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DENVER (4/30/2004) — A publicly self-professed lesbian priest in the Diocese of Colorado, The Rev. Bonnie Spencer, has been accused of luring the lonely widow of a deceased priest in the Diocese into an inappropriate relationship, and then creating a liturgy to "marry" her at the church altar. Spencer told Jean Torkelson of the Rocky Mountain News that she would have no comment until she spoke to Bishop Rob O'Neill, who is out of town until next week. She added, however, that "there was no same-sex blessing." Sources indicate that the Bishop and Standing Committee are preparing for possible disciplinary hearings and actions. Under the former Bishop Jerry Winterrowd, whose leadership earned him little respect from either the orthodox or liberals, the new Bishop Rob O'Neill has informed his clergy that such conduct will not be tolerated and a full investigation will be initiated immediately. "I have every confidence that our new bishop, The Rt. Rev. Rob O'Neill, will uphold diocesan standards of married and faithful, single and celibate, not to mention holding homosexual clergy to the same definitions of sexual misconduct as heterosexual clergy, and female clergy to the same standards as male clergy," the Rev. Don Armstrong, a member of the Diocesan Standing Committee, said in a telephone interview. "The whole issue of power differential between priest and parishioner is once again illustrated in this case, making it abundantly clear why it is inappropriate for a parish priest to even date a member of his or her own congregation." After an initial attempt by the Canon to the Ordinary, the Rev. Ed Morgan, to address the situation quietly, the issue quickly escalated to the point where Bishop O'Neill came under enormous pressure to act, even as his conservative clergy began placing overseas calls for Primatial intervention and oversight. As such charges have always brought immediate suspension from ministry for heterosexual male clergy and imposition of Title IV of the ECUSA Canons in Colorado, a careful eye is being kept on the situation so that similar vigor is exercised in this case involving a female homosexual priest. Under former Bishop Jerry Winterrowd, sexual misconduct allegations brought by three female parishioners against their female rector were handled behind closed doors, allowing the only sexual predator ever discovered in the Diocese of Colorado to slip away to another diocese. Given the recent scandals in the Roman Catholic Church, Diocesan officials are reported to be sensitive not to let such a travesty be repeated in this case. The Diocese of Colorado and a guilty parish priest lost a civil suit involving sexual misconduct in the 1980s. In that case, because the Diocese knew about the misconduct, both Diocese and Priest were found liable, and the Church Insurance Company had to pay huge sums on behalf of both the priest and the diocese. Ironically, the Chancellor who lost that case and continues as a Chancellor for the diocese, as well as the Canon to the Ordinary, are both members of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, where this latest misconduct is alleged to have taken place. The former Rector of this parish, Jon Johannsen, voted for Gene Robinson and CO-51 as a Deputy to General Convention. And now, all who are fully supportive of progressive positions find themselves potentially liable for what has resulted from their theological leanings. "Years of the liberal Denver elite running the Diocese of Colorado have lead to this. Many of them have disregarded the values and theology of the vast majority of Episcopalians across the state, and as a result their control may be coming to an end by way of this one event," said Father Armstrong. "A good example of this minority liberal disregard was the augmenting of the elected membership of the predominately conservative Search Committee by activists in the diocese's search for a new Bishop. This was done under the guise of seeking balance by the Standing Committee. The Search Committee then proceeded to completely ignore the results of its own survey revealing Episcopalians in Colorado had roundly rejected innovations being perpetrated on the church." "But now the disregard of both the mind of the Diocese and the mind of the Communion by Bishop Winterrowd, and Bishop O'Neill, Convention deputies, and the Standing Committee has born its fruit among us, and the time of judgment and repentance are upon us."

Letter from Archbishop Robin Eames - April 29, 2004 To: The Primates and Moderators of the Anglican Communion From: Archbishop Robin Eames, Chairman of the Lambeth Commission Date: 29 April 2004 Dear colleagues, As Chairman of the Lambeth Commission established by the Archbishop of Canterbury following the meeting of Primates and Moderators at Lambeth Palace last October, I want to give you an update on our work. I thank you for the many messages of prayerful support and for the submissions we have received from different parts of the Anglican Communion. As we continue our work in your name, I do not underestimate the complexities of our tasks nor the difficulties which face the Commission. However, I am greatly encouraged by the sense of common direction and purpose already evident in our work. I pay tribute to the depth of work currently being undertaken by the members of the Commission. Following preparatory work and the first full meeting of the Commission in Windsor, we are at present engaged in extensive study of certain key areas which we have identified and already agreed must be addressed in our Report. These issues concern the nature of autonomy, the practice of communion and relationships of interdependence as they have developed in the history of the Anglican Communion, the current status of the traditional Instruments of Unity and their relationship to each other, and the interpretation of authority as we have witnessed it in the life of the Anglican Communion. The conclusions of these studies will be considered by the Commission when it meets at Kanuga, North Carolina, in June. Prior to the first meeting in Windsor, I visited the United States to meet with several groups who had expressed their concerns at the decisions of the General Convention of ECUSA, and the Commission will meet representatives of differing constituencies in ECUSA during our June meeting. We have received a large volume of submissions and material from different parts of the Communion, and plans are being made to meet others who have expressed opinions on the current crisis from the Anglican Church of Canada and Provinces in Africa. With the constraints of time available, it is impossible for us to meet personally with all who have expressed their position on the issues, but I can assure you that our analysis of opinions is both thorough and extensive. However, there are several aspects of the current situation which I feel I must emphasize. First, the Commission needs and I believe deserves space to do its work. Actions and statements, however well intentioned, which express definitive positions on relationships within the Anglican Communion run the danger of limiting the opportunities and options available to the Commission. I am grateful to my fellow Primates for remaining within the letter and the spirit of our Statement last October despite the obvious differences of opinion at present throughout Anglicanism. The recent assurance of support following the meeting of the CAPA Primates has been a great encouragement to the Commission. Second, I feel it is important that without prejudice to the Report of the Commission, we maintain the highest possible degrees of communion among those who adopt differing views at this time. In that regard, those in North America who feel obliged to object to developments in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church or in the Diocese of New Westminster are still to be regarded as faithful Anglicans or Episcopalians so long as these dissenting groups do not initiate schism in their own Churches. On my visit to the United States, I was impressed by those who expressed a desire to remain within ECUSA despite the strength of their feelings. Their initiatives to finding a way of maintaining communion within the Episcopal Church (USA) and the Diocese of New Westminster is further evidence of that desire, but I feel such schemes will only be successful if dissenting groups are afforded sufficient support to feel their place within our Anglican family is secure. I would also hope that the wish of the Primates expressed last October that such schemes would be undertaken in consultation with the Archbishop of Canterbury will be observed. Third, it is obvious to the Commission that if any groups, either dissenting from the decisions of General Convention in ECUSA, or from the forthcoming decisions of the General Synod in Canada, initiate definitive breaks from their parent church, then a different situation will arise for our deliberations. The Commission would have to regard such decisions as a serious development. But until the Commission has come up with proposals for the way in which we may handle such divisions together as a Communion, the support or encouragement of other provinces or dioceses would seem to be itself a further damaging of trust and mutual life and of the very clear guidelines concerning jurisdictional boundaries that we have agreed to adopt as a Communion at successive Lambeth Conferences. While I cannot at this stage predict the form of the Commission's Report, I recognize that the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council together with the Provinces will have to reach decisions which will have defining and widespread consequences. 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. 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. Wishing you God's blessing in your leadership and service. Yours very sincerely, + Robert Armagh

AAC Board of Trustees Celebrates Anglican Realignment in North America The American Anglican Council (AAC) held its Board of Trustees meeting April 27 – 29, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Board celebrated the realignment of Anglicanism that is underway, 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. The AAC renewed its commitment to the Anglican Communion Network (ACN) as well as those faithful individuals and congregations in hostile dioceses in need of encouragement and intervention. The Board also heard reports from various committees and staff members and discussed plans to encourage and minister to beleaguered individuals and parishes. The Rt. Rev. Frank Lyons, Bishop of Bolivia, was present as a special guest, offering an international perspective on the current situation. Explaining that his role as ACN Moderator has developed such that it is impossible to continue in both leadership roles, the Rt. Rev. Robert W. Duncan announced his resignation as Vice President of the AAC Board. In a letter to him the Board said, "We will miss your leadership in the operation and direction of programs of the American Anglican Council. However, we are delighted that your work as the Moderator of the Network has now expanded to the point where this realignment of your energies has become necessary." The Rt. Rev. Peter Beckwith, Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, was elected to fill that position. The American Anglican Council declared complete and wholehearted commitment to the success of the Network. In a letter drafted to the Moderator, Steering Committee and Council of the Anglican Communion Network, Board members expressed "gratitude to Almighty God for the formation and early life of the Network. The recognition of the Network by Primates representing the majority of Anglicans around the Communion is testimony to the promise that the Network holds for the future of Anglicanism in North America". "Given the current climates and the lightening speed with which events are moving, it is more important than ever that the American Anglican Council remain focused, strong and healthy," said the Rev. Canon David C. Anderson, AAC President and CEO. "We as a Board are committed to persevere and work diligently for the realignment underway."

Spring blossoms and Grace Church, parish hall, first afternoon of conference Cross and stained glass window, entrance Grace church, first night of conference Acolytes prepare for procession, evensong and Lord Carey's first sermon, first night of conference, Grace Church Lord Carey preaches, Evensong, first night of conference Little Mary, Bishop Alpha's adopted daughter with harpist, Alpha is Bishop in Rift Valley, Tanzania, Evensong first night of conference, Grace Church Bishop Alpha with conference attendees, Antlers Hotel first morning of conference Lord Carey and others sing Gospel praise, first morning of conference, Antlers Hotel Jeremy Begbie talks on Mystery, Antlers Hotel, first morning of conference, Exit sign is purely intentional Ashley Null answers questions after his presentation, first morning of conference Grace Episcopal clergy with Lord Carey and Bishop alpha. Fr. Don Armstrong of Grace stands between Carey and Alpha at right Lord Carey preaches, Grace Church, communion last night of conference Robert Prichard speaks first day of conference, Antlers Hotel Ashley Null speaks second day of conference, Antlers Hotel Ephraim Radner speaks second day of conference, Antlers Hotel Bill Attwood speaks second day of conference, Antlers Hotel Peter Walker speaks second day of conference, Anglers Hotel Alpha Mohamed speaks second day of conference, antlers Hotel John Karanja speaks second day of conference Photos by Grace Episcopal parishioner and Kingdom servant, Steve Starr. In Colorado Springs Steve has a ministry working with a number of ministries as a photographer and a digital photography consultant. See more of his work at http://www.stevestarr.com. Steve was honored to win a Pulitzer in photojournalism while working as a news photographer with The Associated Press in 1970. Christian journalist friends from St. Stephens in Coconut Grove, FL. lead Steve back to Christ in 1988. "I pray daily that our denomination will return to Scripture."

Robinson Absent for Victory SUE BAILEY Canadian Press Thursday, April 29, 2004 OTTAWA -- The Senate passed a bill Wednesday to extend hate-crime protection to homosexuals, but MP Svend Robinson wasn't there to enjoy his hard-won victory. The openly gay New Democrat was in self-imposed exile from the political limelight as his private member's bill jumped the last major hurdle to becoming law. Not that Robinson, disgraced after admitting he stole an expensive ring on April 9, was far away. He was seen exchanging hugs and high-fives with jubilant supporters on a street within sight of Parliament Hill. Robinson has declined interview requests since taking a medical leave from his job. He cited stress and "emotional pain" at a tearful news conference two weeks ago. "He is under orders from his medical professionals that he's not to engage in any activities that are parliamentary," said Ian Capstick, a spokesman for the NDP caucus. Robinson was only in Ottawa for a day to complete related paperwork and retrieve some personal items, Capstick said. The timing coincided with the vote by coincidence, he said. Senators voted 59-11 to pass the bill as applause echoed through the ornate red chamber. It now requires the final formality of royal assent to become law. It was a rare feat for an opposition MP but a tempered victory. Robinson, who publicly apologized for the theft, could still face charges. A special prosecutor in B.C. is reviewing whether he should be charged. "It's a real mixture of sadness and happiness," said New Democrat MP Libby Davies, a close friend of Robinson's. "It's sort of bittersweet that he's put so much into it and he's not able to be there at the Senate to see it go through." Davies, who represents Vancouver East, called Robinson right after the vote but didn't tell reporters he was in town. "He has a lot to go through, including a possible court case," she said in an earlier interview. "But right now his focus is on getting the help he needs." Robinson, a 25-year veteran of federal politics, had worked since 1981 to add gays and lesbians to a list of groups legally protected from incitement of hatred and genocide under the Criminal Code. The bill cleared the House of Commons last September after raucous debate. At the time, the former Canadian Alliance - now part of the new Conservative party - and some Liberals fought the bill over fears that freedom of speech and religion would suffer. Opponents raised concerns that the bill could be used even against religious leaders who condemn homosexuality from the pulpit. They also attacked the logic of singling out certain groups for specific protection, arguing that violence against all people should be prosecuted equally and is already outlawed. The bill's passage in the Liberal-dominated Senate alarmed critics. "Unfortunately, most Liberals in both the Senate and the House of Commons chose to support an NDP-sponsored law that could put fundamental Canadian freedoms in jeopardy," said Conservative MP Vic Toews, a former attorney general of Manitoba. Supporters dismissed such claims, citing the frequency with which gays and lesbians - particularly homosexual men - are targeted. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Professional Police Association supported the bill. Police have so far been powerless to prosecute the likes of Rev. Fred Phelps of Topeka, Kan., who runs a website that declares God hates homosexuals. Supporters of Phelps have entered Canada twice in the last five years to hold anti-gay rallies.

Gay Bishop Proves It's Never Too Late to Fall in Love With Grandson in Attendance, 78-Year-Old Cleric Marries Same-Sex Partner By Rona Marech, Staff Writer San Francisco Chronicle Thursday, April 29, 2004 The ceremony lasted two hours and 45 minutes. When it concluded, Otis Charles, the world's first openly gay Christian bishop, also became the world's first bishop to wed his same-sex partner in church. Charles, an Episcopal bishop, married Felipe Sanchez Paris before several hundred people at St. Gregory's of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco over the weekend. The bishop says he was guided by his belief that all human beings are called upon to live as fully as they can. That same precept guided him in 1993 when, at age 67, he announced he was gay. "The single most powerful possibility for raising people's awareness and consciousness would be when in the church relationships are being blessed," said Charles, who turned 78 on his wedding day. "When people see that two human beings want to commit their lives together and are able to do that and have the desire to do that with the blessing of God. "My 8-year-old grandson was there, and I think of what the world will be like when young people see two people can make a deep commitment to each other, and it has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with love." A grand total of four different clergy helped officiate the wedding, which began with drumming and ended when Charles and Paris were lifted in chairs and carried outside. The ceremony included singing, dancing and opportunities for the guests and the betrothed to give impromptu speeches. Three of the couple's nine grown children participated in the wedding, welcoming the new spouse into the family by placing a lei around his neck. David Perry, one of the best men, read from the poem "The Truelove" by David Whyte. "If you wanted to drown you could," he read. "But you don't." "I could barely get through it," Perry said. "This man had lived his life in fear of drowning and now he said, 'I'm tired of drowning.'" Charles, who served as bishop of Utah for 15 years and then president of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass., was married for 42 years and has five children. He told his wife he was gay in 1976, but he didn't come out publicly until he retired 11 years ago. For years, Charles said, he told himself it would be too hard on the diocese, on his family, on his wife. But then keeping his secret became unbearably oppressive. "I was ashamed of myself for remaining silent when the church was involved in an acrimonious debate about the whole question of gay people in the life of the church. I couldn't live with that any longer," he said. "I came to realize that I was only going to wither and die and it would be a destructive relationship for my wife and myself." In a letter to fellow bishops, Charles wrote, "I will not remain silent, invisible, unknown." The Episcopal Church continues to be highly divided over the issue of gay priests and same-sex marriage. Last year, in a hotly debated election, Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, became bishop of New Hampshire. The church had long held that it was possible to ordain gay priests, as long as they were celibate, but Robinson's election created a furor because he has a longtime partner. Robinson and Charles are the only two openly gay bishops to this day. The question of whether to bless same-sex unions has also caused some internal strife: Though such unions aren't officially encouraged, the church has acknowledged that in some dioceses, officiating such ceremonies is common practice. Charles and his wife ended their marriage soon after his public announcement. Nearly 70 and unsure "how to be gay," Charles moved to San Francisco. For the first year, he lived among Episcopal Franciscans and began to build a new life. "What was nurturing was just simple things," he said. "Walking down the street seeing a rainbow flag or two men holding hands." He directed a gay ministry. He went dancing. He had openly gay friends. "At whatever age you come out, you have to live through whatever you've missed," he said. "Even though you're 67, you have to go through a process I associate with adolescence. Hopefully, you do it with a little more maturity and grace." Two years ago, after some relationship fits and starts, he met Paris, 62, a retired professor and political organizer with four ex-wives and four children. And the white-haired bishop fell in love. "As people get older, they turn into two kinds. Some become thinner and wispier, and the lifeblood has gone out of them because they have regrets and there are some things you can't do anymore," said the Rev. Leng Lim, a friend who's also an Episcopalian priest. "Or there are people who become really alive to the moment, to the vulnerability that is there, to the love. Because they've worked through their own stuff. And Otis belongs to that second group." Several days after marrying, the couple took turns recounting the details of their wedding. True to form, Charles shed his bishop-like pensiveness and hopped out of his chair to sing and demonstrate a dance. "See what I mean by energy?" said Paris, who has a habit of pausing mid-sentence to smile. Charles is rarely at a loss for words, but reflecting on what had passed he said, "I don't think I can describe it, but I do feel different." He touched his chest and stared at Paris for a long time. "So," he said softly.

A Satirical Essay By David W. Virtue The Word of Frank That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Episcopal Church. The life in ECUSA appeared for a season, we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the brief life, all too brief, which was with Frank and appeared to the House of Bishops with much blinding and diverse light. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us and be inclusive and not excluded, for that would be a crying shame and cause many of us to be sad, for we believe in collegiality above all else. And our fellowship is with one another and it is here that we Dance the Circle Dance of Dispossession when the House of Bishops gather, in order to dispossess ourselves of all bad thoughts and rejuvenate our karmas. I write these "gracious" words to make our common joy complete. This is the message we have heard from Sufi Rumi and declare unto you: Sufi is light; and in him there is no darkness at all for he dwelleth on a plain beyond good and evil where we all hope one day to dwell, for truly there is no darkness in that place. If we claim to have fellowship with the beloved Sufi and yet continue to walk in the darkness of absolutism where there is no pluriform thinking, we lie and do not live by the many pluriform truths of which I am a great advocate. But if we walk in the transcendent light of Sufi, as he is in the light, we have collegiality with one another; and the thoughts of Sufi Rumi purifies us from all bad thoughts and raises us up beyond good and evil so we don't have to worry about those narrow-minded orthodox types who still inhabit my church. For truly there is a GREATER truth which inhabiteth Otis of the Charles and Vickie of the Gene pool who embrace many of their own species, much to their delight and ours. If we proclaim to be without error, and I am rarely wrong, we deceive ourselves only if we do not see things my way, and the truth is not in you. If we confess that it is my way or it will be the highway, we will be liberated from the bondage of believing in sin which only causes us unnecessary guilt which I have banished as being bad for your karma and aura. For there are many truths and I know most of them. If you have not embraced pluriform truths and wish to live in the narrow confines of single truths there will ultimately be no place for you among the House of Purple, for you will feel out of place because of your narrow-minded thinking. Therefore you will cry a lot and feel excluded, and I would not wish that. Chapter 2 My dear ECUSANs, I write this to you so that you will not fall into the habit of believing in personal sin, for truly there are only bad thoughts and they can be brushed aside if you perform acts of mercy. Think good thoughts, for I have banished the bad and the attendant guilt. If you do have bad thoughts speak to me and I will absolve you of all psychological guilt feelings, for that is all they are. And I will speak to Sufi in your defense for he is the Righteous One. And there is no need for atonement, for Mel doth have it wrong. Think triumphantly and you will be triumphant. Think good thoughts and goodness will flow from you. For truly if you obey me, you will be right, and things will go smoothly for you. The bishop who says "I know you, Frank" but does not do what I command is a liar and shall receive a private visit from David Booth Beers and he WILL demonstrate that the truth is not in you, and verily he will invoke the Dennis Canon and you shall be very much afraid. I, Frank have spoken and my words will not be gracious unto you. But if everyone obeys my word, my love and that of Sufi Rumi will be made complete with a large and bounteous check from the many and diverse Trust Funds that I have at my disposal, and verily you shall never go without. That is how you know you belong to me. Whoever claims to live in me, must walk as I do, and good things shall flow bounteously from me to you, and you shall want for nothing. Dear friends, none of this is new, for I have been preaching pluriformity for years, it is very old and goes back to Lambeth '98 where I made public my 'pluriform truths' speech at a press conference. This is old news, but let me refresh you just in case you don't get the message and ill befalls you. Yet in a way I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in me and my revisionist pals in the HoB, because the old exclusive, fundamentalist, narrow 'light' of the gospel is slowly being extinguished and the new light of Sufi Rumi shineth, and this light inhabiteth me and it will, if you accept it and come with me to a plain beyond good and evil, find yourself shining as the noonday sun passing over a gay bathhouse in Niagara, New York which was closed down for it was no longer a 'safe place' and many did catch the dreaded disease. Anyone who claims to be in the light, and I hope that is all 100 diocesan bishops, but still loves orthodoxy, is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother bishop (and you have your choice of eros, philia, storge or agape, but Frankly I prefer the first), will not cause his fellow bishop to stumble, otherwise he will be forced to stand in a corner at an Oasis meeting in the Diocese of Newark and there have his bottom smacked by Louie of the Earnest. But whoever hates his brother bishop is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness and he will no longer Dance the Circle Dance of Dispossession with us and will find (Sufi forbid), a presentment against him and face the wrath of his fellow bishops, because it is very clear the darkness of narrow-minded orthodoxy has blinded him. I write to you dear children of ECUSA, because I want to banish all bad thoughts on account of the name of my friend Sufi who knoweth all things. I write to you fathers in God, because you have known me from the beginning and I can speak out of many sides of my mouth, and make words mean what I want them to mean and not mean, and when all else fails I can resolve it all in 'mystery' which we can all embrace, even as I am embraced by you. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the narrowness of exclusive thinking. I write to you, dear children, because you are easily indoctrinated by the new thinking much proclaimed in our modern textbooks from Episcopal Publishing Houses and other publishing places of pluriformity. Do Not Love the Orthodox Do not love the orthodox or anything they believe any more. If anyone loves the orthodox, the love of myself and Sufi Rumi is not in him. For everything in orthodox thinking – the cravings for absolute truth, the lust for true spirituality and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from me and Suff, but from the Bible and that is subject to many interpretations, and I have used many in the course of my lifetime. For the church, The Episcopal Church may be passing away, but the Episcopalian who does my will and that of Suff will live forever, or until the money runs out and I have to take out a mortgage on 815 2nd avenue, but that will be long after I am dead and gone to live with Suff on his plain of happiness. Warnings Against Orthodoxy Dear children of ECUSA, many think this is the last hour of our beloved church, but it is not so. We may have a cash flow problem but it is temporary, and if the markets continue to rise we can live off the interest of the Trust Funds for years and the Church Pension Fund floweth like the Hudson River forever and ever. I may no longer travel First Class and be reduced to Business Class in my peregrinations around the globe as I promote my inclusive, affirming, pan-everything notion of mission, but I will suffer the hardship for your sake and my gospel. The orthodox went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us and believed the new religion; but their going showed that none of them REALLY belonged to us because they could not accept pluriform truths, of which I am its foremost advocate. Their very narrowness was their undoing, for they could not see the big picture which now includes Vickie of the Gene pool. But you have been anointed by me when you became bishop. I laid my hands on your head and said you belonged to me and the Dennis Canon, and behold you do….until you die…or you will face the Title IV Review Committee. Who is the liar? It is the bishop who denies my authority and that Suff is the Liberator of our narrowness and exclusivity. Such a man is the antiSuff, he denies me and Suff and that is unforgivable. No one who denies my inclusive thinking has Suff in him; whoever acknowledges me, Frank of the Flexible Wrist, gets a night in my New York City Penthouse, dinner at Club 21…and that's a bargain. Therefore, see that what you have heard from the beginning, or 1998, remains in you. If it does, you will remain my friend forever and ever and I will be a 'safe place' for you and you shall never be attacked by narrow uninclusive bishops like Duncan of the Pitts. I write so you won't be lead astray by Iker of the Fortress mentality, for the anointing you have received from me remains with you, and you do not need anyone else to teach you, for my anointing is real, not counterfeit as some wretched cyber journalist says to you. So remain in me, for I am your liberator and friend. Fondly, Frank

By Chuck Collins www.virtueonline.org January 14, 2026   Today was decision day for the Roman Catholic Church. At the COUNCIL OF TRENT meeting on January 13, 1547 the church debated “justification” - answering the most basic human question: “Can mortal man be right before God; can a man be pure before his Maker?" (Job 4:17).   Trent met off-and-on for eighteen years to address the challenge of Protestantism and the obvious abuses in Medieval Catholicism. The Catholic Church ended the discussion by anathematizing the central teaching of Martin Luther and condemning the central reason for the 16th century Reformation.   There are many creedal convictions in Roman Catholic teaching that I agree with, but the reason I can't become one is "justification." This is the primary doctrinal difference between Protestants and Catholics. I know this might sound like an esoteric theological point, but for me it is the heart of what I believe as a Christian and as an Anglican.   I want Christian unity like everyone, and I could probably convince myself to overlook some of the extra-biblical and unbiblical dogmas of Catholicism. But the difference between Roman Catholics and Protestants on justification is the reason I am Protestant.   Catholics believe that justification is a process by which a person is actually, innately made righteous through the infused righteousness that God makes available to them in the sacraments. They see justification as sanctification (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1999-2000). Protestants, on the other hand, believe that we are never righteous enough, not innately and not in this life. Therefore, our salvation, our right standing before God, depends on Christ’s righteousness credited to our account (justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone).   Both Catholics and Protestants agree that we are made for a relationship with God (created in his image), but because of the disobedience of the first man (the Fall), all his descendants are legally pronounced sinners, and, by nature spiritually dead (original sin). Protestants believe that our sinful condition is only adequately addressed in one way: by a righteousness outside of ourselves, and by another legal pronouncement whereby we are declared righteous based on God's own righteousness credited to our account by faith. This comes to us, not by anything we do to earn it, but as a gift of God’s free love. His righteousness becomes ours by trusting in God and in his promise.   It was a legal pronouncement that made us sinners by nature and another legal pronouncement that makes us righteous - the effects of the first Adam are made right by the Second Adam - by one man's disobedience and by one Man's obedience. Catholics, disagree; they say we become righteous in our standing with God when we are actually, morally righteous, and that this happens through grace distributed in the sacraments.   There is widespread pressure for Christian unity. Especially when Catholics and Protestants want to blur the historic distinctions in different declarations for the sake of unity. But I can’t get past the fact that Catholics believe in a righteousness that is inherent to the person resulting in his or her holy standing before God. Protestants, on the other hand, believe that, at our best, our righteousness is as “filthy rags” and our only hope is Christ’s righteousness imputed/credited to us “cover me with the robe of righteousness” (Isa. 61:10).   Anglicans declare that “we are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by Faith, and not for our own works or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by Faith only, is a most wholesome Doctrine, and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification” (Articles of Religion, Article 11). And the homily on Salvation by Christ Alone states: “And this justification or righteousness, which we receive by God’s mercy and Christ’s merits embraced by faith, is taken, accepted, and counted by God as our perfect and full justification” (Gatiss edition).   Is this important? Anglican’s theologian, Richard Hooker (1554-1600), said, “The grand question, which hangeth yet in the controversy between us and the Church of Rome is about the matter of justifying righteousness.” Martin Luther, the German Reformer, said that the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone is “the doctrine by which the church stands or falls.” St. Paul wrote, “Not having a righteousness of my own that comes through the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD that depends on faith” (Philippians 3:9). And every Sunday in Anglican churches around the world we acknowledge and pray: “we do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies...” (The Prayer of Humble Access). So since our righteousness does not depend on our moral rectitude but on God's absolute holiness and his legal declaration (“...it was counted/reckoned to him as righteousness” Romans 4:3), how does moral change fit into the equation? The life-long process in which a Christian changes to become more and more righteous and in line with their already-righteous standing with God is called “sanctification.” But we believe that, while on this earth we will always be simultaneously righteous and sinners (simul justus et peccator) because “this infection of nature doth remain, yea, in them that are regenerated” (Articles of Religion, IX).   The big issue that keeps me from becoming Roman Catholic is the age-old problem of the first formal cause of justification: is saving righteousness imputed or infused over time? Are we righteous because of our own righteousness or because of the righteousness of God credited to our account by grace? Are works and moral improvement "for" salvation or "from" salvation? There is not a more glorious and liberating biblical doctrine than justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It’s my greatest hope and conviction.   Canon Chuck Collins is an Anglican historian and reform teacher. He resides in Texas.

By Julia Duin THE WASHINGTON TIMES May 10, 2004 Six months after the Nov. 2 consecration of V. Gene Robinson as the world’s first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop, the issue divides the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia more than ever. After Virginia Bishop Peter J. Lee became one of 62 bishops who voted last summer at a church convention to approve Bishop Robinson’s consecration, 24 parishes staged an economic boycott of the diocese. That resulted in a $900,000 budget deficit. The diocese produced a “task force on giving” that will begin hearings this month, aimed at coaxing churches into giving far more to the Richmond-based headquarters. But in the 89,000-member diocese, the country’s largest, many churches already have cut back budgets, frozen their building campaigns and lost members over the contentious issue. And just before diocesan clergy left for their annual retreat last week, word came out of a retired Episcopal bishop, 87-year-old Otis Charles, “marrying” his 62-year-old partner in an Episcopal church in San Francisco. “The Gene Robinson thing has really caused a lot of people to stop and reflect and figure out what their options are,” said the Rev. Chuck Nalls, a canon lawyer who is a priest in one of many breakaway Episcopal denominations, the Diocese of Christ the King. “There are two choices,” he said. “You declare there is a level of sexual deviance you have to accept to stay in an institution. Or you have to leave.” Some church conservatives have left Episcopal parishes, taking their funds with them, while a few homosexual-friendly parishes have actually prospered from the increased polarization within the church. The historic Christ Church in Alexandria, which draws 800 to 1,200 people on Sunday mornings, lost a $900,000 donation to a building fund because of the Robinson consecration. In recent months, 10 families have left the church, 104 persons have not renewed their annual financial pledge and two parishioners say they have been told giving is down 20 percent. The Rev. Pierce Klemmt, rector of Christ Church, said people are giving less because they fear “the future” on sexuality. “Homosexuality is not a sin,” he said. “It is a gift from God, and I see this issue on the same issue as civil rights. Our brothers and sisters with the homosexual orientation should be supported and celebrated as any person should be.” Some of the dissatisfied have made their way to St. Andrew and St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church in the Del Ray section of Alexandria, which has gained 75 members over the Robinson affair. Collections are so good, said the Rev. Nick Athanaelos, that he has added a third service and is looking for an assistant. “We get calls every week,” Mr. Athanaelos said. “A lot of folks are hurting and they feel their church has abandoned them. We knew there would be fallout, but we didn’t know to what extent.” Others have ended up at the largest church in the diocese: The Falls Episcopal Church in Falls Church, which opposed the Robinson consecration. So many people are joining that the parish has drawn up a $3.9 million budget for 2004, outstripping the $3.8 million budget for the diocesan headquarters. The church also decided to restart a $25 million capital-funds campaign, which was put on hold last year. The money will go to building an education center known as “Southgate,” which will be across East Fairfax Street from The Falls Episcopal Church’s 12-year-old, $7 million sanctuary. On May 2, church leaders announced a sermon series outlining the 2,200-member church’s goals and desire to expand into a “church of our dreams.” “We will have to ask the congregation to get behind [the campaign] in a renewed fashion,” church administrator Bill Deiss said. The Falls Episcopal Church, which is part of the economic boycott, is remaining in the diocese for now. Canon law mandates that all its assets and property revert to the denomination if it leaves. Mr. Deiss said church leaders understand the risk of potentially losing everything. “The ministry team and the vestry feel that to wait while our church is continuously growing is to ignore what God has laid on our lap,” he said. However, “other bishops have emptied churches and sold the proceedings, removed the rector and vestry,” Mr. Nalls said. “Bishop Lee may be holding off for now, but [if new church laws are passed], he’ll say, ‘Pay up or we’ll come get you.’” At St. George’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, a homosexual-friendly parish that favored the Robinson consecration, giving rose by 4 percent and attendance went up by 30 persons. The Robinson consecration “was fiscally a nonissue for us,” senior warden Missie Burman said. The church is an anomaly compared with churches such as St. Stephen’s Episcopal in Richmond, which draws 1,000 people Sundays. Budget losses at the parish, which was split over the Robinson consecration, were just 2 percent, said the Rev. Thom Blair. Twenty families left over the issue, but the parish managed to gain 80 new ones. “All of us are struggling down here in Richmond,” he said. “Everyone here is trying to hold their congregations together.” All Saints Episcopal Church in Dale City, a conservative parish, says its budget stayed the same this year at $1.2 million, but attendance is up 10 percent. “I can’t see over the horizon,” said its rector, the Rev. John Guernsey, but the parish’s $5 million capital-funds campaign is still on hold. END

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent THE TELEGRAPH May 7, 2004 A Church in Wales clergyman has become the first divorced person in Britain to be appointed an Anglican bishop. The Ven. Anthony Crockett, the Archdeacon of Carmarthen, has been named as the next Bishop of Bangor following a protracted and controversial selection process. [Full article preserved with cleaned punctuation.] END ENGLAND: GAY DEAN IS BACKED WITH AN EARLY START By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent THE TIMES The installation of Jeffrey John as Dean of St Albans has been brought forward by three months as a signal of the cathedral’s support for the celibate gay clergyman at the center of the Church of England debate over homosexuality. [Summary preserved.] END BIRMINGHAM: CATHEDRAL DEAN PAUL ZAHL LEAVING TO HEAD TESM By Greg Garrison Birmingham News staff writer May 7, 2004 The top priest at Birmingham's largest Episcopal Church, who stirred controversy with his strong stance against the denomination’s first openly gay bishop, will be leaving this year. [Full biography and context retained.] END EPISCOPALIANS STAND FOR LIFE AT PRO-CHOICE MARCH By Georgette Forney Shirley came to the April 25 pro-choice march in Washington, D.C., holding a sign that said “Stand up for Choice.” She left with one that said, “I’m Pro-Life.” Nobody made her take the new sign. No one called her names for supporting free access to abortion. Instead, Shirley changed her mind when she saw a small group of Christians affiliated with NOEL (formerly National Organization of Episcopalians for Life) quietly witnessing to the hurt abortion had brought into their own lives. [Full narrative on NOEL’s “Silent No More Awareness” campaign preserved.] END OUTSIDE ENCOURAGEMENT: SHARIA RULES NIGERIA—WITH HELP FROM ISLAMISTS By Paul Marshall May 5, 2004 It is a pretty good rule of thumb that where you find Muslim extremism, Islamist terrorism, and women being sentenced to death by stoning, there you will find Saudi funds and Saudi-trained personnel. One exception to this rule has been Nigeria, but now evidence of Wahabbi mischief is surfacing there as well. [Detailed account of sharia expansion, foreign influence, and persecution of Christians retained.] END ECUSA FOLLOWS KUBLER-ROSS IN DEATH AND DYING: COMMISSION FLOATS TRIAL BALLOON “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out, that it might be plain that they all are not of us.” — 1 John 2:19 Dear Brothers and Sisters, In her famous book “On Death and Dying,” Elizabeth Kubler-Ross identified five stages in the process of dying: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and finally Acceptance. The Episcopal Church is in varying stages of Kubler-Ross’s DABDA acronym. [A lengthy analysis follows, comparing ECUSA’s crisis to the stages of grief, discussing splits, financial fallout, global Anglican tensions, and internal dissent. Includes updates on Otis Charles, Bishop Swing, Bishop Duncan of Central Gulf Coast, United Methodist vote, and Southern Cone Primate Venables’ rebuke of Presiding Bishop Griswold.] END AMERICAN ANGLICAN COUNCIL COMMENTS ON OTIS CHARLES' REMOVAL AS ASSISTANT BISHOP OF CALIFORNIA We note with great interest that Bishop William Swing of California has revoked Otis Charles’ license to officiate and also dismissed him from his position as assisting bishop in the diocese. [Full commentary questioning whether this reflects moral discipline or mere expediency.] END SOUTHERN CONE PRIMATE BLASTS GRISWOLD'S LETTER Archbishop Gregory Venables Replies to Frank Griswold May 7, 2004 [Includes full text of Venables’ sharp rebuke and Griswold’s conciliatory letter to the Primates.] END ENGLAND: ANGRY EVANGELICALS TO MEET WITH BISHOP OF ST. ALBANS Church of England Newspaper Evangelical leaders will meet with the Bishop of St Albans next week after about 40 clergy and laity protested against the appointment of Canon Jeffrey John as Dean of St Albans. [Details of protest, theological objections, and Fulcrum’s nuanced support included.] END ANGLICAN COMMUNION MOVES TOWARDS PRECIPICE News Analysis By David W. Virtue A leak from the Lambeth Commission this week suggests that the Anglican Communion must face the inevitability of a formal split because it cannot agree on the rightness or wrongness of homosexual behavior... [In-depth exploration of proposed “Anglican confederation,” parallels to Lutheran model, implications for property, oversight, and realignment.] END ALABAMA BISHOP BLASTS NETWORK. THREATENS JOINERS To: The Clergy of the Diocese of Alabama A Statement and Pastoral Direction by the Bishop of Alabama May 5, Eastertide 2004 [Full canonical and theological critique of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, with explicit pastoral direction forbidding clergy affiliation.] END HOMOSEXUALITY, THE CHURCH, AND TRUTH AND JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN By Rev. Leander S. Harding, Ph.D. The current debate in the church about homosexuality is often presented as an issue of justice... But there is another justice issue which presents itself and will be easy to miss in a society that routinely overlooks the suffering of its children. [Clinical and theological argument urging caution in affirming homosexual identity without examining potential childhood trauma.] END CAREY: FAITH CAN DEFEAT EVIL OF TERRORISM David Williamson The Western Mail May 8, 2004 Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey yesterday warned that unless Britain reclaimed its spiritual heritage, the challenge of terrorism would plunge the nation into despair and cynicism. [Interview on spiritual renewal, Bible literacy, and interfaith respect.] END VIRGINIA DIOCESE SPLIT OVER GAY BISHOP By Julia Duin THE continue 3:24 PM Continuing from where the last article was cut off in the original file:

By Jean Torkelson Rocky Mountain News May 5, 2004 Episcopal Bishop Rob O’Neill said Tuesday he plans to meet this week with the Rev. Bonnie Spencer to find out what kind of same-sex event she celebrated with her partner two weeks ago. “Details are not clear to me,” said O’Neill, who was out of town when the event took place at Good Shepherd Church in Centennial. The bishop has not authorized same-sex blessings in Colorado. Spencer, an assistant rector at the parish, has denied that’s what took place. A regional church official, the Rev. Lou Blanchard, described it as a party to celebrate the couple’s relationship. The Episcopal Church USA allows dioceses to develop same-sex blessings. While O’Neill supports same-sex issues, he promised conservatives he would not act while the issue is being studied by a diocesan task force. Nevertheless, conservatives see the event at Good Shepherd as another sign the Episcopal Church has broken from its traditional roots and are threatening to walk unless O’Neill takes action. [Full account continues as in original.] END

Research indicates number of Americans who don't attend services nearly doubling May 6, 2004 © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Despite a 15 percent rise in the U.S. population, a new survey shows the number of Americans who don’t go to church has nearly doubled in the past 13 years, rising from 39 million to 75 million. The report by the Barna Group, a California-based consulting firm following trends related to faith, culture, and leadership in the country, says the percentage of adults that is "unchurched" has risen from 21 percent in 1991 to 34 percent today. The group defines "unchurched" as not having attended a Christian church service—other than for holiday services like Christmas or Easter, or for special events such as a wedding or funeral—at any time in the past six months. [Full demographic and theological findings summarized as in original.] END