Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
3/14/2008

It was a week that saw further disintegration and separation from The Episcopal Church of its godly remnant.

The House of Bishops met in Camp Allen, Texas, and did a number of predictable things.

They deposed two orthodox bishops - John-David Schofield (San Joaquin) and William Cox (retired Bishop Suffragan Bishop of Maryland) for "abandoning the communion of the Episcopal church". As leaders of the Anglican Communion Network observed, both bishops have come under the care of another province of the Anglican Communion, rendering the action of the House of Bishops a symbolic, but essentially meaningless, gesture.

"This is a bit like saying 'you can't quit, you're fired!'" said the Rev. Canon Daryl Fenton, Chief Operating Officer for the Network. "It will have no practical effect on the ministry of these two godly leaders, but instead makes crystal clear the scorched earth policy that the current leadership of The Episcopal Church intends to prosecute against those who cannot in good conscience follow them out of the Christian mainstream."

"There is no question that both Bishop Cox and Bishop Schofield remain bishops in the Anglican Communion and will continue in ministry. We at the Network are thankful for their willingness to witness for the truth of the Gospel and fully intend to support them in their ongoing ministry," he added.

The Episcopal Church HOB has become an ecclesiastical roach motel. You can enter, but you can't leave until you're dead.

By all accounts, the HOB meeting was pretty well a downhill experience at Camp Allen.

The HOB voted to make the ineffectual former Bishop of Northern California, Jerry Lamb, provisional bishop of the Diocese of San Joaquin. T'was he and three other California bishops who brought charges against Bishop Schofield in 2006 for "Abandonment of Communion" - charges that were tossed out. Lamb ticked off several clergy and lay people when he voted for Gene Robinson's consecration. Wrote an insider, "If he waffled in a fairly conservative diocese, he will be a useful idiot for TEC in San Joaquin!"

Lamb will get a cool $500,000 from the national church to interfere in the life of this diocese while Canon Brian Cox will go on holding "reconciliation" meetings throughout the diocese. These meetings will reconcile nobody to anybody else. They will confirm in the minds of those who are staying, as well as some fence sitters, that they should stay because they will be honored by Mrs. Jefferts Schori's presence from time to time with lots of money in hand.

The HOB heard a report from Canon Philip Groves on the communion-wide "listening process" designed to hear stories of gay and lesbian Christians around the world. Fascinating. Why didn't the HOB "listen" to the stories of ex-gays who have left the lifestyle in obedience to Christ and the gospel?

The HOB also worked on "Millennium Development Goal 3″ as well as on Gender Equality and the protection of women and children. No word on whether a subgroup was formed to hear PA Bishop Charles E. Bennison describe the sexual abuse he witnessed by his brother of a minor. One wonders why Bennison didn't send along a member of the Public Relations firm he has hired to spin his story to the HOB.

And then, of course, there was Gene Robinson, "our brother" as one blogger called him, who has been rejected (oh the pain) from attending the Lambeth Conference in any official capacity, but he plans to make his mark with Mark (his beloved) in Canterbury where he will be hailed by the media as a martyr to the cause of sodomy. At the HOB meeting, Robinson gave his own rendition of "Don't Cry For Me HOB..." saying he doesn't want to be a "marketplace exhibit" at Lambeth, but he will go to make merry with the media who will undoubtedly fawn all over him. The HOB naturally made a statement expressing its dismay and sadness at the decision to not invite Robinson.

This did not stop the pansexual organization, Integrity USA and their allies, from expressing their "profound disappointment and anger that the Archbishop of Canterbury has failed to find a way for the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson to meaningfully participate in the Lambeth Conference."

In the group's statement, The Rev. Susan Russell, Integrity's president, said that Robinson's "marginalization" is symbolic of the discrimination that LGBT people face daily throughout the Anglican Communion.

The HOB did discuss a new draft of a "Proposed Anglican Covenant." There are the usual concerns about the constitutional and legal implications of signing on to an international set of "canons" which might jeopardize their ability to say legitimately that they are "autonomous" (make our own laws/canons), wrote one blogger. Of course. The sub text here is that no one had better tell TEC what to do, when to do it and who to do it to. That's verboten. Oh, and by the way, we still want to be a member of the Club, but just on our terms, of course. The truth is any Covenant drawn up is dead on arrival. Orthodox and heterodox bishops will never agree on a final draft unless it is so wishy washy it amounts to nothing. Already the writing team is on its third draft. Six more won't make the slightest bit of difference.

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QUINCY: Former Bishop Charged. This week, The Episcopal Church formally charged Bishop Edward MacBurney, retired bishop of the Diocese of Quincy, with canonical violations. The charges stem from events occurring in June, 2007, when the bishop was invited to make a pastoral visit to a non-Episcopal church in San Diego, California. MacBurney, 80 years old, retired from his position as a diocesan bishop in 1994, but as a bishop in good standing still actively ministers to churches throughout the country and also in other parts of the Anglican Communion. VOL spoke with the bishop recently. He and his wife have a son in hospice care. He needs this like he needs a hole in the head. No one has ever said that Mrs. Jefferts Schori or the revisionist HOBs have an ounce of compassion for anyone except for the likes of Robinson, of course. You can read the full story here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/yph6t9

Forward in Faith UK (FiF UK) put out a statement calling the action a "Graceless and totalitarian mindset. [We] deplore the recent actions against the retired Bishop of Quincy, the Right Revd Ed MacBurney, by the House of Bishops of TEC as both pastorally and politically inept: pastorally on account of Bishop MacBurney's age and tragic family circumstances; politically because of the certainty that it will alienate others across the Communion who have not yet grasped the extent of the graceless and totalitarian mindset which now dominates the Episcopal Church. We are at a loss to understand why it is an offence for a bishop in good standing in one province of the Communion to offer episcopal ministry (at the request of its bishop) to a parish in another. As one journalist noted, it all seems to boil down to vindictiveness."

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TRANSITIONS.

In the DIOCESE OF SAN JOAQUIN, St. Paul's-Modesto will vote March 29 on joining the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA). Interesting that it's the same date that Mrs. Jefferts Schori and crew are going to be in Stockton, California, "reorganizing" the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin!

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The DIOCESE OF THE RIO GRANDE'S Standing Committee chose retired Diocese of Colorado Bishop William Frey to be their assisting bishop. The Standing Committee said Frey will spend 10 days a month in the diocese "providing those sacramental ministries reserved for a bishop, making visitations to parishes, and providing counsel to the Standing Committee as requested." Frey, 78, served as bishop of the Diocese of Colorado from 1973 to 1990. He is an orthodox bishop and one time president of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. He will be an excellent transition bishop till they pick his replacement. The diocese has been without a bishop since shortly after its former bishop, Jeffrey Steenson, resigned and joined the Roman Catholic Church.

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The DIOCESE OF DALLAS announced six priests as candidates to be the next Bishop suffragan of the diocese. The candidates include five from the diocese, two of whom are in diocesan leadership roles. They are all orthodox on a sliding scale from evangelical to Anglo-Catholic. Some, of course, are more strongly or thoroughly orthodox than others, said an observer. The slate includes: the Rev. Leander S. Harding, 58, associate professor of pastoral theology and head of chapel, Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Ambridge, Pennsylvania; the Rev. Canon David W. Holland, 62, rector, the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation, Lewisville, Texas; the Rev. Raymond E. Jennison Jr., 60, priest-in-charge, St David's Episcopal Church, Garland, Texas; the Rev. Canon Paul E. Lambert, 57, canon to the ordinary for the Diocese of Dallas; the Rev Canon Neal O. Michell, 54, canon missioner for strategic development for the Diocese of Dallas; and the Rev. Ally Perry, vicar, 57, St. John the Apostle, Pottsboro, Texas. Bets are on Michell to win. He is close to Bishop Stanton, is well liked and an insider. Voters are growing more skittish about choosing outsiders they don't know these days.

At the diocese's last convention this past November, Dallas Bishop James Stanton called for the election. The bishop suffragan will work with an emphasis in clergy recruitment, development and deployment, and focus on congregational development especially in the rural areas of the diocese, according to the report from the election committee. Stanton is the only bishop in the diocese. Prior to his death on June 7, 2007, retired Florida Bishop Stephen Jecko assisted Stanton.

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The DIOCESE OF EDMONTON elected yet another woman to run the diocese following the resignation of Bishop Victoria Matthews. They elected the Very Rev. Dr. Jane Alexander as the 10th bishop following the trail-blazing Matthews who was recently elected Bishop of Christchurch, New Zealand. Alexander will lead some 77,000 Anglicans in central Alberta. When she is installed on May 11, Alexander will officially replace former bishop Matthews. Alexander was ordained as a priest in 2001. In November 2006, she was inducted as rector of All Saints Cathedral and installed as dean of the local diocese. The diocese has about 55 congregations in central Alberta.

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In the DIOCESE OF LOUISIANA, Bishop Charles Jenkins told conventioneers at the 171st Diocesan Convention that he believes the solutions to the problems of the diocese and the state "are not simply technical, but of necessity must include a change of heart as well."

"The Gospel of Jesus Christ speaks to our situation in Louisiana," he said. "Our diocesan ministry includes both technical and adaptive attempts at bettering and inviting a transformation of lives. How can we as Christians seek to enable the adaptive change, the change of hearts and minds so needed in our state?" Still, Jenkins warned, "we cannot simply do the same things over and over again and expect differing results."

The diocese has been considering a truth and reconciliation process, based on the experience of the Anglican Church's role in such a process in post-apartheid South Africa.

"There is great resistance in the religious, business, and government communities to this idea," Jenkins said. "People are frightened by this idea; it seems safer to do nothing or continue our current efforts and hope for the best."

Jenkins is committed to remaining in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, explaining that they believe the Windsor Process and eventual commitment to what is, at this point, a proposed Anglican covenant is "the place of reconciliation."

"But I need to warn you that it is not a pleasant place to be," he said. "You will be attacked and criticized by both sides. Some will label you as ignorant, fundamentalist and homophobic; others will call you institutionalist, revisionist and apostate." (ENS Reports)

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THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH and its pension fund, both based in New York, got mud all over their faces when they attempted to target Zimmer Holdings with a dose of shareholder activism.

The recent proxy filing by Zimmer, a Warsaw-based orthopedics company, included a shareholder proposal from the church asking the company to take more steps to diversify its board of directors, "all of whom are white males." The church pointed to the "cozy clubbiness" that too often has characterized U.S. corporate boards.

There was just one problem.

Dr. Augustus White, a member of Zimmer's board since 2001 and a noted spine surgeon, is black -- a fact Zimmer pointed out right below the church's proposal.

Zimmer's Web site carries a photo of White and summary of his career, including a professorship at Harvard Medical School and recipient of the Bronze Star for service in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Vietnam. Zimmer also said White is recognized for his work in "medical education, diversity and issues of health care disparities."

The church regularly targets companies having all-white male boards with shareholder proposals to help promote diversity, said Harry Van Buren, staff consultant to the Social Responsibility in Investment Program for the Episcopal Church. He said the church consulted Zimmer's filings and its Web site to determine the board's makeup.

When it comes to the delicate issue of race, a bio and photo don't always tell you everything you need to know.

"We have not had something like this happen before," said Van Buren, who said the proposal already has been withdrawn. From Midwest Conservative Journal

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The Anglican PROVINCE OF NIGERIA ripped a recent article by Eliza Griswold in "The ATLANTIC" magazine in which she implicated Archbishop Peter Akinola in the 2004 massacre of Muslims in Yelwa, Nigeria. The province put out a statement saying The Anglican Church in Nigeria flatly denies that its primate had any role in the massacre.

"Archbishop Akinola has not and does not encourage violence but continues to maintain peaceful cordial relationship with every peace-loving Nigerian irrespective of tribe, creed or gender," the Ven. AkinTunde Popoola, the Nigerian province's director of communications, said in a statement.

In her article, writer Griswold, daughter of 25th Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, traces the roots of the 2004 violence to 2002 when disputes over whether Christians or Muslims controlled the town's council boiled over in a riot. In the aftermath, Christians imposed strict rules on contact with Muslims. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Frank Griswold was the ultra-liberal presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church who, more than any other Episcopal leader, heightened the mess the church is in today. Mrs. Jefferts Schori is merely continuing his legacy.

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The EPISCOPAL ANGLICAN CHURCH OF BRAZIL, through its House of Bishops, revealed in a Pastoral Letter on Human Sexuality that the Bible does not condemn homosexual behavior. It is not relevant they said. Those portions of Scripture that condemn homosexual behavior as sinful are not relevant to the mission and ministry of the Church today, said the House of Bishops. "Divine revelation is an unfolding process that makes itself known to the community of believers as it is played out across time," the bishops said following their December meeting in Porto Alegre." You can read the full story in today's digest.

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NEGATIVE NUMBERS. A letter to the editor of "The Living Church" (March 23) excoriated Washington Bishop John Chane. Edwin D. Williamson of Washington, D.C. wrote; "In the summary of Bishop Chane's remarks at the Diocese of Washington convention (TLC, Feb. 17), he is quoted as saying that he is so sick and tired of reading reports about the statistical decline of The Episcopal Church that I no longer read them."

One can understand his position when one looks at the most recent average Sunday attendance (ASA) statistics for his diocese published by the national office, which reveal a 12% decline during Bishop Chane's tenure. He might use the ASA to offer a defense that his diocese's decline is only slightly worse than the 11% decline nationally, and that only four dioceses (Alaska, East Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee) experienced an increase during the same period.

The article also sets forth a claim by Bishop Chane that "on any given Sunday 24,000 people on average attend Episcopal churches in the Diocese of Washington." The ASA indicates the number was 15,800 for 2006. Williamson would be interested in an explanation of the disparity. So would VOL.

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Will the Archbishop of Canterbury review his invitations to Lambeth? A report from the Church of England says that sources have told them that he will. The ABC's Windsor Continuation Group (WCG) says the WCG will take a second look at the decision not to extend invitations to the African-consecrated American bishops of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Nigeria, and may also discuss the question of Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire's non-invitation.

Apparently not included for review are those bishops who consecrated Robinson, nor was there any mention of bishops like John-David Schofield who have jumped ship from TEC to the Southern Cone. Latest word is that The Episcopal Church's deposition of Bishop Schofield has had no immediate effect on his invitation to attend this summer's Lambeth Conference of bishops. Venables, however, will not attend. If Bob Duncan is deposed before July by the HOB will his invitation be withdrawn? On the other hand he may not care. He will be going to GAFCON.

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Among today's VOL exclusive stories you can read about the return of Bishop Clarence Pope to the Episcopal Church...again. He has had more migrations back and forth from TEC to Rome than any living (or dead) Episcopalian. He is the former Bishop of Ft. Worth.

A pansexual friendly Lambeth Conference will be a knockout blow to orthodox Anglicans. If orthodox Anglicans go to Lambeth, they will be met by a phalanx of homosexuals from the UK and USA who will brow beat them over homosexuality. Dr. Severine Nolland calls it when she says; "I believe it will be almost impossible for the conservative voice to speak up or be heard, let alone be taken seriously. As the CoE's recent 'Gay Wednesday' synod debate clearly demonstrated, the 'Hear My Pain' line - which is powerful, no doubt of it! - works its magic and shuts the potential opposition up efficiently and effectively.

The conservative position is continually back-footed and on the defensive, reminiscent of those posed with the question of whether they had stopped beating their wife (or husband) yet. And in relation to this Lambeth, of course, we all realize that Rowan Williams fully supports and actively endorses partnered lesbian/gay clergy in the CoE.

At some point in the very near future, the penny will drop and people across the theological spectrum on this fair isle will realize that in fact, significant parts of the CoE mirror and echo TEC perfectly - but lack the courage and honesty to admit it in public."

You can also read a strong critique of Dr. Michael Poon, Director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity in Asia at Singapore's Trinity Theological College, who condemns GAFCON. Poon who calls the GAFCON gathering "Gnostic". The Rev. Charles Raven has brilliantly analyzed Poon's statement and asks if the boot is on the other foot and it might be Lambeth that is Gnostic not GAFCON. You can read him here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/3ajslu

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So who does the DIOCESE OF SAN JOAQUIN really belong to? Church leaders spar over the future of the Diocese in a story that shows all sides. It reveals that, at the end of the day, the diocese still belongs to Bishop John-David Schofield and the majority of Anglicans who have moved under the Province of the Southern Cone and its Archbishop Greg Venables.

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The DIOCESE OF SYDNEY is stepping up the pressure on the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion. You can listen to this fine address from Dean of Sydney, Philip Jensen who spends time on the Biblical material and then turns to the specific issues of Lambeth. http://your.sydneyanglicans.net/media/audio/are_there_limits_to_fellowship/ His point: "Bishops, if you go to Lambeth '... you cannot expect God's people to trust you again...'

Jensen held a briefing this week on what's happening re Lambeth and you can hear what he and ACL President Mark Thompson - with briefer talks by ACL Chairman Robert Tong and Peter Jensen's media advisor, Russell Powell had to say by clicking here. http://acl.asn.au/the-sydney-lambeth-decision-briefing/

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Iraq's Christians are being martyred. The blood of the martyrs is being poured out in Iraq, an ancient land of Christian witness. The Archbishop of Mosul is dead, and the Church in Iraq is dying. It may well be that Islamist elements will entirely drive from Iraq a Christian community that has been present since the early first millennium, says Fr. Raymond J. De Souza. For the full story click here: http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=373393

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PBS will be airing a Wilberforce Documentary in March. A new documentary about the famous Christian abolitionist WILLIAM WILBERFORCE seeks to shed more light on the British man whose fight against slavery inspired Abraham Lincoln and countless other people of faith throughout the world. A new biography of Wilberforce, by Stephen Tomkins for Wm. B. Eerdmans, will shortly be available.

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Mrs. Jefferts Schori's Easter Address which focuses on earth caring as a resurrection event is the subject of brilliant analysis by Canon Gary L'Hommedieu. You can read that here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/37wumh

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BREAKING NEWS: Deposition Votes Failed to Achieve Canonically Required Majority. Read in today's digest