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"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Romans 8:1 NKJV
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Message from Bishop David Anderson
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Bishop Anderson
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Anglican battle for orthodox Christian faith, There are seven issues to cover this week; some weeks are like that, but all of these issues are important to flag for your further thought and prayer coverage. The first is the ongoing battle between the U.S. Government and the Roman Catholic Church over the health care mandate that all institutions and organizations, including church-affiliated organizations if they provide health coverage for their employees, provide birth control and associated procedures. Although the Roman Catholic Church is opposed to birth control, as contrasted with the majority of Anglicans, this issue is worth our attention and support for our Roman Catholic brethren. Although one can be sympathetic with the standpoint that if coverage is provided to men for reproductive issues, then they ought to be provided for women, the issue of the government mandating that churches provide things that violate their deeply and long-held theological positions is simply untenable. It is a sign of the times that the Constitutional guarantees with regard to churches are being eroded intentionally and submersed under new rights recently invented. If they are able to roll over the Roman Catholic Church on this, and they already have in many areas of the United States with regard to adoption by homosexual couples, they will roll over us on things important to Anglicans and hardly feel a speed bump. Religious institutions and churches need this exemption if they wish it, or most of them will drop all coverage for their employees. Regarding abortion, an article in the Washington Times by Sue Thayer details her waking up to Planned Parenthood's "Big Lie." After rising in the Planned Parenthood organization in her local Storm Lake, Iowa chapter, she noticed a change as the statewide unit, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, began requiring the local chapters to participate in "Telemed abortion." Telemed is a phone linkup where the patient goes to the clinic, goes to an "examination room," phones the doctor, and after a brief conversation, he or she pushes a button on their end of the line which causes a drawer in the medicine cabinet in the examining room to pop open. Therein is a dangerous abortion pill which the woman is to take to kill her unborn baby. Ms Thayer asks "So what does Planned Parenthood, the "trusted friend of women," love so much about telemed abortions?" Its low cost, she says. She continues, "It risks their (the mothers') lives by sending them away with no support and a drug that has led to massive bleeding and hemorrhaging, infection and even death." The reality is that for Planned Parenthood abortion is big business and a moneymaker, and any pretension of altruism for women is market share promotion.
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The temporary good news about the abortion situation, if there was any, was that the Susan G. Komen women's breast cancer charity decided to end financial support of Planned Parenthood's abortion business. Why they supported it and the detrimental effect that it has had on women is anyone's guess, but bowing to pressure from several directions, an announcement was made Tuesday that the relationship was over. Planned Parenthood and their abortion supporters didn't take it too well, but that was OK with me. With this change in posture, I was willing to support Susan G. Komen to work on research and eradication of breast cancer. Then suddenly, the Planned Parenthood abortion supporters re-hijacked Susan G. Komen and the organization did a complete 180 degree turnaround, announcing that they WOULD resume funding Planned Parenthood with grants.
With my pen literally on my check to send a gift to Susan G. Komen for breast cancer research and as thanks for dropping the abortionist Planned Parenthood, this news broke. Now I need to find another breast cancer research charity to send the gift to, since I refuse to send money to any group that helps kill the unborn. I wonder how many donors who sent Susan G. Komen money yesterday might want their money back after this betrayal. Why does breast cancer work have to be tied to abortions, anyway? Why can't Susan G. Komen stick to what it does best and leave it at that?
Whereas in the first paragraph we dealt with the bullying tactics of the U.S. government against the Roman Catholics with regard to birth control health coverage, we now jump to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, which is advising the Christian Legal Society student organization that it may lose its recognized status because it doesn't comply with the University's so-called nondiscrimination policy. The University administrators are unwilling to acknowledge that there is a freedom of religion issue at stake, and they keep reiterating their chancellor Nicholas Zeppos' statement to faculty and students that membership and even leadership in student organizations must be open to everyone.
Under this policy, they insist that campus organizations cannot have any clauses or phrases in their organization's constitution that would require leaders to sign a statement of faith. So anyone can join a Catholic, or Anglican, or Muslim student group and even be a leader, without any requirement that they believe anything that the organization stands for. What is wrong with these so-called educators? They don't seem intelligent enough to collect the trash on campus - in fact to compare them thus is an insult to the trash collectors. Sorry. This University needs to have a class action lawsuit that will engage their attention. Anybody interested?
Speaking of litigation, the Episcopal Church seems to have perfected the Machiavellian application of such to advance its interests. The Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Washington is suing the PNC Bank, N.A. to take the trusteeship of the Soper Trust away from PNC so they can raid the corpus, spending it on their priorities rather than the Soper Trust priorities. It seems your money is never safe if the Episcopal Church can get its hands on it. David Virtue has a nice comprehensive article covering the issue here. At the bottom of all this is the fact that the Diocese of Washington is running out of money, and this is worth a quick grab if they can dump the PNC Bank, which is old-fashioned and wants to enforce the original donor's stated wishes for the money.
The Anglican Curmudgeon covers a larger aspect of the same problem, the fiscal meltdown of the entire Episcopal Church denomination nationally. In this article, the Curmudgeon goes into significant detail about the friction that the shortfall is producing. Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori presented one budget to the Episcopal Church Executive Council projecting a $5.9 million reduction in income with corresponding cutbacks in expenditures, and the President of the House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson, (no relation to me!) presented an even more austere budget with a reduction of $19.3 million in income and corresponding cuts in expenditure. I suspect that Ms. Anderson's figures are more accurate, for they take into account a more realistic understanding of the deteriorating financial condition of most Episcopal dioceses and their respective ability to send money to the New York office.
In the TEC diocese of Milwaukee, headed by Bishop Steven Miller, a lawsuit has recently concluded over the property of St. Edmund's Church in Elm Grove, which left TEC several years ago. Even though the deeds and title all had the local parish of St. Edmund's listed as owner, and even though in 1955 the Diocese filed a warranty deed in Waukesha County guaranteeing the absolute ownership in the deed solely to the congregation, +Miller sued the vestry and eleven named vestry members for the property. Then over the years he added all new vestry members by name to the lawsuit but didn't release any of the older ones.
As it happened, a perfect storm of destruction began to form involving the trial judge, J. Mac Davis, the Episcopal Diocese, and the insurance company providing coverage for St. Edmund's Church. On 15 December, Judge Davis began hearing eleven trial motions in the case in Waukesha District Court. Without finishing the motion hearings, he issued a sweeping injunction granting the Diocese of Milwaukee immediate ownership of the property with several severe provisions going beyond those officially requested by the Diocese. There was no "rival" congregation waiting to move into and use the buildings. When the Bishop was asked if he would sell it back to the St. Edmund's congregation, he said, "I'll sell it to anyone but them." In the past, the Episcopal Church has sold seized property to Muslims for an Islamic Center/mosque for less money than the Anglican congregation offered to pay for their own property. This is called real animus and hatred. St. Edmund's was told by Judge Davis to vacate the property IMMEDIATELY. Yes, ten days before Christmas they were to vacate the property within 24 hours, church, rectory, independent private preschool and daycare, all out immediately. Fortunately, they were able to get a brief stay of that order, but in January they had to leave their property. Judge J. Mac Grinch lives in Waukesha County, and clearly it would appear that Christianity and justice are not safe while he is sitting on the bench.
One problem is that St. Edmund's private preschool and daycare is the only one in the area that specializes in 'special needs' children, particularly Down Syndrome and functional autistic children. The Bishop didn't care, they had to get out. We were told that "St. Edmund's Church and the vestry member defendants were told that if they appealed the District Court decision, the Diocese of Milwaukee would vigorously pursue the personal lawsuits against the named defendants in amount of $1.5 million." Additionally, St. Edmund's was advised by their insurance company that they were reneging on the policy coverage and wouldn't provide further appeal coverage. Appeal ceased to be a viable option.
In their advertisement announcing their closing service, they made a statement that will ring through the air: "The Episcopal Church took our buildings...we kept the faith."
Dear Fr. Scheibler and St. Edmund's congregation, you have kept the better part. May God bless you for your faith. Though the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee and Bishop Miller have failed the faith test, and though Judge J. Mac Davis and the court have failed the justice test, you have kept the best part and our Lord will honor you for your faith in him and his revealed Gospel.
Pray for all those who faith is being tested by governments, universities, church denominational leaders and the ungodly of this world.
Blessings and Peace in Christ Jesus,
+David
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson
President & CEO, American Anglican Council
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Chaplain's Corner
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 By The Rev. Canon Phil Ashey
Chief Operating and Development Officer, American Anglican Council
Canon Ashey is en route to a Sure Foundation session today, and will not write an article.
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'We Will Not Comply': Catholic Leaders Distribute Letter Slamming Obama Admin Contraceptive Mandate
| Source: the Blaze
January 30, 2012
By Billy Hallowell
We've covered the Catholic Church's ongoing battle with the Obama administration over contraception health care mandates for quite some time. Over the weekend, though, the stand-off took an unusual turn, as Catholic churches across America read a letter (one example here) to congregants that perfectly encapsulated the church's stance against the impending federal requirements.
The Church's vocal arguments against the Obama administration are centered upon a Health and Human Services Department requirement that employers must include contraception and abortion-inducing drugs in health-care coverage. While this requirement doesn't apply to houses of worship, it will force Catholic colleges, hospitals and other Christian groups to provide these drugs despite their faith-based opposition to them.
Many of these organizations, despite not being, themselves, churches, are intrinsically rooted in religious belief systems that stand firmly opposed to medications and procedures that would terminate the life of an unborn child. These deeply-rooted moral codes, which drive the groups' work, will be impeded, Catholic leaders say, should the Obama administration continue with its planned mandate.
Recently, the federal government made one small concession surrounding the requirement, as officials decided to give church-affiliated hospitals and organizations another year before they will be forced to comply with the coverage restrictions.
"In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences," Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, recently said....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Episcopal Church [TEC] Faces Budget and Structural Challenges
| Source: Anglican Curmudgeon blog
January 27, 2012
By A.S. Haley
The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church (USA) opened its winter meeting today at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. Immediately two widely differing plans for the next triennial budget of the Church were presented for its consideration. (The Executive Council has to approve a draft budget at this meeting to hand off to the General Convention's Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance, which will finalize it between February and July for presentation at General Convention.)
The first version of the proposed budget came from the Presiding Bishop and her Chief Operating Officer, the Rt. Rev. Stacy Sauls. It maintains the percentage which the Church will ask for in contributions from its member Dioceses at the current 19% for the next triennium (it had been reduced from 21% to 19% in the budget adopted in 2009 at Anaheim.) It also projects a reduction of $5.9 million in income over the period 2013-2015, and calls for a corresponding reduction in outlays.
The second version of the proposed budget came from the President of the House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson. It calls for a reduced asking of 15% from the Dioceses, and would result in a budget reduction of $19.3 million, which Finances for Mission Committee Chair Del Glover admitted would lead to (further) "personnel adjustments."
Both the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies made opening remarks to the Council, along with COO Bishop Sauls. (Bishop Jefferts Schori's remarks were not made from a prepared text, but are summarized in this ENS article.) Reading between the lines of each, and translating the Presiding Bishop's earlier prepared remarks about coming changes in structure, which may be viewed here, it is clear that the heads of the Church are not of one mind about how to deal with the challenges which it faces in the twenty-first century.
And those challenges are significant and substantial. They are summarized graphically in a presentation to the Council (zip file download is at this link) by Kirk Hadaway, who is the church official in charge of congregational research, and by Matthew Price, of the Church Pension Fund. Among other facts shown, 72% of Episcopal congregations were in financial stress as of 2010 (compared to 58% of other denominations for the same year) -- the highest level in the past decade, by far.
It is clear that there is momentum gathering for a proposal for structural changes in the Church, either to be presented at General Convention itself, or referred to its Standing Committee on Structure for analysis and a report to the 2015 Convention. There have even been hints that the Church cannot wait that long, and that a Special Convention might have to be called in the interim to make the cost-saving changes necessary if the Church is to adapt to the decline in its membership and finances. (Previously, I wrote about how the structure of the Episcopal Church as founded was not capable of carrying the modern superstructure which in recent times has been imposed upon it. Those observations are even more relevant now.)
The problem is that there are, as always, at least two conflicting constituencies striving for consensus on how best to make use of the Church's dwindling resources. The first constituency consists roughly of the Church's clergy, but its political power is wielded chiefly by the Bishops, through whom all constitutional and canonical changes must pass. The second constituency is made up of the active laity, along with many clergy, who do not have the time for the national politics of a socially activist church, and who want to see more resources remain with the Dioceses and congregations, for their mission efforts and local programs.
There is a third constituency as well, but its influence is waning. It may be said to consist of those clergy, bishop and lay activists who use the triennial General Convention as their springboard to launch ever more programs, Commissions, Committees, Agencies and Boards, and who then populate their creations in the interim between Conventions. This has resulted over time in a structure so top-heavy and convoluted that even Bishop Sauls complained he was having difficulty tracking all of them down when he began in his current position as COO. The interests of that constituency are unsustainable in a declining church....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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| Savannah: Christ Church Episcopal [TEC] seeks contempt against sister congregation | Source: Savannah Now
February 1, 2012
By Jan Skutch
Christ Church Episcopal may be back home in its Johnson Square building, but squabbling over church property continues.
The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia and Christ Church Episcopal on Monday asked
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Rev. Robertson
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Chatham County Superior Court Chief Judge Michael Karpf to hold the Rev. Marcus Robertson and Christ Church Savannah in contempt of court. They argue Robertson and Christ Church Savannah have failed to comply with a court order to return a $2 million endowment fund and other property after the two congregations agreed to the return of the historic Johnson Square property in December.
The civil action alleges Christ Church Savannah, the Anglican congregation, has refused to relinquish control of such items as the endowment fund held by the Savannah Bank, corporate, business and other records, the domain name and website www.christchurchsavannah.org....
Richmond Hill attorney James Gardner, who is chancellor for Christ Church Savannah (Anglican), said Tuesday the motion was being reviewed and a response would be forthcoming. "We are obviously disappointed that the plaintiffs felt it necessary to file this motion at this time," Gardner said. "We are still exploring a resolution to this case."
In a Jan. 5 letter to the Savannah Bank, Gardner told bank officers the case was "not over and further appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court are presently under consideration." In the letter, he said the endowment fund remains property of Christ Church Savannah and neither the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia nor Christ Church Episcopal has a right to it.
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Wisconsin: what happened at St. Edmund's parish
| Source: Press release via email
January 29, 2012
Contact: Dr. Samuel Scheibler
In December, 2008, the congregation of St. Edmund's Church, Elm Grove, voted unanimously to leave the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee and enter CANA. At the time, St. Edmund's was the only Episcopal parish in Wisconsin to depart. The people of St. Edmund's (now 'Anglican') Church were willing to just 'walk away,' but, three separate title searches by reputable title companies confirmed that the church property at 14625 West Watertown Plank Road belonged solely to the congregation, not the diocese, with no addenda, riders, or codicils; furthermore, in 1955, the Diocese of Milwaukee (Episcopal) filed a Warranty Deed in Waukesha County on the property guaranteeing the absolute ownership in the deed solely to the congregation. The Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee held no financial interest or investment in the property. These are matters of public record. Therefore, the congregation decided to stay in their buildings.
The Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee sued the Vestry and 11 named individuals, claiming that even though the Diocese is not named on the deeds and even though they filed a Warranty Deed on the property, by the nature of their church structure, they should be granted the property. They also filed individual suits against 11 named individuals for damages in the action (not just the congregation).
On 15 December, Judge J. Mac Davis began hearing 11 pre-trial motions in this case in Waukesha District Court. Without finishing the motion hearings, he issued a sweeping injunction granting the Diocese of Milwaukee immediate ownership of the property with several severe provisions going beyond those requested by the plaintiffs...
When asked directly by the Mediator during Court-ordered mediation what he intended
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Bishop Miller
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to do if he 'got' the property, the Bishop of Milwaukee, Steven Miller replied: 'I don't know, I haven't thought about it.'
He later said to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: 'We are grateful that the church will be returned to its original purpose and that is Episcopal worship.'
There is no 'rival' congregation or group waiting to move in. When asked by the mediating judge if they would sell it back to the congregation that wants it, Bishop Miller said: "I'll sell it to anyone but them."
(We have since learned that the Episcopal Bishop of Milwaukee held a luncheon on Wednesday, January 18, at Trinity Episcopal Church, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, to appeal for people to attend a 're-dedication' service at St. Edmund's Church on February 5. At the sparsely attended meeting, he announced that the Diocese is closing yet another parish in their continuing downward spiral of membership and attendance and he hopes that the closure of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church on North 90th Street in Milwaukee will encourage the remnant of that mission to travel the seven miles to the next county to support his efforts to put on a 'good show' for St. Edmund's).
St. Edmund's was told to vacate the property immediately. One problem is that St. Edmund's operate the only private preschool and daycare in the area that specializes in 'special needs' children (particularly Downs Syndrome and functional autistic children). All of this happened 10 ten days before Christmas.
The defendants were told that if they appealed the District Court decision, the Diocese of Milwaukee would vigorously pursue the personal lawsuits against the named defendants in amount of $1.5 million. The average age of our named defendants is 70 years; the oldest is 82; all but four (4) are retired and on fixed incomes. Two are disabled. Appeal is not really an option.
Therefore, St. Edmund's Anglican Church held a 'final service' on 29 January focusing on the future AND our connection to the trials and tribulations of our brothers and sisters in the Church of Nigeria that are dying for their faith.
Additional follow-up comment:
Despite the claim of Bishop Miller in a December 20 ENS article that "For three years, the members of St. Edmund's Episcopal Church have been denied the use of their rightful church home," there never was a "remnant" group waiting to come back into the building. The diocese has now announced in their email newsletter that "regular worship at the site will be discontinued for a period of time while plans are formulated for the ongoing use of the buildings as part of the mission of the Diocese of Milwaukee and the Episcopal Church."
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England: Archbishop of York tells David Cameron not to overrule the Bible and allow gay marriage
| Source: Daily Mail
January 28, 2012
By Katie Silver
Ministers should not overrule the Bible by allowing same-sex marriage, the Archbishop of
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Archbishop Sentamu
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York has said. David Cameron would be acting like a 'dictator' and overruling the Bible if he legalises gay marriage, Dr John Sentamu has warned. He told the prime minister that he will face a rebellion if he pushes ahead with plans to allow fully-fledged gay marriages.
Marriage is set in history and the government cannot change it overnight, the second most senior cleric in the Church of England added. The Archbishop believes marriage must remain a union between a man and a woman.
Dr Sentamu said: 'I don't think it is the role of the state to define what marriage is. It is set in tradition and history and you can't just (change it) overnight, no matter how powerful you are....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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