"Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength." Isaiah 40:28-29 KJ21
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Message from Bishop David Anderson
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Bishop Anderson
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In May and June, the American Anglican Council warned that with the implementation of the new American Episcopal Church (TEC) Title IV Canons, the Presiding Bishop would receive unprecedented power to directly intervene in a diocese or discipline a bishop. Our anticipation was that Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori would move quickly to punish South Carolina TEC Bishop Lawrence by inhibiting/suspending him and the Standing Committee of South Carolina and replace everyone at the top with her hand-picked "loyalists." Although such a "Blitzkrieg" approach would have drawn international alarm and censure from many quarters, it was the approach that we considered most likely, based on previous actions. Apparently, the Presiding Bishop has decided to be more careful about how she drives Bishop Lawrence to the guillotine, and so an elaborate story has been concocted about how loyalists in South Carolina compiled the list of particulars on a grievance letter and sent the complaint to the the President of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops. Former Bishop of Upper South Carolina Dorsey Henderson is the President of this board, and so he was the one to communicate with Bishop Lawrence on the "serious charges," including "Abandonment of the communion of this Church." One of the charges is that Bishop Lawrence ordained his son, who has ties to the rival Anglican Church in North America, to the priesthood and then accepted his transfer into the TEC Diocese of South Carolina. If this is true, so what? TEC is ordaining gays and lesbians into the priesthood like their house is on fire, Holy Scripture not withstanding, and giving Holy Communion to the unbaptised, and no one is prosecuted for these serious crimes against good moral order in the Church of God. But let Bishop Lawrence ordain his own son a priest, who was already ordained a deacon by a bishop in good Apostolic Succession but now outside of TEC, and you would think that the sky was falling. And to cap it all off, it is charged that Lawrence then accepted the transfer of the young man into the bishop's own TEC diocese to work under a TEC rector and a TEC bishop (himself). Again, so what if he did! Does TEC not want other Christians to come into TEC? Not orthodox ones, apparently. Does TEC not want those ordained in other churches to move into TEC? We recall that not too long ago TEC welcomed a young Roman Catholic priest caught romping on the beach with his sweetheart. But evidently there is no welcome for those who are moral and orthodox.
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Among the things cited are that Bishop Lawrence and six other orthodox bishops met
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Bishop Lawrence
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with Archbishop Rowan Williams. These Communion Partner bishops are named, and I would have to think that for bishops Lillibridge, Little, Love, MacPherson, Smith (ND), and Stanton, this is a shot fired across your bow, warning you of consequences if you don't stay quiet - and you have three and a half more years of the Jefferts Schori regime.
When one sees the incredibly detailed and ridiculous document comprising the list of charges that was supposedly submitted by a group of loyal (to the Revisionists) people in South Carolina, it certainly doesn't look like something a group of casual Charlestonians threw together while preparing shrimp and grits on the side. It looks like a carefully crafted and coordinated product of a group of legal professionals. Do you suppose it actually came from somewhere else?
A demand letter has been sent to the SC Standing Committee from Josephine Hicks, an attorney and sometime international representative for TEC, specifying the information that she wants the Standing Committee to prepare and give to her. Could her office have actually prepared the material in the accusations? The difficulty for TEC is that the entire Diocesan Convention participated in a legal way in some of the actions that TEC finds objectionable, so what can TEC do, replace the bishop, Standing Committee, and Diocesan Convention?
I commend Bishop Lawrence for his taking the initiative and publicizing the letters and materials from the "Committee for the Execution of a Bishop" and for calling a diocesan meeting. Our prayers go out to you and your diocese during this season of attack from your own national church leaders.
Blessings and peace in Christ Jesus,
+David
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council
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Chaplain's Corner
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By The Rev. Canon Phil Ashey, J.D. Chief Operating and Development Officer, American Anglican Council  | |
Canon Ashey
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And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them. Psalm 78:72Dear Friends in Christ, I am writing this from the road, returning from a gathering in Florida of clergy from our first Clergy Leadership Training Institute. You may have seen some of their testimonies in this video. We met near the ocean, and as a  Southern California boy, I can tell you that I am always refreshed by the sound of the ocean and the feel of sand beneath my feet. More than that, I was refreshed by our sharing together about our lives and our ministries in Christ. As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) We shared about the challenges we face as we raise our children, care for our spouses, and lead the people God has called us to serve. I was greatly encouraged by the transparency and depth of our sharing as well as with our times of prayer for each other. My purpose in attending this clergy gathering was to introduce them to some small-group Bible studies on leadership. These Bible studies were developed by EQUIP Ministries, founded by John C. Maxwell and based in Atlanta, GA. The studies address three of the four "C's" that we cover in our Clergy Leadership Training Institute: Character (the heart of the leader), Competency (skill of the leader), Compound Results (how to multiply leaders). These 108 Bible studies are being used by over 3 million leaders around the world in 54 countries, part of EQUIP's "million leader mandate." We are asking each regional CLTI group to meet monthly around one of these studies and to use it as a launching pad for personal sharing, skill development, and mutual encouragement. There are two special benefits that our CLTI participants will reap from these studies. First, they will be able to take them back to their own congregations and use them to multiply leaders within the local church. In fact, we are encouraging each CLTI alumni to identify 12 leaders (just as Jesus did) with whom they can share these Bible studies and develop as leaders for the local congregation. In this way, our CLTI will help multiply Anglican leaders throughout North America. The second benefit is that all of these Bible studies have been translated into many different languages. Therefore, if one of our CLTI alumni wants to take his/her congregation on a short term mission, we can provide them with these studies in the appropriate language. In this way, we hope to help develop leaders within Anglican churches across the communion. Please keep us in your prayers next week as we share these materials with 20 clergy in our next CLTI in the Diocese of Fort Worth. If you believe in the kingdom impact that these resources will have, I encourage you to give generously to the AAC. Yours in Christ, Phil+ Back to Top |
Anglican Perspective: What would you do?
| A Christian in Iran is currently sentenced to death for his faith in Christ. Canon Ashey tells this man's story and asks, "What would you do if you were in his shoes?"
View Anglican Perspective here.
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AAC Webinar: Clergy & Their Taxes
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If you are a full-time or part-time minister, you will not want to miss these classes. Starting at the end of October, 2011, the AAC will sponosor a three-part webinar on clergy tax issues. From the basics like "how to file a tax-return" to "what tax laws have been changed recently," these free webinars will help clergy brush up on an often overlooked subject - taxes.
The first one-hour session will be held on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). Each webinar is presented by representatives of Capin Crouse, a leading accounting and advisory firm primarily serving the Christian not-for-profit community.
Find out more on our website at www.AmericanAnglican.org/Taxes or go ahead and sign-up here. We have only 100 spots open for the first webinar so don't delay.
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| SC Bishop Mark Lawrence charged under TEC Title IV | Source: Diocese of SC
October 5, 2011
A letter to the people of the diocese
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 On Thursday, September 29, 2011 the Bishop received communication from the President of the Disciplinary Board for Bishops that "serious charges" have been made under Title IV of the canons of The Episcopal Church. These are allegations that he has abandoned The Episcopal Church. Since several of these allegations also include actions taken by the Convention of the Diocese of South Carolina, after sustained prayer and discernment, it has seemed appropriate to both the Bishop and the Standing Committee to make these allegations available to the members of the Diocese. These allegations may be found on the Diocesan website...here.
Subsequently, the President of our Standing Committee, the Very Reverend Paul C. Fuener, received a letter from the Church Attorney assisting the Disciplinary Board seeking "Records maintained by the Standing Committee of the Diocese of South Carolina." This letter may be found on our diocesan website...here.
In order to understand the possible implications and to engage in corporate prayer for the diocese, I, as bishop, have called a meeting of all our active and canonically resident clergy for this coming Tuesday, October 11, 2011 from 10:00 -12:00 noon at the Ministry Center of St. James Episcopal Church, James Island.
Rest assured we will do all in our power to defend gospel truth and catholic order. We and the members of our Standing Committee ask your prayers for God's guidance and wisdom.
Yours in Christ,
The Right Reverend Mark J. Lawrence
XIV Bishop of South Carolina
The Very Reverend Paul C. Fuener
President of the Standing Committee
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A.S. Haley, a church attorney from California, has additional comments about the charges here.
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TEC's Perspective on Lawrence charges
| South Carolina bishop investigated on charges he has abandoned the Episcopal Church
Source: Episcopal News Service
October 5, 2011
By Mary Frances Schjonberg
Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina Bishop Mark Lawrence told his diocese Oct. 5 that "serious charges" have been made that he has abandoned the Episcopal Church.
The allegations are being investigated by the church's Disciplinary Board for Bishops.
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Bishop Henderson
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Communicants in the Diocese of South Carolina filed the information with the board, according to the Rt. Rev. Dorsey Henderson, board president. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and the House of Bishops were not involved in making the claims, Henderson said in a fact sheet.
"Therefore, the matter is not being handled by the Presiding Bishop's office or anyone in the employ of the Episcopal Church Center," Henderson said in the fact sheet.
Henderson said he has been in contact with Lawrence, whose ministry has not been restricted during this phase of the process.
Under Title IV, Canon 16, a bishop is deemed to have abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church by an open renunciation of the doctrine, discipline or worship of the church; by formal admission into any religious body not in communion with the church; or by exercising episcopal acts in and for a religious body other than the church or another church in communion with the church....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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| Twenty-First Century Excommunication | This week, the Wall Street Journal writes about the Anglican situation:
Source: Wall St. Journal
October 7, 2011
By Mollie Ziegler Hemingway
When the Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton, N.Y., left the Episcopal Church
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What was Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Binghampton, NY, is now a Mosque.
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over disagreements about what the Bible says about sexuality, the congregation offered to pay for the building in which it worshiped. In return the Episcopal Church sued to seize the building, then sold it for a fraction of the price to someone who turned it into a mosque.
The congregation is one of hundreds that split or altogether left the Episcopal Church-a member of the Anglican Communion found mostly in the United States-after a decades-long dispute over adherence to scripture erupted with the consecration of a partnered gay bishop in 2003. But negotiating who gets church buildings hasn't been easy. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said she'd rather have these properties become Baptist churches or even saloons than continue as sanctuaries for fellow Anglicans.
The Episcopalian congregations that want to break away are part of a larger movement of Anglicans world-wide who are concerned by the liberalism of the official New York-based Episcopal Church on sexuality and certain basic tenets such as Jesus' resurrection. Of the 38 provinces in the global Anglican Communion, 22 have declared themselves in "broken" or "impaired" fellowship with the more liberal American church.
In 2009, breakaway Episcopalians in the U.S. and Canada formed the Anglican Church in North America, which now reports 100,000 members in nearly 1,000 congregations. This group has been formally recognized by some Anglican primates outside of the United States.
Bishop Jefferts Schori says this new Anglican group is encroaching on her church's jurisdiction, and she has authorized dozens of lawsuits "to protect the assets of the Episcopal Church for the mission of the Episcopal Church." The Episcopal Church has dedicated $22 million to legal actions against departing clergy, congregations and dioceses, according to Allan Haley, a canon lawyer who has represented a diocese in one such case.
Now the Episcopal Church has upped the ante: It has declared that if congregations break away and buy their sanctuaries, they must disaffiliate from any group that professes to be Anglican.
Rather than agree to this demand to disaffiliate from Anglicanism, Pittsburgh's All Saints Episcopal Anglican Church last month walked away from the building it had inhabited since 1928. The congregation called the Episcopal Church's demand "mean-spirited" and an attempt to deny "the freedom of religious affiliation."
Some other Episcopalians have opted to disaffiliate rather than lose their buildings or spend years in expensive litigation. Two breakaway congregations in Pennsylvania and two in Virginia have promised they will not affiliate with other Anglicans for five years.
For Anglicans, affiliation with a bishop is essential to their identity and to being part of a church. A disaffiliation clause means that bishops can't make their annual congregational visits to perform baptisms, confirmations and other rites integral to the life of the church, and they can't encourage or discipline priests. The congregation meanwhile can't work with local and national church bodies on disaster relief, youth retreats or educational seminars. Clergy members' insurance and pensions are uncertain. And congregations can't advertise that they are Anglican or contribute the traditional 10% tithe to the local branch of their denomination.
"It's unconscionable for a Christian to impose such a condition on a fellow Christian, telling them who they can and can't worship with and who they can and can't affiliate with. That violates every Christian precept I know of," said Mr. Haley, citing St. Paul's admonition against Christians suing each other in secular courts....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Deacon Greg Kandra: Respecting Life
| Source: Patheos blog
October 2, 2011
By (Roman Catholic) Deacon Greg Kandra
Since this is Respect Life Sunday, and the beginning of Respect Life month, I wanted to talk about one woman who did respect life - and her choice has made a difference in the life of virtually every person in this church.
Her name is Joanne Schiebel. In 1954, she was a young unmarried college student who discovered that she was pregnant. In the 1950s, her options were limited. She could have had an abortion - but the procedure was both dangerous and illegal. She could have gotten married, but she wasn't ready and didn't want to interrupt her education. Joanne opted, instead, to give birth to the baby and put it up for adoption.
And so it was that in 1955, a California couple named Paul and Clara Jobs adopted a baby boy, born out of wedlock, that they named Steven.
We know him today...as Steve Jobs.
It would not be overstating things to say that Steve Jobs is my generation's Thomas Edison. As one observer put it, he knew what the world wanted before the world knew that it wanted it.
If you have an iPhone or an iPad or an iPod, or anything remotely resembling them, you can thank Steve Jobs.
If your world has been transformed by the ability to hear a symphony, send a letter, pay a bill, deposit a check, read a book and then buy theater tickets on something roughly the size of a credit card...you can thank Steve Jobs.
And: you can thank Joanne Schiebel....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Ireland: Archbishop had notice of cleric's gay union plan
| Source: News Letter
October 7, 2011
By Sam McBride
In his first newspaper interview about the same-sex partnership which has rocked the Church of Ireland, Archbishop Alan Harper speaks to Sam McBride.
It has been, in his own words, a "very, very intense period" for Archbishop Alan Harper, a man doing his best to prevent a split in a church which has been a single entity since
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Archbishop Harper
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1536.
Last month the primate of all Ireland attended a conference in Scotland, consecrated two bishops, ordained three deacons, conducted meetings of the central bodies of the Church on top of his "normal work".
But in the midst of that routine business came the dramatic news that a serving Church of Ireland minister had become the first to enter into a civil partnership, something which has opened up deep divisions within a church which encompasses evangelical, Anglo-Catholic, charismatic and liberal wings.
The news - revealed by this newspaper on September 3 - did not come as a surprise to the archbishop.
Speaking to the News Letter in the Council Room of Church House on the hill of Armagh, Archbishop Harper reveals that he was aware of Dean Tom Gordon's intention to enter a civil partnership two days before it happened.
"I knew on July 27 - and I'm quoting from the email - that a [beneficed priest] in the diocese of Cashel and Ossory was about to contract a civil partnership.
"I didn't know who that priest was; I didn't know who it was until after the event."
The civil partnership took place on July 29 but did not become public until it was revealed by the News Letter on September 3. . .
So has he been surprised by the vocal opposition from evangelical and traditional Anglicans, many of them in Northern Ireland?
"I'm not surprised that it's vocal," he says. "I think probably the extent to which it has been sustained is interesting but this is a free country; this is a church which believes in people having the right to express themselves freely and I'll defend that right if it is necessary to defend it."
Asked whether the Church has a position on whether same-sex activity is sinful or normal, the archbishop says: "Sinful and normal are not alternatives. And so obviously, as you perfectly well know, there are different views within the Church as to whether or not a committed same-sex relationship is sinful.
"There has been a traditional view which has in effect not accepted the appropriateness of sexual relations between same-gender people. That is the traditional view.
"That view had come under question and that is where we find ourselves now and that's why there's a debate across the communion and that's why we've got the present situation as it affects the Church of Ireland.
"The Church itself hasn't thoroughly debated these new developments and the implications of these new developments. "That's why it is necessary, it seems to me and to my fellow bishops, to put in train a way for the Church to address those matters."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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