Friday, February 15, 2008
"And He said to him,
'Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good;
but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.'"
Matthew 19:17 NASV
- A Message
from Bishop Anderson
- CANA
Clarifies Status of Bishop Bena
- Canada:
St. John's Shaughnessy votes to leave diocese
- Uganda Not
Attending Lambeth
- GAFCON
Response to Evangelical English Bishops
- Archbishop
of Canterbury appoints Windsor Continuation Group
________________________________
A Message
from Bishop Anderson
Beloved in Christ,
Some of my readers have been concerned that I am too hard on the
Archbishop of Canterbury. Part of our problem at the American Anglican
Council is that we sit on a vast amount of information and evidence of
intent, which is too extensive or too confidential to be put into articles
in a brief update format. This information does affect my analysis of Dr.
Williams' actions and the trajectory of his mission. We believe that, over
time, the accuracy of our analysis of his actions will prove very high. At
times we do try and introduce humor, where humor is possible, for often the
alternative is to cry - and we believe that a good laugh is better than a
good cry (though that may be more a product of my own Scottish/German
ancestry). With regard to the Sharia uproar, we are at a loss to know
whether to laugh or cry, since this issue both in England and throughout
much of the Anglican Communion has real on-the-ground impact.
I can not recall such an uproar in England and throughout the Communion
since the Jeffrey Johns imbroglio. Once more the Queen has had to share her
concern (in a most reserved, proper and refined manner) about the impact of
this recent statement by Williams and the response it has elicited. This
time, however, there is no Jeffrey Johns to take the fall for the
Archbishop. In a way, his explanations just dig him in deeper. Implicit in
one explanation is the notion that he thinks on such a high and intellectual
level that the rest of us, being somewhat less intelligent and more common,
simply don’t understand him... thus it is all nothing but a
misunderstanding. It may be a misunderstanding, but not the kind that he
imagines, and I am not convinced that the problem is a gulf between
intellects. But, with all of the commentary on the internet about his
remarks on Sharia, there is no need to repeat the analysis which is
available in the English press.
The Primates organizing the Global Anglican Future Conference and
Pilgrimage have issued a response to the English Evangelical Bishops who
wrote them encouraging them to attend the upcoming Lambeth Conference 2008.
The Primates remind the bishops why we are where we are, and why the proper
response is to avoid the compromise of integrity that attendance at Lambeth
along with the TEC miscreants would produce. It is well written; perhaps the
English bishops should themselves reconsider and stand with the orthodox
standard bearers.
The office for propaganda and deception of the Episcopal Church has a
lexicon of twisted words and a formula for drafting statements that bend the
truth into a pretzel. A few days ago the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church announced that she had accepted four bishops’ renunciation of
ordained ministry, one of whom, for example, is the Rt. Rev. David Bena,
Suffragan Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North American (CANA).
The problem is, he did not renounce his ordained ministry - in fact, in his
letter to her last year he specifically emphasized that he was NOT
renouncing his ordained ministry. Yet Jefferts Schori breezily announces
that she has accepted his renunciation. This perversion of the truth under
her signature is in marked contrast to her letter of response to Bishop Bena
last year, which was cordial and appropriate, on the very same subject:
“...you have been enrolled in the Anglican Province of Nigeria. I have
informed the Secretary of the House of Bishops and the Recorder of
Ordination that by this action you are no longer a member of the house of
Bishops of the Episcopal Church nor are you enrolled as a person in any
order of the Episcopal Church.” This mischaracterization of clergy’s
resignation from Episcopal parishes or dioceses, or from the House of
Bishops, as a renunciation of their Holy Orders - which were into “One,
Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church” - is a serious and deliberate deception
being practiced by TEC bishops across the United States. We must say
regarding anything issued by TEC, let the reader beware.
We have heard that details of days and times of the GAFCON gathering will
be forthcoming shortly. Perhaps details about how invitations will be
handled and who may attend will be posted soon. We are hearing of growing
interest among clergy and laity about who may attend.
Blessings and Peace in Christ Jesus,
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President & CEO of the AAC
___________________________________
CANA
Clarifies Status of Bishop Bena
Source: CANA
Date: February 14, 2008
On February 12, it
was announced that the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church (TEC) had
accepted four bishop’s renunciation of ordained ministry and included in the
list of bishops was the Rt. Rev’d David Bena, Suffragan Bishop of the
Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA).
CANA Bishop Martyn
Minns responded by saying, “This announcement is misleading because Bishop
Bena has most definitely not renounced his ordained ministry nor has he been
‘deprived of the right to exercise the gifts and spiritual authority as a
Minister of God’s Word and Sacraments conferred on him in Ordinations’ as
stated in the TEC news release. Bishop Bena is a faithful bishop in good
standing within the Anglican Communion and continues to fully exercise his
ordained ministry.
“The background to
this action is that on February 1, 2007, Bishop Bena was transferred from
the Diocese of Albany to the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) to serve
in CANA. On March 6, he wrote to the Presiding Bishop to advise her of this
action and to resign from the Episcopal Church House of Bishops. In his
letter he stated that, ‘In transferring from one Province of the Anglican
Communion to another, I do declare that I am neither renouncing my Orders as
a bishop, nor am I abandoning the Communion of the Church.’
“In a letter dated
March 13, 2007, the Presiding Bishop wrote back thanking him for his letter:
‘informing me that you have been enrolled in the Anglican Province of
Nigeria. I have informed the Secretary of the House of Bishops and the
Recorder of Ordinations that by this action you are no longer a member of
the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church nor are you enrolled as person
in any order of the Episcopal Church.’ She also wrote that it was her
prayer, ‘that God may bless us both in a ministry of reconciliation.’
“One year later to
now describe his action as a ‘renunciation of ordained ministry’ is
confusing at best and at odds with the Presiding Bishop’s earlier response.
Bishop Bena’s resignation from the Episcopal Church came after a season of
discernment during which he came to the conclusion that the Episcopal Church
no longer embraced the Gospel that he had been called to proclaim nor taught
the ‘faith once and for all delivered to the saints.’ His desire was to
continue his ordained ministry but within another branch of the Anglican
Communion and this he continues to do so with great effectiveness within
CANA,” concluded Bishop Minns...
Read the rest of the
article by clicking
here.
________________________________
Canada: St.
John's Shaughnessy votes to leave diocese
Source: The
Vancouver Sun
Date: February
14, 2008
Members of what is
described as the largest congregation in the Anglican Church of Canada voted
strongly Wednesday to split with Vancouver-area Bishop Michael Ingham over
his support for same-sex blessings.
"It means that the
community speaks with one mind," said St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church
spokeswoman Lesley Bentley, after a preliminary count showed that out of 495
ballots cast, only 11 opposed the split and nine abstained.
"What it is is very
uniting."
The vote means the
church, which has more than 700 members, will break with Ingham and join
with the conservative Anglican bishops of the Diocese of the Southern Cone,
which includes Argentina and Paraguay.
It was a move that
Ingham, who is out of the country this week, had earlier warned would be
"schismatic."
He said if the church
tries to operate under the authority of a South American Anglican bishop or
anyone else, it will not be legally able to hold onto the church property.
Bentley said that
despite a letter from the Anglican Church of Canada on Wednesday stating
that if a parish decides to separate, property disputes will be costly,
congregants are prepared to fight.
"We don't see why we
should have to go," said Bentley, adding that churchgoers have been
supporting the parish since 1932.
She said the church
had a commitment from people to pay legal fees should they need to defend
the property in court....
Read the rest of the
article by clicking
here.
__________________________________
Uganda Not
Attending Lambeth
Source: Church of the Province of Uganda (Via E-Mail)
Date: February 12, 2008
Statement by the
Provincial Assembly Standing Committee on Lambeth Conference 2008
1. The Lambeth
Conference is a gathering that brings together the Bishops of the Anglican
Communion from all 38 Provinces of the Communion at the invitation of the
Archbishop of Canterbury. The conference is usually held every ten years. It
provides Bishops with an opportunity for worship, study, and conversation,
discussing and making resolutions that affect the Anglican Communion.
2. At the 1998 Lambeth Conference under Resolution 1.10 the Bishops overwhelmingly passed a
resolution that rejects homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture.
The conference also rejected the blessing of same-sex unions.
3. In 2003, in
flagrant disregard of this resolution of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America (TEC) elected as Bishop
Gene Robinson, a divorced man living in an active homosexual relationship.
The Primates, who are the Archbishops of all the 38 Provinces of the
Anglican Communion, met shortly after that and warned the Episcopal Church
not to proceed with the consecration of a practicing homosexual as a Bishop.
They warned that, if they proceeded with the consecration, their action
would tear the fabric of the Anglican Communion at its deepest level. Less
than a month later, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church presided
over the consecration of Gene Robinson. This action has divided the Anglican
Communion in a profound way.
4. The Primates
of the Communion have asked the American Church to halt further
consecrations of practicing homosexuals and ceremonies for the blessing of
same-sex unions. Regretfully, TEC has continued to bless same-sex unions,
in ceremonies that were presided over, among others, by two Bishops.
5. The Council
of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) produced a statement entitled The
Road to Lambeth that calls for this crisis to be resolved before the next
Lambeth Conference is convened. The House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda
endorsed this position at their meeting in December 2006. Since this crisis
has not yet been resolved, the Bishops of the Church of Uganda have resolved
that they will not be participating in the Lambeth Conference to be held in
July 2008 in Canterbury, England, a position that the Provincial Assembly
Standing Committee strongly endorses. This decision has been made to protest
the invitations extended by the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Rev. and
Rt. Hon. Rowan Williams, to TEC Bishops whose stand and unrepentant actions
created the current crisis of identity and authority in the Anglican
Communion.
6. The Church of
Uganda, by this decision, wishes to reaffirm our commitment to the
resolutions of the 2006 Provincial Assembly and Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference, which, in substance, denounced homosexual practice and
called upon the Church to remain faithful to the Holy Scriptures.
7. Consultations
are going on at different levels on how to deal with this crisis, which,
among others, include planning for a meeting of Biblically orthodox Anglican
Bishops, clergy, and laity to be held in Jerusalem in June 2008. We request
the Church to continue in prayer as efforts are being made to find a lasting
solution to this crisis. Further developments regarding this matter will be
communicated to the Christians in due course.
Issued in Kampala
this 12th day of February 2008
The Most Rev. Henry
Luke Orombi
ARCHBISHOP OF CHURCH OF UGANDA.
______________________________
GAFCON
Response to Evangelical English Bishops
Source:
Anglican Church of Nigeria
Date: February 15, 2008
To Bishop David James
and colleagues
Brethren
We have received your
letter encouraging us to attend the Lambeth Conference with you...
We think it is
important to let you know our reasons for not acceding to your request, and
also to make them public since your letter is public. We have a number of
concerns.
First, the Lambeth
Conference is not a two hour seminar discussing a contentious issue. It is
three weeks in which we bishops and our wives are called to share together
our lives, our prayer, our bible study, our meals, our worship and the
Lord's Supper, to be a family together.
You will know that
some of us have not been able to take communion with the Presiding Bishop of
The Episcopal Church since February 2005, - a period of about three years.
The reason is that TEC took an action to consecrate Gene Robinson as Bishop
in 2003 contrary to the resolution of the Lambeth Conference, an action of
which they have not repented. The consecrators of Gene Robinson have all
been invited to Lambeth, contrary to the statement of the Windsor Report (para
134) that members of the Episcopal Church should "consider in all conscience
whether they should withdraw themselves from representative functions in the
Anglican Communion".
You will know that
some of those who objected to this consecration in the United States and
have made arrangements for orthodox oversight from other provinces including
ours have been charged with abandonment of communion. Their congregations
have either forfeited or are being sued for their properties by the very
bishops with whom you wish us to share Christian family fellowship for three
weeks.
To do this is an
assault on our consciences and our hearts. Further, how can we explain to
our church members, that while we and they are formally out of communion
with TEC, and provide oversight to these orthodox colleagues, we at the same
time live with them at the Lambeth Conference as though nothing had
happened? This would be hypocrisy.
We are also concerned
that the invitation list reflects a great imbalance. It fails to address
fundamental departures from historic faith that have triggered this crisis
and yet excludes bishops of our own provinces, of Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya and
Uganda who teach and practice Biblical faith. As constituted, the
invitations suggest that institutional structures are superior to the
content of the faith itself.
We are also mindful
of the press interest in the Conference, and in the presence in some form or
other of Gene Robinson and his male partner, and of 30 gay activists. We
would be the continual target of activist campaigners and media intrusion.
In these circumstances we could not feel at home.
All of us have
attended Lambeth before. As far as we are aware, only a few of you have been
to a Lambeth Conference. In 1998, we had great difficulty in making our case
heard in the face of the process of the conference. At that conference we
were blessed with the leadership of Archbishop George Carey who has always
been a champion of orthodox biblical teaching on sexuality. We have come to
the conclusion, from the failure of the instruments of the Communion to take
action either to discipline the Episcopal Church or to protect those who
have asked the Communion for protection, that there is no serious space for
those of an orthodox persuasion in the councils of the Communion to be
themselves or to be taken seriously.
We are therefore not
persuaded by your arguments to attend. We have looked at all the facts for
some time. To find a solution we have proposed the postponement of the
conference, the calling of a Primates' meeting and work towards the
conclusion and endorsement of the Anglican Covenant by individual provinces.
Our request has not been heeded. We must attend to the care of our bishops,
clergy and people...
...Yours in Christ,
Archbishop Peter
Akinola (Nigeria)
Archbishop Emmanuel
Kolini (Rwanda)
Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi (Kenya)
Archbishop Henry Orombi (Uganda)
Archbishop Gregory Venables (Southern Cone)
Read the entire article by clicking
here.
________________________________
Archbishop of
Canterbury appoints Windsor Continuation Group
Source:
Anglican Communion News Service
Date: February 12, 2008
The Archbishop of
Canterbury announced the formation of the Windsor Continuation Group (WCG),
as proposed in his Advent Letter
The WCG will address outstanding questions arising from the Windsor Report
and the various formal responses from provinces and instruments of the
Anglican Communion.
The members of the
group are:
The Most Revd Clive
Handford, former Primate of Jerusalem and the Middle East (chair)
The Most Revd John Chew, Primate of South East Asia
The Right Revd Gary Lillibridge, Bishop of West Texas
The Right Revd Victoria Matthews, former Bishop of Edmonton
The Very Revd John Moses, former dean of St Paul's, London
The Most Revd Donald Mtetemela, Primate of Tanzania
They will be joined
as a consultant by:
Dame Mary
Tanner, Co-president of the World Council of Churches
and assisted by:
Canon Andrew Norman
of the Archbishop of Canterbury's Staff and Canon Gregory Cameron of the
Anglican Communion Office
Bishop Clive Handford,
who will be chairing the group, said: "We are conscious as we undertake this
work that the Archbishop has given us an important responsibility to assist
the Communion to move forward. A significant element of our work will be
face-to-face conversation with those who have key roles in shaping the
future of our common life. I believe in the Anglican Communion, and hope
that our work will help it to find healing and new strength."
The group will be
working intensively in the period running up to the 2008 Lambeth Conference,
where its initial work will contribute to the shared discernment of the
bishops in strengthening the life and identity of the Anglican Communion.
The Archbishop of
Canterbury commented: "I am deeply grateful to those who have accepted the
invitation to carry forward the important work in our Communion's life that
I indicated in my Advent Letter. This is a demanding assignment. I trust
they can count on our prayers throughout the Communion as they bring their
combined wisdom and attentiveness to the strengthening of our common life
through the Windsor Process."
