"As obedient children, do not fashion yourselves according to the former lusts of your ignorance, but as He who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy
in all manner of living..." 1 Peter 1:14-15 KJ21
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Message from Bishop David Anderson
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Bishop Anderson
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November 30, 2012
Dear friends interested in Anglican news,
Across the globe we see troubles coming from various quarters, sometimes from known enemies such as militant Islamists like Boko Haram in Nigeria, and sometimes from militant Anglican progressives who would rather lose than compromise, and if they win, they would drive out of the church those who disagree so they could be cocooned in their anchorless insecurity.
We note with sadness that additional Islamist bombings of Christians have taken place in Nigeria, this time in Kaduna State within the supposedly secure elite Armed Forces Command and Staff College military compound. The first bomb was a bus filled with explosives that rammed into the St. Andrew Military Protestant Church, killing and injuring many, and then after a few minutes' delay, when the Islamic terrorists calculated that people would have come to the aid of the injured and dying, a Toyota Camry also packed with explosives and parked just outside the church was exploded.
Islamic terrorists will kill Christians whenever they can, and if they aren't available they will kill other Muslims who believe slightly differently. What kind of a religion is this that drives people to hate with such intensity that their concept of religion and service to Allah is to kill innocent people? The fact that this happened inside a supposedly secure military base says that the Nigerian military has a problem with Boko Haram infiltration, and that is very serious. Whether the infiltration is on the officer level, the noncommissioned officer level, or the "grunt" soldier level, the fact that these explosions could take place means that a number of people were involved. It also helps explain why the Boko Haram has been so successful in gaining weapons and ammunition, and are able to plan their attacks in ways that avoid direct military interdiction.
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Kaduna State is on the historic border between the predominantly Muslim north and the Christian south. Part of the problem is that the northern Muslims' frustration with the status quo plus money from oil-wealthy Muslim countries has made violence a convenient way to wage guerrilla jihad. As climate change recently has dried out parts of the already more arid North, many traditionally Muslim tribes such as the Hausa and Fulani are looking literally at greener pastures, and Kaduna State is more and more a flash point. The power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the willingness of Jesus' followers to witness to him in the face of incredible danger and persecution and even to die for him has opened the door to Muslim conversions to Jesus Christ, even though under Sharia Law the penalty for conversion is death. Even in non-Sharia areas, other family members, feeling that disgrace and dishonor have been brought on the family, may kill the convert anyway.
Those of us with ties to Nigeria (I was consecrated an Anglican Bishop by the Anglican Church of Nigeria for duty in North America) are very concerned for fellow Anglicans and indeed all Christians in Nigeria, and are hopeful that the government and military can clean out the secret terrorist collaborators and put the Boko Haram out of business. Islam and Christianity need to be able to live in peace side by side, and that means the Muslim community would respect the rights of Christians to live, worship, and work as equals before the law. Hard to achieve, but by God's grace, may it happen.
In England, the single-minded push to have women bishops in the Church of England - and as importantly, to push them down the throats of all who disagree - has, for the moment, backfired. In a way, it is similar to the case in Nigeria; there is a group of zealots who not only want their way, but feel the need to ignore others' religious faith and push them aside in order to feel secure. It's not a very nice way to run a church, is it? Whether or not the Church of England should have women bishops is one thing, but the very "American Episcopal Church" manner of wanting to destroy and drive out those who disagree is heartbreaking. Why can't some realistic accommodation be worked out in advance, clearly and with no ambiguity that can later be misinterpreted, such that both groups can live within what Elizabeth the First wished to be a comprehensive church?
It is noteworthy that of all the English monarchs, the three seemingly most successful have been women, beginning with Elizabeth the First, and all three, as is customary, have been titled "Defenders of the Faith." The third, Elizabeth II, has just celebrated her 60th anniversary as monarch and currently enjoys great admiration and esteem, not only in the UK but all over the world and also from me personally. A frequent question I hear from Episcopal and Anglican lay folk on my side of the water is, "What does the Queen think?" It is apparently not constitutionally appropriate or possible for her to take sides on some issues, although she speaks her Christian faith very clearly in many of her addresses for Christian holy days.
A group of American Episcopalians who are still and steadfastly orthodox have released another well-worded and reasoned paper called "An Open Letter to the Bishops of The Episcopal Church." The Anglican Communion Institute details the problems that beset the Episcopal Church (TEC) in its governance, discipline and leadership, and places the blame for much of the sad state of affairs today at the foot of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. It is a document worth reading. Our concern is that no one with the ability to make changes in the Episcopal Church will read it, have the courage to act on it, or care enough to act on it. For the Reverend Doctors Radner, Turner and Seitz who wrote the open letter, we applaud your effort.
Jefferts Schori's reign of terror in costly litigation against dioceses, churches and individuals, waged with a seemingly unending supply of dollars intended for mission, shows no sign of letting up. As with the French Reign of Terror, who dares challenge the cart and guillotine? There are many moderate bishops who could raise their voices to protest the direction and the tenor that the Episcopal Church has adopted under Jefferts Schori. Will they hide behind their own crozier and seal and mind their words lest she name them for some untoward word or thought that can now be interpreted as "abandonment of communion" or "acting against the best interests of the church?" She has succeeded in forcing South Carolina bishop Mark Lawrence and his diocese out of TEC, much against their will. Now she can blame them even though they are the victims, and proceed to punish them with all of the vengeance that the Biblical Jezebel wished to visit on the faithful of Israel.
When she has the cart ready for Bishop Lawrence, which should be in January, she will surely continue her pursuit of the seated bishops of Dallas, Albany, and Springfield, and the retired bishops who joined them in saying or signing things inconvenient to her regime. Please read the Open Letter to the Bishops, but my concern is that at the end of the day it won't make any difference. Please, somebody stand up, do something powerful and prove me wrong.
With all of the stresses and strains of Anglican churches in many parts of the world, it is so refreshing to now be a part of the Anglican Church in North America, which is trying to preserve and keep what was faithful and honorable from our Episcopal Church heritage, but also to try and do it better, living more creatively with the differences and tensions that inevitably exist in any large family, and frankly enjoying church once again. May our Lord Jesus watch over and guard it in its new life. Amen.
That's enough for one week; may our Lord prosper you in your faithfulness to him.
Blessings and peace in Christ Jesus,
+David
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council
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Message from Canon Ashey: Anglican Perspective
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Canon Ashey
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Coaching the Coaches
The American Anglican Council is currently developing resources for leaders in the Anglican Communion. Along with our Sure Foundation program and the Clergy Leadership Training Institute, the AAC is working with Dr. Jim Osterhaus of TAG Consulting to help clergy coach other clergy in critical areas of need. Recently, the AAC filmed an extensive video that it will distribute, along with a workbook, to a geographically diverse group of priests in the Anglican Church in North America. The project goal is to have clergy around North America who are well-trained and capable of helping their peers through the many challenges they face in ministry. In this week's Anglican Perspective, Canon Phil Ashey speaks with Dr. Osterhaus about developing this curriculum for "coaching the coaches" in the Anglican Church.
View this week's Anglican Perspective here.
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Open Letter to the Bishops of The Episcopal Church
| Source: ACI
November 27th, 2012
Written by: The Anglican Communion Institute, Inc.
To the Bishops of the Episcopal Church:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This is a painful letter. It is painful because it concerns un-canonical (and perhaps even unlawful) actions on the part of our Presiding Bishop and her associates. These actions, detailed in the attached appendix and summarized in the bullet points below, have already undermined the good order and spiritual health of our church. We write to you our Bishops because of your responsibility for that good order. We write as Presbyters who have in one way or another faithfully served our church for over half a century. We pray that, despite the painful nature of the story we place before you, you will listen to what we have to say with a clear and open mind.
We urge you, therefore, to take careful note of the following points that are more fully spelled out in our appendix. We urge you further to take the necessary steps to restore the good order of our church....
We disagree with those among you who think the Presiding Bishop and her agents have done no wrong. As our Appendix demonstrates, the evidence is overwhelming that they have violated canons and engaged in discussions deceitfully. We disagree with those who accept the evidence, but think the matter inconsequential. If our leaders will not follow the canons and formal procedures of the church, not only in letter but in spirit, they forfeit any trust they may hold and undermine the mutual trust of the church as a whole. We disagree with those who think that such disregard of letter and spirit is merited by the misbehaviour of Bishop Lawrence. Canonical violation and deceit will never produce peace in the church or render a just outcome. Further, the diocese of South Carolina has, for a long time, struggled to maintain its unity as a conservative Christian body and to remain within The Episcopal Church. Bp. Lawrence was given a tightrope to walk from the moment of his election and did so successfully and honestly. He did not jump from this difficult position but was intentionally pushed by the Presiding Bishop and the Disciplinary Board in ways that were neither necessary nor responsible. We disagree with those who believe that, in any case, all this is of little importance for the future of The Episcopal Church. The departure from The Episcopal Church, under moral duress, by one of our strongest and few growing dioceses, taking with it a range of energies and vital witness, threatens to subvert the hopes and good will of thousands of faithful members of our church and discourage the willingness of younger leaders to come forward in our midst. Indeed, all this constitutes a crisis for The Episcopal Church of the gravest kind....
The rest of the article may be found here.
Available in printable format (PDF) here.
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US Supreme Court orders appeals court to hear Liberty University health care lawsuit
| Source: Politico
November 26, 2012
By Jennifer Haberkorn and Kathryn Smith
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals to examine the constitutionality of the health care reform law's employer requirements and mandatory coverage of contraceptives without a co-pay. The move could open the door for President Barack Obama's health law to be back in front of the Supreme Court late next year. But legal experts say there's no guarantee that the justices would actually take the case - or that they'd strike down those pieces of the law if they did.
The Supreme Court responded to a request from Liberty University, one of the groups that sued over the health care law's individual mandate in 2010. When the court ruled in June that the mandate was constitutional, it dismissed Liberty's entire lawsuit.
Over the summer, the school asked the Supreme Court to reopen its arguments against the employer mandate and the contraceptive coverage mandate, which it said were not addressed by the court's ruling this summer. The court on Monday agreed to the request and told the 4th Circuit to hear arguments on the two pieces. The 4th Circuit, which traditionally moves quickly, could hear oral arguments in the case next spring.
"This is a huge decision by the court. It breathes new life into our challenge once again," Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, which represents Liberty University, told POLITICO....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Church of England: Pressure piles on church to vote again on female bishops
| Source: The Guardian
November 23, 2012
By Aida Edemariam and Lizzy Davies
Maria Miller, the culture secretary and minister for equalities, has urged the Church of England to review its internal democracy, describing it as not reflective of the overwhelming views of its members following its botched attempt to allow women to become bishops.
In her first official comments on the issue, which has plunged the established church into turmoil, Miller told the Guardian it was "extraordinary" and "very disappointing" that a vote on long-awaited legislation had failed despite the overwhelming approval of grassroots members.
In a direct criticism of the way in which the General Synod came to its decision to block women bishops she says: "If you're going to tackle the problem, I think the church needs to be answering some of the questions as to why their system works the way it does, and are they really happy that it's reflective of the views of their membership. But, as I say, it's important that the church tackles this."
She adds: "I think it's extraordinary that the church seems to have ended up in a situation where a vote that was taken doesn't seem to be reflective of the overwhelming view of the members of the church."
Her intervention came as the next archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, signalled his willingness to meet MPs and peers to discuss the crisis.
Miller, echoing previous comments by David Cameron, said it was up to the church to tackle its internal problems, urging it to examine the "procedures and processes" which, she said, led to a result which did not "reflect the majority will".
Although female bishops were approved by the majority of dioceses, bishops and clergy, they were rejected by the laity on Tuesday when put to a vote in the synod, the church's governing body.
There has been criticism that the laity in the synod does not reflect the true state of church feeling. The deanery synods of a diocese choose lay representatives to the General Synod - the church governing body - by formal election using the single transferable vote. Critics say these elections are marked by apathy.
Miller said: "Obviously, it's for the Church of England to run its own procedures and processes, but I hope that they have heard, loud and clear, the strength of feeling on this, and that it acts quickly."
A spokesman for Welby, the bishop of Durham, who is to take over from Rowan Williams as the archbishop of Canterbury next year, said on Friday that the bishop would be replying "in support" of a meeting with MPs and Lords to discuss ways of moving forward with the issue. The suggestion, made by Sir Tony Baldry, the Tory MP who speaks on behalf of the church in the House of Commons, came after David Cameron urged the church to "get with the programme", while insisting parliament had to "respect individual institutions... while giving them a sharp prod".
For some MPs, however, that is not enough. They have called on parliament to force the church to act by removing its exemption from equalities legislation or by calling into question the future of the 26 bishops who sit in the House of Lords....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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England: Evangelicals/Catholics lay out conditions for women bishops
| Source: Anglican Ink
November 28, 2012
By George Conger
Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals will not block new attempts by the General Synod of the Church of England to introduced legislation permitting the consecration of women clergy to the episcopate, provided adequate safeguards are introduced to protect liberty of conscience, freedom of worship and association for the members of the Church of England opposed to the innovation.
On 28 Nov 2012 the chairman of the Catholic Group in General Synod the Rev. Canon Simon Killwick and the chairman of the conservative Evangelical group Reform the Rev. Preb. Rod Thomas released a statement pledging their cooperation with the proposals set forth by Archbishops' Council to reintroduce legislation on women bishops for consideration at the July meeting of General Synod.
At the close of their 27-28 meeting, the Archbishops' Council released a statement saying that some of their members were saddened and shocked by the outcome of the women's bishop vote. Therefore, "the Council decided that a process to admit women to the episcopate needed to be restarted at the next meeting of the General Synod in July 2013."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Nigeria: 11 Dead in Suicide Bombs at Army Church
| Source: The Church Report (AP story)
November 26, 2012
KADUNA, Nigeria - At least 11 people were killed and about 30 injured when twin car bombs hit a Protestant church in a major military establishment in north central Nigeria, officials said Sunday, a month after a deadly church bombing in the same state.
A bus laden with explosives first rammed into St. Andrew Military Protestant Church in the military barracks in Jaji in Kaduna state at about 12 noon, said the director of army public relations Brig. Gen. Bola Koleoso. Then a Toyota Camry car parked just outside the church exploded 10 minutes later, as people fled the first blast, he said.
Jaji is a symbolic target as it is home to the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, one of the country's most important military colleges, training Nigerian and foreign navy, air force and army officers.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sunday's attack, but a radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has previously targeted Nigerian military institutions in the past.
The attack comes two days after a special military taskforce announced that it would be giving a total of $1.8 million in rewards for information that could lead to the arrest of top Boko Haram members....
The rest of the article may be found here.
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Yousef Nadarkhani thanks Christians for their prayers
| | Source: Anglican Ink
November 26, 2012
By George Conger
Yousef Nadarkhani, the Iranian pastor jailed sentenced to death for apostasy from Islam but released after an international protest campaign was in London this month to thank Christian Solidarity Worldwide for its advocacy on his behalf.
On 10 Nov 2012 Pastor Nadarkhani spoke to the For Such a Time as This conference through an interpreter thanking Christians in the West for their prayers and petitions on his behalf. The following Sunday he preached at Holy Trinity Brompton in London, speaking to the plight of Christians in Iran.
He told the CSW conference his visit was an "opportunity for me to share about what the Lord did for me and to thank you because you supported me by your prayers, you supported my family in a very difficult time," he said.
"My prayer is I ask the Lord to bless you for what you did for me as a small member of the body of Christ. Today my presence here is the will of God and the result of what your prayers did for me."...
The rest of the article may be found here.
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