ECUSA NEWSMAN RESIGNS...AKINOLA REBUKES WILLIAMS, COFE EVANGELICALS PRESS CASE

By David W. Virtue

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Three major events shook the life of the Anglican Communion this week. The first was the announcement that Dan England, Director of Communications for the national Episcopal Church suddenly, and unexpectedly resigned.

There had been no inkling of this. An official statement put out by Pat Mordecai at the church's headquarters said it was for "personal reasons."

Griswold said that "the creative initiatives begun by Dan England during his approximately four years on the staff have been much appreciated and will continue to serve our ongoing communications efforts." His position will go temporarily to Robert Williams a homosexual from California who directs the Episcopal News Service and oversees media relations for the Episcopal Church. He will assume the title of Acting Director of Communications.

But his departure immediately triggered speculation by the American Anglican Council who put out a press release, IS THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH LEADERSHIP IN DISARRAY? "Does Mr. England's resignation signal an acknowledgement that the approach chosen by ECUSA has proven ineffective, unsuccessful or even a complete failure? Does Mr. England's resignation indicate that the leadership of ECUSA is questioning its own direction, decisions and leadership? Did he in fact 'resign'?"

Ironically part of Mr. England's job description was to deal with Internet communication which had gotten away from the revisionist leadership of the Episcopal Church. Griswold had moaned on several occasions about so called Internet communicators that were harming ECUSA's cause. The Presiding Bishop had obliquely attacked Virtuosity for its ability to get the word out about what ECUSA's revisionists are really doing to its faithful orthodox parishes and rectors in America, and clearly England had failed to dent this news ministry.

Is the Episcopal Church leadership actually in serious disarray, and can ECUSA no longer afford to denigrate the voice of the Communion? Is 815 merely shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic? We will know more in time.

An orthodox bishop who agreed to speak to Virtuosity on grounds of anonymity said England, who was a Baptist, was always friendly to the orthodox bishops, and there had been a very definite and growing friction between the official policies post general convention and the communications director. The bishop said that England was more on the conservative side of things and talked about marriage being exclusively between a man and a woman. I am not totally surprised he left, said the bishop.

Attempts to reach England by this writer were unsuccessful.