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By Malcolm Brown February 14, 2004   The Anglican Primate of Australia, Archbishop Peter Carnley, has made a stinging attack on the leadership of the Sydney diocese. In a new book, Reflections in Glass, Dr Carnley warns the diocese itself might split because of the extremism of the ruling group. The archbishop, who is to retire next February, said that while the leadership of the diocese resisted most of his ideas, they were not universally rejected. "The diocese of Sydney contains as much diversity of thought as most of the other Anglican dioceses, even if is to be frankly admitted that a distinct and characteristic kind of evangelicalism predominates," he said. "It is reported that up to 50 Sydney parishes might consider approaching the college of Australian bishops to seek a form of 'alternative episcopal oversight'." If Australian Anglicanism split, the "first divide" might be "within the diocese itself". Dr Carnley writes that given Australia's diversity, "inter-faith dialogue seems inevitable". But the Sydney diocese was quite cold on recognition of other faiths. The Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, had denounced other faiths as false. "This is certainly not the most helpful approach," Dr Carnley said.   END

By Jeffrey Walton JUICY ECUMENISM November 3, 2025   Archbishop Steve Wood announced tonight that he is both taking a temporary leave of absence as Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) and as diocesan Bishop of the Carolinas. In a separate letter to the congregation of St. Andrew’s Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, Wood and his wife Jacqui wrote of his decision to retire as rector of the parish.   Wood has served as rector of St. Andrew’s for the past 25 years, overseeing its growth into one of the ten largest parishes in the Episcopal Church and later in the ACNA. Selected as archbishop by the conservative denomination’s College of Bishops on June 22, 2024, Wood was installed the following October in a service marked by pageantry and prayers at a South Carolina megachurch.   The Anglican Archbishop was the focus of a front-page Washington Post article in October detailing allegations brought against him in a complaint by laity and clergy prior to his time as archbishop. The complaint, the merits of which are to be evaluated by a hearing panel before being made as formal canonical charges (known as a presentment) included the claim by a former church staffer that Wood attempted to kiss her and made direct cash gifts to her totaling $3,500 from a rector’s mercy fund. Complainants also allege bullying of staff and misuse of funds for the purchase of a pickup truck.   If found to be true, the allegations are widely acknowledged to be disqualifying. Wood has directly and forcefully sought to refute the claims.   “I unequivocally, categorically, and emphatically deny in their entirety the accusations made against me by Ms. Claire Buxton, who was employed at St. Andrew’s,” Wood wrote to his congregation on October 24.   A press release made available tonight by the provincial office states that Wood “decided to take a voluntary leave of absence pending the resolution of proceedings to address recent allegations brought against him.”   “While the investigation proceeds, Archbishop Wood will step aside from all official duties and responsibilities to avoid any distraction from the Church’s mission and to uphold the integrity of this process,” the statement reads.   Reformed Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Ray Sutton, who serves as Dean of the Province, will assume all canonical responsibilities and duties as Archbishop. He will be assisted by Bishop Julian Dobbs, who has been appointed Dean of Provincial Affairs.   Sutton separately released a letter addressed to members of the church and clergy explaining his role and the role of Dobbs in the season ahead.   “On Saturday, the ACNA Executive Committee approved a resolution to grant Archbishop Wood a paid leave of absence until the proceedings against him reach a conclusion. At that point, the Province will determine the most appropriate course of action,” Sutton wrote.   On October 28 ACNA Executive Director Deborah Tepley released a letter seeking to address the processes of the ACNA and disciplinary procedures for allegations of misconduct.   “As soon as a complaint is validated as a presentment, a Board of Inquiry is appointed and convened to investigate the accusations and determine whether reasonable grounds exist to proceed to trial,” Tepley wrote. “In the recent complaints concerning Archbishop Wood, the Archbishop has recused himself from any role in appointing the Board of Inquiry.”   The letter goes on to explain that Sutton, then serving as Dean of the Provence, oversees that process.   In recent months the ACNA has faced at least four separate instances of alleged misconduct by bishops, including the sudden departure from the denomination in September of Bishop Derek Jones as Bishop of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy. Jones sought to unilaterally remove the Special Jurisdiction of Armed Forces and Chaplaincy from the ACNA after a series of complaints alleging abuse of ecclesiastical power was brought against him. The ACNA endorses more than 300 chaplains, 187 of which serve as active duty members of the U.S. military. In the past month, most appear to have remained with the denomination and not followed Jones.   Additionally, the trial of Bishop Stewart Ruch, regarding the mishandling of sexual abuse allegations by clergy and lay leaders within his diocese, concluded in October. A verdict by the ACNA Court for the Trial of a Bishop is expected in December. If Ruch is found to be guilty on any of the charges, sentencing will be handled by the College of Bishops.   PRESS RELEASE Nov. 3, 2025 ACNA’s Archbishop Steve Wood Announces a Temporary Leave of Absence Pending the Resolution of Recent Allegations   Mount Pleasant, SC - Archbishop Stephen Wood has decided to take a voluntary leave of absence pending the resolution of proceedings to address recent allegations brought against him. The allegations, which predate his election to the office of Archbishop in June 2024, are being taken with the utmost seriousness by ACNA leadership. The Church is committed to a thorough, fair, and transparent canonical process following established procedures within our ecclesiastical canons.   While the investigation proceeds, Archbishop Wood will step aside from all official duties and responsibilities to avoid any distraction from the Church’s mission and to uphold the integrity of this process. Bishop Ray Sutton, who serves as Dean of the Province, will assume all canonical responsibilities and duties as Archbishop during this time. He will be assisted by Bishop Julian Dobbs, who has been appointed Dean of Provincial Affairs.   ACNA remains steadfast in its commitment to accountability and to establishing and upholding best practice standards to protect those who experience harm from the Church.   Archbishop Wood wrote a pastoral letter to ACNA members and clergy announcing this decision, which can be read here. Dean of the Province, Bishop Ray Sutton, has provided additional guidance in a letter he posted here.   Further updates will be provided as appropriate.

It was the greatest miracle that ever happened to Brother Duan, and he would not have experienced it had his bus not broken down. En route from a northern to a southern province of China in December, he happened to be passing through Henan province when the engine of the bus expired in its futile battle with the cold. On a whim, Duan trudged off through the fields, leaving the other passengers huddled inside the bus. He was a house church leader in northern China. Now 77 years of age, he still had no home to call his own. Truth is, he was deeply depressed. He was on his way to mediate a dispute among some leaders and was weary of all the infighting that seemed to be harming the house churches. And he was lonely. As he crossed the frozen field, Duan thought longingly of his beloved wife, who died long ago. He wished she were alive to listen to him and give her sweet counsel. And then the thought came into his tired mind of his little son, and an even darker cloud settled over his heart. He found a village and knocked on a door. A little cross was notched on the doorpost. "Is there anyone here who loves the Lord?" he asked. "I would love some fellowship tonight." The door was opened by a man in his fifties, and Duan was warmly welcomed. His feet were washed in a basin—the custom of welcoming a stranger among the house church movement—and was fed hot congee and steaming vegetables. He noticed that the people were all excited. It turned out that they would be traveling to a neighboring town to hear a dynamic Bible teacher from one of the bigger cities. "What's his name?" asked Duan. "Brother Wang." LIFE OF GIVING As they made their way to the meeting, they told him some of the stories about this mysterious Brother Wang. It was clear they loved him dearly, and one of the men explained why. "We were once holding a training seminar here and heard the police were coming. Brother Wang got everyone out, except our main pastor. When the police arrived, Wang dared to bargain with them. He would go to jail if our pastor—whose wife was eight months pregnant—could go free. The policeman accepted his terms, and Brother Wang spent three years in prison." "How old is Brother Wang?" Duan asked. When told he was in his early 40s, Duan's face showed great pain. "What's the matter?" he was asked. "Are you ill from the cart trip?" "No, I'm not ill," he replied, "just very sad. I once had a son, whom I knew for just two months. He's dead now, but if alive he would have been 42 today. My wife called him the 'Christmas Child,' since he was born at Christmas time. I called him 'Isaac,' because we had despaired for so long of having a child." There was silence as they rode in the open cart under the stars. Brother Duan told the incredible story of how he and his wife had been evangelists in the 1950s. They refused to join the Three Self church, and Wu, an old school bully, kept accusing them of political and criminal offenses. It was only a matter of time before they were jailed or killed, but what would happen to their boy? One night, Duan's wife heard a strong voice in a vision, saying, "Give your son to your enemy." Knowing nothing about this, Duan read Genesis 22:2 the following morning: "Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love and sacrifice him to me." Sharing their impressions, the couple decided on a course of action that caused Duan to wince in pain every day since. They gave their boy to Wu and his wife—who were childless—even as Wu arranged for the couple's arrest. It wasn't until 1978, when Duan was released from jail, that he learned what happened to his wife and son. She had died in the terrible famine of 1958, and his son had disappeared along with the Wu family under the rubble of a devastating earthquake in 1975. Said Duan sadly as the little cart approached the meeting place, "God judged me for being so irresponsible with my little son." INCREDIBLE MEETING As they arrived where the evangelist was to speak, a crowd of 200 people was already packed into the house. Like many others, Duan had to sit in the courtyard and listen to the teacher through the open window. When Brother Wang began preaching, Duan felt a terrible shock. It was like hearing himself! He began to tremble with fear. Was he dying? Even the phrases the teacher used sounded familiar. Confused, he staggered up to the window to see the preacher, causing a commotion as he fell over people. The preacher stopped and there was a moment of shocked silence as the men looked at each other. The crowd was hushed as they realized the amazing physical likeness. "I'm sorry for interrupting your excellent message," Duan began. "You see, I had a son who would be your age right now. If he had lived, he would have looked and sounded just like you." Brother Wang began to tremble violently. Suddenly, his legs buckled under him and he had to be caught before he fell. Clutching his pounding chest, he sobbed, "Are you Daddy Duan?" Everyone wept as father and son were reunited. The preacher told how he had indeed been brought up by Wu, who was so impressed by Duan's act of giving that he had become a strong Christian. "I'm not your real father," Wu used to say to him. "He's a great man of God, full of grace and love. He gave you to me, and I give you all my love and the encouragement to put God first, just like your real father." Wang's adopted parents had moved away from the earthquake zone before the tragedy, but both died of cancer in their 60s. Wang became an evangelist and tried to find his real father, but Duan had changed his name so many times to avoid arrest that he had proved untraceable. As father and son continued to hug and weep, the elder of the church stood up and declared, "It's December. We have seen our sermon tonight: Christ came into the world to save sinners—that is Christmas. Just as Duan handed his only son to the care of his enemy, so God handed over His own Son to us sinners. Let us rejoice in their reconciliation and ours too." END

Only half of America's ministers hold to a biblical worldview, but even many who do aren't imparting it to their congregations By Gene Edward Veith WORLD MAGAZINE HAS DISCUSSED THE COLLAPSE OF theological literacy and the rise of out-and-out unbelief among Americans who consider themselves to be "born again Christians" ("Unbelieving 'born-agains,'" Dec. 6, 2003). Now we know at least part of the reason. According to a new study by the Barna Research Group, 49 percent of Protestant pastors reject core biblical beliefs. The Christian pollster George Barna put together a list of biblical teachings that presumably Christians of every denomination or theological tradition could affirm: There is absolute moral truth based on the Bible; biblical teaching is accurate; Jesus was without sin; Satan literally exists; God is omnipotent and omniscient; salvation is by grace alone; Christians have a personal responsibility to evangelize. This is a bare-bones list. It says nothing about the Trinity or the Deity of Christ or other important teachings that are essential for salvation. The list has to do not so much with theology as with the assumptions that are behind one's theology; that is, with worldview. Any minister of whatever denomination, especially a Protestant one, should be able to agree on these basics. But only 51 percent do. Mr. Barna's breakdown of this data is telling. In the two largest Protestant denominations, Southern Baptists had the most pastors, percentage-wise, who hold to this biblical worldview (71 percent), while Methodists had the fewest (27 percent). The glass is either three-quarters empty or one-quarter full. That one in four Methodist pastors takes what the Bible teaches seriously might be surprising and encouraging in a liberal-leaning denomination. But it is equally surprising, though discouraging, to find that one in four Southern Baptist preachers does not. The statistics of pastors holding a biblical worldview for other denominations studied were 57 percent of (non-Southern) Baptists; 51 percent of nondenominational Protestants; and 44 percent of charismatic or Pentecostal churches. In the so-called mainline Protestant churches (essentially those belonging to the National Council of Churches), those pastors who could be described as having a biblical worldview numbered only 28 percent. Mr. Barna also broke the statistics down demographically. Only 35 percent of pastors of black churches hold to a biblical worldview, as he defines it. In denominations that ordain women, only 15 percent of female pastors hold to a biblical worldview. Mr. Barna also found that pastors who attended a seminary are less likely to have a biblical worldview (45 percent) than those who did not (59 percent). This is doubtless due to the anti-Christian scholarship that dominates much of today's academic religious studies, such as the higher-critical approach to Scripture, which begins by assuming that the Bible is nothing more than fiction. There is some good news, though, in Mr. Barna's numbers. Younger pastors (those under 40) are more likely to have a biblical worldview (56 percent) than older pastors (50 percent). Those who have been in the ministry for five years or less score even higher (58 percent). Perhaps the unbelieving ministers—mostly aging baby boomers, shaped no doubt by the theological, moral, and cultural upheaval of the '60s, and still assuming they are relevant today—will die out, to be replaced by younger and more faithful shepherds. But, in the meantime, the sheep are hungry and are not fed. Many have already starved to death. Mr. Barna, who discusses these findings in his new book Think Like Jesus, says that if the numbers are bad among pastors, they are even worse for church members. Just 7 percent of American Protestants overall agree with the biblical tenets on that list. And among those who consider themselves "born again," only 9 percent do. About one out of 10. There is a huge gap even when pastors do hold to biblical beliefs. "The research also points out that even in churches where the pastor has a biblical worldview," said Mr. Barna, "most of the congregants do not. More than six out of every seven congregants in the typical church do not share the biblical worldview of their pastor even when he or she has one." This suggests, he says, that "merely preaching good sermons and offering helpful programs does not enable most believers to develop a practical and scriptural theological base to shape their life." Based on his research of those who have a biblical worldview, he says that acquiring one "is a long-term process that requires a lot of purposeful activity: teaching, prayer, conversation, accountability, and so forth." "Based on our correlations of worldview and moral behavior," he said, "we can confidently argue that if the 51 percent of pastors who have a biblical worldview were to strategically and relentlessly assist their congregants in adopting such a way of interpreting and responding to life, the impact on our churches, families, and society at large would be enormous." © 1996 - 2003 WORLD Magazine END

The Queer Christ: Transforming Anger, Making Justice-love. A Community Eucharist was held at Episcopal Divinity School February 19. CAMBRIDGE, MA—A community Eucharist on the theme of "The Queer Christ: Transforming Anger, Making Justice-Love" was held on Thursday, February 19, at 8:30 am in St. John's Memorial Chapel, Episcopal Divinity School. Planned by the seminary's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students, alumni/ae, faculty, staff, and friends, the service began with a "parade of anger" which marched between a row of wooden crosses on which hung photographs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people who have been victims of hate crimes. Once inside the chapel, the service included music, readings, prayer, homily, the Eucharist, and finally a blessing for the transformation of anger into a potent energy for making justice, compassion, and reconciliation. Participants included gay and lesbian clergy and lay people from Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and various Protestant traditions, as well as GLBT allies. A reception was held in Washburn Lounge following the service. END

Interview by Diana Keough Bishop Robert W. Duncan Jr. of Pittsburgh, 55, is the de facto spiritual leader of conservative Episcopalians outraged over the consecration last year of Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire—a gay man in a long-term relationship. Once Robinson became a bishop, Duncan began helping to organize what he calls a "realignment" within the Episcopal Church and, by extension, the Anglican Communion. It is not yet clear what lies ahead for the Episcopal Church, but Duncan says he is sure that change will happen. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Duncan said some of his earliest memories revolve around attending church in his hometown of Bordentown, N.J. The church was stable and reliable, a sanctuary for a boy whose home life often included beatings from his emotionally disturbed mother. In a society that he calls highly sexualized and confused, Duncan believes Robinson is clearly outside the moral bounds of the Anglican Communion. Duncan recently sat down to talk with Diana Keough, a regular Beliefnet contributor who lives and works in Ohio. How are you keeping your spiritual life in balance these days? I keep up with my daily prayer life, and in particular, my time of morning prayers. I make a monthly retreat of 24 hours where I spend time with the community of St. Vincent's Arch Abbey, which gives me an opportunity to be with my spiritual director and confessor. What are you praying about? For my own ministry, for my family, for all the people who have been part of my walk over the years. I keep a monthly list and pray every morning along with all the standing prayers. A lot of my day-by-day prayers are about the present situation. I pray for those who are in opposition. I pray for those who see me as someone who's hurting them. I pray for the presiding Bishop of the church and the other Bishops who are on the other side. What particular Scripture is helping you through this time? Right now, I'm reading Genesis, Hebrews and John. The other day when we came to the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, there was the word about the patriarchs and those who set out by faith, and they knew they were aliens and exiles—those are wonderful passages for what we're going through. There is a particular verse I was given when I was elected bishop—in fact, the same verse was sent to me by two different leaders who didn't know one another. It was I Thessalonians 5:24, which says, "He who called you is faithful and He will do it." I have great trust that anything that happens in this is going to be the Lord's doing, and not mine. I'm just trying to listen to Him day by day. Why are you taking this battle so far? The battle is about the authority of Scripture. It's about the basics of Christian faith. It's about sin and redemption. It's just so fundamental. The issues have to do with sexuality and morality, but at the very heart of it is whether Scripture can be trusted. In my experience I learned the one person I could trust was Jesus Christ and the only testament that was reliable was what was in Scripture. And I cannot let the Church, of all bodies, challenge the notion that you can't trust the plain meaning of Scripture. Are you referring to what the conservatives in the Episcopal Church call "revisionism?" And if so, can you define revisionism? A more ancient word for the same thing is "heresy." What's going on in this day and age (and, incidentally, it's not unlike other ages) is that this particular age has a notion that we're created good and we just need to be self-actualized. Well, all that is directly contrary to Scripture—it's heresy that doesn't require a Savior. But revisionism within the Episcopal Church has been going on for decades. Revisionism in the Episcopal Church is to revise what's been received, and we've been in the process of revising a lot of things in the last 50 years, particularly relating to sexual morality. Matters like abortion, like remarriage after divorce and issues like sexual activity outside of marriage, including homosexual activity. END

News Analysis By David W. Virtue VANCOUVER, BC—The revisionist Bishop of New Westminster, Michael Ingham, faces a triple crisis that could derail his plans to depose, at the minimum put on hold, his desire to toss 11 biblically orthodox priests out of their parishes and seize their properties. He faces a legal ultimatum with the leaders of St. Martin's parish in North Vancouver who argue that unless the parish is allowed to control its own finances and staffing, it will ask the B.C. Supreme Court to overturn the firing of two church wardens last year. In a letter delivered to Bishop Michael Ingham on Friday, former Trustee and spokesperson Linda Taunton said, "we want our church and we want to be able to control our own destiny. Ingham has until Feb. 23 to respond," she told Virtuosity. Last September, Ingham invoked an obscure piece of church law to remove the wardens, St. Martin's parishioners say. The parishioners maintain that as a legally incorporated organization, they have the right to make decisions for themselves. They contend Ingham's actions violate the provincial Societies Act. The parish has voted twice to seek alternative episcopal oversight. Late last year, Ingham closed one church. The second crisis the bishop faces is that four parishes have now obtained Temporary Adequate Episcopal Oversight from four international Anglican primates with immediate oversight of the Canadian parishes by a US-based AMiA bishop. The offer is temporary measure until a more permanent solution can be found. Seven of the parishes have not signed as yet, but sources tell Virtuosity that they are weighing their options. They are not ready to jump ship but all of them still support the Anglican Churches in New Westminster (ACiNW) coalition, with none having fled. "Those parishes who have not immediately accepted TAEO want to continue the Canadian process set up by the House of Bishops to look for a way to provide alternative episcopal oversight." All the conservative Canadian bishops have been informed of the TAEO offer as well as Yukon Bishop Terry Buckle who had offered alternative Episcopal oversight and then withdrew it. "Everybody is acting in good faith, some parishes just felt they cold not wait any longer," said the source. We should not view this as a break-up of the ACiNW coalition. It isn't." Ingham faces a third crisis with the Canadian House of Bishops Task Force that could recommend some sort of oversight for the beleaguered 11, which, if he doesn't accept, will put him at odds not only with the Anglican Church in Canada but with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the 38 Primates of the Anglican Communion. To date Ingham has not responded to either crisis. But those close to Ingham say he will never accept a recommendation from the Canadian House of Bishops to grant alternative oversight, because basically he believes he is the bishop and that is the end of the story. "He will never go for it. He will never accept AEO because it would be a diminishing of his ecclesiastical authority, and he is a power driven person, not gospel driven," said the source. The following Anglican clergy have already accepted the four Primates' offer of TAEO: The Revd Charles Alexander, Timothy Institute of Ministry, Calgary, Alberta; Dr David Bowler, Comox, Vancouver Island, a Church Plant; Revd Paul Carter, Immanuel Church, Westside; Revd Ron Gibbs, St Simon's, Deep Cove; Revd Ed Hird, St Simon's, Deep Cove; Revd David Hollebone, Living Waters Church, Victoria, Vancouver Island; Revd John Lombard, St Simon's, Deep Cove; Revd Barclay Mayo, St Andrews, Pender Harbour; Revd Silas Ng, Emmanuel Church, Richmond. These clergy come from two Canadian dioceses. St. Martin's, North Vancouver, St. Matthias & St Luke, Vancouver, St. Matthew's, Abbotsford, Church of the Good Shepherd, St Andrew's, Pender Harbour, St Simon's, North Vancouver, St. John's, Shaughnessy, Church of Emmanuel, Richmond, Holy Cross, Vancouver, Immanuel Church, Westside, and Vancouver Holy Cross, Abbotsford, still have not accepted Temporary Alternative Episcopal Oversight. END

News Analysis By David W. Virtue Bishop Don Wimberly got his way at the recent Diocese of Texas convention. He managed to squelch four conservative resolutions affirming orthodox positions on human sexuality before they even came to the floor for a vote. The convention delegates, representing 85,000 members from 160 churches in the 59,000-square-mile diocese, filled the Harvey Convention Center with standing-room-only crowd at nearby First Baptist Church. It was a pyrrhic victory for the bishop. Some 15 to 20 of his clergy walked out of the convention many of whom had supported him during his election, this included one delegation of four from Katy. They wanted a strong statement opposing the actions of General Convention. They never got it. The liberal element in the diocese (which has grown much stronger and larger in the past several years) also wanted no vote taken, so they became staunch allies of Bishop Wimberly. Ironically these same liberals did not support Wimberly during the election for coadjutor. Many of the liberals supported Archdeacon Dena Harrison in the election for coadjutor. According to reports reaching Virtuosity, no one seemed particularly happy about the 90-minute discussion about "the sexuality issue" held the final morning of the convention. The conservatives spoke forcefully and passionately from Holy Scripture, and the liberals seemed smug and detached. In the end no votes were taken. It was all talk. Bishop Wimberly gave a passionate address to Council saying that no resolution or canonical change ever brought a person to Christ or transformed a life. On that point he is absolutely right. What he did not mention was the fact that he got to vote himself on the issue at General Convention. The orthodox in the Diocese had nowhere else to vote but at their own convention—and that vote was denied to them by a slick parliamentary maneuver. What Virtuosity learned was this: The committee on the Bishop's address (which usually comes up with resolutions echoing whatever the bishop said) suddenly introduced a voice resolution to set aside all four of the conservative resolutions—barring them from coming to the floor—but also setting aside time for them to "have dialogue together, without voting." This maneuver (from a heretofore innocuous committee) caught everyone by surprise. Several conservatives rose immediately to "table" that voice resolution, but that effort was ruled out of order. Another motion to "set aside" the committee's voice resolution was ruled to be in order, and it was voted down... meaning that the committee's voice resolution was immediately up for a vote. It passed, probably by a 60-40 percent standing vote. The result: No votes were taken on the sexuality issue at this Convention. The mainstream news media ignored the convention, for the most part—with the exception of David Vara of the Houston Chronicle, Virtuosity was told. As a result several long-time conservative priests are now angling for retirement Virtuosity has learned. A few congregations are looking closely at the NACDP, but Bishop Wimberly has already given his "godly counsel" that this diocese does not want anything to do with THAT group. The Anglican Mission in America (AMiA), meanwhile, has put in place a fledgling church in Houston, and others will no doubt spring up under the oversight of Bishop T.J. Johnson in Little Rock. "Where we the orthodox go from here is anyone's guess," said a source. A great many of them are waiting quietly to see what (if anything) comes out of the new Eames Commission. Wimberly's appeal was successful for the most part and in his address he appealed for unity, ministry and commitment. "We are together in this... I share ministry with you, not to you," he said. "I've learned (over the years) that we are followers of Jesus Christ, not an institution." He received a standing ovation at the end of his remarks, which were, he said, mostly "from the heart" and not found in his written address distributed to the delegates. But Wimberly, an Episcopalian lifer of more than 40 years, and who was the bishop of the Diocese of Lexington for 15 years, before becoming bishop of the Diocese of Texas has only been at the job for eight months. But his actions at this convention have made him a pariah among the orthodox and opens wide the door now for revisionists to walk in and take over the reins, filling whatever ecclesiastical posts surrounding the bishop that need filling. Whether he wants to admit it or not Wimberly has made his bed with the revisionists and he will lie with them. And they know it. The truth is, there has never been an occasion where a bishop has folded his cards on sexuality issues who can ever again gain the moral high ground on gospel imperatives. Never. The orthodox will never trust him, and they will begin to cut at his authority in small and large ways. One of them will be by withholding money. Wimberly will be reluctantly allowed into orthodox parishes, but it will be made clear to him that he is not loved and only half-heartedly welcome. In time he may come to hate the job. He will also begin to make more and more threats to use his power to subjugate rising orthodox discontent. That too is part of the scenario. The revisionists, through organizations like Via Media will begin to push him harder on same-sex issues, Robinson's consecration, the ordination of homoerotic priests and, with pressure he will, in time succumb. It has always been that way and it will continue that way. Add to the mix the collegiality pressure from the Club of Purple (House of Bishops), and he will be Frank's man within a year. The Diocese of Texas, which formerly had such great bishops as Ben Benitez, now a bitter opponent of ECUSA's revisionism, began its slide under Claude Payne, will now move it to completion under Don Wimberly. And the issue while symbolized in sexuality issues is more deeply rooted in the bishops' failure to believe and accept the authority of Scripture. The revisionists now have Wimberly on the ropes, and they will toy with him and pressure him before they deliver the knockout punch. When that moment comes he will be only too glad to surrender and acknowledge that he has become their man. It is only a matter of time. END

News Analysis By David W. Virtue The income dip of six percent recently reported by the Executive Council of the national Episcopal Church is closer to somewhere between 10 to 18 percent, says a financial expert and an alumnus of the Wharton Graduate School at the University of Pennsylvania who has looked at the figures. There are two fundamental errors in the Florida news release: The first is that ECUSA says the National Church has pledges of $16 million from 51 dioceses, along with pledges of future support from another 33 dioceses totaling $8.1 million. These two figures total $24,100,000—not $26,446,000 as claimed. To this total is added "Other Income of $18,554,000 [Trust Funds, etc] to yield the total ECUSA budget of $42,654,000, said Oliver Conger, a former Philadelphia company president now resident in Florida. Two dioceses - Pittsburgh and Dallas - have refused to send any money to the national church in protest. The more than 7,000 congregations of the Episcopal Church receive $2.14 billion in offerings a year, and forward a portion to the national church. Individual dioceses are asked to send 21% [up from 17% in 00-03] of their income to ECUSA, but about half of the dioceses who have already made their financial pledges to the national church fall below that threshold. "ECUSA says revenues are down about $3,027,000 from the original budget projection of $48,000,000", but the real reduction truth is $5,373,000 using ECUSA's own figures, says Conger. This figure is calculated by adding the $24,100,000 with the estimated "Other Income" [Trust Funds, etc] of $18,554,000 to yield total projected income of $42,654,000—not the original Budget of $48,000,000 or the spin version of $45,000,000. "Income is down $3,027,000 to $5,373,000 from the original request $29,446,000 making the reduction at least 10-18% of ECUSA's diocesan asking, not 6%. It is far more honest and correct to compare changes in 'asking' when measuring the actual decline than to use the total budget to yield the smaller number," said Conger. Conger said his analysis was based on ECUSA's own statements from the Florida Meeting. However, no calculation was performed to estimate the millions of dollars wasted in legal fights to keep money and property under the control of the ECUSA revisionists. Conger made several other comparisons: "Louis Crew's 01 analysis of total diocesan Income for 01 of $147,279,404 when compared with ECUSA's current diocesan estimate of $140,219,000 [x 21% to equal the original asking of $28,445,998], would indicate a decline in diocesan income over the past three years of $7,060,400 [about 4.8% decline when inflation was about 9% for the period]. Thus the actual decline to stay even with 01 figures is about 13.8%+/-. "Another way to measure dissatisfaction within the pews, with revisionist Bishops and ECUSA would be to take 10% of the parishes' $2.14 Billion total income which would yield $214,000,000 to the dioceses—not the current estimated $140,219,000 [34.5% shortfall]. Then apply 21% of ECUSA's asking to the $214,000,000 which yields $44,940,000 versus the current estimated $24,100,000 [46.4% shortfall]. With many of the older pew sitters dying off in the next five years and not being replaced, there will be a smaller giving base and perhaps over half of the 7,000 parishes will fold. The pruning will cut to the bone. Over the past twenty years, one study has shown that the evangelicals [who believe in the authority of the Bible and Christ] have grown from 25% of the population to about 47% in the United States. It is thought that in another ten years this growth will surpass 57%. Revisionists, who have no gospel are heading down a slippery slope to oblivion, some might say Hell itself. Their type of religion just doesn't "sell", concluded Conger. END

By David W. Virtue The Diocesan Council of the Rio Grande has slammed the local branch of Via Media for trying to block the election of a bishop coadjutor to replace the biblically orthodox Bishop Terence Kelshaw when he retires in 2005. Via Media, the growing nationwide revisionist group had sent a letter to all Episcopal Church bishops and diocesan standing committees protesting the canonical actions of the Council. Via Media called for the blocking of the election and withholding of consents, advocating an interim bishop be named instead. Via Media members are "posers" who say they represent the middle ground, said the Council. Posing as "middle grounders" they are trying to subvert the diocese's orthodox priests and laity and gain support for their revisionist causes. Via Media has formed branches in a number of dioceses where the bishops voted against the confirmation of the admitted homosexual Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. In a letter sent to all members of the diocese, the Diocesan Council refuted claims by Via Media Rio Grande that the search was not following canons, and pointed out the Council is working closely with the Presiding Bishop's pastoral development staff, including Bishop Clay Matthews and Canon Carlson Gerdau. The letter laid out the timetable and process for the bishop-coadjutor's selection, including a survey to be sent to all members in the diocese. The Council unanimously passed a resolution calling Via Media's action "reprehensible" and "destructive," and sent it to all members of the diocese: "The Diocesan Council and Standing Committee of the Diocese of the Rio Grande register their protest against the actions of the self designated group Via Media Rio Grande, specifically, letters sent to each bishop and standing committee in the ECUSA to subvert due process of the election of a bishop-coadjutor in the Diocese of the Rio Grande, and consider these actions reprehensible, destructive of the life in the diocese, and do not promote healing for the church." Via Media stole the list that contained private information said the bishop. The group was publicly cited earlier by Bishop Kelshaw for obtaining the official mailing list for the diocesan newsletter "without authorization." Via Media then used the list to mail out its own literature to all diocesan members and gave it the appearance of official diocesan mail. The list was closely held by the diocese for privacy reasons because it contained the home addresses of all the members of the diocese. "I have resolutely refused to permit home and parish addresses to be passed from this office to other people and bodies even within the diocese," wrote Kelshaw in a Pastoral letter to the diocese. The leader of Via Media Rio Grande is the Rev. Brian Taylor of St. Michael and All Angels in Albuquerque, N.M. Other Via Media Rio Grande leaders who signed the letter that went to all ECUSA bishops and standing committees were Rev. Gary Meade (St. John's Cathedral, Albuquerque), Diane Butler and Dr. Don Partridge (St. Thomas of Canterbury, Albuquerque), Rev. Richard Murphy (St. Bede's, Santa Fe), and Patricia Riggins and Dr. James Tryon (St. Michael and All Angels, Albuquerque). Bishop Kelshaw has said he intends to retire no later than July of 2005. END

OPINION   By Warren Cole Smith MINISTRY WATCH November 1, 2025   The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a small but mighty denomination. To use an expression from boxing, it is a denomination that “punches above its weight.” Founded just 15 years ago, it has grown to more than 1000 congregations and a membership of 120,000.   It also has a strong presence in places like Dallas and Colorado Springs, cities that are home to significant evangelical institutions. So, you find a surprising number of senior leaders in major evangelical institutions who are Anglican. The bottom line, and as I have written elsewhere, Anglicanism has the potential to breathe new life into the evangelical movement.   But the denomination is facing challenges on many fronts, some of them self-inflicted. Archbishop Steve Wood, the senior leader of ACNA, has been credibly accused of sexual harassment and other offenses. Another bishop, Stewart Ruch, is currently facing a church trial for his handling of a sex offender in his diocese. Bishop Derek Jones, who has led the military chaplain corps, is now behind a rancorous attempt to leave ACNA and take more than 300 chaplains with him.   When you add all these situations up, it is hard to come to any conclusion other than this: ACNA is in crisis, and it is not at all clear to me that it will survive in its present form.   These news-making conflicts have also highlighted some underlying, structural problems with the denomination. The most conspicuous of these is women’s ordination. For 15 years, the leadership of ACNA has delayed a definitive, denomination-wide ruling on the matter, and the result has been a patchwork.   Some dioceses (geographic regions) ordain women, and some do not. Further adding to the chaos, ACNA has also created non-geographic dioceses that ordain women in places where the geographic bishop doesn’t allow it, and vice versa. Such an arrangement is historically irregular and — many say — a violation of the spirit if not the letter of Anglican polity. And even though women’s ordination is not a presenting symptom in the current conflicts, it lurks just beneath the surface. Bishop Derek Jones, for example, has accused Wood of being the product of a “woke USA.” He has said that the denomination’s actions against him are really a proxy war over what he believes is a slide into liberalism under Wood and his predecessor, Bishop Foley Beach.   All of the current controversies — those involving Archbishop Wood and Bishops Ruch and Jones — have also highlighted the inadequacy of the church’s canons to deal with matters of conflict and discipline. Over the past few years, MinistryWatch has covered several scandals in the denomination, and the process has been tentative and clunky at almost every level.   For example, ACNA first made formal charges against Bishop Stewart Ruch — known as a “presentment” — in December of 2022, three years ago. After many fits and starts (some of which you can read about here), the trial finally took place this week, and we still don’t have a verdict. I have heard from credible sources that the cost of the trial will exceed a million dollars.   What Should Happen Next?   More than a year ago, just before ACNA’s provincial meeting in Latrobe, Penn., I wrote what I think the denomination should do to graduate from organizational adolescence into adulthood.   Those recommendations included:   Make a final decision on women’s ordination. Eliminate non-geographical dioceses, including Church for the Sake of Others. Revise and expand the canons of ACNA. Pick a leader with a strong arm and a velvet touch. Issue a clear statement on sexual issues.   ACNA has so far made almost no progress on any of these recommendations. A committee preparing a statement on sexual issues prepared a draft report, but that report was buried in the bureaucracy of the church and the committee was essentially sidelined. The church made minor changes to its canons at its last provincial meeting. Those changes, while necessary, are not sufficient to deal with the issues coming at the denomination.   Perhaps the biggest fumble, though, was ACNA’s selection of a new archbishop. Not only has he proven himself to be not up to the task, he has become a part of the problem. Even if he is found “not guilty” of the presentment against him, the process itself has already been damaging to him and the church. That is why I would add one more recommendation to the list above: Steve Wood should resign as archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America.   There is no way forward for him that doesn’t do further damage to the church. If he is exonerated of the charges in the presentment, many in ACNA who already distrust his leadership and the inadequacy of the canons will cite that exoneration as proof of a rigged system. If he is found guilty, he is unfit to serve.   I continue to believe that ACNA has great promise. The 15 years of its existence — especially when considered in the long arc of church history — is but a moment. Anglicanism offers much to the world, and to evangelicalism in particular. But it must face this moment with decisiveness and integrity. ACNA faces an existential crisis that grows more acute by the day, and before Anglicanism can save evangelicalism, it must first save itself.   END

News Analysis By David W. Virtue When Frank Griswold told an interviewer with Beliefnet recently that the present path of ECUSA was "truthful", he was not telling the truth. He also said, "secrecy is the devil's playground" in order to accommodate homosexuality in the Episcopal Church. But when he was asked directly if the Archbishop of Canterbury supported the emergence of a Network he disputed such claims. At the Synod of the Church of England, The Archbishop of Canterbury. Dr Rowan Williams offered his support to the newly formed network of orthodox parishes (NACDP) made up of both Evangelicals and Anglo-Catholics set up in the United States who oppose the consecration of an openly non-celibate homosexual - V. Gene Robinson - to the historic episcopacy. Addressing the General Synod of the Church of England he said he had been following "sympathetically" the discussions about setting up a network to operate within the Episcopal Church of the United States. His comments came as the Eames Commission was being assembled to deal with the crisis in the Anglican Communion over the ordination/consecration and blessings of avowed homosexuals. They met for the first time in Windsor yesterday. Dr. Williams said: "We do, as a communion, face perhaps unprecedentedly difficult challenges and it's all the more important that we keep those involved in these discussions - in controversy and also in the work of the commission – in our prayers, to equip all of us in the communion for the task that lies before us." Griswold denied that any such talk of a Network was even under consideration by the Archbishop, which raises the deeper question if the disciplining of the Episcopal Church might not be a reality. Irish Primate Robin Eames said the issue of "discipline" might be a possibility when he was interviewed while visiting the Bishop of Virginia Peter James Lee recently. Dr. Williams said the commission, headed by the Primate of Ireland had been charged with "an exceptionally difficult and delicate task". Because of this, Dr Williams said, it was inappropriate to attempt to second-guess the recommendations "on these large issues of communion, maintenance of communion and breakage of communion". He said he was looking for "some sort of shared future and common witness, so far as is possible". The aim is to find a way of offering "episcopal oversight" or pastoral care by bishops to conservative parishes in a form that is acceptable to the ruling liberal majority. But Williams faced an equally unprecedented act this week when 14 Primates publicly blasted Griswold and the consecration of New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson declaring themselves out of communion with the Episcopal Church. END