Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh is convening a meeting next week called “Common Cause Partners” to unite Episcopal conservatives. But even conservatives doubt its viability.
On Monday, conservative Bishop Jeffrey N. Steenson of the Diocese of the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, N.M., plans to announce that he’s resigning and joining the Catholic Church.
“The movement is in danger of fragmenting into so many pieces,” said Canon Kendall Harmon, a leading conservative thinker from the Diocese of South Carolina. “We look like American Protestantism already and we’ve only been essentially at this, depending on whose measuring stick you want to use, three to five years.”
If Anglicanism continues on the path of slow but steady splintering, it will effectively do as much harm as a formal schism. Anglicans in Africa, who derive much of their stature from their global ties, will become just another church. The 2.2 million-member Episcopal Church, which has played such a central role in U.S. history, will also be marginalized.
“If that happens, people will say, `This wasn’t much of a church anyway,'” said Ephraim Radner, an evangelical Anglican and a theology professor at Wycliffe College in Toronto. “The results will be the disappearance and dissolution of Anglicans as a whole in North America.”
God will provide a way forward. We must trust in Him. And, as the disciples said, “Lord, where else can we go?” God does “cast down imaginations” and all high things that would exalt themselves over him but always does provide a way out. We must be open to that whatever our situation.
Maybe it wasn’t much a church anyway – in the past few years, it has distinguished itself as trendy club with impeccable ceremonial.
Again:
There is a core vision in this Church that is so very right. It is not to be found elsewhere. It is worth fighting for in the spirit of the Apsotle Paul’s words:
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.†(Gal. 5:1.)
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fullfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another.†(Gal. 5: 13-15.)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.†(2 Cor: 17.)
“For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we preach among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No; but in him it is always Yes. For all the promise of God find there Yes in him.†( 2 Cor. 19-20.)
I do not mean this in any polemic at all—but dear Rome is clear enough on the flesh, but the freedom is remote and I cling to my Anglican home. At our core, yes, the “pretext for the flesh†must finally be addressed in this Chruch. But if we do not fight for this core of “freedom†and “Yes†the Catholic Church will suffer a great lost—our lived faith of holding fast to the Yes and freedom of God in Christ.
“If Anglicanism continues on the path of slow but steady splintering, it will effectively do as much harm as a formal schism. Anglicans in Africa, who derive much of their stature from their global ties, will become just another church. The 2.2 million-member Episcopal Church, which has played such a central role in U.S. history, will also be marginalized.”
Like many of the articles appearing in the press, this article by Ms Zoll subsititutes the author’s opinion for fact. At least she painted both sides with the same dismal brush. Any loss of stature the Africans feel is more likely from being associated with the heretical churches of the West.
Paul to Corinth and ECUSA/TEC, responsible freedom is not the licensing of sin and blessing it. Act appropriately in the mind of Christ. Do not succumb to the culture around you, be transformed.
Consequences are inherent in choices. So live as to glorify God who has redeemed you in Christ Jesus and make no provision for the flesh which so easily is done. Do the discipline that it takes to be Christian and do not shrink from it. Freedom does not equal licentiousness but doing the will of God as He has made it known.
Where else can a “three streams” Christian go? One can only follow Christ’s leading as best as one can discern it. So far I have received no permission from the Lord to leave TEC. I love my bishop, diocese, and the Anglican Communion, but I am so alienated from TEC.
On another thread Bishop Epting reported:
[blockquote] A 40-something big guy, with a red face and tears in his eyes said, “I disagree with you. What happens does affect our local congregation! I invite people but nobody in this part of the world wants to come to a church where, when you open the paper, is all about gay bishops and being thrown out of the world wide communion!â€[/blockquote]
I feel like I’ve been doing evangelism with both hands tied behind my back because of the behavior of the ruling oligarchy of TEC for years.
3. Albany* is right on.
“Catholic Archbishop Alfred Hughes of New Orleans didn’t attend. A spokeswoman for Hughes said he had a scheduling conflict and that Baton Rouge Catholic Bishop Robert Muench was participating in his place.”
Now that’s what I’m talking about. No polity, no discussion, the boss says go..you go.
Dr. Harmon’s and Dr. Radner’s words in this article are very, very wise. Anglicans of many stripes are being tempted to abandon the Church in favor of what Alexander Schmemann referred to as “churchliness.”
Not this Anglican!
Hursley
Non clamor sed amor psallit in aure Dei
I think we are beginning to look like the early Christians in Jeruslalem (Acts 8:1). God is using the persecution to push us out into the mission field. And Jesus may be saying something like he did in Luke 14:33 (cf. 14:26-27): “So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” It’s time for many of us to dust off our feet, and allow the Lord to continue to reconstitute the church. Many will have to mourn the loss of so much, but decide if they will carry the cross of Christ as his disciple. This is what I think he is using the Africans and others to do, and it will continue. Pray for the Saul’s in our church’s, so that like the early church, we too can one day proclaim, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.â€
This weekend I spent way too much time following this discussion. The best that I can take from it is an old country saying: “When all is said and done, far more will have been said than done.â€
God Bless His Grace Mouneer Anis for pointing us to the true path! Though I know that the politically oriented “New thing†TEC Bishops are Hell Bent on dragging the TEC to oblivion, ++Mouneer gave me hope.
These “new thing†TEC Bishops are chasing the end of a rainbow. If I felt there was the least chance of them coming back to the Lord, I would be happy to watch and wait. But I know they won’t!
A beautiful Chorus From Handel’s Messiah:
“All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
(From Isaiah 53 : 6)
Trust in the Lord!!!
Much has been made of the psalm (80) from today’s Daily Office. But it is the Collect of the Day that is speaking to me:
Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Am I understanding correctly that these bishops have left before the HoB meeting is over? Wouldn’t they want to help bolster the conservative side in New Orleans? This plays right into the argument that they aren’t in favor of unity, but more in favor of separating. And, that in fact, they’re not sincere when they say that they want the Episcopal Church to repent and turn around. It seems they are actually falling into the stereotypes that they were accused of being two years ago.
[blockquote]This plays right into the argument that they aren’t in favor of unity, but more in favor of separating.[/blockquote]
It appears that these bishops are so committed to separation that they are not able to abide by the vows they took at their consecrations. (In part: Will you share with your fellow bishops in the government of the whole Church; will you sustain your fellow presbyters and take counsel with them; will you guide and strengthen the deacons and all others who minister in the Church?).
Instead of undertaking the hard work of advocacy and leadership for their positions in the church that elevated them to their ordained positions, these bishops left when the photo ops were over and it came time to do the hard work. Worse, these bishops did not leave in order to minister to their dioceses. Instead, they withdrew in order to get to a place where only their own voices were heard.
My guess is that virtually all of the bishops have some disagreements with each other and with the national church, and that all have changes they would like to see made. But only a few left.
Thanks Rick D – well put.