Some of My Best Friends are Gay A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage From the Manufacturer’s 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

Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola was in the US recently, for less than 48 hours, but managed to deliver himself very succinctly about where he stands, and he said he would never break bread again with Frank Griswold. And if Akinola lines up the other African Primates behind him, then the Primates annual gatherings won't be worth going too, and Frank and Rowan will be looking at each other across a less than crowded room. Akinola laid it on the line when he was here. He argue

"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 death of the cross.'" Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626) Dear Brothers and Sis

"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 acce

The Good Friday Divide 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

AAC PRESIDENT SAYS DEPO PLAN INADEQUATE 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 revision

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

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 After seeing "The Passion" Muslims start searching for the Gospel 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 thei

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 t

One of the more popular Anglican satirical blogs on the 'Net, Rich Anglican Fudge With Nuts calls itself "The most self-important Anglican blog. Ever, including VirtueOnline". We're posting one of the funniest posters that we found on their site for VOL member's amusement. TENNESSEE: ANGLICAN CHURCHES FROM 4 STATES FORM COMMON CAUSE Appalachia Alliance Press Release Knoxville, TN - (22 May 2006) - Representatives from seven Anglican churches announced today the formation of C

By Jeff McDonald Union-Tribune Staff Writer April 1, 2004 Local prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Episcopal Community Services, one of the area's oldest and most-respected charities that also has weathered questions about its leadership before. The District Attorney's Office is particularly interested in records charity officials turned in to the county that investigators suspect were doctored to make it appear the organization was meeting the terms of pub

By Mike Recht, Associated Press Writer The Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Rochester, New Hampshire, endured a turbulent winter after opposing the consecration of Bishop V. Gene Robinson—cycling through five priests, losing members, and now negotiating to escape his oversight entirely. “We’re trying to respect his office as bishop,” said parishioner Lisa Ball. “On the other hand, we don’t want anything to do with him.” Following a recent meeting with Robinson, Ball report

By David W. Virtue A retired orthodox bishop and a liberal diocesan priest recently exchanged sharply worded letters concerning the crisis in The Episcopal Church (TEC). The Rev. Marek P. Zabriskie, rector of St. Thomas’ Church, Whitemarsh, PA—and a representative on multiple national and international TEC bodies—wrote to the Rt. Rev. C. FitzSimons Allison (ret., South Carolina), accusing him of undermining church unity by crossing diocesan boundaries and performing sacrament

By Anne Ruderman, Concord Monitor Staff | April 4, 2004 Conservative Episcopalians in New Hampshire—opposed to the consecration of Bishop Gene Robinson—have begun organizing to place themselves under the oversight of a more orthodox bishop, possibly from outside the state or even from abroad, while remaining within the broader Anglican Communion. “We haven’t left the church. We’re still part of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire—and that’s the problem,” said Lisa Ball, ve

Commentary by David W. Virtue The Bishop of Western New York, J. Michael Garrison, simply doesn’t understand the crisis he has helped create. He assumes that, as diocesan bishop, he holds ultimate authority—and can therefore cajole, coerce, plead, bully, or threaten parishes that refuse to fund his agenda. The diocese faces a $200,000 deficit in a $1.1 million budget—not primarily due to economic hardship, but because numerous parishes are withholding financial support in pro