By David W. Virtue, DD   THEN ANOTHER BOMBSHELL EXPLODED.   On Saturday, June 7th, the Rev. Canon V. Eugene Robinson was elected by the Convention of the Diocese of New Hampshire to succeed the current diocesan bishop. A practicing homosexual canon who left his wife was the favorite to be the next Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire. Canon of the Anglican Communion. Revisionist Washington Bishop John Chane said the election of Robinson would be a challenge to the Holy Spirit.   Canon Bill Atwood of EKKLESIA said the Global South majority of Primates and bishops were so offended by the conduct of Canada, UK, and ECUSA in the last ten days, they were no longer going to be willing to have parallel jurisdiction. I’m guessing, he writes, that what will emerge is ‘replacement jurisdiction.’ By doing so it will not allow for the cancer to continue without being addressed.   The Brazilian Diocese of Recife promptly declared itself out of Communion with both the Diocese of New Westminster and New Hampshire. Bishop Robinson Cavilcanti in a letter to VIRTUOSITY said the acts by those two dioceses was contrary to Scripture and the Lambeth Conference resolution.   And in the ECUSA the first parish in the DIOCESE OF TENNESSEE left the Episcopal Church for the AMIA. It was the 51st Episcopal Church to leave the theologically fractured denomination. The new congregation took the name Faith Anglican Church. The parish located itself in the rapidly growing suburb of Memphis.   The 15th Annual Assembly of FORWARD IN FAITH, NORTH AMERICA met in Rosemont, at the Church of the Good Shepherd, near Philadelphia and announced that the creation of an orthodox Province of the Anglican Communion in North America was just around the corner. The group also called for the immediate consecration of two orthodox bishops. The Assembly was held at the Evangelical Anglo-Catholic parish in Rosemont, whose rector, Fr. David Moyer has been deposed by ultra-liberal Bishop Charles E. Bennison. Among the dozen bishops from the Church of England, Africa, the Southern Cone, Australia and the Continuum were five bishops from The Episcopal Church including the Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman, (Quincy) Rt. Rev. William Wantland, (Eau Claire, ret) Rt. Rev. Donald Parsons, (Quincy ret.) Rt. Jack Leo Iker (Ft. Worth) and the Rt. Rev. Edward W. MacBurney (Quincy, ret.). Meeting under the banner We have This Gospel to Proclaim - Good News for Today’s World, delegates heard leaders tell them that now was the time for the creation of an orthodox Province of the Anglican Communion in North America. The province must exist and must exist now, said Australian Archbishop John Hepworth, the new leader of the Traditional Anglican Communion, (TAC) a continuing Anglican group that broke with the ECUSA at St. Louis in 1978.    We want to consecrate bishops because we are going to the same place and we have the same destination. FIFNA and the TAC have resolved one way or another, to have an orthodox province of Anglicans in the world. The Rt. Rev. John Broadhurst, chairman of Forward in Faith International and Bishop of Fullam (UK) said the situation was just another nail in the coffin of unity. We are divided over women bishops and moral teaching, which different people hold passionately. It is gospel unity verses passionately held beliefs.   The CHURCH PENSION GROUP issued a blockbuster report midyear expressing alarm that not enough young people were being attracted into the ordained ministry, with far-reaching implications for The Episcopal Church itself. A sobering analysis of church attendance revealed that on an average Sunday, 17.5 percent of the people in the pews were attending only 3.3 percent of Episcopal churches. At the same time, only 15.4 percent of Episcopalians attend 47.5 percent of Episcopal churches on an average Sunday. The CPG asked the question, Are we still a denomination of small churches?   Nearly 50 percent of the churches are in the family group with an average Sunday attendance of one to 75 people. FOR SOME 3,465 CHURCHES THE ACTUAL SUNDAY ATTENDANCE WAS 37, a startlingly low number, the report said. By contrast there are only a handful of really big churches. In what the CPG calls the resource category, those churches with an average Sunday attendance of over 400, there were only 245 churches.   Further lamentations about the election of a gay bishop in the Diocese of New Hampshire came from the Bishop of Albany, Dan Herzog and the Bishop of Tennessee, Bertram Herlong. VIRTUOSITY wrote at the time that the battle for the soul of the Anglican Communion, which had been simmering for some years in the Anglican Communion, had now broken out into full-scale war. Revisionists and Evangelicals were now locked in fierce combat over the church’s doctrine on what constitutes true morality.   The injunction against the former Accokeek rector, the Rev. Samuel L. Edwards was lifted bringing closure to that nasty little battle between the former Bishop of Washington Jane Dixon who had filed a lawsuit against the ECUSA Anglo-Catholic priest. Edwards left ECUSA and joined with the Anglican Province of Christ the King.   TWENTY-FOUR orthodox bishops of the Episcopal Church signed an open letter to the primates of the Anglican Communion stating that a crisis of faith and order now existed in The Episcopal Church and they called on them to address the situation under your leadership. In their letter they state that the election in New Hampshire of a man who openly confesses an active homosexual relationship to be Bishop Coadjutor, and the inclusion of a measure affirming the blessing of same-sex unions on the agenda of the upcoming General Convention, served as symbols of a desperately confused, errant and disintegrating Anglican province. At stake were the fundamental doctrines of apostolicity and of marriage.  Separation was now a conceptual reality in The Episcopal Church. The 24 bishops also declared themselves out of communion with the Diocese of New Westminster and Bishop Michael Ingham.   GENERAL CONVENTION loomed on the horizon with promises of moral and theological strife. No one was disappointed. An Ad Hoc Committee sponsored petition calling for the rejection of homosexual marriages and the election of New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson garnered 52 Episcopal Church Wardens and 1,000 laity, but it failed to move the powers that be.   A meeting of six Primates, 15 orthodox ECUSA bishops, several theologians and a number of concerned clergy met at Truro Episcopal Church in northern Virginia to discuss a strategy if ECUSA’s General Convention passed either one or both resolutions concerning rites for same sex blessings and consents for Gene Robinson to be the next Bishop of New Hampshire. An official press release said that a constitutional crisis and dramatic realignment would take place if the ECUSA House of Bishops passed either of these two resolutions.   Virtuosity was told by Charles Nalls, who heads the Canon Law Institute that at least 100 large ECUSA parishes are seeking legal advice and turning over tough decisions regarding their future. These are parishes with no fixed churchmanship. They range from Evangelicals to Anglo-Catholics, said Nalls.   Seeing the crisis facing him PB Frank Griswold plead for understanding in a Letter to the Primates on July 22. The polity of our church places the election of a bishop and the nomination process which precedes it entirely in the hands of the electing diocese.   Rowan Williams expressed his own concern and in a letter to the Primates he said anxiety threatened the Anglican Communion’s common life. He raised the question whether the communion wanted to be a Communion, or just a federation of local churches.   The archbishop launched into the Episcopal Church mess urging Episcopalians not to pick a gay bishop. In a private letter to his fellow primates, Dr Rowan Williams urged individual provinces in the worldwide Anglican Church to delay unilateral decisions that could destroy its unity. His plea was seen as an 11th-hour attempt to persuade the Episcopal Church, the American version of the Church of England, to prevent Canon Gene Robinson becoming Bishop of New Hampshire. His appeal fell on deaf ears.   GENERAL CONVENTION OPENED with deep foreboding. The bishops quickly approved a procedure for Robinson to get consents and after all the politicking was over the votes were in from both the House of Deputies and House of Bishops, and Robinson was confirmed among the elect.   This despite charges that Robinson’s OUTRIGHT website for homosexually oriented youth, exposed by VIRTUOSITY, was only a click away from hard core porn. Robinson also managed to weather sexual harassment charges, paving the way for his election to be the next Bishop of New Hampshire.   Following his confirmation some 20 orthodox ECUSA bishops lead by Bishop Duncan decried the confirmation and with deep emotion in his voice he read a statement that said the Episcopal Church would be subject to discipline, and had divided itself from millions of Anglican Christians around the world. But the outcry and outrage from Primates and orthodox bishops from within ECUSA over his election would rage on for several months.   WEST INDIES archbishop Drexel Gomez wrote to Frank Griswold saying that you seem not yet to have taken the full measure of the destructive potential General Convention’s affirmation of a new teaching and order with respect to homosexuality will have for the communion God has granted us, nor do you seem to acknowledge sufficiently that the divine gift itself comes as something with a defined nature for whose integrity we are responsible, individually and collectively.  Griswold ignored his pleas.   Some 4500 petitions were received from several conservative ministries opposing same-sex unions and the nomination of Gene Robinson to be the next Bishop of New Hampshire were received at General Convention. This petition is an expression of the grave concern that the overwhelming majority of Episcopalians feel for the items that have become central to this convention over the last 30 years, but do not connect with the real issues of how to keep marriage and family together in the parish.   Another story by-lined: Gay Rites Would Not Bless Ecumenism Could also impair Anglican Work Overseas, said that Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox, and the formularies of every mainline Protestant denomination except for the United Church of Christ opposed blessings same-sex unions or allowing non-celibate gay clergy.   Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan expressed his grief and a Statement from Anglican Mainstream greatly regretted the vote to confirm the appointment of a gay bishop.   The Bishop of the Diocese of Nelson, New Zealand issued a statement condemning the confirmation and Australian Archbishop Peter Jensen noted with profound regret the confirmation of the election of Canon Gene Robinson. He said it violated the clear traditional teaching of the Christian Church, which is based on the clear teaching of the Scripture.   The Anglican Communion in New Westminster made up of 11 biblically orthodox priests and eight congregations came out in support of Anglican Mainstream over the confirmation of Robinson. The whole Communion roiled in turmoil.   Four ECUSA dioceses - Springfield, Florida, Central Florida and South Carolina held special Diocesan Conventions to discuss the crisis in ECUSA. The withholding of funds to the National Church became the new game in town.   In a Virtuosity interview with AAC PRESIDENT CANON DAVID ANDERSON, the mainstream president said he would convene a meeting in Plano, Texas on Oct 7, 8, 9 for leaders of dioceses and parishes who are biblically orthodox to come together, take counsel and seek God’s leading. He also applauded the Archbishop of Canterbury for calling an extraordinary meeting of the worldwide Anglican Primates in London in October. Bishop Duncan, Chairman of the AAC Bishops Network wrote, I am confident that the archbishop will make adequate provision for mainstream Anglicans in North America.   FORWARD IN FAITH wrote a press release with a headline that screamed ECUSA HAS IGNORED CANTERBURY.  Fr. David L. Moyer said the revisionist majority had taken the Episcopal Church out of the Christian religion and severed it from any claim to uphold Biblical, Catholic, Apostolic, and Evangelical Faith and Order. The Episcopal Church had ignored and dismissed the counsel of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and has rejected the mind of Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church as a denomination had willfully created a new religion.   Following Robinson’ election a raft of international primates, bishops and orthodox diocesan ECUSA bishops came out with statements condemning the actions of General Convention.   The most potent came from the Anglican Church of Uganda. Homosexuality will not be tolerated, said its leaders. Canon Jackson Turyagyenda, the provincial secretary at Namirembe cathedral said we protest the inclusion of gays in church activities, let alone as church leaders.   Our position has not changed; we are not ready to have communion with those who ordain or bless marriages of gay people.   In Uganda as in numerous African Provinces and diocese their leaders were furious.   Peter Steinfels wrote in The New York Times that the Episcopal Church tottered on the brink of schism even self-destruction, theologically and ideologically fractured, like many American religious groups, over homosexuality and other issues prominent in the nation’s culture wars.   In a no brainer vote, George Werner handily defeated Louie Crew two to one to continue his role as president of the House of Deputies.   But a little reported on RESOLUTION B001 revealed the true state of the ECUSA. It came before the House of Bishops, authored by Bishop Keith Ackerman of Quincy, asking the HOB to affirm their continued belief in two things. The first was the statement found in the Articles of Religion, the church’s constitution, and in the Ordination Services that we believe The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to contain all things necessary for Salvation. The resolution was voted down. Stunned, Bishop Ackerman asked for a roll call vote. One by one the bishops rose and were counted.  Eighty-four of them refused to affirm that scripture contains what is needed for salvation. Eighty-four of them refused to affirm the Chicago Lambeth Quadrilateral.  Only sixty-six voted for these core truths. The failure to pass what Scripture and the Prayer Book affirmed spoke volumes more than the issue of sexuality’ it touched the very core of Anglican faith and practice. Its defeat truly signaled the end of ECUSA as a Christian denomination.   The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams republished an essay affirming committed homosexual relationships a move designed to ratchet up the anger in the Anglican Communion, making schism seem inevitable.   PRIOR TO THE EMERGENCY LAMBETH CONFERENCE, a group of Southern hemisphere Primates met in Nairobi. The conservative archbishops were increasingly confident that they could force the expulsion of the American Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion over its liberal line on homosexuality. Rowan Williams, contemplated for the first time the possible break-up of the 70 million-strong worldwide Anglican Communion.   When things looked like they couldn’t get much worse for Griswold, two letters suddenly appeared in Virtuosity written by Griswold to Charles Bennison Bishop of Pennsylvania over Fr. David Moyer saying that Bennison’s heavy hand in dealing with the Anglo-Catholic priest was autocratic and monumentally unpastoral. Griswold cited Gerry Wolf and her willingness to let Keith Ackerman make a visitation to her orthodox parishes as an example. The letter fell on deaf ears.   A second letter by Griswold to Bennison only ratcheted up the pain on the PA revisionist bishop. Griswold wrote: [The Archbishop of Canterbury] made it absolutely clear to me that he regards the situation as very serious in the life of the Communion. He also said that your stance serves to justify the actions of Rwanda and Singapore in the eyes of many around the Communion.   THE FALLOUT FROM THE ROBINSON BEGAN TO REVERBERATE with whole dioceses and individual parishes beginning to withhold monies. Griswold himself wrote in a desperate plea to his fellow Primates of the crisis saying, my own sense is that one of our Anglican gifts is to contain different theological perspectives within a context of common prayer. This is not a matter of compromise but of acknowledging that the truth as in Jesus is larger than any one point of view. The Global South Primates did not buy it.   IN THE DIOCESE OF NEW WESTMINSTER, the eight orthodox ACiNW parishes welcomed three Primates from Africa, India, and South American to a special service to celebrate their unity a special service on September 7, in Tsawwassen, British Columbia. Some1600 attended from across the globe came to celebrate, covenant and commission and to move forward in faith and hope, praying for the sweeping fires of spiritual revival in Canada. They also came to support the Rt. Rev. Terry Buckle the Bishop of the Yukon who was providing ecclesiastical cover for the ten besieged parishes.   It was payback time and New Westminster Michael Ingham invoked a rarely used church canon and fired the wardens, trustees and entire parish Synod delegation of St. Martin’s, a traditionalist parish in North Vancouver, saying the church had an irresolvable pastoral crisis. He attempted on Saturday to change the locks on the doors of St. Martin’s parish while the conference in Tsawassen was in progress and then sent his archdeacon to read a statement from himself to the congregation in which he alleged the parish was in turmoil because of its failure to replace a biblically orthodox priest who resigned over the Bishop’s approval of same sex blessings. Bishop Ingham promptly named his own replacements for the parish positions. The Primates promptly condemned his actions. The Yukon bishop was commissioned by two primates to serve the ten orthodox parishes in the Diocese of New Westminster under siege by their bishop.   BACK IN NEW YORK a group of ECUSA bishops met with Griswold and gave him an earful about disaffected parishes leaving the ECUSA. He was told a massive rally of orthodox Episcopalians would meet next month in Dallas to consider their future in ECUSA. Griswold responded in a letter on the meeting saying that the Robinson decision clearly caused pain, confusion and disbelief in many parts of the church, and a sense of rightness in other parts. He further said the meeting was very helpful to me in thinking about how we can assist our church in living through this time in faithfulness, taking care not to lose sight of the mission we share as members of Christ’s risen body, and the fact that our church is everywhere filled with life and a deep desire to embody the gospel. It was total rubbish that nobody was buying.   WITHHOLDING FUNDS became the new pastime. The DIOCESE OF FLORIDA and the DIOCESE OF DALLAS both said they would withhold funds from the National Church as did a slew of orthodox parishes around the country. THE HOUSE OF BISHOPS OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN RWANDA issued a statement on the actions of the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church saying the life style of a homosexual relationship is not expected of the character and qualification of an ordained man or woman Bishop, Priest or Deacon.   The DIOCESE OF FLORIDA decided to uninvite Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold for the much- anticipated consecration of John Howard as our Bishop Coadjutor. He replaces Bishop Stephen Jecko.   And the DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA passed three resolutions critical of the Episcopal Church. One declared the Episcopal Church under significant judgment by God because of its drift away from orthodox Christianity, as evidenced by the General Convention approving an openly gay bishop and accepting same-sex blessings. The second called on the top leaders of the Anglican Communion to require Episcopal Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold to explain why he lobbied for the approval of the Rev. Gene Robinson, who is in a homosexual relationship, as bishop of New Hampshire. The resolution accused Griswold of leading the Episcopal Church into a an entirely new teaching of the church in the area of human sexuality and called on the primates of the Anglican Communion -- the top leaders of the Episcopal Church’s parent body -- to ask him to explain his position.   The third resolution promised to help non-Western church leaders who lost financial support for speaking against the Episcopal Church’s approval of homosexual behavior.   And in what must have been one of the most interesting newspaper turns, the Philadelphia Gay News, featured a front-page story on Charles Bennison the revisionist, pro-gay Episcopal Bishop of Pennsylvania. In a three-column banner headline, Bishop Warned Not to Remove Priest, the Associated Press article blasted Bennison for attempting to remove Fr. David Moyer from his parish - the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, PA.   THE INTERNATIONAL ANGLICAN FURNACE continued to heat up. The feisty hard-headed Primate of Nigeria, Peter Akinola has took on Archbishop Ndungane of Southern Africa, and blasted him saying, Isn’t it a paradox that the Archbishop of Southern Africa sees no arrogance in those whose flagrant disregard of the stand of the entire Anglican Communion has plunged us into this sad and avoidable controversy.   Akinola also made it clear he would not be influenced by Western money, and he was prepared to cut ties with Western liberal dioceses and provinces that disobey Scripture. Archbishop Akinola was elected president of the Council of African Provinces of Africa (CAPA) this week.   IN THE ECUSA itself, in one diocese after another, special diocesan conventions revealed more hidden anger than was ever known. Griswold’s notion of ‘graceful conversation’ was now a bad joke.   In the DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA five resolutions were unanimously passed overwhelmingly in support of Bishop John W. Howe’s opposition to the confirmation of Gene Robinson and same-sex blessings.   In the DIOCESE OF ALBANY, Bishops Dan Herzog and David Bena got resounding affirmations from their people in holding the line on same-sex unions and against the confirmation of Gene Robinson. Five resolutions were overwhelmingly passed. An attempt by an alternative group of clergy and laity to reverse the bishop’s vote, and diocesan thinking, was shot down by orthodox voices at the special diocesan convention.   And in the DIOCESE OF VIRGINIA, Bishop Peter Lee, a one-time moderate and now firmly in the camp of  ECUSA’s revisionist bishops got an earful from biblically orthodox clergy and laity living in the northern half of his diocese about the way he voted for Robinson at GC2003.   AND IN THE SPIN FROM ECUSA’s NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS about the effect of lost monies from orthodox dioceses, the revisionists who run the church said that if funds were withheld the national church would cut its budget that benefit children, women, the poor and the underprivileged.   Nasty is as nasty does.   And in an evangelical Anglican conference in Blackpool, England Oxford theologian Dr. Alister McGrath ripped into New Westminster Bishop Michael Ingham, telling more than 2,300 Evangelicals gathered at a four-day conference on mission, that he had lost the theological war and was forced to use canon law to get his way in the diocese. Ingham should be awarded the Spong medal for liberal bravery in the face of overwhelming theological arguments, he told an approving audience. Ingham would win the award in spades, he said. When I was younger, liberals and conservatives respected each other. In New Westminster we have an intellectually bankrupt liberal, and in desperation he is forcing his will on believing evangelicals, said the Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, an evangelical college that trains ordinands for the ministry. This is the unacceptable face of liberalism and it exposes the harshness, bullying character and dogmatism of this man.   END OF PART FOUR

A Different Perspective   Grace and Peace to all!   I would like to share with everyone what happened one year ago Christmas Eve.  Many of you in Springfield knew Dan Bartlett.  His story is much like mine.   In August, I moved into the apartment building owned by Christ Episcopal Church in Springfield.  The building was located on S. 7th street, adjacent to the church.  The night before I moved in, I was up late painting and a man who lived in an apartment two floors above me.  The person I met was Dan Bartlett.  I was 19, he was 49. I grew up just a few miles from where Dan did, in Pike County, IL. A couple weeks after I moved into the building, Dan was diagnosed with liver cancer.  Those of you who knew Dan knew that his life had been hard.  His parents divorced when he was a child, leaving his mother struggling to make ends meet.  He battled alcoholism and drug addiction.  A few years ago, his daughter was murdered in Springfield.  He went through a divorce.  Everything went wrong, including his health.  Dan suffered from diabetes and Hepatitis C.   On October 25, I had coffee at Christ Church, as was my usual morning routine, and then came back to my apartment to get my books and head to class at Springfield College.  When I got into the building, I found Dan in front of my door, in urgent need of medical care.  Soon, Dan’s dearest friends, Robin Cona and Shawn Denney were there.  I had called 911 and the ambulance crew was arriving.  After spending three days in the hospital, Dan was taken to Capital Care Nursing Home.  As the days and weeks passed, Dan and Robin and I grew closer together.  Robin became my Reverend Mother and Dan often asked, Where’s our boy? when I was at class and not at the nursing home.  Robin and I often spent nights at the nursing home-- almost never leaving him there alone--because Dan had panic attacks.  He was beginning to lose motor functions, such as the use of his hands.   This brings us to Christmas Eve 2002.  I had the kids singing at Christ Church at the 5 PM Mass.  I was planning to head home, but a huge snow storm cancelled my plans.  This was a blessing in disguise, because it gave me the opportunity to spring Dan from the nursing home and take him to Midnight Mass at St. Paul’s Cathedral.   I got to the nursing home and got Dan dressed.  Then, putting a big gouge in the upholstery of my car, I got his wheelchair in, and then finally Dan was in the car.  We made our very slow way to the Cathedral and Dan got to hear the choir 30 min. before Mass.  The service was beautiful, but bittersweet because it was obvious this was Dan’s last Christmas Eve mass, and last time at the Cathedral he loved so dearly.  It was one of those moments when everything was surreal, and you could almost swear that you were in heaven.   Earlier in the evening, Robin Cona had a spiritual battle with a snow bank and an icy road.  She lost.  When we greeted Bishop Beckwith after Mass, he showed such concern for her, wanting to know all the details and seeking reassurance that she was alright.  Tell her to be careful and to take care of herself, he said.  After most of the folks had left the Cathedral, I began to get Dan loaded up,  wheelchair and all.  I was tired, cold, and longing to be at home in Pike County.  The storm had dumped more snow on us, and my car was covered while we were at Mass.  As I had just gotten Dan in the car, I saw someone brushing the snow and scraping the ice off my car.  I looked back to find a gentleman in a purple shirt clearing my windshield.  Be sure to get the engine going so Dan doesn’t get cold, said the Bishop.   Moments of grace and kindness always take me by surprise, and this was no exception.  Bishop Beckwith was showing that he cared, and that meant a great deal to me and to Dan.  Bishop Beckwith later gave me a Lay Eucharistic Minister’s license in order to take daily communion to Dan from the daily Mass at St. Paul’s---even though it is not usually permissible to have people from outside of the diocese licensed to do this.   Dan died in February, full of love and devotion to Jesus.  Bishop Beckwith held a special place in Dan’s heart because of his kindness to us.   I know that others among you have stories like this.  Please share. In the heat of a highly political moment it is all to easy to bash those with whom we disagree.  Maybe our little branch of the Catholic faith wouldn’t be in such dire condition if we would all show a little bit of Christian compassion towards one another on all sides of the fence.   In Christ,   Jonathon Moyers Grace Episcopal Church Clarksville, Missouri

By Toby Cohen http://www.religiousintelligence.org/ June 10th, 2010   Episcopal vacancies are opening up across the Church, and in the next few years the House of Bishops could have a very different complexion. With the Church teetering on the brink of some major changes, there is particular curiosity about the mentality of the new men under the mitres.   The Assistant Area Dean of Southampton, the Rev Canon Geoffrey Annas, was announced last week as the next Bishop of Stafford. As his new Diocesan Bishop, the Rt Rev John Gledhill, makes clear, Canon Annas has just the right sort of credentials: He has won the respect of the whole community and many attribute a drop in serious crime to the neighbourliness and vision of St Christopher’s [Thornhill, where he was made vicar in ‘94].He has overseen the establishment of the Southampton Street Pastors’ Scheme and a new Academy school, under the auspices of the Diocese and Oasis Trust. More recently he has been assistant Area Dean in the large Southampton Deanery, caring for clergy and lay leaders.   Canon Annas’ expertise in important frontline Church initiatives qualifies him well for service in any part of the organisation, as he acknowledges in an interview during his return to Lichfield last week, 25 years after his only previous visit there on a diocesan retreat.   My background has obviously been very much in ministry in the urban setting, but I spend a lot of time today with people in the rural setting and that’s been fascinating. The links between the two [are fascinating] as well. There’s not as much diversity between the two as people make out.   He will miss the people he has worked with in Southampton, but is confident in their ability to carry on the good work’ he is aware of great achievements being made in Lichfield, but is confident in the call of God and the help of his supportive team.   So far there is little to distinguish him from the other humble and enthused servants of the Church who have been selected for elevation. But Canon Annas himself detects a shift: There’s a general change in culture at the moment. It’s not just in the Church, I think the result of the General Election is an indication that people generally are looking now more towards consensual ways forward rather than being competitive all the time.   We sometimes make the mistake that everyone wants something new but there’s a lot that’s good about the traditional ways we’ve always done things and it’s just about bringing the two together really, which is what I meant by the consensual thing.   That might not be the change others in the Church are talking about. And if they are talking about it at Synod this summer, they may have to look hard to find that spirit of consensus which the Archbishop of Canterbury was pleading for in February.   So how has that culture of consensus affected Canon Annas’ own stance on disputed issues?   I haven’t compromised at all, in that I am totally supportive of women bishops and I very much value the ministry of my female colleagues. And I look forward to the time when they exercise Episcopal ministry as well.   Although I’m 100 per cent behind the ordination of women to the episcopate, I’m also incredibly sensitive to those who find it difficult, and this is again where the consensual thing comes in. The last thing that I want is for anybody to feel alienated, I think the Church should be inclusive and so I think we have to work within that.   So perhaps traditionalists needn’t be too worried just yet. The new Bishop of Stafford joins the large gang of Church ‘liberals’ who believe in incremental development rather than table-turning reform. He plays the same line on gays: My feelings about openly gay clergy - I personally have no issues with that at all, but I think again like the ordination of women to the episcopate it’s something where there needs to be enormous sensitivity.   I’m not somebody who will overthrow rules and regulations for the sake of it, because I think if you do that you get chaos and anarchy, but I am somebody who will work to build a consensus to change rules and regulations and I would hope that in the future at some point people could be allowed to be true to themselves.   It is not a sin to be a homosexual, and that is very much the teaching of the Church of England. What the Church does teach is that actually whether you’re heterosexual or gay, outside of a committed married relationship, there should be no physical sexual activity.   Well, as you realise, unless you’re saying to me that gay people should marry, which I personally wouldn’t agree with, you’re going to deprive gay people of that possibility of having a physical relationship, which to my mind seems contrary to what being in a creative loving relationship is all about.   This is where traditionalists and liberals alike may wish to interject. No one is asking him to overthrow rules and regulations for the sake of it. Liberal society is asking him to do it, primarily, for the sake of those still suffering at the sharp end of our culture’s homophobic heritage. The Church might not like being seen as the great curator of that heritage, but at least this shows that some of that society has not laughed and walked away.   Traditionalists are asking why, if he feels women are entitled to be bishops and people who are gay entitled to physical relationships without being excluded, he doesn’t take a stand and openly challenge the Church, instead of sneakily undermining it.   Talk about a poisoned chalice. At least he is in good company as he steps out on to this tightrope, on which the Archbishop of Canterbury is another balanced with his crosier. Canon Annas is steeled to face these challenges while preserving strength to concentrate on the issues most dear to him, such as climate change and the damage of the recession.   On one line he is united with a great many in the Church: All too often newspapers are focussing on these two particular issues, when there are so many issues... A lot of the Church’s agenda is dictated by the media so I encourage you and urge you to start broadening it a bit. Who can blame him? 2003 YEAR IN REVIEW - Part One   I sense an impending train wreck the size of which this part of the Anglican Communion has not seen. The Rt. Rev. Peter Beckwith, Bishop of Springfield   THE YEAR IN REVIEW (Part 1)   LATE BREAKING FIGURES FROM ANGLICAN MAINSTREAM www.anglican-mainstream.net/index2.htm   Support So Far 13,628,200 Including: Most Revd Livingstone Mpalanyi-Nkoyoyo and the Church of the Uganda Archbishop Yong Ping Chung and the Province of South East Asia Presiding Bishop Greg Venables, Southern Cone Archbishop Fidelis Dirokpa and the Province of the Congo Rt Rev Dr Bernard Malango and the Province of Central Africa Most Rev Benjamin M Nzimbi and the Anglican Church of Kenya Rt Rev Peter John Lee and Bishops Council, Diocese of Christ the King, CPSA Rt Rev Jack Iker and Diocese of Fort Worth Rt Rev Stephen K Nyorsok and Diocese of Kitale Kenya Rt Rev Dr Glenn N Davies, North Sydney Rt Rev Stephen Hale, Melbourne Rt Rev Colin Bazley, Former Primate Southern Cone Rev Louis Tsui &’ Eastern Kowloon Rt Rev John Jun’ichiro Furumoto, Diocese of Kobe, Japan Canon David Anderson (AAC) David Peterson, Principal, Oak Hill College Peter C Moore, Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry Rev Ulric Gerry University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy Rev Jude Edomwonyi, St Augustine, Bahamas Preb Richard Bewes and All Souls Langham Place, London Rev Susan H Crane and Iglesia de San Mat=EDas, Tennessee Rev Vincent Rakotoarisoa, St Peter’s Ambanidia, Antananarivo, Madagascar Rev Ed Hird and St Simon’s, New Westminster Rev Paul Harcourt and All Saints Woodford Wells, Chelmsford Holy Spirit Anglican Church, Recife, Brazil Church of the Redeemer, South West Florida Rev Joanne Beacon and Humboldt Parish Saskatoon   4.013 individuals 11,665 in 3,192 families 69,922 in 249 parishes and organisations 198,600 in 8 dioceses 13,334,000 in 5 provinces As of 12:00 GMT, 29/12/03 New Hampshire Consecration Attending Bishops Primates   The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and Chief Consecrator   The Most Rev. Martin De Jesus Barahona Primate of the Province of Central America and Bishop of El Salvador   International   Bishop Krister Stendahl, Lutheran Church of Sweden, Bishop Emeritus of Stockholm and Co-consecrator The Rt. Rev. Bruce Stavert, Bishop of Quebec (Anglican Church of Canada) The Rt. Rev. Michael Ingham, Bishop of New Westminster (Anglican Church of Canada) Episcopal Diocesan Bishops The Rt. Rev. Joe Burnett, Bishop of Nebraska The Rt. Rev. John B. Chane, Bishop of Washington The Rt. Rev. George Councell, Bishop of New Jersey The Rt. Rev. Thomas Ely, Bishop of Vermont The Rt. Rev. James J. Jelinek, Bishop of Minnesota The Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen, Bishop of Maine and co-consecrator The Rt. Rev. James A. Kelsey, Bishop of Northern Michigan The Rt. Rev. Jack=A0 M. McKelvey, Bishop of Rochester The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE, Bishop of Massachusetts The Rt. Rev. Andrew D. Smith, Bishop of Connecticut The Rt. Rev. Douglas Theuner, Bishop of New Hampshire The Rt. Rev. Orris G. Walker, Jr., Bishop of Long Island Suffragan, assisting and retired Episcopal Bishops The Rt. Rev. Craig Anderson, Bishop of South Dakota (retired) The Rt. Rev. G. P. Mellick Belshaw, Bishop of New Jersey (retired) The Most Rev. Edmond L. Browning, retired Presiding Bishop and co-consecrator The Rt. Rev. Roy F. Cederholm, Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts The Rt. Rev. Otis Charles, Bishop of Utah (retired) The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, Bishop of Alaska (resigned) The Rt. Rev. James E. Curry, Bishop Suffragan of Connecticut The Rt. Rev. Jane H. Dixon, Bishop Suffragan of Washington (retired) The Rt. Rev. Herbert A. Donovan, Jr., Bishop of Arkansas (retired) and co-consecrator The Rt. Rev. A. Theodore Eastman, Bishop of Maryland (retired) and co-consecrator The Rt. Rev. Gayle E. Harris, Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts The Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris, Bishop Suffragan of Massachusetts (retired) and co-consecrator The Rt. Rev. Donald P. Hart, Assistant Bishop of Southern Virginia The Rt. Rev. Harold A. Hopkins, Bishop of North Dakota (retired) The Rt. Rev. George N. Hunt III, Bishop of Rhode Island (retired) The Rt. Rev. Edward W. Jones, Bishop of Indianapolis (retired) The Rt. Rev. H. Coleman McGehee, Jr., Bishop of Michigan (retired) The Rt. Rev. Wilfrido Ramos-Orench, Bishop Suffragaon of Connecticut The Rt. Rev. Walter C. Righter, Bishop of Iowa (retired) The Rt. Rev. Hays H. Rockwell, Bishop of Missouri (retired) The Rt. Rev. Catherine Roskam, Bishop Suffragan of New York The Rt. Rev. Bennett J. Sims, Bishop of Atlanta (retired) The Rt. Rev. Philip A. Smith, Bishop of New Hampshire (retired) The Rt. Rev. Daniel L. Swenson, Bishop of Vermont (retired) The Rt. Rev. Arthur Walmsley, Bishop of Connecticut (retired) The Rt. Rev. O’Kelley Whitaker, Bishop of Central New York (retired) The Rt. Rev. R. Stewart Wood, Jr., Bishop of Michigan (retired) Attending but not participating The Rt. Rev. Michael Mayes of Limerick and Killaloe (Church of Ireland) Dissenting Bishops The Episcopal Church   Diocesan Bishops The Rt. Rev. Keith Ackerman, Bishop of Quincy The Rt. Rev. James Adams, Bishop of Western Kansas The Rt. Rev. Peter Beckwith, Bishop of Springfield The Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh The Rt. Rev. Bertram N. Herlong, Bishop of Tennessee The Rt. Rev. Daniel Herzog, Bishop of Albany The Rt. Rev. John W. Howe, Bishop of Central Florida The Rt. Rev. Gethin Hughes, Bishop of San Diego The Rt. Rev. Jack Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth The Rt. Rev. Russell E. Jacobus, Bishop of Fond du Lac The Rt. Rev. Stephen Jecko, Bishop of Florida The Rt. Rev. Terrence Kelshaw, Bishop of Rio Grande The Rt. Rev. John Lipscomb, Bishop of Southwest Florida The Rt. Rev. Edward Salmon, Bishop of South Carolina The Rt. Rev. John-David Schofield, Bishop of San Joaquin The Rt. Rev. James Stanton, Bishop of Dallas   Suffragan, assisting and/or retired   The Rt. Rev. C. FitzSimons Allison, Bishop of South Carolina (retired) The Rt. Rev. David Bena, Bishop Suffragan of Albany The Rt. Rev. Clarence Pope, Bishop of Fort Worth (retired) The Rt. Rev. C. William Frey, Bishop of Colorado (retired) The Rt. Rev. Philip Elder, Bishop Suffragan of Guyana (retired) The Rt. Rev. Hugo Pina-Lopez, Assisting Bishop of Central Florida The Rt. Rev. Edward MacBurney, Bishop of Quincy (retired) The Rt. Rev. Earl McArthur, Bishop Suffragan of West Texas (retired) The Rt. Rev. Donald Parsons, Bishop of Quincy (retired) The Rt. Rev. Henry Scriven, Assistant Bishop of Pittsburgh The Rt. Rev. William Wantland, Bishop of Eau Claire (retired)   END

The Episcopal Church roils from crisis to crisis. Each year is one of tumult and turbulence, but even on the worst of days we could hear the still small voice saying press on...follow me. And we at VirtueOnline do every day. We do not stop for a week or a day. Daily at the web site and weekly in a news digest we faithfully send you the news.   More than 4 million of you visited the web site and thousands receive a weekly digest of stories to stay informed.   Thank you for your support of this ministry. VirtueOnline is a registered U.S. 501(c)3 charity and all contributions are tax deductible.   Below is the latest letter from VOL asking for support from our friends, readers and members.   Every Blessing in Christ,   David W. Virtue DD http://www.virtueonline.org david@virtueonline.org December 2012   Dear VOL friend and loyal supporter,   2013 was another tumultuous year in the life of the Anglican Communion.   In March 2013, an evangelical, Justin Welby was enthroned as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, putting behind eight years of liberally minded Rowan Williams and what many viewed as a disastrous period in the life of the Anglican Communion with unresolved sexuality issues and a failed Covenant.   The year ended with some 1400 Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic Anglican leaders meeting in Nairobi under the banner of GAFCON II to forge a new way ahead for the Anglican Communion that is orthodox in faith and morals. They left no doubt as to where they stood as guardians of the faith. They greeted the archbishop’s brief presence in Nairobi with polite applause’ he offered them nothing that assured them of Canterbury’s commitment to biblical faithfulness in the area of sexual fidelity to marriage between a man and a woman. They were unmoved by his less than sterling support of them and they proceeded to setup the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE).   The polarization within the Anglican Communion only heightened during the year with the Episcopal Church pushing the boundaries on sexuality issues in an attempt to redefine marriage in order to accommodate a handful of men and women who wanted to marry their same-sex partners. Gay Rites were put forth for experimentation by liberal bishops so clergy could legitimize same-sex unions even though gay marriage is still technically off the table. The Washington National Cathedral announced that they would be the first in line to use experimental Rites. Everyone, of course, knows where this is ultimately going. The Episcopal Church’s decision to endorse marriage equality follows the approval of a Rite for the Blessing of a same-sex relationship at the 2012 General Convention. Lawsuits against four dioceses continued in 2013 and will continue on in 2014. The roughest and toughest calls will be made in South Carolina where the laws favor Bishop Mark Lawrence and TEC has experienced the most pushback. Tens of millions of dollars worth of real estate are at stake. An estimated $22 million has been spent to date on litigation by The Episcopal Church in an effort to retain or take back church properties in these dioceses. When TEC legally wins properties, the bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut, for example, is forced to sell them off to other denominations and to Muslims for conversion into mosques because they cannot financially support them.   The Global South, which is growing and vibrant, is committed to crossing boundaries and rescuing churches in the West under siege by liberal and revisionist bishops.   The Episcopal Church will continue to splinter in 2014 though at a slower pace. TEC will continue to wither and the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) will continue to grow. The theological divide will only widen in 2014. There will be triumphs and tragedies, winners and losers in the real estate battles. Aging and small TEC congregations will continue to shrink and there will be more diocesan mergers in 2014 (Ex. Quincy to Chicago). There will be ongoing realignment among the Continuers as well. VOL will document it all for you.   But we do need your help to keep the news digests coming weekly into your e-mail and continued daily postings to the website www.virtueonline.org   VOL is 100% reader supported.  So please spare a few dollars for VOL this Christmas season  we are the news source built for you and thousands like you who come each day to get the news about the Anglican Communion. VOL is the leading source for Anglican news across the globe.   Please consider an end of year tax deductible donation and send to the address below:    VIRTUEONLINE 570 Twin Lakes Road P.O. Box 111 Shohola, PA 18458   Or you can make an electronic donation to VOL through our secure site here: www.virtueonline.org/donate.html   Thank you for reading and supporting Virtueonline. Warmly in Christ,   David   WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT VIRTUEONLINE   Given that we continue to live in a period of confusion and sometimes misinformation regarding the tragic state of the Anglican Church as a result of the unilateral and non-biblical decisions and actions of the North American church we are more grateful than ever for the clarity and relevance of Virtueonline. We thank God for this important and faithful ministry to the worldwide communion. -- Gregory James Venables, Bishop of Argentina and former Archbishop of the Southern Cone   Virtueonline remains a crucial source of information and analysis in the larger Anglican Communion.  I recommend it for its insight and breadth.  In our day it is critical to have news sources that are reliable and conservative. -- Rt. Rev Frank Lyons, Bishop of Bolivia   There is no one except David Virtue who provides us with timely and essential news, as well as searching biblical analysis of that news. In this he serves not only the biblically faithful in North America but throughout the Anglican Communion. It is my prayer and hope that he will be able to continue his service to us for years to come. -- The Right Reverend John H. Rodgers Jr. ThD. AMIA (ret)   The Anglican Communion is in the midst of a complex and critical time in its history and life. The situation is highly fluid at many levels and the events and decisions made impact deeply our mission and ministry. VOL has its finger on the pulse of the Communion, it knows the players and it goes where the action is. It is an essential resource for understanding and navigating the times in which we live. -- Rev. 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Dear friends,   As most of you know, over the past several months I have been struggling with the decisions reached by ECUSA at the 74th General Convention in August.  This period of prayer and reflection has recently led me to some very painful decisions, which I now need to share with all of you.  As you will see from the attached letter I have sent to Bishop Councell, I have decided to wind up my service as Senior Warden effective at our annual meeting in January.  This decision has nothing to do with issues at St. Andrew’s, but rather with the direction in which the national church is moving.  There is, I suppose, a certain tragic irony for us in this parish in having all worked so hard over the past year to bring St. Andrew’s to the much healthier place it is now in, only to have the national church implode around us.   As I know you’re all aware, I love this parish deeply and I only wish it were possible for me to shut out the issues now engulfing the larger church.  However, as we all know, St. Andrew’s is part of a wider church, and I cannot ignore what is happening in that arena.   As I explain in my letter to Bishop Councell, I do not believe that the great struggle now dividing ECUSA, and the worldwide Anglican Communion, is fundamentally a debate about homosexuality.   Unfortunately, I think it’s about a much more profound issue: the nature and meaning of Scriptural authority for Christians in the 21st century.  I also think that the current struggle is about what it means to be part of a worldwide communion of over 70 million people on six continents.  Having said this from the outset, I still think it’s necessary for me to state as plainly and as completely as possible what my own views of homosexuality are, since many people are convinced that this really is the central issue.   First, I firmly believe that gay people are as fully human and created in the image of God as every other person is.  I also believe that they are no more or less sinful than the rest of us.   Furthermore, no one is beyond the redemptive love of Jesus Christ, including gay people.  I also believe that gay people belong in the Church.  The Church should embrace all people, including gay people. It certainly has no business excluding anyone, especially people who have been marginalized in the way gay people historically have been. This fact is made clear to us by the earthly ministry of our Lord, who repeatedly explained that the Good News of the Gospel message is for ALL people.  As Christians we certainly have NO business judging others -- that is God’s business, not ours.   I also believe that homosexuality is NOT a lifestyle choice.  I believe that it is a fundamental sexual orientation that is either genetic or established very early in life by environmental factors (or a combination of both).  In this way I feel that homosexuality is like virtually all other human sexual orientations in that it is not self- selected.   Unfortunately, as Christians, I also believe that Scripture teaches us that not all human sexual orientations or desires are beautiful or acceptable in the sight of God.  I believe that other equally basic and primal sexual urges, orientations, and acts are also rejected by God.   Among these are: lust, incest, consensual sado-masochism, bestiality, pedophila, heterosexual sodomy, bi-sexuality, any non-marital intercourse, and masturbation.  These forms of human sexual experience are, like many other basic non-sexual human desires, orientations, drives, and actions, not pleasing to God.  They are instead only signs of the brokenness of the world and of the human condition.   It is, therefore, not possible for the Church to bless what God does not accept.  In fact, I deeply believe that the ONLY model of human sexual union that God accepts is loving and consensual intercourse between one man and one woman within the estate of holy matrimony.  And that is the ONLY form of human sexual union that I believe the Church is permitted to bless.  Most certainly the Church may not bless before the altar of God that which Scripture specifically and repeatedly tells us is not acceptable in the sight of God.   I am convinced that those who support the blessing of same-sex unions are genuinely motivated by sincere commitment to a fundamental and central tenant of Christianity: the inclusiveness and universality of the Church.  That is what makes this whole thing so deeply painful. Unfortunately, however, their desire to be inclusive has led to a terrible distortion and disfiguring of the entire concept of Christian inclusiveness.  There is, and never will be, I would argue, a more radical document of human liberation, redemption, and salvation than the Christian New Testament.   And central to the Good News of the Gospel is a powerful, inescapable, and unrelenting message of self-denial and self-renunciation of MANY basic and fundamental human orientations and drives, including sexual ones.  The Christian message is a deeply mystical message.  It is a message of reunion with God through the struggle to overcome ourselves and live up to the extremely high standard which Jesus set for us.  We are not called to a new life by validating our own broken selves, driven as they are by all sorts of basic orientations, desires, and urges, but rather we are called to transcend our limited selves and live in the image of the God who created us all.   The most powerful agent of idolatry always has been and always will be human desire.  Like sexuality, most desires are basic and integral to our very being.  God calls us back to unity with him, but at a price.   That price has never been easy, but it has always been the same: let go of all loves, desires, and drives except the love of God: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.   Like sexual desires, greed too is basic to the human condition.  Greedy people belong in the Church too, but not so that we may bless their greed, but so that they can hear the Gospel message and hopefully be liberated from the greed that imprisons them.  Jesus accepts ALL of us, broken as we are, but he most certainly does not allow ANY of us to remain, broken as we are.  He calls us ALL to a new and better life in him.   To bless at the altar of God that which Scripture consistently and repeatedly tells us is unacceptable in the sight of God requires that one holds a view of Scripture and its authority that is fundamentally and profoundly different from that held by the vast majority of Christians, living or dead, at all times and in all places.  And this brings me full circle to my original assertion that this whole debate now enveloping the Church is not about homosexuality, per se, but about fundamentally different understandings of Scripture and its authority in our lives.   I am convinced that we are now on the verge of a great global realignment of Anglican Christianity.  My long-term view is very hopeful in this regard.  I am convinced that in a decade the Anglican Communion will look very different than it does today, but that it will also be very much stronger than it is today.  My short-term view of the future of the Episcopal Church, USA is not so sanguine.  I am greatly pained by what I see as a very long and disheartening struggle within ECUSA over the historical patrimony of this church.  Anglican realignment will leave none of us untouched in the end, and ultimately we must find our own place in that realignment.  Accordingly, I have begun exploring options, both within and beyond the framework of ECUSA. I cannot in good conscience, therefore, continue to serve as the Senior Warden in a church I may no longer be part of a year from now.   During this process of discerning God’s guidance and will for me in the process of realignment, I fully expect to continue to worship with you at St. Andrews.  Although I believe that I must now bear witness to the historic faith and doctrine of the Church by abstaining from partaking of the elements during the Eucharist, please know that during the ministering of the elements I will be praying with you for our Church and for our Diocese.   I have assured our interim Vicar that it is my full intention to make the process of transition to a new Senior Warden in January as easy as possible.  I have absolutely no desire to hurt this parish or anyone in it.  After the transition I will continue to offer my advice and whatever information the Vestry needs, for as long as that help is needed. Please know also that it has been an enormous personal privilege for me to work with all of you over the past several years to revitalize this parish.  If I ultimately do end up leaving St. Andrew’s, I will continue to hold in my heart a great deal of love for this place and all the people who make it what it is.   Faithfully yours in Christ,   -Chris   Dr. Christopher Taylor is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Middle East Studies Program at Drew University in Madison, N.J. He is a specialist in Islamic Studies. He is a cradle Episcopalian. Dr. Taylor has served actively on the Vestry of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in New Providence. He has also served on the Cathedral Chapter in the Diocese of New Jersey.  He is currently working with other concerned Anglicans in north-central New Jersey to establish a local lay-led discussion and prayer group that will offer support and an opportunity for ECUSA laity who cannot accept recent theological innovations in the national Church to explore together the options orthodox Anglicans have in the aftermath of the 74th General Convention. He has not formally left ECUSA.

Dan Alger faces a formal disciplinary action overseen by the Rt. Rev. Neil Lebhar of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese   By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org June 10, 2025   The Very Rev. Canon Dan Alger, Dean of the Cathedral at Redeemer Anglican Church in Greensboro, NC., has been laid off effective June 1, for what has been described as a “failure of leadership”. None of the failings were of a sexual, theological or financial nature and no canonical charges will be pursued, VOL was told.   Alger also served as Canon for Church Planting for the Anglican Church in North America, through which he led the Always Forward Church Planting Initiative. A spokesperson for ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood said Alger had stepped back from his provincial leadership position with Always Forward last Summer after Provincial Assembly (2024) to transition into his new role as Dean of the Cathedral at Church of the Redeemer in Greensboro, NC. Molly Ruch has been leading Always Forward since that time. He has not been employed by the province since last June.   Following a thorough investigation into complaints brought to the Diocese, Dean Alger was found to have had pastoral failings. It had been found that members of the church had been hurt under his leadership.   Diocesan Bishop Steve Breedlove of Christ our Hope and the Rt. Rev. Alan J. Hawkins, Bishop Ordinary recused themselves and delegated the Rt. Rev. Neil Lebhar, Bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese, to deal with the complaints brought against Dean Alger. A canonical investigation team by Telios Law revealed multiple complaints from many people who were hurt by Alger’s abrupt decisions and lack of truly pastoral responses. Most of the complaints were former employees.   The report noted a high level of what it called “social contamination” namely many complainants regularly sharing individual grievances about Alger that had occurred.   Bishop Lebhar did not see that a clear canonical violation had occurred determining “a trial should occur.”   However, he did issue a “Godly Admonition” (ACNA Canon IV.2.2) that is canonically required, requiring the Rev. Alger get long term biweekly help from a licensed Christian counselor based on the pastoral failings contained in the Telios Law report.   The report describes Alger’s resistance to listen well to others; his defensiveness and lack of honesty when challenged; his focus on demanding unearned loyalty rather than on building trust; his lack of adequate pastoral concern for others; and a dangerous level of stress carried by him and affecting others.   The admonition will require Alger to take a leave of absence of at least one year from pastoral ministry. For his own healing and admitted struggling with stress, for the recovery of leadership, complainants and others in the congregation.   Alger has been warned against demeaning the complainants and witnesses. If the Godly Admonition is disobeyed, canonical charges for such disobedience could then be brought (Canon IV.2.1.12), said Lebhar.   “Because there will not at this time be a presentment and possible trial, Rev. Alger will not have any public opportunity to dispute the serious concerns raised by the Telios Law report. The report will remain confidential, the bishop said.   END

By The Denver Post   Colorado Episcopal Bishop Jerry Winterrowd expressed regret Thursday about supporting the election of the nation’s first openly gay bishop, saying the church was not ready. Winterrowd, who is retiring Dec. 31, said he went into August’s General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA intending to vote against the election of Gene Robinson as New Hampshire bishop.   His rationale: Robinson’s election would fly in the face of the church’s desire to delay setting policy on blessing same-sex unions.   But Winterrowd said he became convinced that each diocese had the right to elect its own bishop.   Subsequently, I would say that I am on very thin ice there, Winterrowd said Thursday.   Winterrowd said he supports same-sex blessings, but some people perceive Robinson’s election as tacit approval of such blessings.   That, Winterrowd said, is not the right forum for weighing same-sex blessings.   We have ordained a gay man as bishop, Winterrowd said. Personally, I favor that. But this diocese, and the whole American church, was not ready for that, and a lot of damage has been done.   Asked if he would vote for Robinson again, Winterrowd said he was not sure.   END

(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 worldview as the basis of their decision-making, researcher George Barna described the outcome. If Jesus Christ came to this planet as a model of how we ought to live, then our goal should be to act like Jesus. Sadly, few people consistently demonstrate the love, obedience and priorities of Jesus. The primary reason that people do not act like Jesus is because they do not think like Jesus. Behavior stem s from what we think – our attitudes, beliefs, values and opinions.   Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our  research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate  core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to  the challenges and opportunities of life. We’re often more concerned  with survival amidst chaos than with experiencing truth and significance.   Not Just Any Worldview   The research indicated that everyone has a worldview, but relatively few people have a biblical worldview - even among devoutly religious people. The survey discovered that only 9% of born again Christians have such a perspective on life. The numbers were even lower among other religious classifications: Protestants (7%), adults who attend mainline Protestant churches (2% ) and Catholics (less than one-half of 1%). The denominations that produced the highest proportions of adults with a biblical worldview were non-denominational Protestant churches (13%), Pentecostal churches (10%) and Baptist churches (8%).   Among the most prevalent alternative worldviews was postmodernism, which seemed to be the dominant perspective among the two youngest generations (i.e., the Busters and Mosaics).   For the purposes of the research, a biblical worldview was defined as believing that absolute moral truths exist’ that such truth is defined by the Bible’ and firm belief in six specific religious views. Those views were that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life’ God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today’ salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned’ Satan is real’ a Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people’ and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.   The Difference a Biblical Worldview Makes One of the most striking insights from the research was the influence of such a way of thinking upon people’s behavior. Adults with biblical worldview possessed radically different views on morality, held divergent religious beliefs, and demonstrated vastly different lifestyle choices.   People’s views on morally acceptable behavior are deeply impacted by their worldview. Upon comparing the perspectives of those who have a biblical  worldview with those who do not, the former group were 31 times less likely to accept cohabitation (2% versus 62%, respectively)’ 18 times less likely to endorse drunkenness (2% versus 36%)’ 15 times less likely to condone gay sex (2% versus 31%)’ 12 times less likely to accept profanity 3% versus 37%) ‘ and 11 times less likely to describe adultery as morally acceptable (4% versus 44%). In addition, less than one-half of one percent of those with a biblical worldview said voluntary exposure to pornography was morally acceptable (compared to 39% of other adults), and a similarly miniscule proportion endorsed abortion (compared to 46% of adults who lack a biblical worldview).   Among the more intriguing lifestyle differences were the lesser propensity for those with a biblical worldview to gamble (they were eight times less likely to buy lottery tickets and 17 times less likely to place bets)’ to get drunk (three times less likely)’ and to view pornography (two times less common). They were also twice as likely to have discussed spiritual matter s with other people in the past month and twice as likely to have fasted for religious reasons during the preceding month. While one out of every eight adults who lack a biblical worldview had sexual relations with someone other than their spouse during the prior month, less than one out of every 100 individuals who have such a worldview had done so. Some Groups Are More Likely to Have a Biblical Worldview Adults who have a biblical worldview possessed a somewhat different demographic profile than those who did not. For instance, individuals who attended college were much more likely than those who did not to have this perspective (6% versus 2%, respectively). Married adults were more than twice as likely as adults who had never been wed to hold such a worldview (5% versus 2%). Whites (5%) were slightly more likely than either blacks (3%) or Hispanics (3%) to hold this ideology. One of the largest gaps was between Republicans (10% of whom had a biblical worldview), Independents (2%) and Democrats (1%).   Residents of Texas and North Carolina were more likely than people in other states to have a biblical worldview. Among the states in which such a worldview was least common were Louisiana and the six states in New England. The nation’s largest state - California - was average (i.e., 4% of its residents had a biblical worldview).   Attributes such as gender, age and household income showed no statistical relationship to the possession of a biblical worldview.   Some Churches Are Helping People. The research found that one of the most effective methods of enabling people to develop a biblical worldview is by addressing seven critical questions that consistently lead to beliefs and behaviors that are in tune with biblical teaching. Outlining that process in a new book he has written as an outgrowth of the research, entitled Think Like Jesus, Barna also noted that many churches are already helping their congregants to implement such a way of addressing daily challenges and opportunities.   The emphasis of these churches is to not only teach biblical perspectives, according to Barna, but also to help people connect the dots of the core principles taught. Rather than simply provide people with good material and hope they figure out what to do with it, these are churches whose services, programs, events and relationships are geared to weaving a limited number of foundational biblical principles into a way of responding to every life situation. The goal is to facilitate a means of interpreting and responding to every life situation that is consistent with God’s expectations. These are not perfect people, but once they catch on to the critical principles found in the Bible and train their minds to incorporate those views into their thinking, their behavior varies noticeably from the norm.   Research Source and Methodology The data described above are from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 33 adults conducted during September through November 03. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is B12.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. All of the interviews were conducted from the Barna Research Group telephone interviewing facility in Ventura, CA. Adults in the 48 continental states were eligible to be interviewed and the distribution of respondents coincided with the geographic dispersion of the U.S. adult population. Multiple callbacks were used to increase the probability of including a reliable distribution of adults.   The data from the 03 survey was compared with figures on worldview possession compiled from Barna Research Group surveys conducted in 02 in order to assess the reliability of the new data. The 02 surveys also showed that just 4% of the aggregate population and 9% of the born again segment ha d a biblical worldview. Other repeated measures were compared, producing virtually identical results to the current measures.   Born again Christians were defined in these surveys as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still import ant in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as born again. Being born again is not dependent upon any church or denominational affiliation or involvement.   The Barna Research Group, Ltd. is an independent marketing research company located in southern California. Since 1984, it has been studying cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. If you would  like to receive regular e-mailings of a brief overview of each new bi-weekly update on the latest research findings from the Barna Research Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna Research web site (www.barna .org).   END

by George H. Gallup Jr. Senior Staff Writer   After dipping to an all-time low in the wake of the recent sex abuse scandals afflicting the Catholic Church, weekly church attendance among Catholics appears to be on the rebound. However, historical Gallup Poll data show that Protestants have now clearly overtaken Catholics in church attendance, for the first time in Gallup polling history. Between March 2002, when the news of the scandals broke, and February 2003, weekly church attendance among Catholics fell nine percentage points to 35%, the lowest measurement since Gallup began asking the question in 1955. By November 2003*, however, the figure had climbed 10 percentage points to 45%. Protestants’ levels of church attendance, meanwhile, remained fairly stable during this same period.   While it is up from earlier this year, that 45% figure among Catholics is 29 percentage points lower than the 74% recorded when this question was first asked in 1955. Comparatively, Protestants’ church attendance is actually slightly higher in November 2003 (48%) than it was in 1955 (42%).   George Gallup Jr. is the Chairman of the George H. Gallup International Institute and is recognized internationally for his research and study on youth, health, religion, and urban problems.   END

Associated Press   COLUMBUS, Miss. - The Rev. Sandra DePriest has become the first Mississippi Episcopal priest to step down to protest the  ordination of the church’s first openly gay bishop. DePriest told The Commercial Dispatch newspaper in Columbus that she could no longer actively serve as a priest until the gay bishop issue is resolved.   DePriest finished up with the Church of the Good Shepherd in Columbus and St. Johns Episcopal Church in Aberdeen on Christmas Day.   DePriest told the newspaper she was not resigning her vows for the time being, but could no longer actively serve as a priest until the gay bishop issue was resolved.   Earlier this year, Bishop V. Gene Robinson became the first openly gay man elevated to that rank in any major Christian body.   Robinson was ordained after an August vote at the Episcopal Church USA General Convention in Minneapolis.   Many Episcopalians who believe in a traditional interpretation of the Bible want Robinson removed as bishop and have won the support of several American bishops.   DePriest said she is one of those opposed to Robinson’s ordination and her stance on the issue meant she could not continue leading worship.   I believe that my vows have been placed in conflict, DePriest said. I took vows to uphold Scripture when I was ordained ... and at the same time I took vows to uphold the doctrine and discipline of the Episcopal Church of the United States. And I cannot teach those doctrines and disciplines.   DePriest joined the priesthood after a 17-year career as a lawyer. She joined the seminary in 1996 and was ordained in 1999. After spending two years as the priest of Christ Episcopal Church in Tuscaloosa, Ala., DePriest took her position with the two churches in Columbus and Aberdeen.   DePriest said the appointment of Robinson to a senior position within the church was a deal breaker for Episcopalians who believe in a traditional interpretation of the Bible. DePriest said these Episcopalians consider homosexuality a sin that must be repented a belief completely at odds with Robinson’s openly gay lifestyle.   DePriest said for the moment, she is not willing to leave the church completely while there is hope that the rift can be repaired.   DePriest said the Episcopal Church USA was willing to provide alternative pastoral care for priests and congregations who were opposed to Robinson’s ordination. This arrangement, she said, is supposed to keep disgruntled members of the faith under the Episcopalian banner by allowing them to shift their churches under the authority of another bishop.   DePriest said this is unacceptable to members of the faith who are thinking about splitting from the church because they no longer support its leaders. DePriest said under present arrangements, those Episcopalians would have to abandon their churches and sever financial links with the church .   Bishop Duncan Gray of the Mississippi Diocese said the Anglican faith that Episcopalians practice - founded in England over 400 years ago - was based upon diversity of belief and tolerance. We were founded in theological conflict, Gray said.   Gray said the church had the ability to broker a compromise with in its DNA. He claimed a number of the 13 bishops who had been identified as working against the church’s leadership had since clarified and even retracted earlier statements.   Gray said a great deal of work is going on behind the scenes to broker a compromise.   This is certainly something that will be ongoing, but I’m very pleased with the efforts (of the church) to respect individual conscience, Gray said.   END

By Dr. Chris Seitz   As President of the Anglican Communion Institute I am pleased to announce the appearance of a new document drawn up for the orthodox Anglican presence within the United States and Canada. It is titled The Theological Charter for Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes of ECUSA and the Anglican Church of Canada. It follows in the same line as other ACI documents, including Claiming Our Anglican Identity and Steps of Discipline but is meant to serve as the theological mission statement for Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes in North America. It has been adopted as such by the Bishops who form the leadership for this network, whose Moderator is the Rt. Revd Robert Duncan.   The Theological Charter will be a topic of discussion at the ACI January Conference in Charleston, SC on The Future of the Anglican Communion (St Philip’s Church, 8-9 January). The Archbishop of the West Indies, The Most Reverend Drexel Wellington Gomez, will be the keynote speaker at that event. Please join us for a lively discussion of important issues now facing Anglicans in the United States and in the wider Communion.   This site has on it the Theological Charter for our times. Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes is the umbrella organization in communion with the wider Anglican Communion, with oversight by an international coalition of Primates, Bishops, Clergy and Laity, and exists for all those in their various situations who want the Episcopal Church to more than a mere reflection of the culture, but to be again a real witness to the joy a lives dedicated to obedience and discipleship.   Here is offered a place where Dioceses, individual parishes or congregation, Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Laity can register their opposition to the current leadership and error of the national church, but more importantly express their hope and plans for the future, for rebuilding the Anglican presence in the United States.   The central document the undergirds the work of this coalition is available at VIRTUOSITY’S website www.virtuosityonline.org . For more details see anglicancommunioninstitute.org , or contact The Revd Donald Armstrong at GraceRector@aol.com . http://www.AnglicanCommunionDioceses.org/   END

Michael Higgins National Post December 23, 2003   An Anglican church defying its bishop by refusing to support same-sex unions has been terminated only days before Christmas.   The decision by Bishop Michael Ingham to close Holy Cross in Abbotsford, B.C., is the latest action in a dispute that is threatening to split the Anglican church worldwide. Despite the closure, the priest at Holy Cross, the Rev. James Wagner, vowed yesterday to celebrate mass on Christmas Day with parishioners.   As far as the diocese is concerned we do not exist. We are a non-entity, Mr. Wagner said yesterday. But I will not abandon these people. I will continue to pastor and pray for them in the midst of this crisis.   He said the decision to close the church was a surprise because it’s so close to Christmas.   Ronald Harrison, executive archdeacon of the Diocese of New Westminster, said Holy Cross brought the closure upon itself by seeking episcopal oversight from another bishop. He said that a result of the church declaring itself independent was that its funds had been stopped and eventually the bishop was forced to close it.   The decision by Bishop Ingham to sanction same-sex unions and the broader issue of homosexuality are dividing Anglicans. In October, church leaders met at a crisis conference in London called in part because of Bishop Ingham’s approval of same-sex unions. The Canadian House of Bishops has also set up a task force to look at parishes opposed to Bishop Ingham’s decision. Holy Cross, a mission church that relies on its funding from the diocese, is part of a group of breakaway churches in New Westminster that was seeking episcopal oversight by Bishop Terry Buckle of the Yukon.   In October, the Diocesan Council of New Westminster voted to close Holy Cross but needed Bishop Ingham’s approval. However, funding was withdrawn from the church.   In a letter dated Dec. 18, Bishop Ingham informed Mr. Wagner that he had decided to close the church.   Mr. Wagner said he told parishioners the news on Sunday. They were shocked and surprised that it would come at this time. When they got the news it was four days before Christmas.   None of the other churches in the breakaway group has been closed. Because they are incorporated individually, and don’t rely on funding from the diocese, they have been able to carry on.   Mr. Wagner said his church was being ostracized within the diocese though it is aligned with Anglican thinking worldwide.   Substantially we are right in step with Anglicans throughout the world and that has great consolation for them [the parishioners] because they very much want to be Anglicans. They are not doing things rebelliously and very much want to be a part of the family of Anglicans throughout the world, Mr. Wagner said.   The termination of the church meant they were like sheep without a shepherd, he said.   He said although they would celebrate Mass on Christmas Day, they would not be recognized as Anglicans. It’s not just that the Diocese of New Westminster will not recognize us as Anglicans, the really sad thing is that, unofficially, there are many Anglicans who want to recognize us, but, officially, there is no one that will recognize us as such.   Mr. Wagner had already had his pay cut off by the diocese and said he now needed to consult with his lawyer to see what his position is.   I don’t regret what I am doing or the circumstances I find myself in. I think that Jesus often talked about his disciples having to count the cost and having to take up their cross, he said.   He called on the Canadian House of Bishops and primates internationally for clear leadership.   Mr. Wagner said the parish had already been in discussion with the House of Bishops’ task force. The task force was set up to establish adequate provision for Episcopal oversight of dissenting minorities.   It followed a call from Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, who warned the Anglican Church was in danger of splintering over the issue of homosexuality.   After the task force was set up, Bishop Ingham wrote to Holy Cross offering to restore its funding if it accepted his authority.   Mr. Harrison said the bishop had never had a satisfactory reply except from Mr. Wagner, who said he was consulting his lawyer.   We support and fund all kinds of things, including mission initiatives, but if they have openly declared their hostility to the diocese and the diocesan bishop and will not rescind that even when the bishop has stepped back from the plate, the question is: Why would we fund that?   The decision was made months ago and the bishop withheld his decision while he waited for the parish to respond favourably. They didn’t correspond with him. It has nothing to do with Christmas. We have been waiting for their response for some time.