2003-AUG-11: Inclusive petition circulating: The webmaster at
InclusiveChurch.net is circulating a petition which states:
"We affirm that the Church's mission, in obedience to Holy
Scripture, is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in every
generation. We acknowledge that this is Good News for people regardless
of their sex, race or sexual orientation. We believe that, in order to
strengthen the Gospel's proclamation of justice to the world, and for
the greater glory of God, the Church's own common life must be justly
ordered. To that end, we call on our Church to live out the promise of
the Gospel; to celebrate the diverse gifts of all members of the body of
Christ; and in the ordering of our common life to open the ministries of
deacon, priest and bishop to those so called to serve by God, regardless
of their sex, race or sexual orientation."
He invites individuals, parish councils and other organizations to
register their support. 1
2003-AUG-13: Washington Post poll: They polled 1,003 randomly selected
American adults, asking the question: "As you may know, the Episcopal
church has given its bishops the option of allowing clergy to bless the
committed relationships of gay or lesbian couples. Do you approve or
disapprove of this decision?" They found that 33% approved, 60%
disapproved and 7% had no opinion.
They asked those subjects who has a religion and attends religious
services at least a few times a year the question: "If the church you
regularly attend decided to allow blessings of gay or lesbian couples,
would you continue to attend that church, or would you look for another
church to attend?" They found that 48% would continue to attend; 47%
would look for another church; 5% had no opinion. margin of error is 3
percentage points. 2
2003-AUG-15: Priest rejects church: The Massachusetts Family
Institute reported that: "Rev. Steven Randall, of St. Timothy's
Episcopal Church in Catonsville, Maryland, denounced the decision to
confirm Bishop Robinson from the pulpit and announced he would no longer
obey his bishop." He said that: "I can no longer personally, as a
priest, submit to the doctrine and the discipline of the Episcopal Church and that
means I will not be able to allow myself to be under the direct authority
not only of an ungodly church but really a bishop who has shown that he
will not follow scriptures." He aslo said that he would no longer
direct his congregation to continue funding the Episcopal Church. The
congregation gave him a rousing standing ovation. 3
2003-SEP-8: AAC conference moves to larger site: The American Anglican Council planned to hold its October meeting at
Christ Church in Plano, TX. But, after only two weeks of registration,
they were forced to change the location of the meeting to a larger
convention center in Dallas, TX. Rev. David Roseberry, rector (senior
pastor) of Christ Church said: "We're changing venues. We can no longer
house it at our church." AAC president Rev. Canon David Anderson said that
the conference will draft a request to the leaders of the Anglican
Communion asking "for their immediate and direct intervention
into the affairs of the Episcopal Church....But (the conference is) also
to prepare the people there for what will be a coming separation."
4
2003-OCT-10: AAC Conference: According to Focus on the
Family, over 4,000 people attended the AAC conference which was held
in Dallas, TX from OCT-7 to 9. Included were about 800 clergy. 5
The AAC website states that "over 2000 attendees" were present.
6 The theme was "A Place to Stand, Declaring ,
Preparing." The main topic of discussion was the conservative-liberal
split in the denomination. One reflection of this was the opposition to
the confirmation of Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire. David
Kennedy, a retired Anglican priest from Florida said that it's "...a
sea change for Anglicanism in this country...I think something new will
come out of this." The Rev. Dr. Kendall Harmon, a church theologian
from the Diocese of South Carolina, said, in his speech: "My
dear brothers and sisters, I am so proud this afternoon to say to you that
we are people who believe in the authority of the Bible." Teaching an
exclusivist position, he said: "The
overwhelming conviction of historic Christianity is: If you don't have
Christ, you're lost."
The conference attendees drafted a document which will be presented to the
leaders of the Anglican Communion who are meeting in London during the
week of OCT-13. In it, they:
Repudiated the majority decision by the representatives at the 2003
General Convention to confirm Gene Robinson, a non-celibate homosexual
as bishop. They also repudiated the decision to introduce a local option
in the blessing of same-sex relationships.
Proclaimed "God's transforming power for everyone seeking sexual
purity and wholeness." This presumably means that God will empower
those with a homosexual orientation to remain celibate.
Committed to withhold donations to "those structures that support
the unrighteous actions of the General convention."
Appealed to the Primates of the worldwide Anglican Communion to:
"Discipline those bishops in the Episcopal Church who, by
their actions, have departed from biblical faith and order;
Guide the realignment of Anglicanism in North America;
Encourage orthodox bishops as they extend episcopal oversight,
pastoral care, and apostolic mission across current diocesan
boundaries; and
Support isolated and beleaguered congregations and individuals
in their life and witness as faithful Anglican Christians."
It is unclear how the Primates can discipline bishops in the Episcopal
Church. The organization of the Anglican Communion has no provision for
that. The reference to extending "eipscopal oversight" apparently
implies that conservative Bishops will attempt to impose their authority
over members in adjacent liberal dioceses. This is an interesting concept:
to have one diocese ruled by two bishops. To our knowledge, this is the
first time that this has been proposed in the past 18 centuries of
Christian history. Their reference to "isolated and beleaguered
congregations and individuals" appears to be a recognition that they
represent a small conservative minority within the Episcopal Church.
2003-OCT-16: Meeting of the Primates of the Anglican Communion:
Thirty-seven of the world's 38 Anglican primates met in London, UK, to
discuss:
The confirmation of Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire, and
The vote by the diocese of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
to allow the blessing of same-sex unions.
The primate from the Philippines was unable to attend. They issued a
statement stating, in part, that: "These actions threaten the unity of
our own communion...If his (Robinson's) consecration proceeds, we
recognize that we have reached a crucial and critical point in the life of
the Anglican Communion and we have had to conclude that the future of the
communion itself will be put in jeopardy." Robinson's consecration is
scheduled for NOV-2. The primates decided to established a commission to
duty how this and future crises should be handled. It is to complete its
work within 12 months.
Some comments:
Archbishop Michael Peers, primate of Canada, said: "We are
still in communion but there are dark, dark clouds on the horizon,
particularly around the consecration of the bishop of New Hampshire."
Rev. Frank Griswold, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church,
USA, said: "I stand fully behind the careful process used by the
diocese of New Hampshire to discern who it wishes to have as its next
bishop....different points of view can be held...without the issue of
sexuality becoming church dividing."
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the spiritual
leader of the Anglican Communion, said that the Communion had grown
closer as a result of the meeting which produced "no winners of
losers." He also commented: "Undoubtedly there is a huge crisis
looming....I think what we have achieved this week, though, is at
least to find some way of talking through the crisis without instantly
jumping into what appear to be quick solutions....When and if the
ordination of Canon Robinson goes ahead in the U.S., we shall
immediately have some responses from around the world, I am sure. But
what we have done is to give ourselves a sort of 12 month-plus
thinking time, inviting provinces to reflect on their reactions and
also having a central commission in the Anglican church which will
look at the possible implications of a split because there are
constitutional, legal questions for all the churches involved." He
expressed concern for the effect that the North American decisions
will have on Anglican churches in the Middle East, etc. He said: "Minority
churches which exist in places like Pakistan and elsewhere depend
quite a lot for their status and their public voice on being
associated with a ... worldwide body. When parts of that worldwide
body make decision which may be thought to commit or involve those
small local churches, they can be placed in appallingly difficult
positions."
Rev. Colin Coward of Britain's pro-gay group Changing Attitudes
said: "The dream of a church that was open and welcoming to gay and
lesbian people was realistically never ever going to happen. The
relief is that for the moment the communion stays together because
that means the conversations can continue, that is certainly good
news."
Archbishop Gregory Venables, leader of the Anglican Church of the
Southern Cone of America, representing the church in Latin America
predicted: "There will be a split, because there is no option."
Canadian Bishop Michael Ingham acknowledged the pain caused by the
decision of his diocese of New Westminster. He said: "We would say
as well for our part that the act of rejecting and discriminating
against homosexual people around the world causes pain and distress
around the world too. Nobody has a monopoly on pain." 7,8
"Anglican clerics warn of crisis in church. Row ignited by same-sex
unions in Canada, U.S. gay bishop. 'Actions threaten unity of our own
communion,' leaders say," The Toronto Star, 2003-OCT-17, Page A15.
"U.S. Episcopalians, divided over gays, welcome outcome of
emergency summit," Associated Press, 2003-OCT-17, at:
http://www.azcentral.com/
Page Translator: