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A Message from Bishop
Anderson
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Commentary
on Presiding Bishop's April 30 Letter to HOB
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Canada:
Anglicans must share churches, judge rules
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Anglican
Relief and Development Fund Accepting Myanmar Cyclone Donations
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A Message
from Bishop Anderson
Beloved in Christ,
This week, a good portion of my time
has been invested in an Executive Committee meeting of the Common Cause
Partners Federation. If this organization is, hopefully, to be more than
just a gathering of orthodox judicatory and mission organizations' leaders,
work has to be commenced on some difficult issues. The good news is that
such work is being addressed. After the many disappointments of the past
five to eight years, I am reluctant to pronounce when something will happen
and what it will look like, but I do have a great deal of optimism about the
future for the Common Cause participants. I see a willingness to look the
hard issues in the face and begin trying to work on them. Is the task
formidable? Absolutely! But the important thing is that the leaders I am
sitting beside are willing to begin the process, and this willingness will
continue to be reflected when the same bishops are gathered for GAFCON. I
also have a good deal of hope and optimism for GAFCON, that it will bring
forth what will unfold into the future of Anglicanism.
When the American Anglican Council
writes to those overseas about the troubles on the spiritual landscape in
North America, it is often the case that our listeners or readers will
default to the easiest understanding - sex. I have explained to journalists
at length that the sexuality issues in North America are derivative of the
theological errors of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of
Canada. The orthodox Anglicans in North America fervently believe that Jesus
is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and none come unto the Father except
through him. Jesus gave us this doctrine himself, and it becomes a litmus
test for the theological deviation that has occurred and is progressing at
an alarming rate. Additionally, the orthodox Anglicans believe the Holy
Scripture to be "God breathed," as II Timothy 3:16 phrases it. We believe
that Holy Scripture has the authority to speak into both our spiritual and
our "secular" lives, and to provide not only the words of eternal life, but
also the proper ordering of our behavior and discipline.
The great divide we face is that the
liberal revisionists no longer believe this, and it is a very significant
departure from historic Christianity. In their view, Jesus is a way to the
Father, but you can pick the path that works best for you. Likewise,
scripture is written by the church and can be rewritten and reinterpreted by
the church to mean different things than it has for the past two millennia.
In reality, if Bishop Gene Robinson were to resign tomorrow, very little
would change in North America. Sexuality issues are the presenting symptom
that indicates a visit to the doctor's office is needed, but they are not
the disease. Departure from the historic Christian faith is the disease, and
sexual perversions, dealings in witchcraft and the occult, and other
manifestations are the consequent result. If you are not here to witness it,
it is hard to comprehend how wacko the Episcopal Church scene is getting. We
couldn't make this stuff up if we tried, so we will just report it to you to
underline our point: as bad as the homosexuality issues are in the church,
the bizzare theology is even worse.
David Kalvelage, the Executive
Editor of The Living Church, a respected orthodox weekly publication
centered on the life and events within the Episcopal Church, has written an
excellent article that goes to the point of my remarks above. David has
given us permission to reprint the entirety of his article which appears in
the May 11 edition of The Living Church. Read the article below, and bear in
mind that no one made this up, and this is the very sad and dangerous state
of much of the Episcopal Church. People's eternal life is being put at risk
because teaching such as this is disseminated by diocesan sources, and those
who believe and act on it are at peril.
Speaking of Gene Robinson, he is
again claiming that his life is being threatened, but this has all of the
narcissistic credibility of the young Nigerian gay man who keeps claiming
that he was attacked in Nigeria because of his sexual orientation, but he
can't seem to keep straight the details of the alleged event(s). Is it
dangerous to be publicly gay? In some locations and at some times,
undoubtedly so. It is also dangerous in many European and North American
settings to be public and verbal about being ex-gay. The entire concept of
being ex-gay undermines the mantra of "they are born that way and it is
immutable," and thereby seems to somehow threaten the very identity of being
gay. Consequently, verbal and physical attacks have been visited on those
who have had healing and restoration from God brought into their life. Those
whose lives were disordered have been re-ordered, or if you will,
re-oriented, into what is the intention of the Creator - thanks be to God.
This Sunday is a double Holy Day in
the US: first the feast of Pentecost, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
on the church, accompanied by supernatural events. This is still happening
in the churches where the members both believe and expect it. Secondly, it
is Mother's Day in the United States, and anyone who hasn't sent Mom a card
and some flowers is in trouble. And even if you have, phone Mom and thank
her for all that she has done for you.
Blessings and Peace in Christ Jesus,
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President & CEO of the AAC
TEC's Bizarre Theology
An editorial by David Kalvelage, Executive Editor
Source:The Living Church, reprinted
by permission of the author
Date: May 11 issue
The last time we heard from the
Diocese of Northern Michigan, its leaders had issued a strange document
titled "Already One in God" in response to the communique published by the
primates of the Anglican Communion. In that communication, we learned that
"all persons are the living Christ," that "Everyone is the sacred word of
God," and that "everything without exception, is the living presence, or
incarnation, of God." An editorial in this magazine (TLC, Nov. 4, 2007)
called those remarks "contrary to Christian theology," and said that they
denied Christian doctrine.
The "Yoopers," or more technically, the standing committee, the core team of
missioners and rectors, diocesan council, and General Convention deputation
in Northern Michigan have outdone themselves with another, uh, unusual
document. This one was published in response to the draft Anglican Covenant
produced by the Covenant Design Group (TLC, March 2). If you thought the
last one was bizarre, wait until you get a look at this. Someone sent me a
copy of The Church in Hiawathaland, Northern Michigan's official
publication, and there it was, on the bottom of the front page.
This time, the diocesan leaders (there is no bishop following the death of
Bishop Jim Kelsey last summer) take on the Trinity, that profound mystery
that has baffled theologians and lots of folks smarter than you and I for
centuries. The Yoopers explain it all for us: "The word 'trinity' is a
symbol attempting to make sense of our experience of the one Godhead in
history," the document states. "No symbol, no language, however deep and
dear its history and use, is beyond change and reformulation." This comes
from the same school that taught us that the Bible was written by men;
therefore it can be changed by (humanity). But these folks are just getting
warmed up. They continue: "this is to say that no theological expression is
God, but a finer pointing to the Holy One.
"The particular Trinitarian language we use matters. None of the expressions
with which we are familiar is wrong. Each is partial, as is any theology."
Dear Lord, make them stop. No such luck. "God is Father. God is Son. God is
Holy Spirit. - God is Mother. God is Daughter. God is Holy of Holies. - God
is Creator. God is Redeemer. God is Sanctifier. Are any of these
theological expressions of Trinity literally true? Of not. They do, however,
point us to the theological truths that reflect our experience of the living
God in our lives. Each formulation acts as a prism, refracting experience,
yet as it refracts limits our perception as well."
Huh? Of course not? This takes us
back to the "pluriform truths" that were dropped on us a few years ago.
Farther down, we learn, "Our faith
is that we, like all creation, are continually being born again from above
(John 3:1-17). We are continually being re-born as created co-creators,
created co-receivers, created co-reconcilers. We are continually being
reborn as incarnations of the living Trinity."
As I've written in the space before, trying to explain the Trinity is a task
well beyond my limited insight. But I think even I could make more sense of
it than this does. It reads as though one of the authors of some of the
fuzzy theology that came out of the '70s suddenly had been re-energized and
was determined to escape from retirement. Or perhaps the severe winter
experienced in the upper Midwest prevented diocesan leaders from thinking
clearly.
The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a declaration of the Christian faith. We
may not understand how God can be one in three persons, but we can find in
holy scripture passages that can strengthen our belief. For the Diocese of
Northern Michigan to put its own spin on 2,000 years of Christian teaching
and tradition only adds to the confusion being experienced by many
Episcopalians and other Anglicans. The people of that diocese and the rest
of us deserve more clarity.
Commentary on the Presiding
Bishop's April 30, 2008 Letter to the House of Bishops
Source:ACI
website
Date: May 6, 2008
A defense now proffered by the
Presiding Bishop and her supporters is that the same procedures were
followed in the recent cases of Bishops Davies and Moreno. Past violations
of the canon's clear provisions are said to justify current ones. In
considering this defense, it is necessary to distinguish three senses of
"precedent" in legal usage. One is the well-known sense of precedent as a
formal ruling on a legal issue by a competent juridical body. This is
clearly not the case here as no one has suggested that the prior cases were
determined to be canonical by any body reviewing the canonical issues.
These cases are not offered as reasoned legal rulings, but as a fait
accompli. ...
But when the litigation arises and a
hostile party asks the court to disregard the corporate form and permit a
suit directly against the shareholder, those past "precedents" of ignoring
the corporate rules are to no avail. In fact, the naked "we've done it this
way before" becomes evidence for the other side, the primary evidence that
the corporate form is a sham. The frequent result in such cases is that the
law disregards the corporate form - it "pierces the corporate veil" - and
the shareholder's assets are no longer protected as intended by the
corporation.
Corporations that seek the law's recognition must follow the legal
requirements and their own rules. Past malfeasance is not a defense; to the
contrary it is proof of a pattern of abuse that exacerbates the current
violation. It is a supreme irony that Bishop Lamb is now petitioning the
California courts to defer to TEC's polity and recognize him as the bishop
of San Joaquin when the clear provisions of TEC's canons indicate Bishop
Schofield has not been lawfully deposed.
The entire article may be found by clicking
here.
Canada: Anglicans must share
churches, judge rules
Source:
Toronto Star
By Brett Popplewell
Date: May 6, 2008
Despite severing their ties with the
Anglican Diocese of Niagara, the congregations of three breakaway parishes
were told by an Ontario justice yesterday they must share their churches
with the diocese.
"It's very disappointing for us,"
said Charlie Masters, pastor at St. George's in Lowville, one of the three
breakaway churches, of the ruling by Justice J.A. Milanetti.
St. George's, along with St. Hilda's
in Oakville and Good Shepherd in St. Catharines, have left the Anglican
Church of Canada and are now aligned with the more conservative Anglican
Network in Canada.
The Anglican Diocese of Niagara had
asked the court to order the facilities be shared and jointly managed by the
two groups. "Title to two of the three properties rests with the diocese;
the third appears to rest with them as well," Milanetti ruled.
"It will certainly be a major
disruption to these three congregations," said Masters. "I think what needs
to be understood is there are profound theological reasons why these three
churches came under the Anglican Network of Canada in the first place." Representatives with the Anglican
Diocese of Niagara had a different opinion yesterday. "We are obviously very
pleased with the decision," said Archdeacon Michael Patterson. ...
The entire article may be found by
clicking here.
Anglican Relief and
Development Fund Accepting Myanmar Cyclone Donations
Source:
Anglican Communion Network
Date: May 9, 2008
The Anglican Relief and Development
Fund is accepting donations to pay for relief efforts after the cyclone that
caused devastation in Myanmar May 3–4. Reports suggest more than 20,000
people were killed by the storm with thousands more still missing.
Yangon (Rangoon) was among the areas
hard hit by the storm. "Since the cyclone came ashore, we have been unable
to contact Archbishop Stephen Than Myint Oo or any other church leader in
Yangon or elsewhere," said Bishop Henry Scriven, who recently attended
Archbishop Stephen's consecration on behalf of the Network and the Common
Cause Partnership.
"In the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina, the Anglican Relief and Development Fund received a donation from
Anglicans living on the border of Thailand and Myanmar to help the people of
the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. They gave out of what little they had when
we were in need. I pray we show the same generosity to our brothers and
sisters," said Bishop Robert Duncan, moderator of the Anglican Communion
Network.
Donations to the Anglican Relief and
Development Fund will be collected and then passed on to the Anglican
Province of Southeast Asia for distribution and oversight, said Canon Nancy
Norton, executive director. Since its founding in 2004, the fund has been
active in Myanmar on several occasions. In 2006, it supported an effort to
provide health care to tens of thousands of people in the dioceses of Sittwe
and Toungoo by training 110 health care workers.
Forward in Faith North America,
whose members form a non-geographical convocation of the Network, work with
the diocese of Pha-an, which is establishing village primary schools and
developing a community learning program for adults using the school venues
and equipment.
Forward in Faith is also helping to
fund a tutoring program at the diocese of Hpa-an's hostels, to assist
Christian young people in attaining the qualifications they need in order to
teach in the diocese's schools.
Gifts for relief work in Myanmar may
be sent to:
The Anglican Relief and Development
Fund
PO Box 3830
Pittsburgh PA 15230
Please write "Myanmar
Cyclone Relief" in the memo line. An online giving option will be
available shortly at http://www.anglicanaid.net.
Anglican Men's Weekend
Source: John P. McLaughlin, Chairman
Anglican Men's Weekend
Date: May 9, 2008
Greetings in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who calls all Christian men to be of great courage. I am
writing to you about the annual Anglican Men's Weekend, which is set for May
16-18, 2008 at Forest Home Christian Center in Southern California. Last
years conference was a huge success and we are confident that the Lord has
even bigger things for us this year.
Our theme for this year's weekend is "COURAGE", since the Lord is calling
all men to be courageous in their faith in these trying times.
Archbishop Orombi will be teaching from Joshua chapters 1-10.
Our key speakers this year will
be:
The Most Reverend Henry Luke Orombi - Archbishop, The Anglican Province of
Uganda
The Rt. Rev. John Guernsey - Bishop for Congregations in America, The
Anglican Province of Uganda
The Rt. Rev. David Anderson – Bishop, Convocation of Anglicans in North
America
The Rt. Rev. Robinson Cavalcanti - Bishop, Diocese of Recife
For more information on the Anglican
Men's Weekend click
here.
