One British observer noted the following. "It is interesting to see how the results of GC2006 have gone down on Thinking Anglicans. One might have thought that the revisionists would be celebrating, crowing about their great victories. But there is a very muted reaction instead - they are trying hard to maintain their delusions - all the while knowing that it was a Pyrrhic victory: they won the battle but lost the war. And they have nobody to speak for them to the rest of the Anglican Communion, having elected Katherine Schori as PB, who will not be able to meet with the primates."

A second statement from Lambeth is due out shortly. When VOL receives it, we will post it to the website: www.virtueonline.org

The Rev. David Anderson, head of the American Anglican Council, said the "charade" shows that the church intends to go on consecrating gay bishops.

"The Episcopal Church wants to have its cake and eat it, too," he said. "It wants to be Anglican, but it doesn't want anybody telling it how to do church. And that's a tension that's pulling it apart."

The CAPA primates sent a strong message to the orthodox in America: "We assure all those Scripturally faithful dioceses and congregations alienated and marginalised within your Provincial structure that we have heard their cries."

One take on why conservative bishops voted for Schori is that she would be a kindler gentler person to deal with than Henry Parsley of Alabama who has shown a great deal of animus towards his orthodox clergy. Charles Jenkins of Louisiana was just too conservative for the HOB. But Schori is Liberal with a capital L and she will continue Griswold's agenda.

THIS week it was announced that the largest most widely attended Episcopal Church in the U.S. - Christ Church Plano in Texas, in the Diocese of Dallas was up and leaving the Episcopal Church.

In an official statement by its rector, Canon David Roseberry wrote, "As the vestry of Christ Church, we declare our intention to disassociate from ECUSA as soon as possible. We are thankful for the shepherd role of the Right Rev. James Stanton and his standing in the Anglican Communion, and we regard him as our apostolic leader. We assure the clergy, staff and congregation of Christ Church that throughout this process we will continue to worship, teach, pray and study as we have in the past with renewed and vibrant commitment to the mission of Christ Church. At this time of going to press neither Bishop Jim Stanton nor the Diocese had issued a statement. Word is he is supportive and working with the rector and vestry and has no interest in the property. Bishop Stanton has a meeting scheduled with the clergy of the diocese on the 5th of July, but this has nothing to do with Christ Church. You can read the full story here or in today's digest of stories. http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4353 You can be sure this is only the beginning of parishes defecting from The Episcopal Church. Watch for big news to unravel in the Diocese of Virginia and more from Florida.

But the largest parish in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, the Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, Pa has taken a different stance. The Rev. Gregory O. Brewer told his congregation last week, "We are taking this one step at a time! We are humbly asking, even begging, God to guide us. So we need to be generous with one another, laugh often, and celebrate. We need to stick closely to the Scriptures and stand with one another, making allowances for one another because these are fellow members of our parish family. We need each other, particularly when we are most tempted to walk away." http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4348

Bishop Jack Iker, Ft. Worth while looking for alternative episcopal oversight for his diocese made it equally clear he was not leaving the Episcopal Church. You can read a story about that in today's digest or click here: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4339

WORD has it that DIOCESE OF SPRINGFIELD will ask for Alternative Oversight? It's been reported to VOL that in Springfield, Illinois a special diocesan council is meeting to pass a resolution asking the Archbishop of Canterbury to give the diocese primatial oversight outside of ECUSA. More details as they emerge.

Bishop Bruce MacPherson of Western Louisiana, and a Windsor Bishop made it clear at a meeting at St. Paul's that he was numbered among the Windsor Bishops that are recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the wider Anglican Communion as supportive of the Windsor Report. Further, he made it absolutely clear that, given the decisions and actions made during General Convention that he would not associate himself with ECUSA. He further echoed the sentiments of the Network that we were the faithful who should be recognized as being in communion with Canterbury and that we are not the ones who left. He was very forceful on this point, said an observer.

I have posted a number of reactions by diocesan bishops and more will be posted to the website as they become available. www.virtueonline.org

BUT the fallout from this convention is immense and going to be more so in the days that lie ahead. The relative silence from the primates is not apoplexy confusion or lack of resolve, said a source close to the Global South archbishops. "It is a result of the deadly seriousness of reaching the end of the line," VOL was told. Dr. Rowan Williams is being included in the conversation. The African Archbishops meet in September and what they decide could shake the very foundations of the Anglican Communion.

If, as one suspects, the Global South have drawn the last line in the sand, then the curtain is coming down on the Episcopal Church and on Western pansexuality as it is found in other provinces including Canada, Southern Africa and Western Europe.

According to a confidential source, a senior Roman Catholic prelate (not American) called the 'General Convention (GC) of the Episcopal Church (TEC)' (recently ended in Columbus, Ohio) the 'Gay Caucus (GC) of the Episcopal Church (TEC)'.

The prelate in question has it exactly right. We are officially "the Gay Church" - watch it empty.

TWO interesting takes on Bishop-elect Katherine Schori's statement on our "mother Jesus." VOL said it was transgender language. But a Reformed Episcopal rector wrote this; "I think the "our mother" Jesus was a reference to the writings of the Christian mystic, Dame Julian of Norwich, whose feast day we celebrate as May 13th. Dame Julian used the metaphor of God our mother to convey the depth of God's love for His children as greater than the love of a mother for her children. It's not surprising that +Katherine would choose the reference. Julian was the first woman to write a book in English just as she is the first woman to be elected Presiding Bishop.

A more accurate take might be is that Jefferts Schori also might have picked up the "Mother Jesus" idea from a liturgical offering on the Office of Women's Ministries section of the TEC website. The "Mother Jesus" phrase appears in a "Eucharist Using Female Nouns and Pronouns" on the OWM page. The Christian Challenge has a story out about this. The OWM stipulates that the liturgy is not official and only for "discussion" but invites readers to use it in "gathering communities of worship." The feminists liturgies are currently posted on the Office of Womens Ministries page at the "TEC" website: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/41685_42126_ENG_HTM.htm

AT GENERAL CONVENTION, VOL drew attention to the HOB's passage of A095 earlier in the convention. The story was written by VOL scribe Mrs. Auburn Traycik. But then it disappeared off the radar screen only to emerge in its final form on the last day and was snuck in when no one was looking. The resolution reaffirmed the Episcopal Church's historical support of gay and lesbian persons as children of God and entitled to full civil rights; and called on secular authorities to approve measures giving gay and lesbian couples protection[s] such as: bereavement and family leave policies; health benefits; pension benefits; real-estate transfer tax benefits; and commitments to mutual support enjoyed by non-gay married couples."

In an interesting exchange that took place during the debate on this resolution in the Social and Urban Affairs Committee, a committee member asked Elizabeth Keaton, a lesbian priest from the Diocese of Newark, "Has the Episcopal Church ever voted to support same sex civil marriage?"

Ms. Keaton replied: "This is it."

Logically speaking the language does not, in fact, commit the Episcopal Church to actively support civil unions. It does, however, commit the Church to actively oppose any move to limit or stop them. Now you know.

Louie Crew's resolution calling for a change in the canons on marriage currently being used in the '79 Book of Common Prayer replacing 'husband and wife' with the words "two persons" sank without trace. Wrote Crew to VOL: "I believe it never made it to the floor of either House from Committee. I know it never made it to the House of Deputies."

And Crew, like many of his liberal pals and fellow homosexual travelers, saw the convention as a net loss. He wrote at his website, "I grieve that convention dealt with almost none of our resolutions - most the product of three years of hard work by dedicated members of committees, commissions, and boards. The convention turned instead to gaze at all the lint wadded in the Anglican navel." He especially hated what Griswold did in brokering in B033. This has received the wrath of just about every wing of the church. Watch out when you betray your friends. Griswold saw the big picture - staying in the Anglican Communion and he wanted to make sure that PB elect Katherine Schori would get an invite by the Primates after he has gone. She should not hold her breath. We shall know all in September when the Archbishops meet. That will be a Kairos moment.

One diocese, New York tried to put the best front on B033 and the three bishops of New York, Mark S. Sisk, Catherine Roskam and E. Don Taylor issued the following statement. "The recent action of the General Convention in respect to the consent process for bishops 'whose manner of life presents a challenge for the wider church' has in its turn proved a challenge for many in our own church. We supported the resolution, reluctantly. We did so being sharply aware of several things. First this is a part of a 'process' -- and processes by their very nature suggest an approaching resolution. Second, it seemed then and seems now, quite clear, that if we are to remain at the table to continue these important conversations, then our conversation partners need assurance that we are listening and taking their concerns seriously. This in turn points to the importance of what is called the 'listening process.' We can and should expect the most serious engagement in those conversations. Now is the time to see whether or not our conversation partners will take our invitation to a deeper sharing with the seriousness with which it is offered. And finally we take this action with full confidence that our new Presiding Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Shori, will be a voice for all God's people in the councils of the Anglican Communion."

General Convention: "KERSPLAT"

Asked his reaction to the recent Episcopal General Convention, Archbishop Louis Falk of the Anglican Church in America told THE CHRISTIAN CHALLENGE: "The only one I have made was, when asked about half way through how I thought it was going, I replied that it was like watching someone jump off a 100-story building, and the hollering out the 50th floor window as he went by, "How's it going so far?!" I note that the end result was just about what you'd expect in that analogous situation: Kersplat. The best comment on the final resolution was already made by T.S. Eliot -- the end comes, "Not with a bang, but a whimper."

ON A POSITIVE NOTE. All Saints Anglican Church in Tallahassee, Florida announced it will hold its first celebration of the Holy Eucharist on Sunday, July 2, 2006. It will begin 10:30 A.M. in the large conference room on the ground floor of the Wingate Inn located off North Monroe Street just south of I-10 at 2626 W. Lakeshore Dr. The Pastor of All Saints is the Rev. Gilbert Crosby who will be assisted by the Rev. Patrina ("Trina") McCarthy as Deacon. You will find joyful, reverent, liturgical worship grounded in the eternal truths of Holy Scripture, with a committed community of fellow forgiven sinners. For further information, please call (850)325-1200 or e-mail the church at office@allsaintsanglicantallahassee.org. There is clearly life after ECUSA.

The Lesser Franciscans, based in Massachusetts, have joined the Anglican Mission in an associate relationship. Members follow a common Rule of Life, and are available to help renew congregations. They are committed to mission and to the historic faith, and hundreds have encountered Christ in their spiritual retreats.

Some interesting takes on GC2006 from wags with senses of humor:

The Episcopal Church--Won't Say It's Sorry But Will Say It's Schori. TEC: "The Empty Church..." TEC: "Trashing Everything Christian".

All blessings,

David W. Virtue DD

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