Archives

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)       By David W. Virtue, DD   It was a cataclysmic year in the life of the Anglican Communion.     The new 104th Archbishop of the Anglican Communion was enthroned in Canterbury in March an emergency meeting of the Primates was held at Lambeth later in the year, the consecration of a non-celibate homosexual to The Episcopal Church took place, the almost consecration of a homosexual canon theologian to The Church of England was sabotaged at the last minute some 3,000 orthodox Episcopalians met in Dallas to plot a new direction for themselves, it all ending with the formation of a Network of Anglican Dioceses and Congregations that will challenge The Episcopal Church very control of its people. There has never been a year like it in the history of the Anglican Communion or The Episcopal Church. The entire Communion hovered on the very brink of schism, with cries of outrage from Global South Primates and bishops as they viewed their Western counterparts doing and saying things that violated the very core of Anglican doctrine and practice, in fact the very truth of what it means to be a Christian.     The newly elected Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams found himself floundering in a sea of controversy over sexuality issues that will require Solomonic wisdom to resolve if the Communion is to stay together. He would not offer a clear biblical word rejecting sex outside of marriage, preferring to set in motion an Eames Commission report he hopes by Oct. 2004 will bring all the parties together at a common table. He might well be whistling Dixie.     THE YEAR 2003 began ominously enough with word being declared that The Episcopal Church was going through a dark night of the soul with The Anglican Church in Canada also being torn apart by sin and bad theology,     In January a radical bid for alternative Episcopal oversight brought two British evangelical groups REFORM and CHURCH SOCIETY together saying they wanted pastoral care from someone other than Rowan Williams to reign over them because he had knowingly ordained a -homosexual and they called on Peter Jensen the Archbishop of Sydney to give them cover.     The Archbishop of Canterbury was not amused by the actions of these two groups.   But in the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA, the bishop Charles Bennison, was thwarted yet again after an orthodox priest he wanted out of one of his parishes went off to Africa to face trial and was promptly sent back to resume his ministry. Fr. Eddy Rix, 32, priest in charge at All Saints, Wynnewood pled guilty to functioning as a priest without a license in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, got a slap on the wrist, after being allowed to preach in the African diocese and then ordered home to pick up where he left off, much to the chagrin of Bennison.     As a sign of the times another orthodox priest, the Rev. Frederick C. Watson resigned and went off to the Russian Orthodox church fed up with the ECUSA new found religion.     The Archbishop of Canterbury took a major hit from Mark Steyn in the Sunday Telegraph saying that his criticism of the war on Iraq as utterly immoral showed he was himself morally flawed. Williams spent a good part of the year making statements making nice with what he generously called moderate Islamic groups who didnt really want to commit Jihad against the West.     THE AFRICAN ANGLICAN CHURCH, one of the last bastions of religious conservatism, reluctantly prepared for battle against Western-imposed liberalism. On a continent where homosexuality is not only morally unacceptable, but often also illegal, the possibility that Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, would want to ordain practicing homosexuals prompted undisguised horror. As abhorrent as female circumcision is to you in the West, that is how abhorrent homosexuality is to the African mind, said one Kenyan bishop. If they go ahead and do it [ordain homosexuals], the African Church will react, and will react negatively. Homosexuality is unbiblical and unnatural.       That was just for openers, the pressure and heat mounted ominously throughout the year.     And back in the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA, Bennison failed to dislodge Father David Moyer from the rectorship of Church of the Good Shepherd parish, or even to eliminate the parish as a vital force in the Philadelphia area, or worldwide.   Moyer became answerable to an archbishop in Africa with the feud drawing international attention after the ultra-liberal bishop officially defrocked the orthodox priest in September for defying his authority. Father Moyer and his supporters, however, worked out a plan to foil the action Within minutes of the defrocking, he was made a priest in the Province of Central Africa, then was transferred to the oversight of the bishop of Pittsburgh. Father Moyer continued to function as pastor of the Rosemont parish, an unprecedented situation that pleased fellow traditionalists in the Anglican Communion but confounded Episcopal strategists. By yearend he was still safely ensconced in his parish with his attorney John H. Lewis, Jr., declaring that the crisis had passed.     Lewis has said that Bennison had become a prisoner of his own wrongful actions. Since he claims to have deposed Father Moyer, he cannot bring any new church proceedings against Father Moyer since that would require him to admit that Father Moyer remains a priest in good standing, an admission that would also require Bishop Bennison to admit that his deposition was wrongful and invalid. QED   Later in January, America’s premier theologian Robert Jensen bluntly declared at a conference of Ecumenical scholars in Charleston, SC that included a goodly number of Episcopalians and Anglicans that men and women who indulge in homoerotic relationships should not be ordained. Frank Griswold was not amused.     A position paper signed by four theologians arguing that General Convention had no authority to approve of blessings for same-sex couples provoked a firestorm of opinion from across the Internet. Virtuosity wrote at the time, no single issue outside the ongoing struggle with homosexuality in ECUSA has caused so much discussion to erupt in recent memory. Should orthodox and evangelical Episcopalians stay or leave ECUSA? We would recognize such an exceptional action as being unconstitutional, declared Dr. Paul Zahl, Dean of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham.     It was also a year in which the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Frank Griswold took more hits than a Mafia foot soldier in a Sopranos sitcom.     His Soutane attire was splattered with the blood of betrayal, broken promises, outright lies, distortions and venality, taken to a level unheard of and unprecedented in the entire history of The Episcopal Church.     In the first of many missteps Griswold told Bishop Bennison that his going after Fr. Moyer was utterly unacceptable and to help his theologically pluriform mind he invoked the thoroughly deceased Sufi poet Rumi inviting all parties, including the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Pennsylvania to a field beyond wrongdoing and rightdoing for a pow wow. There was no meeting. Absolute, non-pluriform right and wrong continued to haunt the Presiding Bishop throughout the year.     Also haunting The Episcopal Church was the Anglican Mission in America (AMIA) whose numbers only increased throughout the year as they slowly gobbled up ripe Episcopal churches fed up with ECUSA theological and moral drift. Some 600 met in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina for what has now become one of the most significant gatherings of Anglicans on this continent. A few short years ago the Anglican Mission in America (AMIA) was but an idea in the minds of its founders, a group of men grown disenchanted by the growing apostasy in The Episcopal Church USA. Today, all that has changed. With some 12,000 followers in more than 100 parishes, the AMIA has become a significant witness in the worldwide Anglican Communion to which they have a formal relationship, and a challenge to liberal and orthodox bishops in the ECUSA.     January was also the month that saw two bishops, one a Canadian and the other an American lashing out at Anglican INTERNET communication with one bishop, Michael Ingham (New Westminster) recently calling it a medium of abuse. The other bishop, Charles E. Bennison (Pennsylvania) filed a motion to prevent an Anglo-Catholic priest and his attorney from revealing to VIRTUOSITY what is in the secret documents about the inhibition of Fr. David Moyer that Bennison had been ordered to produce. Bennison cited VIRTUOSITY as a primary source of his irritation over revealing what really happened in the Bennison attack on Fr. Moyer. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church also denounced Internet stories as full of distortion and untrue and berated this journalist for using the Internet to reveal information about ECUSA he would prefer to have been kept secret. Virtuosity became the focus of their wrath throughout the year, as news of the churchvenality filtered out unspun around the Communion.     In other news it was declared that the last line in the sand had been drawn and Frank Griswold and ECUSA would be declared out of Communion if same-sex unions got passed GC2003. It was also the month that Dr. Louie Crew, ECUSAFirst Sodomite announced that he would seek the presidency of the House of Deputies in an attempt to unseat George Werner in an open vote at GC2003. As events turned out his attempt failed. But it did have the effect of keeping Wernerfeet to the revisionist fire, if he should suddenly decide to weaken and make nice with ECUSAorthodox. Crew was not without his strategy.     In the DIOCESE OF NEWYORK, the former Bishop of New York, Richard Grein suffered a set back in his legal fight with the Rev. Janet Kraft for throwing her out of Grace Church in Manhattan and placing his very close female friend Anne Richards in her place. The judge told Grein and his lawyers to settle the case because he had little chance of winning. Grein also got divorced. He was one of the most hateful bishops in ECUSA towards orthodox priests in his diocese. The Kraft case still remains unresolved.     In another sign of theological insanity, the DIOCESE OF NEW YORK sent a number of Episcopalians to rebuild a mosque in Kabul rather than preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ or to build a church so people could worship Jesus. Making nice with the enemy was more important than telling them the Good News about Jesus.     FORWARD IN FAITH, NORTH AMERICA, the traditionalist Anglo-Catholic arm of The ECUSA said they wanted to remain a part of the Episcopal Church. Be it resolved that the purpose of Forward in Faith, North America, is to uphold the historic Faith, Practice and Order of the Church Biblical, Apostolic and Catholic, and to resist all efforts to deviate from it. To this end, Forward in Faith, North America, seeks to minister pastorally and sacramentally to all who are faithful to the Anglican Way, both within the Episcopal Church and outside it, while working internationally and cooperatively for the creation of an orthodox Province of the Anglican Communion.       And Griswold told us all how embarrassed he was being an American because the nation wanted to go to war with Iraq. Many Episcopalians retorted that they felt embarrassed having Griswold as their Presiding Bishop. Former U. S. President George Herbert Bush, an Episcopalian, hammered Griswold for his recent anti-American comments. Griswold said he was ashamed of being an American and was tired of apologizing for being from the U.S. and for wanting war with Iraq, while Bush was not doing enough about the worldstarving. Bush senior lit into Griswold saying that he found Griswoldrhetoric highly offensive and said Americans were among the most kind and generous, fairest nation in the world.   The Archbishop of Canterbury also took it on the chin from one of the Anglican Churchsenior Australian leaders. The archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, on a preaching tour of England, called on Dr Williams, the leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, to espouse the teaching of scripture and end his personal sympathy for homosexual couples. The Australian archbishop was the first senior bishop to voice concerns about Dr. Williams, after both the Church Society and Reform called on Dr Williams to step down even before his appointment as archbishop was confirmed.     In Southern Africa, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, called on Southern Africa10 million baptized Anglicans to take a pro-homosexual line putting him at odds with the rest of the continentAfrican bishops. Archbishop Ndungane circulated an eight-page discussion document on human sexuality. The document warned that, besides threatening the unity of the Anglican Communion, the matter of homosexuality was causing deep pain on both sides of the debate. The first step was to find common foundations. The rest of the African bishops did not agree. They didnt like his foundations one little bit.   In yet another bit of singular madness, Bishop Bennison cited Hitler in criticizing African church growth. He told a reporter on National Public Radio that when it comes to the faith, millions of conservative African Christians are wrong. He likened their growth to Hitler and the Nazis. Bennison tried to backpedal but the damage was done. A Jewish lady who had worked for Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini in the Province of Rwanda, wrote saying she was so outraged she just couldnt find the words to say how she felt. The statement he [Bennison] made is unbelievable no matter how he tries to correct himself, and he said it on national radio no less. Does he know that I, a Jew, have been serving alongside Archbishop Kolini for more then 15 years! The comparison between Hitler and Kolini is so far fetched it is not even worth this email... Perhaps Bennison should read The Pink Swastika Homosexuality in the Nazi Party, 4th edition, she wrote. Bennison spent a good deal of the year putting his foot in his mouth. By yearsend he was tasting leather.     Dr. Pam Darling, a leading Episcopal Church historian, and a member of the Pennsylvania Standing Committee, said in a Memorandum that,Forward in Faith was manipulating past and present Archbishops of Canterbury over Fr. David Moyer, The Episcopal Churchleading Anglo-Catholic cleric in his battle with Bishop Bennison. It was another attempt by a revisionist historian to spin the truth and shut down orthodoxy. Bennison had, in September 2002, fraudulently deposed Fr. Moyer after concealing from his Standing Committee a letter from Frank Griswold top back off. Fr. Moyerattorney filed a complaint in the civil court and the part and present Archbishops of Canterbury (as well as numerous other bishops) refused to recognize the deposition. Moyer was received into an African Diocese and then received by Bishop Robert Duncan of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. In 2003, he and his curate became canonically resident in African Dioceses.     But not to be entirely outdone, the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. George Carey got into an embarrassing contest of wills with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in Switzerland. Following a speech by Powell on US foreign policy he took a question from the former Archbishop of Canterbury. Carey was diplomatically rude and insulting to the United States, bringing up the difference between soft (diplomatic/economic) and hard (military) power with an implied question as to whether the United States is capable of understanding the difference in todaymiddle-eastern world. In the most diplomatic terms and manner, the good General skewered the former ABC, reminding him that United States has a clear understanding of hard and soft power since it has been militarily successful across the 20th Century and NEVER asked for anything from the countries that it liberated or conquered except for enough ground to bury its dead.     And in the DIOCESE OF MASSACHUSETTS pluriformity reigned supreme. A diversity in faith, unity in peace rally was held at which Quakers, Buddhists, and Muslim muezzin, swayed to the jazz arrangement of a Christian spiritual. Members of Massachusettsreligious community gathered in the landmark Trinity Church where Episcopal Bishop Thomas Shaw ticked off a list of concerns he said the assembly fears more than Hussein, including the damage wrought by AIDS in Africa, environmental destruction, a deteriorating economy, and how hated we are by so many of our brothers and sisters around the globe.He echoed sentiments expressed by his close personal friend Frank Griswold.     Three dioceses held conventions in January, in which two, Newark and Washington upheld sodomite practices while Central Florida bucked the trend and called for more evangelism and mission outreach.     END OF PART ONE

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 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 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 Therea general change in culture at the moment. Itnot 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 therea lot that good about the traditional ways weve always done things and itjust 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 Annasown 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 itsomething 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 youre 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 wouldnt agree with, youre 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 culturehomophobic 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 doesnt 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 Churchagenda is dictated by the media so I encourage you and urge you to start broadening it a bit.   Who can blame him?   *****

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. Andrews, 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. Andrews 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. Andrews 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 its 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 Gods 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, beastiality, 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 Gods 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. Andrews, 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 layity 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.   Support VirtueOnline. Our Beloved Anglican Communion is in turmoil. 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.     Please keep this writer in your prayers, and if you can support this ministry, please do so either electronically (http// www.virtueonline.org/donate.html ) via check or credit card by using PayPal or you can send your check to:     VirtueOnline P.O. Box 111 Shohola, PA 18458     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 virtuedavid20@gmaIL.COM 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 Archbishops brief presence in Nairobi with polite applause he offered them nothing that assured them of Canterburys 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,     VIRTUEONLINE     [b]WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT VIRTUEONLINE[/b]       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. Jerry Kramer, Anglican Missionary to the Muslim World       I have been following his regular news and commentary for more than 10 years.  I continue to do so.  VOL pulls no punches and David is relentless in pursuing truth, particularly when people are abusing GodChurch.  David does not suffer despots in the Church and takes great trouble to expose their conduct.  Amongst the orthodox who write about the Anglican Communion David is guaranteed to have a strong opinion, take a strong stand and sometimes rub people the wrong way.  David never counts the cost so long as what is hidden may be exposed to the light of truth. -- Rev. Ian Montgomery, Missionary to the Anglican Diocese of Peru       In spite of the remarkable growth in the number of blogs and websites covering Anglican issues today, trying to find truly reliable and balanced Anglican news has actually become more difficult. Agendas and biases have replaced journalistic professionalism and integrity as the new guiding forces behind much of what is reported on the web today. VOL has been delivering the highest quality news and commentary for almost twenty years. David Virtues timely interviews and comprehensive analysis always give me the most accurate and insightful reports of what really matters to me and to my Anglican family. I am a VOL supporter, and I encourage you to join me to support VOL for the next 20 years. -- AMiA Bishop Doc Loomis.       Virtueonline allows me to know what is going on all over the Anglican scene, and usually in the words of the people directly involved.  I always read it each and every week. -- The Rt. Rev William Wantland, Bishop of Eau Clair (ret)       VirtueOnline is an incredibly valuable channel of global communication on all matters affecting the wider Christian body, and especially our Anglican part of it. Ive always been impressed with Davidown writing that while appropriately acerbic, remains  insightful, theologically rich, and deftly humorous. VirtueOnlineformat has increasingly become both user friendly and comprehensive. I cannot commend it too highly. -- Peter C. Moore, former Dean and President of Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA     Your loyalty to our faithful reporting makes this unique Anglican news service worthwhile.   Please make a tax- deductible donation to VOL. You can do so by hitting the PAYPAL link at VOLs website (http// www.virtueonline.org/donate.html )       Or you can send a check to     VIRTUEONLINE P.O. Box 111 Shohola, PA 18458     *****

By Jesse J. DeConto Seacoast Newspapers   EXETER, N.H. - About 100 displaced Episcopalians gathered for a Christmas Eve service at Phillips Exeter Academy this past week as an alternative to the mainline Episcopal churches that elected V. Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican ChurchThis was the largest gathering of a group called the Seacoast Mission Fellowship (SMF), which is holding Bible studies in private homes and providing community for Episcopalians who believe Scripture condemns Robinson’s active relationship with his male partner of 14 years.     I’m just somebody looking for a new church, said Exeter resident and SMF member Clayton Ellis, a cradle Episcopalian who left his church of seven years, Christ Episcopal in Exeter, over Robinson’s election.   It is consoling to know I’m not alone.     Ellis was one of about 10 Christ Church members who left over Robinson election, according to Father John Denson, the church rector.     Exeter resident Charlie Higginson, who is considering leaving Christ Church after 17 years, said the number is closer to.   Were very sad when anybody feels the need to leave, Denson said. I would hope that we could stay together and talk through these things.       Ellis said he and other former Christ Church members have found a temporary home at All Saints Church in West Newbury, Mass., where they can agree practicing homosexuals should not hold leadership positions in the church.     In October, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, leader of the Anglican churches worldwide, established a commission to examine the impact of creating a separate Anglican province in North America for dioceses and parishes who believe gay and lesbian sex acts violate Scripture. The commission will report on the potential for avoiding a split sometime in 04.     With the future of its relationship with the Episcopal Church yet uncertain, SMF has planned meetings only through January, when it will gather twice for Sunday worship and three times a week for Bible studies.   Leading the fellowship are two young seminarians from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, an evangelical graduate school in South Hamilton, Mass.     Christopher Klukas, 22, who delivered the Christmas Eve sermon Wednesday evening, and Esau McCauley, 24, who was visiting his sick mother in Alabama, a re organizing the temporarily homeless parishioners into home study classes which they also teach.     Klukas received a standing ovation when he announced he and McCauley a serving New Hampshire as missionaries of the Saint Aidan Mission Society. The men are handling the fellowship finances through All Saints in West Newbury until the group becomes more structured.     Our relationship with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is still forming, McCauley told the Herald.       Helping Klukas to lead Wednesday service were his father, the Rev. Arnold Klukas, a professor at Nashotah House, an Episcopal seminary in Wisconsin, and Father Donald Wilson, the former priest-in-charge of Church of the Redeemer in Rochester, whom outgoing New Hampshire Bishop Douglas Theuner removed last month for insubordination when Wilson refused to acknowledge Robinson’s authority as bishop.     Several Redeemer parishioners attended Wednesday service, but afterward said they plan to remain in the Episcopal Church and hope Robinson will see fit to transfer their church into the care of the more conservative Diocese of Albany once he takes the bishop’s seat in March.   Our intention is to stay at our church and take it back, said church treasurer Kathy Lewis. We’re praying that Gene will be merciful and cut Redeemer loose to Albany. If he doesn’t, were going to be a thorn in his side until the day we die.     Another member, Susan Cloutman, said many at Redeemer are skipping the sacrament of communion and withholding money from the Diocese of N.H. because appointed interim priests do not share their view of biblical authority.     Father Tim Rich, whose St. John Church in Portsmouth has lost about 10 members because of Robinson’s election, said the SMF will not last if it coalesces around a negative.     Your identity cant be sustained by opposition, he said. That’s not something that, in the long term, I believe can energize folks, can hold folks together, can create a sense of mission.     Rich said he prays SMF can organize around a positive identity. During the Christmas Eve service, no one mentioned Robinson, but Christopher Klukas did allude to the crisis in the Episcopal Church.       If nothing else, Christmas Eve is about God coming into the world to save sinners, he said. Regardless of anything that happens in our church, we are still Christians, and we are called to proclaim that Gospel.     Though he is confident Archbishop Williams will establish an orthodox province in North America and that the Seacoast Anglicans will join, McCauley stressed SMF did not form in protest of Robinson.   We’re not angry at anyone, he said. We’re not a church that’s in op position to anything. ... Were here strictly to provide a safe place.     Stratham resident Dave Ward, who left Christ Church in Exeter after four years, said the Episcopal Church in the United States split the Anglican Communion by endorsing Robinson, and those who gathered Wednesday are seeking to restore that communion.     The majority of Anglicans in the world are out of communion with the Diocese of New Hampshire, he said. The Archbishop of Canterbury is not going to side with a few political activists in New Hampshire.     Robinson was not available for comment, but diocesan clergy do not believe his ascendance to bishop must necessarily divide the church.     There are members of my parish who are not happy with the election of Bishop Robinson, but they have chosen to stay in the parish, said Father Hank Junkin, rector of St. Andrew’s n Hopkinton and president of the Standing Committee which advises the bishop. The bishop only comes to the parish once a year. You don’t need to be here when he here. All politics are local, and I think a healthy spiritual life is local too. From a day-to-day stand point, the bishop’s impact is very minimal.     When asked whether a gay bishop could shepherd Christians who believe his lifestyle is sinful, Junkin responded Ita substantive and very good question to ask. I just wish we would be asking that question from inside the church rather than outside.   But SMF members no longer believe the Episcopal Church is providing the sound biblical teaching they expect. Higginson said Christ Church has two fine priests, but I think they’re misled. I think they’re deceived.     They have to do away with the scripture that holds the way that Robinson is living as sin, he said. In order to justify that, they’re going to have to change the way they teach scripture. What they’re doing is sanctifying the sin, and I can’t be part of that.     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, aying the church was not ready Winterrowd, who is retiring Dec. 31, said he went into August 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

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       Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Personal Life   (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. Were 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 t hat 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 behavior. Adults with a biblical worldview possessed radically different views on morality, held divergent religious beliefs, and demonstrated vastly different life style 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 an 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 Paul Cocke News Editor Anacortes American     Members of a new Anglican church in Anacortes say that they didn’t leave the Episcopal Church the church left them.       The Trinity Community Church of Anacortes, part of the Anglican Province of America, has been meeting at the Anacortes Public Library since August. The congregation consists of 50 to 60 people, many of whom previously attended Episcopal churches in the valley. Our people believe that they really have not become disaffected, but rather they have adhered to the faith and tradition that always been there. They’re continuing that and their feeling is that the church they once knew and attended has left them, said Bishop John Hamers, who is leading worshipers at the new church.     Episcopal Church policy for some time has created a rift among its members, highlighted by the controversy sparked by the recent consecration of an openly gay man as bishop of New Hampshire.     Bob LaRue said he and his wife Jean had been regular members of Christ Episcopal Church in Anacortes, but that some of the things that have been happening both locally and nationally had kind of caused us to drift away.     LaRue said they attended an Anglican church in Shoreline, which led to discussions about starting a new church here.   We mentioned once or twice that it would be nice if we could have an Anglican church up here in the valley, someplace that we could attend, LaRue said.     That led to Bob and Jean LaRue and another couple, Randy and Sandra Walley from Mount Vernon, meeting with Hamers and the new local church was born.   But Hamers said the rift in the church stretches back decades.   The Episcopal Church is part of the Anglican Communion, which encompasses churches around the world descended from the Church of England. Anglicanism is rooted in the Protestant Reformation in England, with the archbishop of Canterbury as its spiritual leader.   Many of the early colonists in this country were members of the Church of England, but when America declared its independence from England, it became important to them to have an indigenous church.     As far back as the 1960s, Hamers said that more conservative-minded Episcopalians became disenchanted with some of the directions the Episcopal Church was taking. They felt that the Episcopal Church hierarchy was moving toward sort of watering down theology and not adhering to traditional interpretations of Holy Scripture.     So they began to break off and said, if you’re going off in that direction, we cant follow you. We’re going to stick with what we have known, the heritage of our faith, said Hamers, adding that movement has been intensifying during the last 10 to 15 years.   Hamers said that many of those people did not accept the idea that the Scriptures and the teaching of the church were subject to modification to suit the culture, but rather were God word and applicable to the condition of mankind in all ages.     And as a result of that, in some locations, entire parishes just walked away from their church buildings and left the Episcopal Church, Hamers said.     In other areas, portions of congregations left the Episcopal Church, in some cases forming their own parishes.   They thought they were in isolation and it took a number of years for them to become aware of each other and as they became aware of each other they started growing back together, Hamers said, adding there still some of that going on.     Hamers estimated there are a couple of hundred parishes across the United States of traditionalist Anglicans, some of them going under different names.     What were seeing here in Anacortes and Skagit County right at the moment is people who have more recently made the decision we can no longer go along with the directions that it appears to us the Episcopal Church is taking. They’ve said, no, we want to stick with the Bible as God’s word and be more conservative, if that’s a good term, Hamers said. There are some stay-at-homes who are now coming back to church because a more conservative church is available to them.     Were saddened over the fact that the church that we did know has gone off in those other directions, but we feel we are bound to stick to those basic fundamentals that we believe in ... Hamers said.     We fill a niche of people who want traditional worship and believe that the Bible is the enlightened word of God. It’s pretty simple, really, said Bob Hyde, senior warden for the new church.   Recently, overseas bishops who said they represented 50 million of the world77 million Anglicans jointly announced they were in a state of impaired communion with the Episcopal Church a step short of declaring a full schism, according to the Seattle Times.     And the Times also reported that conservatives within the U.S. church have asked the archbishop of Canterbury to authorize a separate Anglican province for them in North America.     The Rev. Peter Strimer, communications director for the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, which covers Western Washington, said that the church’s ordination of women as priests in 1976 also provoked similar sentiments from more conservative members of the church.     Strimer said the Episcopal Church has always welcomed and included people with widely divergent views, from the more conservative to the more liberal. Instead of leaving the church, Strimer said he wished people would stay and share their views.     We are very sad that anyone feels the need to leave at this time, especially because we feel one of the main characteristics of the Episcopal Church is inclusiveness, Strimer said. The decisions regarding Gene Robinson becoming the bishop of New Hampshire is best seen as a symbol of that inclusiveness. Those people who have chosen to leave as well as everyone in all our communities will always be welcomed back with open arms.     But Hamers and other leaders of the new church say its formation was not a direct result of the elevation of Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. LaRue noted their new church held its first service, after weeks of planning, the weekend the new bishop was consecrated.   The gay bishop issue is not the big issue. That’s a symptom only of the fact that the Episcopal Church no longer professes, so far as we can determine, that the Holy Scriptures are relevant to today society. And that has brought about this symptom, Hamers said.   I’m sure that the whole thing that came out of convention has probably been kind of the last straw for some of the folks who joined our congregation as we’ve gone along, said LaRue, adding that the bishop calls it the alarm clock going off.     We are not a church against something. Were a church that’s for something. And our thrust for the present and future is really an emphasis on building a family church where families are welcome and there is Christian education for children as well as continuing Christian education for adults, and ministering to one another in a church parish and family in a positive way, Hamers said. We want to make it very clear our objective is not to sit around and criticize other people or what they’re doing.   Locally, there have been other issues as well, including the fact that the three Episcopal churches in Skagit County share priests who rotate among them. Members of the new church said they want a priest who has the time to minister to their spiritual needs, as well as providing pastoral support for families.     However, Strimer said such regional clusters of priests working with more than one church is not unique to Skagit Valley and is indeed often found in areas where smaller congregations cannot support a full-time priest.     Many members of the new church live in Anacortes, although some come from Guemes Island, Oak Harbor, Mount Vernon and beyond, said Hamers, who came out of retirement to lead the new church.   Hamers said the intent is for the church to offer worship to Anacortes residents and to those living beyond Fidalgo Island as well, since it is the only such Anglican Church in Skagit Valley.   Church members are looking for more permanent quarters than the library, but said they work hard to make sure the library meeting room really has the appearance of a church on Sundays. The Trinity Community Church of Anacortes holds services at 10 a.m. Sundays in the front meeting room at the library. Adult Bible study and Sunday School starts at 9 a.m. For more information about the church, call Bishop Hamers at 360-428-7709.   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 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 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 a re 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 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 Special to VIRTUOSITY     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 PhilipChurch, 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 website www.virtuosityonline.org .   For more details see anglicancommunioninstitute.org , or contact The Rev.d Donald Armstrong at GraceRector@aol.com . http// www.AnglicanCommunionDioceses.org/     END

By David Bedein FrontPageMagazine.com December 26, 2003     This is the first Christmas since the Palestinian Authority adopted an   official constitution based on Koranic Sharia Law, which means that   all Christians who live under the PA are now subject to Islamic LawOver the past three years, while attention has focused on Israeli and Palestinian casualties of the current war, at least one hundred Christians who live in areas ruled by the Palestinian Authority have been arrested and imprisoned for holding church services or conducting public Christian practices without authorization.     Some of these Christians were set free when the Israeli army liberated the jails in the Palestinian Authority at the time of the Israeli army incursion into Palestinian cities in April, 2002.     Those freed Christian prisoners from the Palestinian jails now take refuge by hiding throughout Israel, as they surreptitiously work to try to get their families out of Palestinian cities to join them and emigrate to any safe haven they can find in the West.     I have met with a few of these Christian Palestinians. One of them, whom I shall call Joseph to protect the confidentiality of his identity, described the ordeal that he has experienced. He and his brother live in hiding while badgering the US consulate for help to try to get US visas for their families, and have done so ever since their liberation by Israel more than 18 months ago. Joseph described to meow his family cannot openly practice Christian holidays in Bethlehem under the watchful eyes of the PLO Islamic police force. After all, the only place in the West Bank where the PLO army currently operates is in the Bethlehem area. Joseph also described how the US-funded Palestinian public school system has become Islamicized, and how his late nephew was literally tortured to death at age 12 by his schoolmates because he expressed love and respect for his uncle as a practicing Christian.   Last Spring, the Vatican Ambassador to the Holy Land, Archbishop Msgr. Pietro Sambi, known as the Papal Nuncio, warned a US Congressional delegation that the new Palestinian Authority approved state constitution, funded by US AID, provided no juridical status whatsoever for any religion other than Islam in the emerging Palestinian Arab entity. The Papal Nuncio also expressed his concern to visiting US lawmakers that the PA had adopted Sharia Islamic Law, based on the model of the Sharia from Koranic edicts as practiced in Iran or in Saudi Arabia.     Article (5) of the official Palestinian State Constitution reads as follows Arabic and Islam are the official Palestinian language and religion. Christianity and all other monotheistic religions shall be equally revered and respected.     In other words, As Archbishop Sambi noted, other religions such as Christianity, let alone Judaism, are only to be respected, while being denied any juridical status under the new Palestinian State Constitution.     The status of Islam as the official religion of any future Palestinian Arab entity is also expressed in Article (7) of the official Palestinian State Constitution which states that The principles of Islamic Sharia are a major source for legislation. Civil and religious matters of the followers of monotheistic religions shall be organized in accordance with their religious teachings and denominations within the framework of law, while preserving the unity and independence of the Palestinian people.     The constitutional translation can be accessed on the home page of the website www.israelbehindthenews.com     Islamic nations which have adopted the Sharia law, have mandated the absolute supremacy of Muslims over non-Muslims as matter of law, more than of simply of attitude.   What worried the Archbishop was that all Christian churches and all Christian schools will be placed under the arbitrary authority of Islamic Fundamental Law, which allows nothing more than tolerance of other religions at best.     For the past seven months, the US embassy has been asked to comment on the US-funded Palestinian State Constitution. No response has been forthcoming from anyone in the US government, except for denials that it exists. Yet the author of the PA State Constitution, Mr. Nabil Shaath, affirms the existence of the PA State Constitution, as presented by the Vatican’s ambassador.     The PA state constitution’s imposition of Sharia Islamic Law is most certainly in effect.     Calls to the US embassy and US consulate to determine whether the US government is looking into the situation of Christians under the rule of the Palestinian National Authority have not been answered.     After all, it was USAID which financed the creation of the PA State Constitution, which meant the imposition of the Islamic Law throughout the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.     Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran which have adopted Sharia Islamic Law, have made life quite difficult for Christians. Under Sharia Islamic Law, Christians are considered dhimmis, second class citizens.     A research study released last Christmas by the Jerusalem Center For Public Affairs entitled The Beleaguered Christians, notes that in Egypt, Muslim, but not Christian, schools receive state funding....It is nearly impossible to restore or build new churches....Christians are frequently ostracized or insulted in public, and laws prohibit Muslim conversions to Christianity.     That same study notes that Saudi Arabia is one of the most oppressive countries for Christians. There are no churches in the whole country.   Foreign workers make up one-third of the population, many of whom are Christians. For their entire stay, which may be years, they are forbidden to display any Christian symbols or Bibles, or even meet together publicly to worship and pray. Some have watched their personal Bibles put through a shredder when they entered the country. In Iran, the printing of Christian literature is illegal, converts from Islam are liable to be killed, and most evangelical churches must function underground.     Bethlehem is understood by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus. When Israel retook control of Bethlehem in 1967, the majority of Bethlehem residents practiced various denominations of the Christian faith. However, with Israel withdrawal due to the Oslo Accords and after less than ten years of Palestinian Authority rule the Middle East has witnessed a dramatic exodus of Christians from the city. This Christmas, less than 5% in the city of Jesus birthplace is Christian.   The mainstream media have hesitated to report that fact. President George W. Bush administration has envisioned a democratic Palestinian entity that is devoid of terror. Instead, officials of US AID have fostered a constitution which envisions creation of the Islamic totalitarian state of Palestine, completely devoid of religious freedom and human rights.     This Christmas, an Islamic army occupies Bethlehem. This Christmas, no Church can operate in Bethlehem without Islamic approval.   And Christians in the Palestinian Authority are not seeing a Merry Christmas as a result.     This is the legacy of what the US AID has facilitated, with or without the knowledge of the White House.     David Bedein is the bureau chief of the Israel Resource News Agency, located at the Beit Agron International Press Center in Jerusalem.     *****

Ai Lin Choo, Vancouver Sun Friday, December 26, 2003   ABBOTSFORD Surrounded by Christmas wrappings, presents and excited children, about 20 members of Abbotsford newly terminated Church of the Holy Cross gathered in their priest’s  living room for Christmas service Thursday.   While the gathering was mostly upbeat and included the usual Christmas songs and nativity stories, the reasons behind the domestic gathering were still on the minds of many.     We as a church community will continue as we always have. It unfortunate that the diocese has felt the need to close down the mission, said Dave Chapman, who has been a member of the church since it opened in 2001.     Thursday was the first time parishioners had met for a service since hearing that Bishop Michael Ingham had decided to terminate their mission. The small church has been battling Ingham ever since he decided to sanction same-sex marriages in the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster.     Reverend James Wagner said the service renewed his commitment to his congregation, adding, we will continue to worship, even though were apparently not recognized formally.     The makeshift church looked like any other Christmas-morning household.   Children ran around excitedly displaying and playing with their new toys. But for the parishioners, the atmosphere reiterated a sense of loss -- of not feeling like they belong to a larger community.     We hear a lot about tolerance and diversity and that diverse views should be respected. It seems to me a strange way to resolve conflict, said Chapman.   He said he has been feeling frustrated and disappointed since hearing that the church has been cut off from the New Westminster diocese. He finds it ironic that a church is closing down a mission when, in his view, churches are supposed to be about opening new missions.     There’s just something strangely ironic and surreal about all this.     And although the mission church is only three years old, member Rachel Weiland said she is very hurt by the closure.     We follow the minority these days and we stick to the word of God and the diocese doesn’t, so they just cut us off, she said.     While the New Westminster diocese does not place an obligation on priests to perform same-sex marriages, Wagner says the issue is only part of the fight with the diocese. Members of the mission church say they differ from their diocese in their belief that gays and lesbians can be cured of their sexual orientation.     Wagner says the controversy is now being looked at by a task force at the Canadian House of Bishops for dissenting parishes and hopes the decision to terminate the church will be overturned. Beyond that, he says, he has no plans for what he will do next. I haven’t thought that far yet.   Because the New Westminster diocese withdrew funding to the church in October, Wagner doubts the congregation will be able to continue to meet in the location where it has been holding services lately – a seniors room at the Matsqui Recreational Centre.     But Jeremy Smyth, who described the mood Thursday as quiet and reflective, said that doesn’t mean it lacked joy. In a strange way, I am joyful because as a Christian I find it a joy to be persecuted for Jesus sake -- especially at Christmas time when were caught up in the stress and activities of preparing for it, he said.     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 is 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 as 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 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 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 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 dont 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 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.     +++