The fracturing continues

I have mentioned to some of my friends my sadness at the departure of many from the Episcopal Church over matters sexual. I have many friends in the "continuing churches" (groups that have left over the 79 BCP, the ordination of women, etc). The sad truth is that those groups just continued to fracture and fracture and re-fracture. Once you are willing to leave over a matter of purity, the quest for purity continues to drive people to leave other groups. Another recent example is in the midst of occurring right now.

I'm including the entire text of the article from VirtueOnline without a link as I refuse to link to such a toxic web site.

Anglican Province of America Diocese of the West Joins Reformed Episcopal Church

By David W. Virtue

9/7/2008

In a move that could have serious implications for the Common Cause Partnership, an entire diocese of the Anglican Province of America with some 22 plus churches has fled that Anglican jurisdiction and allied itself with the Reformed Episcopal Church in America (REC).

"I pray that you will understand that we are not leaving the APA out of any anger but are entering into the REC so we can fulfill what we have been working on for the past ten years. By transferring to the REC we remain in intercommunion with each other and still brothers," wrote the Rt. Rev. Richard Boyce, OCD Bishop of the Diocese of the West (DOW/ APA.)

In a series of letters obtained by VirtueOnline, Bishop Boyce announced this week that he was taking his diocese out of the APA and formally bringing it into the Reformed Episcopal Church, a move that angered the Presiding Bishop of the APA, the Most. Rev. Walter Grundorf, who promptly relieved Boyce of his position as Bishop and appointed the Very Rev. Douglas King as interim administrator of the DOW.

"You are no longer the Diocesan Bishop of the DOW of the APA as of September 5. I have named the Very Rev. Douglas King as interim administrator." Grundorf then said that all DOW priests and parishes wishing to leave the APA must send a letter of their intention to him and request Letters Dismissory. He then said that until he hears from them, they remain in good standing and has his and the APA's full support.

He concluded his letter saying that the letters would provide for an "orderly transition" to the REC. "We have made such orderly transfers in the past between REC/APA and I hope and pray that this will be no exception."

Boyce responded from his parish in Seattle, saying that Grundorf's understanding of the meaning of the word "jurisdiction" was a misconception on his part.

"I have not resigned my jurisdiction nor has coadjutor Bishop Winfield Mott. We have only requested the REC to receive the Diocese of the West (DOW) which has not been acted upon.

"I would remind you that the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) has similar beliefs, traditions and practices on the Sacraments and Holy Orders particularly as they pertain to women's ordination.

"The DOW is a jurisdiction. I would refer you to Article 2., Sect. 6 of the Constitution of the Anglican Province of America (APA), and Canon 16, Sect. (a) and (e) which refer to the Bishop's jurisdiction. If you recall since the third century tradition has said that "Where the Bishop is, there is the Church, where the Church is there is the Bishop". Boyce went on to say that the Anglican Communion has stated through the Archbishop of Canterbury, that the basic unit of the Church is the Diocese, and you do consider yourself as Anglican."

Boyce said that no one is required by the Constitution or the Canons to send the Presiding Bishop a letter of resignation when leaving the APA. A letter Dismissory is from Diocesan Bishop to Diocesan Bishop.

Boyce blasted Grundorf saying that provincial protocol was a recent invention, "as I do not find it stated anywhere in APA documents. You, as Presiding Bishops have authority only to conduct the meetings of the House of Bishops (HOB) and to take orders for the consecration of Bishops."

"As a result of this restriction you have no authority to declare that I am no longer the Diocesan Bishop of the DOW."

Boyce argued that the APA Constitution states that a bishop shall confine the exercise of his office to his own Diocese. "Therefore as a Presiding Bishop with no authority, and functioning as a Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of the Eastern US (DEUS), you must not intrude into the affairs of the DOW."

"There is no authority conferred to you by the Constitution of the APA nor by the Canons of the APA to appoint the Rev. Douglas King, nor anyone else as an interim administrator of the DOW. This action would appear to follow The Episcopal Church (TEC) as in the case of the Diocese of San Joaquin.

"DOW Priests and Parishes do not need to send you a latter of intention of staying members of DOW. This is a Diocesan matter for DOW.

"This supposed protocol has no standing in the Constitution of the APA nor in the Canons of the APA.

"No Article of the Constitution of the APA or Canon of the APA prevents the DOW from effecting a merger with the REC, with whom we are in communion, as is the APA. We are following the time-line established by the APA and REC as this is the ten year mark leading to the merger. We just plan to do this before the rest of the APA."

Grundorf wrote to all the parishes of the DOW responding to Boyce's letter saying that while he was not totally surprised, "I am disappointed. I am also disappointed that the REC did not discuss this with me if indeed they are fully aware of all of Bishop Boyce's plans."

The Presiding Bishop said the DOW "still exists" with some having notified him that they had no intention of leaving the APA.

"Bishop Boyce has resigned from the APA, therefore he is no longer the Bishop of the APA/DOW." Grundorf who then said he was appointing King to serve as interim administrator "until such time as we can determine who is leaving and who is staying. I will then call an extraordinary Synod to reorganize and elect the appropriate officers."

Grundorf said there would be no attempt to claim church property or funds. "For all concerned in the APA and the REC, this transition must be done in a proper and orderly manner."

The PB said that one of the subjects to be addressed at their next Federation of Anglican Churches in the Americas (FACA) meeting will be "jurisdiction hopping."

"I am well aware that the motivation of this action has been driven by the Common Cause Partnership (CCP). While I support much of what the CCP stands for I, along with many others, have reservations as to what will be the final decision on the ordination of women, which most of the CCP members enthusiastically support. We have stood our ground for the last 30 plus years to the theological innovations of the Episcopal Church and I do not think we should abandon our principles at this point."

One observer told VOL that APA's Diocese of the West's decision to secede was to join Common Cause by way of the REC. It is believed that, in time, CCP will form the basis of a new North American Anglican Province, an orthodox alternative jurisdiction separate from The Episcopal Church and coming under the oversight of the newly formed Global Anglican Fellowship Conference (GAFCON.)

VOL could not obtain comment from leaders of the Reformed Episcopal Church.

END

The cost of accomodation

An excellent article by Fr. Donald Schell. With a tip of the biretta to Daily Episcopalian.

By Donald Schell

Some of our global Anglican bishops have called for a moratorium on blessing same sex unions and ordaining LGBT bishops (or maybe even LGBT clergy). Can we accept their moratorium? Not if we remember what another moratorium cost our church in integrity when we turned away from black America at a moment of Gospel opportunity.

We have to learn how say ‘yes’ to Communion and ‘no’ to moratorium.

If we so ‘no’ to moratorium and don’t just walk away, we’ll have to explain ourselves patiently and compassionately to our fellow Anglicans around the world. That will include facing the debate to rescind B033 at Anaheim in 2009.

But if we reject the moratorium, won’t they throw us out?

Common history and our understanding of sacrament anchor us in Anglican Communion, and our willingness to love sisters and brothers across the globe makes us flourish in Communion. Is Gene Robinson an Anglican bishop? We know he is, even though he was disinvited from Lambeth, but his critics know he’s a bishop too – that’s why they’re so troubled and call for his resignation.

If our American and Canadian bishops get disinvited from the next Lambeth, I’d hope they’d find their way to join Gene in Canterbury outside the security line, following his lead to take Lambeth to the streets.

Meanwhile, though some would say we’ve already explained ourselves, in love for our sisters and brothers (at home and globally) we’ve got to use print, video, scholarly publication, and face to face conversation to speak to those who don’t get what we’re saying and doing and -

- tell them all we’ve learned from the ministry of LGBT leaders among us,

- lay out (again and in detail) how we read scripture,

- say again why we believe that faithfulness to scripture, reason and tradition demand we practice full inclusion of LGBT sisters and brothers,

- argue biblically from St. Paul’s refusal to accept a moratorium on baptizing uncircumcised Gentiles,

and

- confess our Episcopal church’s mistaken moratorium in the years when emerging global Anglicanism came to reject slavery.

For a moment in this present struggle, we’re privileged to stand on a hilltop. We listen to the voices of sister and brother LGBT clergy who are us and stand among us; we see their faces and know them today because we’re learning together to practice honesty. Of course they’ve been there all along, and they’re all across the communion. The ‘moratorium’ asks us all to ignore their existence and asks them to return to hiding in plain sight. We can’t do that anymore. Their ministries have blessed us all. We are brothers and sisters in Christ.

From the hilltop we see the Spirit at work in our LGBT friends’ willingness to risk marriage in a culture where people are afraid to commit or acknowledge lasting love, and we see a way forward as our secular society now leads us in beginning to affirm committed LGBT relationships with domestic partnerships and marriage. Straight couples among us have been grateful for support and wise counsel from LGBT friends in relationship.

Moratorium at this point would be choosing anesthetized ‘peace’ over Good News. For us moratorium would be walking away from Jesus.

That’s exactly what we did in the 19th century, turn away from Jesus. Our Episcopal Church turned its back on the key moral issue of its time.

Our English brothers and sisters, relentlessly urged on by Quaker activists (and a few brave Anglicans who defied and shamed their own recalcitrant C of E) disturbed a complacent, complicit church to bring an end to slavery. The English struggle for abolition began about the time our new Constitution acknowledged slavery as an institution. England stopped the slave trade in 1807 and emancipated all the slaves in English colonies in 1833. Of course there were abolitionists in the U.S., but they weren’t Episcopalians. It take two more generations for the American church to begin facing up to our national shame.

The Civil war divided the American Episcopal Church in two. Like other churches in the Confederacy, Southern Episcopalians found biblical justification for slavery. One prominent Episcopal Bishop (Leonidas Polk) was not only a slaveholder, but died on the battlefield as a Confederate general. Meanwhile, the Northern Episcopal Church, though loyal to the Union, never supported the Abolitionist movement in word or action. Instead we longed and prayed for reunion of the church, even at the cost of truth.

After the war our church rejoiced in reuniting, boasting that smoothing over differences proved our Christian charity. A few bishops and lay leaders attempted to begin a truth-telling conversation about Emancipation, but the 1865 General Convention quickly resolved that church unity was worth silence. The Episcopal Church’s failure to repent of its complicity in slavery and celebrate the freedom of our own African-American members prompted a mass exodus thousands of African-American to other churches.

It could have been different. There were voices at the 1865 General Convention like Massachusetts Bishop Burgess who proposed holding a service of thanksgiving for the ending of the war and slavery. It’s easy to imagine a momentary hush in the House of Bishops when he’d finished his proposal. Bishop Elliott of Georgia had warned against just this sort of thing in The New York Times a few weeks before the Convention:

“Reunion…ought to take place in such wise as to preserve our good faith in our brethren and each other….It is our duty to guard the memory of our deceased bishops Meade, Otey and especially our beloved Polk [the slaveholding Bishop who died on the battlefield as a Confederate General]. Not that we should expect any endorsement from the General Convention of their views and actions, but that we should feel assured that no reproach, either direct or implied, will be cast upon their graves…the reputation of the dead is in our keeping, and we can fraternize with nobody who would willingly disturb their ashes. They have lived and died for us, and however wrong others may think them, we revere their memory and weep over their graves.”

“The church should desire to maintain and uphold the self-respect of all its members, remembering that they are the body of Christ. In this way we shall become in our reunion the admiration of the country, as we were for so many years during the fierce wrangling which preceded secession, its wonder, for our reticence and self-control.”

Bishop Elliott speaks as though the Episcopal Church had no black members, though in fact, at that point, most African Americans still attended Episcopal churches. ‘Our reticence and self-control’ kept us from speaking against ‘their’ enslavement or celebrating their freedom.

But Bishop Elliott didn’t actually ignore the existence of black people. He talked about them with a condescension that sounds like a contemporary Anglican bishop claiming Christian charity toward homosexual people and concern that liberals are shielding ‘them’ from Biblical truth,

‘…I have advised my people to take it [the oath of allegiance renewing U.S. citizenship] and be good citizens, and above all to do the best for the poor, unfortunate negroes, whose future is dark and miserable beyond conception. Already they are perishing by thousands, the whole race will now go out before civilization (so called) and competition, as the Indians are doing. We can survive the change, and one day flourish again; but not they; their fate is sealed.’

Apparently Bishop Elliott gave no thought to the thousands of black Episcopalians who would hear his self-satisfied warning of a future ‘they’ could not survive. No black Episcopalian hearing Elliott could miss how profoundly the bishop’s ‘we ‘ and ‘they’ marginalized and obliterated black Episcopalians’ desire and need to celebrate new found freedom in hope.

The Convention rejected Bishop Burgess initiative and followed Bishop Elliott’s lead. The House of Bishops quickly crafted a substitute resolution that we celebrate that the church was being reunited (making no troubling mention of Emancipation). Can we hear their sigh of relief? It was almost over.

The House of Deputies did reopen the question but a flurry of fierce debate came to no resolution, so there the 1865 General Convention took no action to acknowledge that slavery for black Episcopalians (and other citizens of African descent) had ended. We embraced silence rather than thinking, not talking rather than facing painful arguments. We turned our backs on grief, responsibility, and wrong. And so we closed our eyes and shut our ears to the grace of long desired freedom that had come to so many of our members. By the 1867 Lambeth conference, most black Episcopalians had left our church. What difference would it have made to black Episcopalians if the Episcopal Church in 1865 had tried to tell its whole painful story? What if we had established something like South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission?

That first Lambeth Conference met just two years after the American church’s 1865 General Convention. Our bishops carried America’s unaddressed race struggles to the first Lambeth. We know they were wondering silently about the exodus of black Episcopalians, because back home they were preaching and writing about the ingratitude of the Negro race. How could they abandon our church after we built them slave galleries so they could worship with us?

Our church carried that wound of silence for the next century, choosing to institutionalize denial for the sake of unity and joining in the practices of Jim Crow America: A few years after first Lambeth Conference, when we ordained our first African-American Bishop (Delaney) to serve black Episcopalians in North Carolina, we made him promise that he would never lay hands on a white person’s head in the rite of confirmation.

Our hundred-year moratorium of silence ended in the 1960’s when the Civil Rights movement awakened our church’s conscience. It was painful time for the church, because we were not of one mind, but conscience and conflict were no longer in hiding. From the 60’s Freedom Marches until today, we’ve been struggling to keep speaking, listening and talking; it’s clear that it will take a very long time to heal the wounds our century of silence inflicted on the church.

In 2008, American Episcopalians, legitimately confident in our proclamation of Jesus’ welcome to all and proud that our church is working for justice for our LGBT sisters and brothers, must learn from our own shameful moratorium that held our church together and silent before the Civil War and reunited it at the cost of most of its black membership after the War.

The Spirit of Truth challenges us to reject any more moratoria on truth telling. That’s all this moratorium would be – silence from and about the LGBT Anglicans throughout the Communion. But if we see our way to rejecting the moratorium, can we do it without self-congratulation and disdain for our brothers, Anglican bishops and church leaders who, at this moment, hear inclusion as a counterfeit Gospel?

Along with all our efforts to interpret what we’re doing now and why we believe it’s faithful to Scripture, Reason and Tradition, humble truth-telling of the damage we did ourselves and our church with an earlier moratorium begins to sound like Gospel. Can we say ‘no’ to this moratorium and insistently thank the worldwide Communion for welcoming us over the last hundred and fifty years while we struggled (and continue the struggle) to become fully Christian on issues of race?

Speaking our truthful refusal to accept this new moratorium and acknowledging our past sins as a church will not prevent painful conversation and conflict. Painful conversation and conflict is inevitably part of growth and change. But recalling our old moratorium and what we learned from it could plant a seed of Gospel unity in penance and Christian charity. Like the mustard seed, such unity grows from a tiny beginning to a shrub so generous that birds will nest together in its shade. It’s time to insist. Whatever it takes, we’ll ‘yes’ to communion and ‘no’ to moratorium.

The Rev. Donald Schell, founder of St. Gregory of Nyssa Church in San Francisco, is Creative Director of All Saints Company, working for community development in congregational life focusing on sharing leadership, welcoming creativity and building community through music.

The Truth revealed

At long last and thanks to the ever vigilant, wise, and wonderful, not to mention greatest doctrinal warrior of all times, we now know how people become gay! Below is a snippet of the article and you can read it all here.


Gay Wind: A Danger One Can Preach On For Hours.

Quite a number of fine Christian readers have left comments or contacted me contacted me regarding “Gay Wind” - a phenomena referred to by Rwandan journalist James Buyinza in an article of his I cited several days ago.

As any leader with qualifications in Biblical Studies and Conservative Theology, and absolutely no training or interest whatsoever in medicine, physiology, psychology or biology will explain, the widespread ignorance concerning Gay Wind - the means by which Homosexuality is contracted - only proves how the west is in such desperate need of GAFCON.

A Lambeth song

This was pretty cute. Stolen shamelessly with a tip of the biretta to Padre Mickey.

Friday Red Mr. Peanut Bank and Gallito Mescalito Blogging

from Padre Mickey's Dance Party by Padre Mickey

Yay! The guy from Cable and Wireless came and replaced all the phone cable yesterday so now we have internet access at home! And now, tonight's special Lambeth Edition of Friday Red Mr. Peanut Bank and Gallito Mescalito Blogging:



Tune: "Anything You Can Do" from Annie Get Your Gun



GAFCON Bishops
Anything we do,
Is holier than what you do.
We can do everything
Holier than you.



Lambeth Bishops No, you can't.
GAFCON Bishops Yes,we can.
Lambeth Bishops No, you can't.
GAFCON Bishops Yes, we can.
Lambeth Bishops No, you can't.
GAFCON Bishops Yes, we can, Yes, we can!



Lambeth Bishops Everything we do
Is actually Anglican.
Everything you do,
Is Donatist bull.



GAFCON Bishops No, it's not.
Lambeth Bishops Yes, it is.
GAFCON Bishops No, it's not.
Lambeth Bishops Yes, it is.
GAFCON Bishops No, its NOT!
Lambeth Bishops Yes,it is. Yes, it is!



Lambeth BishopsOver 800 bishops
Meeting with few mishaps.
From Fiji, Japan, and Panamá
All do Bible study and Indaba
We march to support MDGs.



GAFCON Bishops (spoken) Will that work?
Lambeth Bishops (spoken) Er, possibly.
GAFCON Bishops (spoken) You make us smirk!



GAFCON Bishops Any prayer we say
We know God will answer.
We know that God won't
Even listen to you.



Lambeth Bishops Is that so?
GAFCON Bishops It is so!
Lambeth Bishops No, it's not!
GAFCON Bishops It is so!
Lambeth Bishops No, it's not!
GAFCON Bishops It is so!
Lambeth Bishops No, it's not!
GAFCON Bishops It is so!
Lambeth Bishops No, it's not!
GAFCON Bishops It is so! It is so!




Lambeth Bishops All of our liturgies
Are full of tradition
Unlike all that aisle rolling
And hand waving you lot do.



GAFCON Bishops That's not true.
Lambeth Bishops It IS true.
GAFCON Bishops No it's not!
Lambeth Bishops It IS true
GAFCON Bishops No it's not!
Lambeth Bishops It IS true
GAFCON Bishops No it's NOT!
Lambeth Bishops It IS true
GAFCON Bishops NO IT'S NOT!
Lambeth Bishops It is true, Yes it's true!!




GAFCON Bishops Everything we believe
Comes from the Bible!
You guys believe
What the Pagans all do!



Lambeth Bishops No we don't!
GAFCON Bishops Yes you do!
Lambeth Bishops No we don't!
GAFCON Bishops Yes you do!
Lambeth Bishops No we don't!
GAFCON Bishops Yes you do!
Lambeth Bishops No we don't!
GAFCON Bishops Yes you do!
Lambeth Bishops No we don't!
GAFCON Bishops Yes you do! Yes you do!!



GAFCON Bishops
We don't need the ABC
To appear all Englishy
The 1662 BCP
Is the true book, can't you see?
We can grab any diocese we want!




Lambeth Bishops (spoken) Without bein' caught?
GAFCON Bishops (spoken) Sure.
Lambeth Bishops (spoken) That's what we thought--you crooks!



Lambeth Bishops We are the true
World Wide Anglican Communion!
GAFCON Bishops Believe what you want!
We'll be replacing you.
Lambeth Bishops No you won't!
GAFCON Bishops Yes, we will!
Lambeth Bishops No you won't!
GAFCON Bishops Yes, we will!
Lambeth Bishops No you won't!
GAFCON Bishops Yes, we will!
Lambeth Bishops No you won't! No you won't!
Everybody (shouted) THIS AIN'T OVER YET!!!



The Right Reverend Gallito Mescalito ¡¡SSHHRRRIIIEEEKK!!

talk about being two faced

This item from the Episcopal Cafe needs to be seen everywhere.

It is absolutely amazing that a primate who has no problem interfering in the Episcopal Church and stealing parts of the flock seems to think it completely inappropriate in his own province. No surprise there I suppose. Kenyan primate: "When you face a challenge you don’t run and join another province"

Just so you know: Questioned as to their relationship to Dr Kunonga by ReligiousIntelligence.com, the Archbishops of Kenya and Uganda said that though Dr Kunonga had sought their support, they had told him to work within the structures of the Province of Central Africa. “The Bishop of Harare came to see us about this request” for Harare to join the Church of Kenya , Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi said. But he was told “ Harare belongs to Central Africa .” It was improper for one province to interfere in the internal deliberations of another, the Kenyan archbishop said. “When you face a challenge you don’t run and join another province.” We told Dr Kunonga “go back to the Dean of that province to solve that problem.”

Uh, right: If you receive an SOS from anywhere in the world we will move in. - Peter Akinola

GAFCON

Well I have not posted much here about GAFCON, but I figured I should at least post their final statement and some responses it to.

You can find the final statement here.

The Church Times Blog has links to the Archbishop of Canterbury and our own Presiding Bishop's responses here.

GAFCON, the Anglican Communion, and does anyone really care

I have noticed that many places in the blogosphere are full it posts about GAFCON, either how great, wonderful, and amazing it is or about how horrible, wrong minded, foolish and judgemental it is. And of course many comments regarding how this will or will not affect the Anglican Communion.

But I have to ask, does it really matter? The folks in my former parish never really cared or were even aware of all the machinations going on. Not because they are ignorant or don't have an opinion (trust me many of them definitely have opinions!), but because the truth of the matter is that the Anglican Communion is not all that important. What matters to them is what we are doing to share the love of Jesus in our community and in the world.

I don't think the folks at St. Peter's really are all that worked up about the future of the Anglican Communion, because they know that St. Peter's will continue to love people and to try to feed the poor and visit the sick.

I really wish others would recognize that is what is really important too. I wonder how many mouths would have been fed by all the money put into GAFCON.