Dear Brothers and SisterS,
www.virtueonline.org
9/22/2007

Just as the issue of the digest was about to go out, VirtueOnline learned, late last night that the Anglican Communion is in all likelihood over regardless of what resolutions are passed by the House of Bishops on Monday. It is finished.

Global South Primates of the Anglican Communion are stunned by Dr. Rowan Williams' characterization of the Dar es Salaam Communique as not having a fixed deadline.

The Sept. 30 deadline for The Episcopal Church to be Windsor-compliant was "absolute" and as a result the African Primates will probably not attend Lambeth next year.

Some 150 active and retired bishops of the Episcopal Church and leaders of the Anglican Communion are holed up in the Intercontinental Hotel weighing the future of the Anglican Communion and The Episcopal Church's place in it.

The current reading, now that the Archbishop of Canterbury has come and gone, is that The Episcopal Church has been given a pass. Dr. Rowan Williams tossed them a "Hail Mary" pass and Mrs. Jefferts Schori scored a touchdown. There will be no discipline of TEC, they will not need to back down on blessing same-sex unions or announce that they will not ordain any new gay bishops.

The status quo has been maintained. An extraordinary number of retired liberal bishops are here to make sure the Episcopal Church's drive to full inclusion of homosexuals and lesbians, who wish to act out their behavior, is kept in place.

Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who flew in for two days at the invitation of Mrs. Schori, said that the Dar es Salaam communique was a starting point for "conversation". The Sept. 30 date we are now told was never a fixed deadline, an omega point for the Episcopal Church to conform to the demands of the Windsor Report, rather it was an alpha point, the beginning of "conversation" around which it is hoped the Episcopal Church will fudge the Primates findings and thus carry on doing what it has always done - act defiantly and tear the fabric of the Communion into shreds while claiming the moral high ground of inclusion and diversity.

Williams and Australian Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, (the man who entertained Jack Spong when he visited Australia) were among the Anglican representatives at the meeting. They said bluntly "we had misread the communique" and "expressed a sense of regret" over how it was written.

The Dar es Salaam communique was not a deadline for the Episcopal Church to conform to the demands of the Windsor Report after all. It was a beginning for "conversation" that much over-worked word that will presumably lead to further enlightenment, according to Dr. Williams.

At a news conference on Friday, Archbishop Williams emphasized that the directive was not an ultimatum to the American church. Anglican leaders including Archbishop Williams, who is the spiritual leader of the global communion, met with the American bishops on Thursday and Friday.

"Some primates would give it a more robust interpretation, some less so," Archbishop Williams said of the directive. "But it is inevitably a matter of compromise."

What this amounts to is a Great Betrayal. There will be no compromise by liberals who want to legislate their innovations fully into The Episcopal Church. The orthodox cannot compromise on the "faith once delivered for all to the saints." You can read my full analysis of this here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/2yzjnv

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The Diocese of SOUTH CAROLINA elected their new bishop, the Very Rev. Mark Lawrence, late of the Diocese of San Joaquin, to no one's surprise. He was their candidate the first time around and was this time, as well. But there is a new twist this time. The Episcopal Forum of South Carolina, a small group that describes itself as "working to retain and strengthen ties with The Episcopal Church," has again written to bishops and diocesan standing committees to question the propriety of their consenting to the ordination and consecration of Lawrence as their new bishop. Lawrence is here in New Orleans as the new bishop, but this is far from being a done deal. If he doesn't get the necessary consents, will a group of retired orthodox bishops go ahead and consecrate him anyway? If they do, what then is the status of the diocese in the Episcopal Church? We'll keep you posted.

A news release accompanying the Episcopal Forum letter noted that the Diocese of San Joaquin is halfway through a process to repudiate its membership in the Episcopal Church and that Lawrence "in his public discourse generally supported his Bishop and the [NACDP] on the issues of 'disassociation from TEC.'"

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MIDWEST ANGLICAN AWAKENING. A Major Global Worship Event will take place Feb. 27 - March 2, 2008 led by the Rev. William Beasley, AMiA Network Leader for Chicago. His theme will be "Light the Fire Again: Lessons from a Thousands Hills'".

"This is an exciting opportunity for us to come together to show our unity in Christ," said Beasley of Glenview, who has been working in multi-cultural church planting efforts in Chicago for over 20 years. "Our vision is to bring people into the transforming presence of Christ...and Jesus himself prayed for our unity. So much can happen as we come together to celebrate."

Last week in Chicago, a number of the region's congregations with ties to global church leaders held a major worship gathering to celebrate their Christian unity and opportunity for common charitable mission. One of the key figures in global Christianity, the Most Rev. Dr. Peter Akinola, Primate of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, was there to encourage the gathered churches in the area of evangelism. With almost 20 million members, the Anglican Church of Nigeria makes up a significant portion of the total number of 75 million Anglicans worldwide.

The Midwest Anglican Awakening aims to provide a unifying worship experience for the various churches in the region relating to different global Anglican leaders, even as each group retains its own sense of particular call and mission. These congregations are now involved in outreach and church planting efforts across the Midwest, including among Hispanic and African immigrants.

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THE POLL: The Episcopal Church and Homosexuality Poll conducted by OneNewsNow.com revealed some interesting facts. The poll asked how you would respond if the Episcopal Church U.S.A. does not change its direction on the issue of homosexuals and continues to ordain and bless homosexuals.

Here are the straw poll results:

Stay and support the church's decision to bless homosexuals: 151 (4.31%) Stay but fight the church's decisions 146 (4.16%) Stay but withhold financial support 33 (0.94%) Leave but still try to change the church 883 (25.18%) Leave and say 'good riddance' 2294 (65.41%)

And the winner is GOOD RIDDANCE.

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"Tsunami" Hits Presbyterians; Dramatic Changes Ahead. Top officials of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have come to the conclusion that they cannot continue "doing church" the way they have been. Churches within the PC (USA), the nation's largest Presbyterian body, have "hit the wall" and "come to the end of the string," seeking new directions amid a growing exodus from the denomination. "It is as if a tsunami of change has hit us," said Joan Gray, moderator of the General Assembly during a General Assembly Council meeting in Louisville, Ky., according to the Presbyterian News Service. "I recently spent time in the Midwest, and these areas are drying up. The people are not there any more. In Detroit, 3,000 people a day are leaving to emigrate elsewhere. That is just the tip of the iceberg." The PC (USA) has suffered continual losses in membership and now claims fewer than 2.3 million. More dissident Presbyterians and some historic congregations have voted to split from the PC (USA), citing that the denomination is not consistent with written theology in such areas as the singular saving Lordship of Jesus Christ and homosexual ordination. Does all this sound familiar? Just change the denomination from Presbyterian to Episcopal and the script writes itself.

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"MERE ANGLICANISM" CONFERENCE 2008 will be held on Thursday, January 31 through Saturday, February 3, 2008 at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul, 126 Coming Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403.

The 2008 event features ideas and analysis by three special Anglican thinkers and speakers - Michael Nazir-Ali, Ashley Null, and Edith Humphrey - on January 25-27, in the historic city of Charleston. The conference will feature Interactions panel discussions, Connections groups and wonderful worship opportunities. Click here to learn more about the lecture titles, speakers, agenda, panels, and conference costs: http://www.mereanglicanism.com/

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TODAY'S DIGEST is almost exclusively about the HOB meeting here in New Orleans. I have written a number of stories about this event and have included the best of the daily columns from around the globe. Read and enjoy.

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