As ECUSA Divide Grows, Orthodox Anglican Groups Unite

Agape Press ^ | 1 July 2004 | Jim Brown and Jenni Parker

[ahadams2]

As ECUSA Divide Grows, Orthodox Anglican Groups Unite

By Jim Brown and Jenni Parker June 30, 2004

(AgapePress) - The Episcopal Church USA's current direction, including measures such as the church's confirmation of openly homosexual Bishop V. Gene Robinson and its approval of so-called same-sex "blessing ceremonies," has prompted six conservative Anglican groups to form a new coalition.

The alliance announced by the Anglican Communion Network (ACN) includes the Reformed Episcopal Church, the Anglican Mission in America, Forward in Faith North America, the Anglican Province in America, and the American Anglican Council.

ACN moderator and Pittsburgh bishop Robert Duncan says the alliance has committed to providing pastoral oversight for 200,000 Anglicans -- a group larger than 15 of the 38 provinces in the Worldwide Anglican Communion. The coalition's announcement comes as growing numbers of Anglicans continue to leave the Episcopal Church USA over its rejection of biblical teaching on homosexuality.

Duncan says the six groups have come together because they recognize that they are all "missionaries at heart." He says, "What we've done is that we've drawn those groups together for two purposes -- common cause for the gospel of Jesus Christ and common cause for North American orthodox Anglicanism."

In a letter to Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the six groups referred to divisions among orthodox Anglicans in North America as "scandalous." Duncan notes that all of the ACN members have pledged to work together for the sake of the gospel and the preservation of faithful Anglican doctrine and practice. "We're not talking about a structural unity at this point," he explains, "but we're talking about the recognition that we all understand the gospel in the same way."

The ACN's moderator says the conservative Anglican groups recognized their need to unite, despite longstanding differences. "There are so many people to be reached in this country; it's time to stop tearing one another down," Bishop Duncan says. "It's time for us to speak of one another as brothers and sisters -- not as, somehow, competitors."

New Church Emerges in Divided NH Diocese Meanwhile, in Rochester, New Hampshire, parishioners from Church of the Redeemer are worshipping separately after failing to reach agreement following a year's debate over acceptance of Robinson, the Episcopal Church's first openly homosexual priest ever to be elected bishop. Last Sunday the parishioners who left the church (after walking out of a June 23 meeting with Robinson) joined Grace Baptist Church in East Rochester for a joint worship service.

The dissenters have opted to start a new church rather than accept Robinson's leadership. Of those attending last week's unsuccessful meeting with the bishop at Church of the Redeemer, 36 out of 39 parishioners walked out to launch a separate church outside the control of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. The breakaway Rochester congregation will soon become a partner of the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes.

Pastor Bill Powell of Grace Baptist Church presided over last Sunday's joint worship service. He says the message that morning, entitled "All the Day Long," was from Psalm 35: 18-28 and was "a message of encouragement for us in the varied circumstances and trials of life, to remember that our focus should be on praising the Lord for his goodness and for his help."

The Baptist pastor says he appreciates the stand the orthodox Episcopalians have taken. He notes that, during the middle of Sunday's service, his congregation recognized the visitors from Church of the Redeemer and asked their senior warden to come forward for a special presentation. "We gave him a key to our church," Powell says, "so that in the days to come, they will have the privilege of using the church and having their own service with whatever kind of liturgy they want."

In a recent Episcopal News Service article, Bishop V. Gene Robinson is quoted as saying he thinks the ECUSA is "going to get through this" and noting that the threatened "mass exodus" from the church has not occurred. He also reported that many Episcopalians in the New Hampshire Diocese who initially left the church following his election are returning, and many new members have joined.

In actuality, last Sunday only around 100 people from throughout the diocese showed up at Church of the Redeemer to show support for Robinson and 14 or so remaining parishioners -- past and present -- who attended that worship service and accept his leadership as their diocesan bishop.

[ahadams2]

Ping.

[ken5050]

Question, my friend, if I may...is there a quick source/guide to explain the six conservative groups...what they stand for, and what the differences between them are?..Thanks, as always..

[RonF]

... Robinson, the Episcopal Church's first openly homosexual priest ever to be elected bishop.

A few months after this happened, I and a number of other members of our parish met with Bp. Victor Scantlebury, the Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Chicago. If I understood him correctly, the above statement is inaccurate. It would be correct to be stated as, "... ever to be elected bishop and gain public notice."

Apparently other openly homosexual bishops have been elected, but because it was done through the normal process (election by the Diocese in question, followed by confirmation of the election by the Standing Committees of the other Dioceses in the US), many of the other Dioceses probably didn't even know the sexual orientation or behavior of the Bishop-elect, and these other Bishop-elects did not have their orientation and behavior become a nationally-known issue.

[ahadams2]

I believe all six groups are linked directly off of the Anglican Freeper Resource Page.

http://trad-anglican.faithweb.com


The Anglican Network overall, as well as it's members, are seen by the heretics as proof of a Vast Right Wing Conspiracy / Vast Orthodox Anglican Conspiracy.

[ahadams2]

That's my impression as well.

[Cicero]

Electing a known homosexual as a bishop is wrong even if it's not publicized. Electing someone as a bishop who kept his orientation to himself and then came out of the closet later might be excused, although you would have to say that they didn't do a very good job of vetting him.

[ken5050]

Thabks..bookmarked for the weekend..

[RonF]

The normal procedure for a Diocese to elect a bishop is that the Standing Committee of the Diocese screens candidates and then the Diocese (either the Committee or at a Diocesean convention, I think) votes for a candidate, balloting repeatedly until one gets a majority.

A letter then goes out to every other Diocesean Standing Committee (and I don't know if it's sent out by the Diocese or by 815) asking them to ratify the election by a vote of said committee. If a Diocese votes in a homosexual priest, or a heterosexual priest living with someone outside of marriage, or a drunk, or whatever, many of the other Dioceses may have limited resources to vet the candidate and will be inclined to go along with whatever the Diocese in question (who obviously *have* vetted the candidates) has approved.

Because the vote happened to occur within 120 days of the triennial General Convention, V. Gene Robinson's confirmation as Bishop of New Hampshire happened to have been afforded a national stage with media coverage, instead of a whole bunch of smaller ones behind closed doors.