Farewe

As Benjamin Franklin wrote to Thomas Paine in an attempt to persuade Paine to abandon his anti-religion essays: “If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be if without it.” [25] Fallacy #3: Same-sex Marriage Is A Private Act Between Consenting Adults “The hidden [sins] are for Hashem, our God, but the revealed [sins] are for us and our children forever, to carry out all the words of this Torah.” (Deuteronomy 29:28) The sages explain that Moses is teaching: hidden s

FROM THE MANUFACTURERS INSTRUCTION MANUAL March 2004 By Samuel Silver The debate about legal recognition of same-sex marriage is ultimately grounded in our understanding of human nature, values, and the role of human relationships in creating and defining the type society we desire. For the vast majority of Americans, these issues are understood in the context of the Bible and religious traditions, the Instruction Manual provided by our manufacturer. This critical debate is n

“The Episcopal Church desperately needs intervention” By David W. Virtue “If it be hard to endure, it must be more hard to endure hard things; and of all things hard to be endured, the hardest is death. And that if He endured, and no more but that, it might suffice; it is worth all we have, for all we have we will give for our life. But not death only, but the kind of death is it. Morten, morten autem crucis, saith the Apostle, doubting the point; ‘death He endured, even the

“Orthodox will not accept less than we have demanded from gay bishop,” says lay leader Special Report by David W. Virtue ROCHESTER, NH—Hundreds of orthodox Episcopalians in five parishes in the Diocese of New Hampshire vow they will not give in to the demands of the homoerotic bishop V. Gene Robinson, and they will reject his ministry and have notified him of the parishes’ wishes not to pass through their doors to celebrate or confirm. “We will not give up and we will not acc

By Uwe Siemon-Netto UPI Religious Affairs Editor WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) — Editor’s note: Part three of the UPI series on the schism running horizontally through most Christian denominations addresses the very center of the Christian faith—the Good Friday question: Why did Jesus die on the cross? Diametrically opposed views on original sin separate the parties in this dramatic dispute. As the world’s 2.2 billion Christians entered this year’s Holy Week, ABC contributed one

Some revisionist bishops already moving to frustrate plan Special Report by David W. Virtue The president of the American Anglican Council, Canon David C. Anderson, says that it is important to recognize the difference between the Anglican Communion Network and the AAC, as the two will work separately but remain in conversation. The Network (NACDP) will press for Adequate Episcopal Oversight for orthodox parishes under siege in revisionist dioceses. The Primates called for ad

DIOCESE OF ALABAMA: Episcopal Theologian Lays out Network Options A Layman's reflection on what happened By Curtis M. Nordan, Jr. April 5, 2004 Church of the Ascension 315 Clanton Avenue Montgomery AL 36104 A meeting at the Church of the Ascension in Montgomery, Alabama took place on April 1st in order to learn about the new Network of Dioceses and Parishes. Dr. Ephraim Radner from the Diocese of Colorado and an orthodox Biblical scholar came to inform us of the progress and

NORFOLK – The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia has slashed its budget by about $400,000 this year to offset a drop in contributions caused largely by parishes upset with the national church's endorsement last summer of a gay bishop. The diocese, which has 122 parishes, including 33 in South Hampton Roads, plans to spend $1.35 million this year. Last year, it budgeted $1.76 million, but saw revenue fall short by $200,000 when some parishes did not fulfill their previous

April 6, 2004 Dear Marek, I am most grateful for your letter for I have not seen our situation expressed so succinctly and so clearly. You write "...Episcopalians are welcomed and entitled to differ regarding important theological and ethical matters" but that "The biggest risk I fear at this time is the destruction of our polity, which along with Common Prayer and respect for the episcopate essentially holds us together." Thus, we are "entitled" to differ regarding important

March 25, 2004 The Rt. Rev. Christopher Fitzsimons Allison 1081 Indigo Avenue Georgetown, SC 29440 Dear Bishop Allison, I write you as concerned Episcopal priest and as one who serves on several national and international boards on behalf of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, expressing my deep regret and concern for your actions in the Diocese of Ohio. Good friends and good Episcopalians are welcomed and entitled to differ regarding important theological and et

By David W. Virtue Thousands of Episcopalians want to redirect their funds away from both their revisionist diocesan bishops and the National Church because of policies that are in direct opposition to authentic mission and the proclamation of the Good News. Withholding funds has become a legitimate way to tell revisionist bishops who want monies from orthodox parishes to support the church's socio-political and sexual, non-biblical agenda of inclusion not redemption. While s

7 April, 2004 QATAR IN JUST 3 DAYS MORE THAN A 1/10 OF THE POPULATION HAS SEEN THE FILM Doha (AsiaNews) – "Do you have the New Testament in Arab? Me and all my friends would like to read it." This was the request of 2 students from Qatar, after seeing Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". Already on the second day after the film started showing in Qatar, many local newspapers are reporting the film on their front pages. According to the English language daily, The Peninsu

A THOUGHT EXPERIMENT ON THE FUTURE OF ECUSA From Anglican Communion Institute Scholars What follows is not an effort at maximally accurate speculation, but is intended as a thought experiment on where ECUSA appears to be, in the light of its various reports and actions over the past months. General Convention 2006 is now but 50 days away. The Diocese of California (CA) elects a 'Gay/Lesbian' Bishop; consents process at General Convention reveals 45% in favor of approval in th