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AAC: President Blasts ECUSA at Plano-West Conference

AAC PRESIDENT BLASTS ECUSA AT PLANO-WEST GATHERING
Every parish should have tax exempt 501(c)3 status
ECUSA should be censured by Primates and ABC

By David W. Virtue

LONG BEACH, CA--The president and CEO of the American Anglican Council lit into the leadership of the Episcopal Church accusing it of theological obfuscation, saying that the real issue in the church is not about human sexuality but the authority of Holy Scripture.

"The great trouble is getting people to accept the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God. There is a division among us of core issues that are inescapable," said Canon David C. Anderson at a two-day conference for biblically orthodox Episcopalians.

"Who should be surprised when we get to sex that we are worlds apart?" The Anglican Church globally and locally is in some difficulty domestically, and internationally we have some problems. In Canada this week the church there embarked on the same journey the ECUSA has decided to go on. You would think they would see the wreckage here and be wise, but not so."

Both the ECUSA and the Canadians have been cautioned by Lambeth not to take certain actions, but they have gone ahead and done it anyway, he said. "In Canada they employed dubious parliamentary procedures and jumped right into the abyss affirming the integrity and sanctity of same sex relationships. What are they thinking? Do they read and understand Scripture? It appears not."

"In England they are pressing ahead with the appointment of Jeffrey John to be the dean of a cathedral. The same issues that rendered him not appropriate as a bishop are also not appropriate for a deanship."

The Lambeth Commission is presently hearing arguments and we will know all in September or October. The Primates will then meet again in January or February.

"There is a real interest in keeping an Anglican family together," said Anderson. "But domestic anger is beginning to rise when bishops like J. Jon Bruno blesses an openly gay priest Malcolm Boyd in his partnership with another man."

Bishops like Bruno don't understand the scope and defense of the horror of what they are doing, said Anderson.

"What sort of message are they sending to the Primates...it is pretty loud and clear."

"Domestically we are seeing parishes springing up in other convocations, applying for association with Network and AAC. We need both."

Anderson said the AAC was growing by the tens of thousands. "Our growth since January has been steady. The AAC his become a network of peoples. I would remind the bishops of this country as they harass the orthodox faithful that what happened in Ohio will be coming to a village near them."

There are persecutions afoot, said Anderson. "There is a priest being persecuted in the Diocese of Western New York. There is Bishop Bennison in Pennsylvania who made a full scale attack on one his congregations - the Church of the Good Samaritan, forcing his presence and ministry at all services when they pleaded with him not to do so."

"Bishop Moody of Oklahoma is threatening people, forcing unity with tyranny in hand. In Western Tennessee orthodox clergy have been threatened if they join the AAC. Bishop Parsley of Alabama is persecuting the faithful. The idea you can force bishops to do your will and remain quiet has gone. Clergy, vestry and parishes have lost power, and through the canons power has flowed extra canonically into the office of the bishop."

Anderson said the Alternative Episcopal Oversight has somehow become morphed into Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO). "But DEPO is a no go. If the local bishop has final veto it is No Delegated Episcopal Oversight."

Anderson said priests and vestries need to be prepared to fight in the legal area. "How do we fight back? I believe every parish should have 501c3 corporate status. Get tax exempt status and make sure you are not beholden by the DFMS to 815, the national church."

"Do not use their tax exempt status. Get your own, it might come in handy."

Anderson urged biblically orthodox clergy to read their local diocesan canons carefully. "Have an attorney for your parish separate from the diocesan chancellor. The canons are different in almost every diocese. They can mean a lot to you in a time of crisis."

Anderson said faithful Episcopalians should gather parish directories, unobtrusively. "Stock pile them, the AAC needs to do direct mail to these persons. We need to replicate the local bishop's power. When it is too late you won't have time. Be prepared to be admonished, inhibited and tried. We are facing hard times."

Anderson said things will get harder before they get better.

When Anderson was asked by a Primate what he really wanted, Anderson replied; "I would like to see ECUSA censured by the Primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury." (At this point Anderson received a standing ovation.)

"I would like to see ECUSA censured, put on probation and called to repentance and if they do not repent certain things need to happen of a long term nature."

When asked why the orthodox faithful had not already left the ECUSA, Anderson replied, we are the orthodox. "I believe we are the authentic epicenter of the Episcopal Church."

Anderson said several scenarios will emerge in the next six to eight months. "There will be a best case scenario and a worst case scenario. I have to ask you if the worst case scenario were to happen, would you be standing on the curb and asking what do you wish you had been doing now? Do the homework. We are Gideon's army, armed not with swords of the flesh, but armed with trumpets to announce the engagement and pots that shatter signifying the breaking of captivity.

END

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