Latest Anglican News                                              Volume 1, Number 14, 31 October 2007

 A few stories have developed this past week which need reporting:

A few snippets from the unprecedented speech by TEC Diocese of Ft. Worth Bishop Jack Iker, at the world-wide Forward in Faith International Assembly in London – October 20, 2007 -

“Thank you for this opportunity to briefly report on the state of affairs of Forward in Faith in North America (FiFNA), first…about the situation with the FiF dioceses and our relationship with TEC… second, the Common Cause Partnership (CCP) and the role that FiF plays in that new venture.”

“There are three Forward in Faith dioceses in the United States, and the three bishops of those dioceses have come to a common conclusion that we have no future in TEC.  Our conventions in those three dioceses, Fort Worth, Quincy, and San Joaquin, will be taking constitutional action to separate officially from TEC.  A fourth diocese in TEC, the Diocese of Pittsburgh, not a member of FiFNA, is expected to take the same action.   Its Bishop, Bob Duncan, is the Moderator of the Anglican Communion Network and the Chairman of the Common Cause Partnership”

“For the FiFNA dioceses it cannot be any clearer that we have come to the end of the road in The Episcopal Church, and there is no future for us or for those who hold our theological position… in the years ahead.  The acceptance of women priests is now mandatory in every diocese.”

“As you know, the election of a woman to the office of Presiding Bishop in TEC makes our situation clearly untenable…  As far as we are concerned… TEC is dead; therefore we must seek a primatial relationship outside TEC.”

“The second thing that hangs over us… is not just a female Presiding Bishop but the overwhelming rejection of the requests of the Windsor Report made by TEC…  TEC has decided to walk away from the AC and our Forward in Faith dioceses will walk with the AC.” 

 “Our plan is not only to disassociate from TEC, but to officially, constitutionally re-affiliate with an existing orthodox Province of the communion that does not ordain women to the priesthood. These conversations are very far along but cannot be announced until the Province that is considering our appeal has made their final decision public.”

“What will be the response of The Episcopal Church? We believe it will be very much like the response they have made to congregations that have made the decision to leave.  They’ve sued them in civil courts …deposed the priests, declared the parishes vacant and… claimed title to the property. It’s a messy affair…and will reach another level of controversy when entire dioceses attempt to separate…  TEC will declare those sees vacant, depose the bishops and call a convention of those faithful to TEC to reconstitute what they call continuing dioceses.”

“The second part of the report I want to make to you has to do with the CCP.  Now… ten different jurisdictions and organizations took the first steps toward establishing a new ecclesiastical structure in North America… We have adopted a time line leading to a constitutional convention sometime in 2009, the purpose of which would be to form an orthodox Province of the Anglican Communion in North America.

Three things which are of particular interest to FiFNA participation with our Common Cause Partners. First, we will be in full communion with only those CCP which do not ordain women or receive ordained women into the priesthood. (For those that do) …we will cooperate with them in every way possible in a state of continuing impaired communion.  Second, the CCP are fully committed to undertaking a substantial theological study of the question of the ordination of women…  We will have a chance, in other words, to bring those who now accept this innovation to reconsideration of their decision for the future.  Third, in the new CCP or in a restructured orthodox Province in North America, FiFNA dioceses will be free, first, to maintain our own line of episcopal succession; secondly to select, form, ordain and deploy our own ordinands; third, to reject any decisions of the Partnership that are contrary to our theological position; and fourth, to pursue our own ecumenical relationships.

On October 16, the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) petitioned Pope Benedict seeking full, corporate, sacramental union with the Roman Catholic Church (RCC).  The TAC is the largest independent Anglican grouping outside of the Anglican Communion itself.  It claims to have more than 400,000 members on six continents, and includes the Anglican Church in America as its U.S. branch.  The TAC is led by Archbishop John Hepworth, based in Australia, and includes several bishops that have visited CHC, Louis Falk and David Moyer.  Neither TAC nor the ACA are members of the Common Cause Partners.

The Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA), a mission of the Church of Nigeria in the U.S. and Canada and a member of the Common Cause Partners, announced that it will consecrate four additional Bishops to serve in the Americas very soon.  CANA now claims it consists of approximately 60 congregations and 80 clergy in 20 states.

 TEC’s News Service released a very negative, sometimes nasty statement about what really is the “Global South”?  The report says, “How representative are the rigid positions advocated by archbishops Peter Akinola of Nigeria and Drexel Gomez of the West Indies? Could the current Anglican Communion (AC) food fight be symptomatic of wider tensions produced by religious globalization?”

The report continues; “the Global South implies a monolithic body when in reality the group's membership appears to be porous, driven by a small number of special interest advocates primarily in Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and their American franchise holders. Membership and financial data about the group is as difficult to come by as that of a Cayman Islands registered corporation. Akinola does not represent the rich, creative possibilities of African Christianity.  Gomez, soon to retire as Archbishop of the West Indies, represents a curious choice to head the Covenant Design Group for the Anglican Communion… as he has been an active participant in the ongoing episcopal poaching scheme that has produced a small number of white American bishops to supposedly lead "African" congregations in America. Before and during his chairmanship, he has been a consistent voice of anti-gay positions. Gomez said recently, "We are determined to see that the Anglican Communion ends up on the right side of the debate" over homosexuality.  And he said, "The Gospel…must take precedence over culture. Homosexual practice violates the order of life given by God in Holy Scripture." The report says he fears a liberal takeover at Lambeth 2008.  The TEC report was written by the Rev. Dr. Frederick Quinn, who has lived in Africa. 

A monk based in Redwood Valley, California, at a monastery of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, has written a remarkably clear statement about being “compassionate” versus being “tolerant”.  To paraphrase Abbot Joseph,
“Christ is often referred to as ‘The Lover of Mankind’ and ‘The Compassionate One’, but never as ‘The Tolerant One’.  Show compassion to the hungry, unemployed, sick or elderly, etc.  Comfort and assist them.  To sinners show compassion, but invite them to repent.  Christ came into the world to save sinners, not to make them feel good or to blur the distinction between good and evil, based on current trends or personal preference. 

Jesus refused to condemn the woman caught in adultery, also He spent much time eating and drinking with sinners.  He did not say, ‘Go, follow your feelings, celebrate diversity, and try not to hurt anyone’.  He was very clear to sinners – ‘Go and sin no more’.  To the paralytic He added, ‘Sin no more, lest something worse befall you’.  Compassion does not equal tolerance, especially where sin is concerned. If compassion, like genuine love, is not rooted in truth, it is at best a misguided emotion, and at worst a refusal to enlighten a soul to the danger of damnation.”

A final word – It is exactly 490 years, to the day, since Martin Luther issued his 95 theses.

Rudy Schenken, REC Lay Representative to Common Cause Partners