From ACC News:

June 22, 2007 — Results of the third ballot for the election of the Primate:

Bishop Fred Hiltz: Clergy:53 Lay:73

Bishop Victoria Matthews: Clergy:64 Lay:62

Watch it all.

From the Winnipeg Sun:

But the delegates meeting in Winnipeg this weekend would do well to close their ears to those outside voices of dissent. Archbishop Andrew Hutchison, the primate of the ACC, said as much in his opening address earlier this week, when he urged delegates to obey their consciences on the divisive issue.

“The first principle of moral theology is obedience to conscience, and I ask each one of you to embrace that principle, and with it the ethic of respect for the conscience of those who disagree with your own,” Hutchison said.

If the delegates, listening to their consciences, vote to sanction same-sex unions tomorrow, they might not encounter that same “ethic of respect” among their fellow Anglicans in Uganda, Nigeria or other parts of the globe. But they must not let that deter them.

Canadian Anglicans have been at the forefront of social change within the worldwide church, taking the lead in ordaining women priests and bishops over the past 30 years. If they vote to create a group of second-class citizens within their church, they’ll be turning their back on that tradition.

Perhaps the choice isn’t that tough, after all.

Read it all.

From Saanich News:

“At the general synod they will decide whether there is to be no progress or whether we’re to go ahead and have that discussion,” said Rev. Ken Gray of Church of the Advent in Colwood. “Some of us feel that failure to proceed with the blessing of same-sex unions at this time will perpetuate a historical injustice.”

The Anglican church’s crisis of conscience over same-sex marriage began in earnest in 2002, when the Diocese of New Westminster started performing same-sex marriage ceremonies. One of the clergy who pushed for that decision was the Very Rev. Peter Elliott, the openly gay Dean of Vancouver’s Christ Church Cathedral and senior member of the Anglican Church in Canada. More controversy followed in 2003 when gay priest Gene Robinson was ordained Bishop of New Hampshire.

The two actions, in defiance of church policy, sparked controversy among Anglicans world-wide, with North Americans and Europeans split on the issue and African and Southeast Asian nations deeply opposed to gay marriage as contrary to Biblical teaching.

Rev. Ron Corcoran of St. Matthias Church in Oak Bay said leaving the church may be his only option should the Anglican leaders order all priests to bless same-sex unions.

“Nobody can force me to marry anybody,” he said. “It comes down to being obedient to my bishops. When I can’t be obedient to my bishops, then it will be time to leave.”

However for Rev. David Opheim, assistant priest of Victoria’s Christ Church Cathedral, the church’s existing position lost relevance long ago.

“There’s no question what we’re doing is a violation of human rights,” Opheim said, expressing concern that the church will make it optional to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

“We’re still dealing with not going far enough. There is still the option of the diocese opting out.”

Read it all.

Beneath the drollery, however, was widespread puzzlement as to why the Vatican would be devoting time and resources to such a mundane topic. Doesn’t the Holy See have more serious worries, such as war and famine, and of course the salvation of souls? One explanation is that the document was generated by the Vatican agency headed by Cardinal Renato Martino, a longtime curialist whose flair for the juicy soundbite has periodically irritated his higher-ups.
Yet if this week’s document was not exactly Benedict’s doing, it does reflect a concern the pope has expressed several times. And, as the extensive footnotes in the document show, every pontiff from Pius XII to Pope John Paul II has voiced reservations about the world’s burgeoning car culture. Indeed, it is not much of a leap to see the Vatican’s “Highway Code” as an important amplification of the church’s ethic of life.

According to Steve Koepke, director of the Mississippi-based Sacred Heart Auto League–yes, such a thing exists–vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among Americans from 3 to 33 years old. “I think this document fits quite well within the church’s teachings on the respect for life.” Vatican officials also noted that across the globe vehicular accidents result in 1.2 million deaths and 50 million injuries each year.

Moreover, as Mr. Koepke rightly notes, there is no small virtue in the church addressing itself to matters of everyday life, in the trenches where the battle between faith and fear plays out. “Driving and its dangers and frustrations are something that everyone can relate to,” Mr. Koepke said. In fact, people everywhere, but especially in the U.S., are driving more than ever before, and usually under pressure to arrive ahead of the growing number of other drivers whose very presence makes the longer commute even longer and the likelihood of crashes ever higher. As the Vatican document notes, driving can bring out the “primitive” side of modern man, encouraging a “domination instinct” and reducing interpersonal communication to an exchange of obscene gestures.

Read the whole piece.

From here:

The Province of Uganda has chosen wisely in selecting Fr. John Guernsey as the Bishop for their congregations in North America. Fr. Guernsey is a deeply prayerful and spiritual man who has provided solid leadership as a regional dean for the Anglican Communion Network. His commitment to Jesus Christ and his missionary vision for Anglicanism have been a real inspiration during the past several years of unprecedented conflict in our Church.

I congratulate Fr. Guernsey on his election and pledge to him my full support and cooperation as he undertakes this challenging new ministry as a Bishop in the Church of God.

The Rt. Rev. Jack Leo Iker
Bishop of Fort Worth

(Church of Uganda News)

The Most Rev’d Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda, with the consent of the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda, given in December 2006 and reaffirmed today, will consecrate the Rev. John A.M. Guernsey, an American priest canonically resident in North Kigezi Diocese, Church of Uganda, as a Bishop in the Church of Uganda. He will be consecrated in Mbarara on 2nd September 2007, together with Rev. George Tibesigwa, Bishop-elect of Ankole Diocese.

Bishop-elect Guernsey will provide local episcopal oversight to the 26 congregations in the United States that are part of the Church of Uganda, on behalf of the ten Ugandan Bishops currently providing episcopal care to Biblically orthodox American congregations. He will also continue to serve as Rector of All Saints Church, Dale City, Virginia.

Archbishop Orombi said, “Rev. Guernsey has a long history with the Church of Uganda, including many short visits to Uganda for teaching and preaching missions. He is highly respected by clergy and Bishops in the Church of Uganda, and has also been a pastoral and strategic leader in the Anglican Communion Network as Dean of the Mid-Atlantic Convocation. He is the ideal candidate to pioneer this new ministry.”

Archbishop Orombi’s fellow Primates, who are also providing episcopal oversight to Biblically orthodox congregations in the United States, are supportive of the move. Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi of the Anglican Church of Kenya also recently announced the consecration of the Rev. Canon Dr. Bill Atwood, an American priest, as a Bishop in the Church of Kenya, a decision applauded by Archbishop Orombi.

Archbishop Nzimbi said, “It is a new day for the pastoral and episcopal care of the orthodox congregations in America. We look forward to working with our Ugandan neighbours in mutual collaboration in providing apostolic and missional support to our orthodox brothers and sisters in America.”

The election and consecration of Rev. Guernsey as a Bishop in the Church of Uganda has the support of the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Moderator of the Anglican Communion Network and Convener of Common Cause.

“John Guernsey’s consecration is an answer to our prayers,” said Duncan, “that we would be able to provide a domestic bishop for the Ugandan churches that are part of the Network’s International Conference.”

Duncan added, “In my capacity as the Convener of Common Cause, we will enthusiastically welcome him to the Council of Bishops meeting in September.”

For many of the millions of Americans who depend on their pastors, ministers and spiritual leaders, a full-time minister is becoming an out-of-reach luxury. To keep small churches open ”” and to provide individual care at big churches ”” religious groups are increasingly relying on part-time, or bivocational pastors.

Worship is just one of the many expectations being placed on these part-timers. There are church council meetings, Bible studies, suppers and other gatherings, and ”” most important ”” being there for believers.

“A bivocational minister can be a lot of things, but he can’t be lazy,” says Ray Gilder, national coordinator of the Southern Baptist Bivocational Ministers Association.

When such a hectic schedule is added to the demands of work and family, the results can tax even the hardiest person.

“Sometimes it means I don’t sleep,” the Rev. Alton Dillard says with a laugh, “but I make myself available.”

Read it all.

Howard Smith, the diocese’s chief financial officer and canon for administration, finance and communication, said individual parishes are formed, overseen and dissolved by an Episcopal convention.

“Episcopal churches can’t wake up one day and decide that they’re going to be Methodist,” Smith said. “All of these churches were built when they were part of the Diocese of Los Angeles, so there were contributions from the Episcopal Diocese to build these Episcopal churches.”

Officials at the Fallbrook and Oceanside breakaway parishes and the attorney for the parishes said, however, that the deeds to the property are in the names of the local congregations and the property belongs to them.

“Our view is that that is our church,” said Rick Crossley, the lay administrator of missions and ministry at St. John’s parish. “We’re the ones that paid for it and maintained it. It’s in our name and always has been, and in our view, they (the diocese) have no claim to the property.”

Read it all.

Preserving unity in a church divided over issues such as same-sex unions will be a major challenge for the next leader of the Canadian Anglican Church, says a local bishop nominated for the top job.

Rev. Bruce Howe, bishop of the Anglican diocese of Huron, will find out today in Winnipeg if he’s been elected primate of the church — a job that would thrust him into leadership of the nation’s 800,000 Anglicans.

More than 300 delegates who have travelled to Winnipeg for the church’s general synod — where they’ll debate the contentious issue of whether to bless same-sex unions — will elect the new primate today.

“If God wants me to take on that piece of work . . . I will be more than happy to do what I can,” said Howe, who’s up against three other nominees.

Read it all.

Anderson summarized the work of both the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion and the special legislative committee that was appointed to deal with the commission’s proposed resolutions in response to the Windsor Report for the 75th General Convention, which met in June 2006.

She also explained the five resolutions passed by the Convention. The resolutions Anderson discussed were A160 Expression of Regret, A165 Commitment to the Windsor and Listening Processes, A166 Anglican Covenant Development Process, A167 “Full and Equal Claim” for all the Baptized, and B033 On Election of Bishops.

Anderson reminded the groups that the Episcopal Church has not authorized a public rite for blessing same-gender relationships. Such blessings were one of the concerns of the Windsor Report.

Read it all.

Most of the world’s Anglicans are theological conservatives who believe [noncelibate] gay relationships violate Scripture. More liberal Anglicans emphasize social justice teachings in the Bible, leading them to support full acceptance of same-sex couples.

“We recognize we’re at a crossroads for the church,” said Rev. Canon Charlie Masters, head of the conservative Canadian group Anglican Essentials. “But the way to help this is to align ourselves with what the bible says, not what society says.”

Chris Ambidge, who leads the Toronto chapter of Integrity Canada, an Anglican gay advocacy group, argued that gays have been allowed to marry in Canada for four years “and the sun has come up bang on time every morning since then.”

“Canadians as a whole are prepared to live with it. Why can’t the Anglican church?” Ambidge said. “We need to progress if we’re going to remain relevant.”

Read the whole article.

Now on to A183 (full text follows below under “read more”–KSH). Report of the Windsor Report Response Group. Talking about the report. Talking about process now”¦.unity is the key”¦how do we deal with questions that are disuniting? Windsor report is about unity and communion in Christ”¦purpose furtherance of Gods mission to the world”¦..response came from committee 2005 to coordinate reponse”¦long process of consultation”¦..this report through CoGS Mar 2007. Three major sections of report”¦.ecclesiaology, listening, diversity”¦identify further work and consultation”¦what does reception mean, how to we understand authority of scriture, what is the meaning of is (sorry, editorial addition). Need to look at pp33-34 conclusion”¦need to look at this (forever?)”¦.part of a process and pilgramage….

Meaning of passed A183 – ACC passes a watered down acceptance of the WR – i.e. we will accept what we want to accept, in the way we want to accept it.

Read it all.

Resolution Number: A183

Subject: Report of the Windsor Report Response Group
Moved by: The Rt. Rev. Colin Johnson, Diocese of Toronto

Seconded By: The Ven. Peter Fenty, Diocese of Toronto

Note: The mover and the seconder must be members of the General Synod and be present in the House when the resolution is before the synod for debate.

BE IT RESOLVED:

That this General Synod endorse the report of the Windsor Report Response Group, as adopted by the Council of General Synod (March 2007), and that the following be forwarded, along with the report, to the Anglican Communion Office and the Provinces of the Anglican Communion.

The Anglican Church of Canada:

1. reaffirms its commitment to full membership and participation in the life, witness and structures of the Anglican Communion;
2. reaffirms its commitment to the Lambeth Quadrilateral, as received by our church in 1893;
3. expresses its desire and readiness to continue our participation in the ongoing life of the Communion through partnerships and visits, theological and biblical study, in order to foster Communion relationships, including the listening process and the development and possible adoption of an Anglican covenant;
4. reaffirms its mutual responsibility and interdependence with our Anglican sisters and brothers in furthering the mission of the church;
5. notes that, in response to the Windsor Report, the Diocese of New Westminster expressed regret, and the House of Bishops effected a moratorium on the blessing of same-sex unions;
6. calls upon those archbishops and other bishops who believe that it is their conscientious duty to intervene in Provinces, dioceses and parishes other than their own to implement paragraph 155 of the Windsor Report and to seek an accommodation with the bishops of the dioceses whose parishes they have taken into their own care; and
7. commits itself to participation in the Listening Process and to share with member churches of the Communion the study of human sexuality which continues to take place, in the light of Scripture, tradition and reason.

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Anglicans and Lutherans took a pause on June 21 from their respective annual conventions to flow together for a day of worship that celebrated their six-year-old Full Communion relationship and was centered on the theme and imagery of water.

Since the date was National Aboriginal Day, indigenous peoples’ relationship with the land was acknowledged throughout and leaders of major Canadian denominations re-committed their churches to a covenant of support for natives.

“It is a day to be gentle with one another, to share in the bread broken and the wine poured,” said Rev. Richard Leggett, a member of the joint Anglican-Lutheran commission implementing the Full Communion agreement.

Read it all.

The Steve Jobs story is one of the classic narratives””maybe the classic narrative””of American business life. Its structure has been rigorous, traditional, and symmetrical: three acts of ten years each. Act One (1975”“1985) is “The Rise,” in which Jobs goes into business with his pal, Steve Wozniak; starts Apple in his parents’ Silicon Valley garage; essentially invents the personal-computer industry with the Apple II; takes Apple public, making himself a multimillionaire at age 25; and changes the face of technology with the Macintosh. Act Two (1985”“1996) is “The Fall”: the expulsion from Apple, the wilderness years battling depression and struggling to keep afloat two floundering new businesses, NeXT and Pixar. Act Three (1997”“2007) is “The Resurrection”: the return to Apple and its restoration, the efflorescence of Pixar and its sale to Disney, the megabillionairehood, the sanctification as god of design and seer of the digital-media future.

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With seven days of meetings running from 6.30 A.M. to 9.00 P.M., the patience and stamina of delegates seemed likely to be tested to the maximum. With a strictly controlled agenda and the rather directive stance taken by the Council of General Synod in presenting its own motions on some of the most contentious issues, it was also questionable how much time and opportunity delegates would ultimately have to work through the implications of very significant decisions.

—John Oakes at Canada’s General Synod

Watch it all. It includes comments from Bishop Tony Burton of Sasketchewan, Archbishop John Sentamu, and Archbishop Andrew Hutchison.

One persepective on some of what is occurring at Canada’s General Synod. I especially liked the pictures.

From the Integrator:

In late May, the first invitations to the 2008 Lambeth Conference were issued. Gene Robinson, the openly gay and partnered bishop of New Hampshire, was pointedly not invited. That snub is shameful. The Archbishop of Canterbury, who is the person making the invitations, is clearly willing to sacrifice gay and lesbian people to appease the most strident conservative voices. The Lambeth Conference will certainly be talking about gay people in the church, and yet the Archbishop is deliberately excluding the openly gay voice. Once again, leaders in the church talking about gays and lesbians, not with us.

From the other direction, the bishops of Nigeria and Uganda have said that they will not attend if some are not invited too, or if other unacceptable-to-them bishops are at Lambeth.

If there is a silver lining to be found in the cloud, it is that the invitations come before the June meeting of the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada at which resolutions about homosexuality will be discussed.

“This certainly takes some of the pressure off the Canadian Church,” said Steve Schuh, president of Integrity Vancouver. “We’ve been threatened for years with the possibility that Canadian bishops might not receive invitations to Lambeth if the Canadian Church failed to uphold the traditional discrimination against gay and lesbian people. The invitation announcement suggests that supporting same-sex unions – as has been done in Vancouver and many dioceses in the USA – is no bar to making the Lambeth Conference guest list.”

General Synod delegates will still need to stand up against other bullying tactics and calls for delay if they want to allow parishes to bless covenanted same-sex unions, but now they can discuss same-sex unions and vote their conscience without the threat of exclusion from Lambeth hanging over their heads.

The Winnipeg Synod will have significant impact – no matter what it decides – on the lives of LGBT Anglicans in their church. Please keep the synod, and the Integrity representatives there, in your prayers.

Read it all.

Bill Cosby tells us that there is a difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Mothers, he says are much better organized. They give their children a list of the things they would like. They then ask their children to go and ask their father for the money needed. With money in hand “go buy me something nice from this list and come home and surprise me.”

Fathers on the other hand do not have it so good. Cosby says that before Father’s Day he gives each of his kids $20.00. They then pool the money and spend $10.00 on two, three pair packages of underwear. They each wrap a pair separately and give the sixth pair to the Salvation Army. After Father’s Day, Cosby’s kids have done their duty and are then walking around with $90.00 of his money in their pocket. I think Bill Cosby was short changed by his kids.

I want to show you in this essay how we have shortchanged the Father by the way we have reduced the Gospel and its message. He has given us his resources and we have often used them for our self-serving ends.

I will do three things in this essay:

i) Give a Historical Context that will show us how we have over the past 110 we have been short-changing the Father;

ii) Illustrate how the teaching of Bishop Michael Ingham exemplifies this;

iii) Show how we within Essentials are called to recognize this and return to the Father what is rightfully his due.

Read it all.

“No scenario could emerge” from this week’s Anglican General Synod that would lead to the Archbishop of Canterbury expelling the Canadian church from the 76-million-member global Anglican denomination, says Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion.

The right-hand man to Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said in a face-to-face Thursday interview:

“There’s no question the Anglican Church of Canada is a valued member of the Anglican communion. There’s never been a scenario considered that would lead to the exclusion of the Anglican Church of Canada.”

Read it all.

From ACC News:

For his part, Canon Kenneth Kearon, secretary general of the Anglican Communion urged Canadian Anglicans to “take time to stand back from the Anglican Communion,” where the focus has been on schism over the issue of human sexuality, and look instead at its value.

“We do need to take time, stand back and celebrate our membership of that part of the body of Christ which we call the Anglican Communion; to rejoice in the wonderful family of which we are all part and to celebrate the wonderful ministry that is being done in many parts of the world,” said Canon Kearon.

Archbishop Sentamu urged delegates to re-examine “if we aren’t being challenged in our application of canon (church) law and gracious magnanimity in relation to the question of human sexuality.”

God, said Archbishop Sentamu, is “the supreme example of the one who is graciously magnanimous and who deals with others with gracious magnanimity.” He offered the example of the adulterous woman who was brought before Jesus. “He could have applied the letter of the law according to which she should have been stoned to death; but he went beyond justice,” he said. “As far as justice goes, there isn’t one of us who deserves anything other than the condemnation of God, but God goes far beyond justice.”

For a church to be “graciously magnanimous,” he added, it must have “a responsibility to both affirm moral standards and to ensure that its rules don’t seem rigorous to the point of inhumanity.”

Read it all.