News Analysis By David W. Virtue Jesus once said to would be disciples that whoever would follow him must take up his cross daily, lose himself, forget about his own personal fulfillment, and, if necessary, lay down his life. The former Episcopal Bishop of Utah and Episcopal Divinity School president Otis Charles, at 78, believes in the exact opposite. At his recent "wedding" to a four times married man, Charles said his actions were "guided by his belief that all human beings are called upon to live as fully as they can." For the believer, to live "fully" is to live fully into Christ, but that is not what Charles meant. He meant that to live "fully" was to personally fulfill oneself sexually, in this case with another man, despite the fact that neither the Christian Church, 2,000 years of church history nor Holy Scripture gives him that right to do so. Furthermore, one must ask oneself just how much fulfillment does Mr. Charles have in mind for he and Sanchez? Between the two of them they have had five marriages, double digit kids and in Charles case grand kids. When or where does personal fulfillment end, does it ever? Mother Teresa lived "fully". She spent herself in the service of others, she understood what Jesus said and meant. She, like millions of Americans, daily sacrifice their lives for others, their own personal "fulfillment" often runs a distant second. Take one Episcopal lady I know whose husband left her after a number of years, denying her children, and then one day he announces he is gay and is "in love" with Guido. He leaves, she cries, then she gets off the floor and takes care of her parents, one has Alzheimer's, the other MS. Where is the fulfillment for her? She's 44. Her chances of finding an understanding single man who is not in recovery from something are less than zero. She has better odds of being hit by a mack truck. The greatest commandment is to love God and then your neighbor as yourself. We are not told to specifically love ourselves presumably because that comes naturally to most people who can find a mirror. The Good News of the gospel is the greatest news the world has ever known. To embrace it and proclaim it in whatever form God has called you is the noblest cause of all. It is not amassing great fortunes, looking to be CEO of Disney, embracing the culture of celebrity, joining Integrity or having sex at 78 with someone of your own sex! Those things are not worth laying down your life for, nor is the pursuit of them worth endangering the destiny of your eternal soul. He that loses His life for my sake and the gospel will find it, said Jesus. Otis Charles has it all wrong. In reversing Jesus' command he endangers his own soul and those of others, especially his 7-year old grandson who was obliged to watch a farce of a "wedding" take place, and may well be permanently scarred as a result. The Episcopal Church may well be in its death throes, the Global South ready to pull the plug on the whole stinking mess of Griswoldian pluriformity and pansexuality. The Otis Charles "marriage" is just another example of the gadarene slide towards the abyss. God save us all.

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent THE TELEGRAPH 04/05/2004 An all-powerful "star chamber", headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, is expected to be created under proposals to avert the collapse of worldwide Anglicanism over homosexuality. As part of a blueprint drawn up by advisers, Dr. Rowan Williams will be granted significant new powers, though not sufficient to transform him into an Anglican "pope". The archbishop would preside over a final court of appeal, allowing him to exercise the "judgment of Solomon" over warring factions in the 70-million strong Church. This would be resisted by liberals keen to preserve the autonomy of their provinces, the 38 individual churches of the Anglican communion. But it could help appease conservatives furious that liberals defied the will of the majority by endorsing Anglicanism's first openly homosexual bishop in America. The proposals are still under consideration by the Lambeth Commission, the body appointed by Dr. Williams to try to avert schism following the consecration of Canon Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire in November. But senior churchmen are confident that they will form a central part of the commission's final report in October. The initiative emerged as the chairman of the commission, the Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Robin Eames, made a plea for restraint. In a letter issued yesterday, Dr. Eames said: "I do not underestimate the complexities of our tasks nor the difficulties." Conservative African archbishops last month demanded urgent action against the liberal leadership of the American Episcopal Church, which backed Bishop Robinson. They want the Americans disciplined for ignoring the decisions of the 1998 Lambeth Conference and the primates to uphold the Church's ban on the ordination of active homosexuals and gay "marriages". Meanwhile, the liberal Canadian church is preparing to vote next month on a motion which would pave the way for same-sex blessings in a further breach of policy. In his letter, Dr. Eames said that if any groups "initiated definitive breaks from their parent Church" before the publication of the final report, the commission would "regard such decisions as a serious development". Under the blueprint, drawn up by Prof Norman Doe, a commission member and the director of the Centre for Law and Religion at Cardiff University, provinces are prevented from acting unilaterally against the greater good of the communion as a whole. If disputes arise, a final appeal could be made to the Archbishop of Canterbury, possibly assisted by a "bench" of senior churchmen and theologians. Ultimately, a province defying the archbishop's judgment could be expelled. Plans to transform the Church from a communion into a confederation of loosely connected churches is also to be considered by the commission if unity is impossible. Conservatives and liberals would remain linked to the Archbishop of Canterbury, but would not recognise each other's priests or bishops.

By Dennis Prager May 4, 2004 Of all the arguments against same-sex marriage, the most immediately compelling is that it hurts children. If children have a right to anything, it is to begin life with a mother and father. Death, divorce, abandonment, a single-parent's mistakes—any one of these deprives children of a mother or father. But only same-sex marriage would legally ensure children are deprived from birth of either a mother or a father. Why, then, doesn't a child's right to begin life with a mother and father have any impact on the millions of people who either advocate same-sex marriage or can't make up their minds on the issue? Among gay activists, the reason is narcissism. Though gays already have the right to raise children without an opposite-sex parent, and the right to adopt children, gay activists want society to enshrine one-sex parenting with its highest seal of approval—marriage. For gay activists, the fact that a child does best with a good mother and good father is of no significance (or worse, denied). All that matters is what is good for gays. And what about the heterosexuals who support same-sex marriage? They ignore the issue of its effects on children because they either do not want to confront the issue or because they are so intimidated by the liberation trinity—"equality," "rights" and "tolerance"—that even children's welfare becomes a non-issue. Advocates of same-sex marriage have, therefore, many good reasons not to talk about issue of children. Even the most passionate advocate does not argue that it is better for a child to have two mothers and no father or two fathers and no mother. But, the same-sex marriage advocates will respond, while children may not be better off, they will be just as well off, with two fathers and no mother or two mothers and no father. This claim, however, is dishonest. So dishonest that it leads to a certain cognitive dissonance among many of those who make it. On the one hand, they don't really believe mothers (or fathers) are useless, and they do not wish to lie. On the other hand, they know they have to say a mother and father are no better for children than two same-sex parents or they will lose the public's support for same-sex marriage. Were they to admit the obvious truth—that same-sex marriage means society will legally and deliberately deprive increasing numbers of children of either a mother or a father—few Americans would support the legal redefinition of marriage and family. So, same-sex marriage advocates now argue that children do not do better with a mother and a father. To buttress this absurdity, they repeatedly ask, "Where are the studies" that prove children do better with a father and a mother? Not only are there no such studies, they claim, but in fact, "studies show" that children raised with parents of the same sex do just as well as children raised by a father and a mother. But this claim, too, is dishonest. As Professor Don Browning of the University of Chicago recently wrote in the New York Times, "We know next to nothing" about the effects of same-sex parenting on children." "The body of sociological knowledge about same-sex parenting," he and his co-author wrote, "is scant at best. There are no rigorous, large-scale studies on the effect of same-sex marriage on the couples' children." "Steven Nock, a leading scholar of marriage at the University of Virginia, wrote in March 2001 after a thorough review that every study on this question 'contained at least one fatal flaw' and 'not a single one was conducted according to generally accepted standards of scientific research.'" So the statement that "studies show" that children don't do better with a mother and father is as factually mendacious as it is morally repugnant. Why then are so many fooled by it? Because "studies show" has become the refuge of those who do not wish to think. I hear this lack of thought regularly from college-educated callers to my radio show who refuse to think an issue through, or to make a moral judgment, without first having seen what "studies show." But does anyone who thinks, rather than awaits "studies" to affirm their biases, really believe a mother is useless if a child has two fathers, or a father is unnecessary if a child has two mothers? The idea that men and women do not have entirely distinctive contributions to make to the rearing of a child is so absurd that it is frightening that many well-educated—and only the well-educated—people believe it. There are many powerful arguments against same-sex marriage, and in subsequent columns I will offer them. But if you have to offer only one, know that those who push for same-sex marriage base their case on something factually indefensible—that children do not benefit from having a father and a mother; and on something morally indefensible—ignoring what is best for children. Dennis Prager, one of America's most respected and popular nationally syndicated radio talk-show hosts, is the author of several books and a frequent guest on television shows such as Larry King Live, Politically Incorrect, The Late Late Show on CBS, Rivera Live, The Early Show on CBS, Fox Family Network, The O'Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes. © 2004 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

American Anglican Council Washington, DC May 3, 2004 For Immediate Release On March 14, 2004, Bishops C. FitzSimons Allison, retired Bishop of South Carolina; Maurice Benitez, retired Bishop of Texas; William Cox, retired Assistant Bishop of Oklahoma; Alex Dickson, retired Bishop of West Tennessee, and William Wantland, retired Bishop of Eau Claire confirmed 110 individuals at a multi-congregational Service of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist in Akron, Ohio. Subsequently at the March 2004 House of Bishops Meeting, those Bishops gathered noted that they "repudiate and deplore the unilateral actions" of the five but decided not to seek disciplinary action against them. In a statement released March 24, the House of Bishops accused the five of using confirmation "as an instrument of division and defiance." "Secretive in its planning, their action was discourteous, disruptive and a willful violation of our Constitution and Canons," the statement continued. The Bishops also emphasized that further "infractions" would result in unspecified "consequences." "At the same time, we hold these five bishops, and one another, accountable for the good order of the Church, the Body of Christ," the statement said. "Therefore, in the future any bishop performing Episcopal acts without the permission of the diocesan bishop will be subject to discipline under our canons." Recently, the five senior bishops received a letter dated April 16, 2004 from the Rt. Rev. Charles E. Jenkins, Bishop of Louisiana and President of the Presiding Bishop's Council of Advice. In the letter Bishop Jenkins wrote, "The House of Bishops invites you to meet with the members of the Presiding Bishop's Council of Advice to discuss the reasons for your actions, and, to share information with you about the work we continue to do as Bishops to embrace the ministry of reconciliation for the mission of the whole church. I therefore invite you to meet with the Council of Advice in Atlanta, GA on Thursday May 27 at All Saints Church. We will begin at 9:00 AM and work until the late afternoon. The cost of travel will be your own responsibility but I will provide lunch for you on this day." Referencing the crisis situation in which the Church is immersed, Bishop Jenkins wrote, "As a pastor, it is my hope that each priest that is in disagreement with his or her Bishop will continue to share personal views with the diocesan Bishop. I am convinced the Bishops of this Church are committed to responding generously to requests made in accordance with our plan for Caring for All the Churches." Emerging incidents in several dioceses suggest this often is not the case, however. Bishops Jenkins's letter repeated warnings against further actions, saying, "The House of Bishops also stated clearly that in the future, now that we approved a plan of pastoral care, any Bishop performing Episcopal acts without permission of the bishop diocesan will be subject to discipline under the canons of this church." The five bishops today released a letter to Bishop Jenkins in response to the request. The letter in its entirety appears below: May 3, 2004 Dear Charles: We thank you for the invitation to meet with the Council of Advice. Each of us has sworn to uphold the faith of the Church, the same faith that gave birth to and provides the unity of our Church. Only secondarily and derivatively do territory and canons hold us together. Since we believe this faith should be the first priority of the Episcopal Church we would be glad to meet with the Council of Advice with this as the first and foremost topic of discussion. These are our concerns: Does the House of Bishops intend to hold responsible those bishops who have publicly denied or attempted to rewrite the faith? Is there any intention to hold accountable those 84 bishops who voted against the House of Bishops Resolution B001? For in so doing, they refused to affirm the authority of Scripture, the Creeds, the Sacraments, and the Apostolic Ministry, thereby denying the vows they made at their consecration as bishops. Does the House of Bishops seek restoration of full communion with the 21 Provinces of the Anglican Communion by responding to their request to repent? Does the House of Bishops seek to reclaim our broken ecumenical relations with Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and other Christian bodies? Issues of polity cannot be resolved until we are unified in the faith which we have sworn to guard and pass to future generations. We believe it necessary for any meeting to be an open one so that nothing will be regarded as done in secret. Not all of us are available on May 27 as you suggest, but if you agree that our first priority for discussion is the need of the House of Bishops to treat the essential issue of faith and doctrine before we move to the derivative issue of polity and territory, we will seek with you a suitable date to meet. In His Name, The Rt. Reverend C. FitzSimons Allison The Rt. Reverend Maurice M. Benitez The Rt. Reverend William J. Cox The Rt. Reverend Alex D. Dickson The Rt. Reverend William C. Wantland Cc: The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold ECUSA House of Bishops Anglican Communion Primates The American Anglican Council 1110 Vermont Avenue, NW Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20005 Phone: 800-914-2000 or 202-296-5360 Fax: 202-296-5361 E-mail: info@americananglican.org God Changes Lives for Good! http://www.americananglican.org

May 3, 2004 By Ruth Gledhill THE LONDON TIMES Plans for a formal split in the Anglican Church are being considered in an attempt to resolve differences over attitudes towards homosexuality. A proposal to turn the Anglican Communion into an Anglican confederation is to be considered by the Lambeth Commission, the international body of 18 members set up last year by Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. A confederation, modelled along similar lines to the Geneva-based World Lutheran Federation, would loosen the ties between the national provinces in the Church, to the extent that they would be free to adopt almost any practice or doctrine they wished. The churches at the conservative and liberal ends of the spectrum would still describe themselves as "Anglican" and remain in communion with the mother Church of England through the Archbishop of Canterbury. But where a national church went too far in embracing modern secular mores, it could be reduced to an observer status or not invited at all to meetings such as the Lambeth Conference, held every ten years. Such a system would placate the conservatives who have been demanding disciplinary measures against churches such as those in the United States, which ordained an openly gay bishop, and Canada, where same-sex blessings have been authorised. It would permit provinces effectively to excommunicate each other by refusing to recognise their priests or bishops, but they would remain tied in a loose international Anglican confederation by remaining in communion with Canterbury. Already it is proposed severely to reduce the number of bishops invited to the next Lambeth Conference in 2008 in South Africa. The previous Archbishop, Dr. George Carey, invited every Anglican bishop, nearly 800 in total, to the last Lambeth Conference in Canterbury in 1998. Sources indicated that, if only for reasons of cost, the number would be reduced in South Africa. Bishop Gene Robinson, the openly gay American bishop recently consecrated in New Hampshire, is unlikely to be on the guest list. According to a source close to the Lambeth Commission, canon lawyers are preparing for its second meeting next month in Kanuga, North Carolina, by studying the set-up of the worldwide Lutheran church, which embraces wide degrees of theological and ecclesiological difference, to see if this model could be adapted to suit the Anglican Communion. The source said: "The quality of the communion depends on how far the Western Church is willing to sacrifice its lesbian and gay members." The source indicated: "The primates will be circulated with the recommendations late July. The sort of federation we can expect will probably mirror the Lutheran model, with full members, non-voters and observers, depending on what they've been up to." The Lutheran model is particularly appropriate because Anglicans and Lutherans are already in a "shared fellowship" agreement with each other through the Porvoo declaration, a British-Nordic-Baltic initiative signed by the Church of England in 1995. The Anglican Communion is made up of 38 provinces, which account for nearly 70 million Anglicans in 164 countries. In a letter sent over the weekend to all the primates and moderators of the Anglican Communion, Dr. Robin Eames, the Primate of Ireland, who chairs the Lambeth Commission, pleads strongly with conservatives not to split by forming new provinces or dioceses until the commission has completed its work at the end of this year. He acknowledges the divisions that exist but urges dissenting groups not to break from their parent churches. "It would be my hope that once the report is published we can take such decisions as necessary in a manner which is unrushed, in Christian charity and by means of due process," Dr. Eames writes. "It is my prayer and earnest hope that the report we are preparing will enable the Anglican Communion to move forward together in ways which will stand the test of time whatever difficulties may arise in future years for our world family." Copyright 2004 Times Newspapers Ltd.

By Terry Mattingly The Rev. Julian Rush watched the headlines as 13 United Methodist pastors in the Pacific Northwest judged the fate of one of their colleagues. Few, if any, facts were in dispute. The Rev. Karen Dammann was living openly in a lesbian relationship and leveled with her superiors. And everyone knew, after a generation of bitter strife, that their Book of Discipline banned "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" from ministry, because gay sex is "incompatible with Christian teachings." Rush wasn't surprised by the trial and he wasn't surprised by the verdict—not guilty. After all, he survived a similar ecclesiastical minefield two decades ago in Colorado. "What surprised me was the way the news reports brought it all back," said Rush, 67, who rocked the whole United Methodist Church when he left the closet in 1981. "It was spooky, like a flashback. I remembered that whole feeling of powerlessness and total vulnerability. I think that's probably a good thing. No matter how much progress we've made, we need to be reminded that things aren't settled yet." Rush eventually retired with his clergy credentials intact. In the mid-1980s, his peers in the Rocky Mountain region twice ruled that there was "insufficient evidence" to bring the AIDS activist and former youth pastor to trial. After all, church law focused on "self-avowed practicing" homosexuals and Rush simply declined to answer questions about his sex life. "I remember my lawyer saying, 'Make them prove it,'" said Rush, whose easy-going manner still betrays his Mississippi roots. "What were they going to do, hire a private investigator? No one wanted to do such an unseemly thing." The Dammann jury found a similar technicality. While the Discipline says "the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teachings," the jury ruled that it never formally, legally, makes a "declaration" of this. But the jury did find this declarative statement: "Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance, and support that enables all persons to participate in the life of the Church, the community and the world. Thus, inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination." Based on decades of experience, Rush knows what will happen next. Furious conservatives will, on April 27, arrive at the two-week national United Methodist General Conference "with their nostrils flared and breathing fire," he said. At the same time, the confidence of the church's progressive establishment will "move up a notch or two" after a much-publicized victory. Both sides will go to Pittsburgh "with their guns loaded," he said. The Internet is buzzing with drafts of resolutions to fix the Discipline and to force the bishops to get their flocks under control. Leaders on both sides acknowledge that the evangelical, growing churches of the heartland and Bible Belt hold a clear majority. Some of their leaders will call for repentance and reform in the Pacific Northwest. "Fact is, we don't need anything more in the Book of Discipline. We just need folks who are willing to abide by it or enforce it," said the Rev. James V. Heidinger II, president of the Good News renewal movement. "We could tweak and tighten, but unless folks are willing to abide by the will of General Conference, they will always find some words to parse or interpret differently." Strangely enough, Rush basically agrees with this legal opinion. Laws cannot hide the fact that the United Methodist Church contains two radically different approaches to the faith, he said. Traditionalists believe there is an "established," "infallible" and "permanent core of doctrine that people have to believe if they are going to be Christians," said Rush. But the "liberal side of the church sees itself as open and expansive and its doctrine, quite frankly, is not as well defined. It sees faith as a kind of process and it is constantly changing. One side knows how to lay down the law and the other side knows how to emote." But the infighting will continue, said Rush, because everyone is afraid to push the scary button labeled "schism." That would be financially devastating. "Everyone dances around that button," he said. "They really aren't trying to be clear and specific. They have to keep the Discipline vague enough to keep everyone in the tent. You end up with a kind of spiritual schizophrenia, but it holds things together." Terry Mattingly (www.tmatt.net) teaches at Palm Beach Atlantic University and is senior fellow for journalism at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. He writes this weekly column for the Scripps Howard News Service.

4/27/2004 Clergy and lay leadership in the Diocese of South Carolina voted to affiliate with the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes during the annual convention March 5-6 at the North Charleston Convention Center. In his convention address, the Rt. Rev. Edward Salmon, Jr., Bishop of South Carolina, said the crisis the Episcopal Church has experienced since last summer is the result of improperly seeking to settle a profound theological issue through a popular vote and described the purpose of the network as a means to uphold orthodoxy and provide mutual support during a trying time. "The network also provides a means for primates and others to support us more effectively in this struggle," Bishop Salmon said. "Its purpose is to provide a place of strength and witness within the American Church." Bishop Salmon helped draft and signed the network charter and both the standing committee and diocesan council had previously approved diocesan affiliation. A few representatives spoke against approval. "I believe this resolution would continue the divisiveness … because it would institutionalize a movement that not all parties agree with," said Andy Brack, a delegate from St. Stephen's Church, Charleston. Mr. Brack suggested that individual parishes, rather than the diocese as a whole, should be allowed to decide whether to affiliate. The resolution passed on a show of hands with about two dozen of the 296 clergy and lay delegates voting against it. In other business, convention approved a $2.3 million budget for the current year, a $200,000 increase over last year, but payment to the national church will decrease from $120,000 last year to a little more than $32,000 this year.

ETHICS & RELIGION By Michael J. McManus This week an Oregon judge gave advocates of gay marriage an historic victory - the nation's first recognition of same-sex marriages. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Frank Bearden told the county to stop issuing licenses for same-sex marriages. But he ordered Oregon's legislature to recognize the 3,022 marriage licenses issued since March 3 to gay couples, and to pass a new law legalizing same-sex unions. Does this sound familiar? The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in November that gay couples have the right to marry and ordered the state legislature to make same-sex marriages possible within 180 days. The magic day is May 17, when Massachusetts is slated to begin allowing gay marriage. The legislature did not do as it was told. It began the process of passing a constitutional amendment limiting marriage to the union of a man and a woman. But the amendment would also legalize civil same-sex unions, which is marriage by another name. However, to be adopted, it must re-pass the legislature in 2005 and then be approved by the voters in a 2006 referendum. Gov. Mitt Romney asked the state's highest court to stay its order, pending full Massachusetts acceptance or rejection of the amendment. That's unlikely. The state's Attorney General, a Democrat, supports the court decision, while Romney is a Republican. What's common to both cases is fierce judicial activism, in which a court orders the legislature to pass a law granting same sex couples either the right of marriage or civil union. In studying American history, I learned it is the job of elected leaders to pass laws, and for the courts to interpret them. On this issue, however, elected leaders have also acted illegally. San Francisco's mayor ordered city clerks to grant homosexual and lesbian couples marriage licenses, though Californians voted in a referendum that marriage is between a man and a woman. One prescient man foresaw these developments and developed a long-shot answer - a U.S. Federal Marriage Amendment that states "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution nor the constitution of any state shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman." Matt Daniels is the man of the hour. Although white, he grew up in Spanish Harlem as a son of a father who deserted his mother when he was only two. "My growing up was miserable," he told USA Today. His father was "a gifted and irresponsible aspiring writer." His mother was a secretary until she was mugged and left disabled, depressed and on welfare. "Things would have been different if my father had been around." Matt was also attacked at knifepoint and gunpoint. No wonder Matt Daniels says, "Marriage is the key to reducing the high levels of youth crime and child poverty, caused by the epidemic of fatherless families in America." Inspired by his mother, he excelled at school, won a scholarship to Dartmouth and became a lawyer. He created the Alliance for Marriage to craft a Federal Marriage Amendment several years ago. Anticipating the argument that gay marriage is a civil rights issue, he first won the backing of Rev. Walter Fauntroy, a former aide to Martin Luther King, Jr. Black denominations were his first national supporters. He now has the backing of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals. It was a brilliant strategy. Today a higher percentage of Hispanics and African-Americans say that marriage is the union of a man and a woman - than whites. And public support for the Federal Marriage Amendment has grown from 55 percent last July to 64 percent. Equally important, President Bush has given his support, as have 118 Members of Congress and leading U.S. Senators such as Majority Leader Bill Frist. However, the amendment is opposed by such conservative groups as Concerned Women for America. Its president, Janet LaRue, is concerned that the amendment would allow states "to create marriage in another name, a phony marriage." Vermont's law permitting same sex civil unions would be untouched by the amendment. Finally, few Democrats in the House or Senate co-sponsor the amendment that must win the support of two-thirds of Congress. So far, the public seems apathetic. Few have called or written Congress. Gay marriage is not inevitable, but it is likely unless an aroused public demands the constitutional protection of marriage. Copyright 2004 Michael J. McManus Michael J. McManus Co-Founder & President Marriage Savers 9311 Harrington Drive Potomac, MD 20854 301 469-5873 (FAX) 301 469-5871 email: MichaelJMcManus@CS.com Web: marriagesavers.org Next National Training to Create a Marriage Savers Congregation: July 10-11 in Washington DC before the Smart Marriages Conference

By David Phillips Following the announcement that Jeffrey John is to be the next Dean of St. Albans there have been some rather contradictory messages emanating from the Diocese. Richard Inwood, Bishop of Bedford, was one of those who last year signed a letter calling on Jeffrey John not to take up the post as Bishop of Reading. The normal protocol for the appointment of Deans means that Richard was not consulted by the Diocesan Bishop but only learnt about the appointment a few days beforehand. Bishop Richard was thus presented with a fait accompli and appears to have acquiesced to it. In his statement on the appointment he said: "The appointment of Canon Jeffrey John as the Dean of St Albans means we shall have a gifted preacher and teacher in this key position. He also brings a commitment to mission, both within the Cathedral community and beyond, which I welcome warmly. Jeffrey John has made certain undertakings to the Diocesan Bishop on the Bishops' statement Issues in Human Sexuality. This assures me that none of the issues that caused concern last summer to so many people, including myself, will arise." Regardless of what else is said it is the view of Bishop Richard that Jeffrey John had made undertakings to abide by the Issues in Human Sexuality report. But what were these undertakings and when were they made? On the PM program last night this point was raised with Christopher Herbert, the Diocesan Bishop: "Interviewer: The bishop of Bedford the Rt. Rev. Richard Inward is quoted as saying that Jeffrey John has made certain undertakings to the bishop on the bishop's statement Issues in Human Sexuality. What undertakings would they be? As was made clear in the press conference today the undertakings were exactly those made by Jeffrey John before and so nothing has changed. Christopher Herbert asserts that no new undertakings have been given. Instead the undertakings were simply those made by Jeffrey John before his non-appointment to Reading. 'Nothing has changed.' The interviewer pressed the point regarding what undertakings had been given. "Interviewer: Could you just spell them out? Herbert: Yes indeed, he is the first person to say yes he is homosexual and secondly he says and always says he has a celibate lifestyle and that for me stays within the boundaries of what the House of Bishops Statement is about for clergy. So I don't have any difficulties with anyone saying "Yes I am homosexual and yes I am celibate I simply don't see what the problem is, it seems to be a perfectly honourable situation to be in and obviously achieved at some great thought and perhaps cost." Therefore all that Jeffrey John has done is to say that he is celibate, which he said last year, and that he will abide by the statement Issues in Human Sexuality. This needs to be clearly understood. Jeffrey John and his current partner, another Anglican clergyman, have, according to them, been homosexually active in the past. This is against the policy of the House of Bishops but no action was taken against either of them. There is no indication that either of them are repentant for their past actions and now this appointment effectively endorses their past behaviour and tears up the House of Bishops policy. In fact, one commentator noted that the House of Bishops has no longer has a policy and is entirely without direction. Last year Jeffrey John claimed to be celibate though there appeared to be different stories circulating about how long his policy of celibacy had been pursued. In his statement yesterday and I believe previously he simply says that he is celibate at the moment. He has made it clear that he does not agree with the House of Bishops statement, he is certainly not going to teach in accordance with it and who knows how long he will continue to teach one thing and do another? More importantly, the prime issue in this case has to do with teaching, not simply lifestyle. Prior to his non-appointment to Reading he taught consistently against the House of Bishops' statement, he has continued to do so since. Therefore for Jeffrey John to say that he abides by the House of Bishops statement is pure fiction. David Phillips is General Secretary, Church Society General Synod and Representative, St Albans Diocese

By David W. Virtue ATLANTA, GA - The Rt. Rev. Frank Lyons, Bishop of Bolivia, baptized, confirmed, received, and reaffirmed over 330 people at two services into Holy Cross Anglican Church, Loganville recently, marking the first time an overseas bishop from the Southern Cone has moved onto US soil to perform ecclesiastical functions, a sign of the growing fragmentation of the Episcopal Church. "They were received into the church as Founding Members," said the Rev. Dr. Foley Beach the church's new rector, and a recent refugee from the ECUSA. More than 450 people worshiped at Holy Cross Anglican Church in Loganville, GA on Easter Sunday. When the church began it officially had only one member (a little girl who was baptized several weeks ago), said Beach. Holy Cross Anglican Church began on February 8th after the Rev. Dr. Foley Beach left the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta and was received into the Anglican Diocese of Bolivia and the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone by Bishop Lyons. Bishop Lyons said that because of the state of the Episcopal Church, USA, he was offering temporary, emergency, pastoral and episcopal oversight to Father Beach and the people of Holy Cross. "The National Episcopal Church's departure from Biblical Christianity on theology and morality was the basis for my leaving the diocese of Atlanta and receiving spiritual refuge and oversight from the Province of the Southern Cone and diocese of Bolivia," he told Virtuosity. "On this our 11th Sunday holding worship services, Bishop Lyons baptized 6 people, confirmed 38 people who publicly proclaimed their allegiance to Jesus Christ, received 44 people into the Anglican Communion, and accepted over 250 people from other Anglican or Episcopal churches who joined by Letter of Transfer." "Bishop Lyons preached on The Revelation of John and exhorted people not to lose their 'first love' as they served the Lord and ministered at Holy Cross. He defined 'first love' as one's relationship with Jesus and the joy and closeness people feel when they first come into a relationship with him." Commenting on why people are excited about Holy Cross, Fr. Beach said: "We have a politically correct, compromised, and unBiblical gospel which has entered the Church in North America. God will not honor or bless a church which proclaims sin in His Name. Holy Cross proclaims the Gospel as taught by the apostles of Jesus Christ in the New Testament and affirmed by the historical Councils of the early church. We make no apologies for standing on the time-tested, Truth-proclaiming, and spirit-nurturing Word of God." Said one parishioner following the Sunday service, "It's great to be under a Bishop who promotes Jesus instead of promoting sodomy." Beach said the congregation was rapidly-growing and he expected the church would double within the next 18 months. After two capacity services at a rented middle school cafeteria, the congregation celebrated at a dinner on the grounds of a ten-acre site recently deeded to the church free and clear. An 18,000 square foot Phase One building, with 14 classrooms and a temporary auditorium, will soon be built, said Beach.

By Matthew Davies and Maureen Shea Episcopalians joined more than one million people, representing 100 religious and religiously-affiliated organizations and congregations, to march on Washington, D.C., April 25 in support of women's reproductive rights at home and abroad. The march recorded the largest ever crowd count for women's rights in the nation's capital. The "March for Women's Lives" was co-sponsored by the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC), an alliance of national organizations from major faith groups, local affiliates, the national Clergy for Choice Network, Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom, and the Black Church Initiative. According to its mission statement, RCRC supports the constitutional right to abortion and solutions to problems such as the spread of HIV/AIDS, inadequate health care and health insurance, and the "severe reduction" in reproductive health care services. The Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Women's Caucus are both members of RCRC. RCRC's president, the Rev. Katherine Ragsdale, welcomed the gathering with assurances that the religious community is behind them. "You can't sustain a movement on outrage," she said. "We are here to support the providers, politicians, women and activists, and let them know that we respect them for their work and their commitment." Ragsdale, an Episcopal priest, added that a punk rock concert was held in Washington April 24 to enlist young people in the movement. Also marching behind the Episcopal Church banner were the Rev. Margaret Rose, director of the Episcopal Church Office of Women's Ministries; Executive Council members Louie Crew and John Vanderstar; long-time women's rights activist and General Convention deputy Marge Christie; and Maureen Shea, director of the Government Relations Office. Before the march, the RCRC also held a "Prayerfully Pro-Choice Interfaith Worship Service." CALL FOR JUSTICE In 1994, the 71st General Convention of the Episcopal Church reaffirmed that all human life is sacred from its inception until death and that all abortion is regarded as having a tragic dimension. "While we acknowledge that in this country it is the legal right of every woman to have a medically safe abortion," the resolution stated, "as Christians we believe strongly that if this right is exercised, it should be used only in extreme situations. We emphatically oppose abortion as a means of birth control, family planning, sex selection, or any reason of mere convenience." "General Convention resolutions have expressed unequivocal opposition to any legislation abridging a woman's right to make an informed decision about the termination of pregnancy, as well as the pain and possible support that may be needed for those making difficult life decisions," Rose said, adding that participating in the march shows that supporting women's rights is "essential to our call for justice." "By publicizing this march and other events through our network, we are able to enlist and inform Episcopalians about important events," explained Mary Getz, director of the Episcopal Public Policy Network (EPPN). "This is one of the ways we are continuing to build our grassroots advocacy network." The march came in for criticism from the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD), which issued a press release calling it a "scandal" and suggesting that "a majority of church members...would be disgusted if they knew that their denominations have joined…in backing this kind of cause." IRD president Diane Knippers, an Episcopalian, said that "the church's proper role in this issue is to offer godly counsel and ministry to persons involved in crisis pregnancies. But in this case some...are adopting the strident arguments of the secular culture." Other Episcopalians participating in the march included delegations of women and men from California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Virginia. --Matthew Davies is staff writer of Episcopal News Service. Maureen Shea is director of the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations.

"Wait till the end and you will see the outcome of events. Don't fuss, don't worry yet awhile. Imagine someone who is not of the trade watching a blacksmith start melting down gold and mixing in ashes and straw. If he does not wait till the end, he will think that the poor piece of gold is going to be destroyed. Now, if the farmer waits all the winter, so much the more ought you to await the final outcome of events, remembering who it is that ploughs the soil of our souls. And when I speak of the final outcome, I am not referring to the end of this present life, but to the future life -- God's plan for us aims at our salvation and glory." St. John Chrysostom, On Providence 9.1 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Orthodox believers are being refined in the crucible of the Episcopal Church. The fire is raging all around us. We are all being sorted and sifted. We are being tested to the very limits. Yet St. John Chrysostom tells us to wait. It was another horrible week in the life of the Episcopal Church. ECUSA's first openly homoerotic bishop Otis Charles, now 78, married a 62-year-old man who had been married four times before to women. The ceremony lasted two hours and 45 minutes. When it concluded, Charles, the world's first openly gay Christian bishop, also became the world's first bishop to wed his same-sex partner in church. The retired bishop turned up with his grandson to the "wedding". That alone is enough to have mothers running for cover with their children in hand. When I asked a lady in Colorado Springs, why more and more women were signing on to Virtuosity, becoming more open in their support of this ministry, declaring themselves out of communion with ECUSA, and willing to write for VIRTUOSITY, she had this to say. "Pansexuality threatens our children. When you move sexuality away from God ordained limits our children can become victims of sexual predators, because no one knows where the boundaries are any more." She is right of course. ECUSA is, sexually speaking, without boundaries. Old sodomites marry younger ones; a transgendered man is ordained a deacon, he goes from being Paul to Paula, a pregnant lesbian priest runs the youth ministries for a diocese, a sodomite is consecrated to the Episcopacy, the age of consensual sex is getting lower…and on and on it goes. Parents see their moral authority challenged and they run for cover and take their children with them. "We will leave the Episcopal Church before we allow our sexually vulnerable children hear things approved of that God says a resounding no to," said the woman. And that may well be ECUSA's undoing. Women, mothers with young impressionable teenage children; the rot will stop with the women. IN OTHER DEVELOPMENTS Bethlehem Bishop Paul Marshall, author of a book on lesbian love, comes out swinging, putting his handful of orthodox priests on the defensive. You can read that story today. Or why a self-professed lesbian priest in the Diocese of Colorado may face disciplinary charges because she is accused of luring the lonely widow of a deceased priest in the Diocese into a sordid lesbian affair, and then making up a liturgy to marry her at the church altar to sanctify her misconduct. You can also read that story. But the news is not all bad. The recent Anglican Communion Institute conference in Colorado Springs was a win win. The conference emboldened church leadership around the country. "The sense of urgency that everyday delayed hundreds leave the church is finally dawning on many of us. Clearly the financial situation is far worse than predicted. Parishes are all in a bind, payrolls hard to meet as people are failing to show up, not return after breaks for skiing and spring break, and collections are plummeting. Diocesan assessments are simply going to be the first thing to go--just to keep the lights on and the salaries paid," writes the Rev. Don Armstrong an ACI leader and parish priest who is prepared to stand up to his revisionist bishop Rob O'Neill. The numbers being shared by the clergy around the church are far worse than was first predicted. Members are leaving this tension filled church that lacks leadership and a gospel in droves. The Episcopal Church is disintegrating before our very eyes. In three years the Diocese of Colorado--if things go really well will close 40 congregations--in seven years there may be only a couple dozen Episcopal congregations still viable and the diocese will be bankrupt---all so a practicing homosexual can be a bishop in New Hampshire, and because we lack the integrity and love to tell gays to straighten up and instead take the easy way out by saying they are just fine--when they are not. The Rev. Kevin Martin president of Plano-based Vital Ministries and an expert on congregational development for more than 15 years says in his recent newsletter that in the 40-year steady decline ECUSA is experiencing that we are losing our percentage of the U.S. population faster than the actual numbers. He writes: First is 1930 when we began a long period of steady growth. Second is 1965 when ECUSA was at its largest. Third is 2000, the last year that we have full numbers. It clearly shows the rise and decline of the Church. Several points stand out. Among these I would list: The decline of congregations. The dramatic decline of children in Church schools. Today, the average church school has 37 children. The increase in clergy fueled by the larger number of non-parish and retired clergy. The relative stability of the burial number. The back door remains consistent. The decline in adult baptisms, receptions and confirmations. The fact that we baptize less than one adult per congregation. It is beyond any reasonable comprehension that our leaders can know these numbers and claim that ECUSA is doing well. "I can only attribute this to either denial or political spin," he says. You can read his full report today. The American Anglican Council Board met this week in Atlanta, Georgia and celebrated the realignment of Anglicanism, noting a strong grass roots movement of individuals and churches that are forming coalitions and planning program initiatives, networking, assisting with missionary endeavors and planting churches. A full report is in today's digest. And from the Diocese of Alabama comes this. "I am a member of the Church of the Ascension in Montgomery Alabama. Our Bishop, Henry Parsley, voted against the consecration of V. Gene Robinson but since then he has spent most of his energy threatening the few Alabama Priests brave enough to attend Plano (including our own) saying we need to "move on". When Parsley discovered that Ascension was bringing in an orthodox speaker to discuss the Network, he insisted on being on the agenda as well, and at a well attended and feisty forum pledged to block any effort by the church to join the Network. When asked why Integrity is given free use of the Diocesan facilities, he pointed out that he had no more control over what they did in such facilities than other groups, such as "The Daughters of the King". The comparison did not go over well." And in the Diocese of New Hampshire conservatives in that diocese led by the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop have left to form a breakaway parish. About 40 parishioners of the new Anglican Church of the Resurrection are using facilities of the Durham Evangelical Church, spokesman Richard Ellwood said. The new parish does not consider itself part of Robinson's diocese. It has joined the national Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, formed by conservatives who remain within the Episcopal Church but oppose Robinson's election. Two other New Hampshire parishes have taken steps to affiliate with the conservative network but have not quit the diocese. Said Ellwood, "the issue is far greater than Robinson," calling his election an example of the way the "Episcopal Church has split away from Scripture." Concerned Episcopalians of Rhode Island has been formed by parishioners in that state who oppose Robinson's election. The group, which expects to become a chapter of the conservative network, drew representatives from more than two dozen of the state's 64 parishes to a meeting last weekend. In Virginia, the Robinson election spilled into another denomination. The Baptist General Association of Virginia withheld $350,000 from Averett University in Danville over a professor's pro-Robinson article. The Baptists have now agreed to fund a new independent clergy training program, but not Averett's religion department. In Atlanta a new Anglican parish was aborned with Bolivia Bishop Frank Lyons present to kick it off with 330 confirmations! The Rev. Dr. Foley Beach an ex-ECUSAN priest couldn't be happier. You can read that story today. In Canada Bill C250 has passed into law. Within a month or so it will be a criminal offence under the Criminal Code of Canada to speak out against the gay and lesbian lifestyle, against same sex marriage, gender reassignment, and everything connected with that way of life. The Bible will be deemed hate literature, and clergy who stand up and say "thus saith the Lord" will go to jail. I will test that when I cross the Canadian border some time in the future. Virtuosity's website has already been declared homophobic. Writes Brian McGregor-Foxcroft of Canada and a Virtuosity reader, "This issue, and same sex marriage, should have been put to the vote, so that all Canadians could have a say. But the government knew that a vote would have defeated both proposals. But this should not surprise anyone. Even the current prime minister has subverted the democratic process by parachuting his own candidates into various ridings and shutting out the due process whereby riding members elect their own candidates. We see several political parties doing this. All they care about is getting and holding power. This is not democracy. And in Detroit the Rev. Richard W. Ingalls, Rector of Mariners Church of Detroit, will be consecrated Bishop today by chief consecrator the Rt. Rev. Melvin Pickering, Bishop Ordinary of the Anglican Diocese of the Good Shepherd (ADGS). You may remember that the ECUSA bishop of the area tried unsuccessfully to take over Mariners after a lengthy battle, and failed. There are a few success stories, but not many. Mariners is one, as is St. Michael's in Broken Arrow, OK. The Episcopal Missionary Church continues to grow reports its presiding bishop and former Episcopal priest the Rt. Rev'd William Millsaps. From his Monteagle headquarters in Tennessee he says he has a new parish with its own building in Benton, Kentucky; planting a new church in Chattanooga in Eastertide. A parish in Oregon has quadrupled and St. Andrew's in Gainesville, Florida has grown fivefold over the past few years. "Most of our parishes and missions have had their best Lent since our founding," he writes. The Church of England is facing the growing possibility of disintegration as opposition to Canon Jeffrey John's appointment as Dean of St Albans gained momentum this week. Leading evangelicals warned that the appointment would change the relationship of their churches with bishops across the country, raising the possibility of impaired communion across the Church. St Albans clergy met this week to discuss action that they would be taking in protest at Dr John's promotion at a time when the Eames Commission had called for calm and restraint. Many of the churches will be deciding whether to cut payments to the dioceses, and to stop the Bishop of St Albans. They said that the Southwark canon's promotion had "changed everything". The split in the St Albans diocese is expected to widen at the national level, according to one evangelical leader. The Rev John Coles, leader of the New Wine network, which represents the leaders of 600 Anglican churches, said that Dr John was "publicly committed to undermining the historic Christian position." New Wine is now working in connection with the other traditionalist streams in opposing the appointment. The gay dean hit back accusing those who opposed his ministry as being akin to 19th century supporters of slavery. Coles fired back: "The appointment was inflammatory, and his comments are very inflammatory. The house is on fire and we are going to put it out." WELCOME TO VIRTUOSITY If you are a first time reader please go to the website www.virtuosityonline.org where all past digests are stored, stories are posted daily on the front page, multiple chat rooms can be found and much more. Check out some of the three seminaries for online education possibilities and if you feel so constrained to support VIRTUOSITY with your tax deductible dollar you may do so by hitting the PAYPAL link. If you would prefer to support this ministry by snail mail you may do so by sending your check to VIRTUOSITY, 1236 Waterford Road, West Chester, PA 19380 GOOGLE ADS Google displays ads based upon key words that it finds in the text of each page on our site. As such, we have no direct control over Google's ad placement. Also, the ads rotate and change on a regular basis which makes editing a blacklist a very time consuming task. Google's acceptable use policy ensure that there are no ads that advertise overt sexuality, violence or other objectionable material. Please consider ads for sites that are liberal in their theology as an opportunity to understand what others are saying in the debate. Their presence on our site does not indicate an endorsement of their views. All blessings, David W. Virtue DD