Anglicans will declare a split from the U.S. Episcopal Church

From here.

George Conger
SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
Sunday, June 29, 2008

JERUSALEM | Conservative Anglicans will declare a split from the U.S. Episcopal Church on Sunday, but will stop short of schism with the archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

”There will be permanent division, one way or the other,” said Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney, Australia, one of the organizers of the weeklong Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), adding that he expected “long-term consequences” for the Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Jensen pinned the blame for the schism on the Episcopal Church, calling its 2003 consecration of a practicing homosexual as bishop of New Hampshire “an extraordinary strategic blunder” that has divided the church.

In a statement to be released here Sunday morning, the GAFCON churches, mostly from Africa and elsewhere in the developing world, are expected to form a “church within a church,” breaking with the liberal churches of North America that also have permitted the blessing of same-sex unions.

Relations with the office of the archbishop of Canterbury will not be severed, but it appears likely that they will be qualified in some form.

The new “church within a church” will force the 80-million member Anglican Communion either to become a weak federation of independent churches or, in the unlikely event that Canterbury either kicked out the GAFCON churches or the North American churches, will produce one of the most far-reaching Christian schisms since the Protestant Reformation.

If the Episcopal Church “did not believe that there would be consequences” for consecrating an openly practicing homosexual as a bishop, “that was an arrogant thing,” Archbishop Jensen said, adding that the “consequences have been unfolding over the last five years. Now their church is divided.”

“All around the world, the sleeping giant that is evangelical Anglicanism and orthodox Anglicanism has been aroused” and will break with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada, he said.

The GAFCON meeting includes more than 1,200 Anglican bishops, clergy and lay leaders at the Renaissance Hotel in Jerusalem from churches that make up the majority of the communion's members.

The meeting also will announce new structures for parishes in the U.S. and Canada that no longer wish to be in communion with their national churches - an act made possible in church law and custom by the declaration that unity with the North American churches no longer exists. In addition, more than 600 Church of England clergy will reportedly swear allegiance to the new GAFCON body at a meeting next week in London.

GAFCON comes a month before the Anglican Communion summit in Lambeth, England. The Anglican churches of Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya are present here, but will boycott the once-per-decade Lambeth Conference.

It will also put forward a declaration of common doctrinal principles and lay out plans for a new Book of Common Prayer based on the historic Church of England 1662 prayer book. Nigerian Bishop John Akao said the GAFCON churches also will pursue a common way of reading and interpreting the Bible and work on a definitive catechism.

Bishop Gregory Venables of Argentina said that previous meetings with the North American archbishops and bishops had proved fruitless in resolving the disputes, which center on Biblical authority and interpretation and which played out most obviously in disputes over sex and sexuality.

“We got frustrated. We talked and talked, but where did we go?” Bishop Venables said, saying the liberal churches were quite willing to meet and discuss issues, but then continued to act as they wished. “If only they would have come and talked to us and listen to us,” a schism could have been avoided.

The Sydney archbishop, leader of the largest group of Anglicans in Australia, said he had been unsure at the start of the conference whether it would succeed.

GAFCON resembled a “ramshackle airplane, and I was never sure it was going to land,” he said, but it turned out to be one of the most “extraordinary spiritual experiences I have ever had.”

GAFCON Final Statement: "The time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause ..."

We believe this is a critical moment when the Primates’ Council will need to put in place structures to lead and support the church. In particular, we believe the time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause Partnership to be recognised by the Primates’ Council.


STATEMENT ON THE GLOBAL ANGLICAN FUTURE

Praise the LORD! It is good to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. (Psalm 147:1-2)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ: We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, send you greetings from Jerusalem!

Introduction

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which was held in Jerusalem from 22-29 June 2008, is a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans have received it. The movement is global: it has mobilised Anglicans from around the world. We are
Anglican: 1148 lay and clergy participants, including 291 bishops representing millions of faithful Anglican Christians. We cherish our Anglican heritage and the Anglican Communion and have no intention of departing from it. And we believe that, in God’s providence, Anglicanism has a bright future in obedience to our Lord’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations and to build up the church on the foundation of biblical truth (Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 2:20).

GAFCON is not just a moment in time, but a movement in the Spirit, and we hereby:

• launch the GAFCON movement as a fellowship of confessing Anglicans
• publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of the fellowship
• Encourage the GAFCON Primates’ Council.

The Global Anglican Context

The future of the Anglican Communion is but a piece of the wider scenario of opportunities and challenges for the gospel in 21st century global culture. We rejoice in the way God has opened doors for gospel mission among many peoples, but we grieve for the spiritual decline in the most economically developed nations, where the forces of militant secularism and pluralism are eating away the fabric of society and churches are compromised and enfeebled in their witness. The vacuum left by them is readily filled by other faiths and deceptive cults. To meet these challenges will require Christians to work together to understand and oppose these forces and to liberate those under their sway. It will entail the planting of new churches among unreached peoples and also committed action to restore authentic Christianity to compromised churches.

The Anglican Communion, present in six continents, is well positioned to address this challenge, but currently it is divided and distracted. The Global Anglican Future Conference emerged in response to a crisis within the Anglican Communion, a crisis involving three undeniable facts concerning world Anglicanism.

The first fact is the acceptance and promotion within the provinces of the Anglican Communion of a different ‘gospel’ (cf. Galatians 1:6-8) which is contrary to the apostolic gospel. This false gospel undermines the authority of God’s Word written and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the author of salvation from sin, death and judgement. Many of its proponents claim that all religions offer equal access to God and that Jesus is only a way, not the way, the truth and the life. It promotes a variety of sexual preferences and immoral behaviour as a universal human right. It claims God’s blessing for same-sex unions over against the biblical teaching on holy
matrimony. In 2003 this false gospel led to the consecration of a bishop living in a homosexual relationship.

The second fact is the declaration by provincial bodies in the Global South that they are out of communion with bishops and churches that promote this false gospel. These declarations have resulted in a realignment whereby faithful Anglican Christians have left existing territorial parishes, dioceses and provinces in certain Western churches and become members of other dioceses and provinces, all within the Anglican Communion. These actions have also led to the appointment of new Anglican bishops set over geographic areas already occupied by other Anglican bishops. A major realignment has occurred and will continue to unfold.

The third fact is the manifest failure of the Communion Instruments to exercise discipline in the face of overt heterodoxy. The Episcopal Church USA and the Anglican Church of Canada, in proclaiming this false gospel, have consistently defied the 1998 Lambeth statement of biblical moral principle (Resolution 1.10). Despite numerous meetings and reports to and from the ‘Instruments of Unity,’ no effective action has been taken, and the bishops of these unrepentant churches are welcomed to Lambeth 2008. To make matters worse, there has been a failure to honour promises of discipline, the authority of the Primates’ Meeting has been undermined and the Lambeth Conference has been structured so as to avoid any hard decisions. We can only come to the devastating conclusion that ‘we are a global Communion with a colonial structure’.

Sadly, this crisis has torn the fabric of the Communion in such a way that it cannot simply be patched back together. At the same time, it has brought together many Anglicans across the globe into personal and pastoral relationships in a fellowship which is faithful to biblical teaching, more representative of the demographic distribution of global Anglicanism today and stronger as an instrument of effective mission, ministry and social involvement.

A Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, are a fellowship of confessing Anglicans for the benefit of the Church and the furtherance of its mission. We are a fellowship of people united in the communion (koinonia) of the one Spirit and committed to work and pray together in the common mission of Christ. It is a confessing fellowship in that its members confess the faith of Christ crucified, stand firm for the gospel in the global and Anglican context, and affirm a contemporary rule, the Jerusalem Declaration, to guide the movement for the future. We are a fellowship of Anglicans, including provinces, dioceses, churches, missionary jurisdictions, para-church organisations and individual Anglican Christians whose goal is to reform, heal and revitalise the Anglican Communion and expand its mission to the world.

Our fellowship is not breaking away from the Anglican Communion. We, together with many other faithful Anglicans throughout the world, believe the doctrinal foundation of Anglicanism, which defines our core identity as Anglicans, is expressed in these words: The doctrine of the Church is grounded in the Holy Scriptures and in such teachings of the ancient Fathers and Councils of the Church as are agreeable to the said Scriptures. In particular, such doctrine is to be found in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal. We intend to remain faithful to this standard, and we call on others in the Communion to reaffirm and return to it. While acknowledging the nature of Canterbury as an historic see, we do not accept that Anglican identity is determined necessarily through recognition by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Building on the above doctrinal foundation of Anglican identity, we hereby publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of our fellowship.

The Jerusalem Declaration

In the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit:

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, have met in the land of Jesus’ birth. We express our loyalty as disciples to the King of kings, the Lord Jesus. We joyfully embrace his command to proclaim the reality of his kingdom which he first announced in this land. The gospel of the kingdom is the good news of
salvation, liberation and transformation for all. In light of the above, we agree to chart a way forward together that promotes and protects the biblical gospel and mission to the world, solemnly declaring the following tenets of orthodoxy which underpin our Anglican identity.

1. We rejoice in the gospel of God through which we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because God first loved us, we love him and as believers bring forth fruits of love, ongoing repentance, lively hope and thanksgiving to God in all things.
2. We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God written and to contain all things necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.
3. We uphold the four Ecumenical Councils and the three historic Creeds as expressing the rule of faith of the one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
4. We uphold the Thirty-nine Articles as containing the true doctrine of the Church agreeing with God’s Word and as authoritative for Anglicans today.
5. We gladly proclaim and submit to the unique and universal Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, humanity’s only Saviour from sin, judgement and hell, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. By his atoning death and glorious resurrection, he secured the redemption of all who come to him in repentance and faith.
6. We rejoice in our Anglican sacramental and liturgical heritage as an expression of the gospel, and we uphold the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as a true and authoritative standard of worship and prayer, to be translated and locally adapted for each culture.
7. We recognise that God has called and gifted bishops, priests and deacons in historic succession to equip all the people of God for their ministry in the world. We uphold the classic Anglican Ordinal as an authoritative standard of clerical orders.
8. We acknowledge God’s creation of humankind as male and female and the unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman as the proper place for sexual intimacy and the basis of the family. We repent of our failures to maintain this standard and call for a renewed commitment to lifelong fidelity in marriage and abstinence for those who are not married.
9. We gladly accept the Great Commission of the risen Lord to make disciples of all nations, to seek those who do not know Christ and to baptise, teach and bring new believers to maturity.
10. We are mindful of our responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation, to uphold and advocate justice in society, and to seek relief and empowerment of the poor and needy.
11. We are committed to the unity of all those who know and love Christ and to building authentic ecumenical relationships. We recognise the orders and jurisdiction of those Anglicans who uphold orthodox faith and practice, and we encourage them to join us in this declaration.
12. We celebrate the God-given diversity among us which enriches our global fellowship, and we acknowledge freedom in secondary matters. We pledge to work together to seek the mind of Christ on issues that divide us.
13. We reject the authority of those churches and leaders who have denied the orthodox faith in word or deed. We pray for them and call on them to repent and return to the Lord.
14. We rejoice at the prospect of Jesus’ coming again in glory, and while we await this final event of history, we praise him for the way he builds up his church through his Spirit by miraculously changing lives.

The Road Ahead

We believe the Holy Spirit has led us during this week in Jerusalem to begin a new work. There are many important decisions for the development of this fellowship which will take more time, prayer and deliberation.

Among other matters, we shall seek to expand participation in this fellowship beyond those who have come to Jerusalem, including cooperation with the Global South and the Council of Anglican Provinces in Africa. We can, however, discern certain milestones on the road ahead.

Primates’ Council

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, do hereby acknowledge the participating Primates of GAFCON who have called us together, and encourage them to form the initial Council of the GAFCON movement. We look forward to the enlargement of the Council and entreat the Primates to organise
and expand the fellowship of confessing Anglicans.

We urge the Primates’ Council to authenticate and recognise confessing Anglican jurisdictions, clergy and congregations and to encourage all Anglicans to promote the gospel and defend the faith.

We recognise the desirability of territorial jurisdiction for provinces and dioceses of the Anglican Communion, except in those areas where churches and leaders are denying the orthodox faith or are preventing its spread, and in a few areas for which overlapping jurisdictions are beneficial for historical or cultural reasons.

We thank God for the courageous actions of those Primates and provinces who have offered orthodox oversight to churches under false leadership, especially in North and South America. The actions of these Primates have been a positive response to pastoral necessities and mission opportunities. We believe that such actions will
continue to be necessary and we support them in offering help around the world.

We believe this is a critical moment when the Primates’ Council will need to put in place structures to lead and support the church. In particular, we believe the time is now ripe for the formation of a province in North America for the federation currently known as Common Cause Partnership to be recognised by the Primates’
Council.

Conclusion: Message from Jerusalem

We, the participants in the Global Anglican Future Conference, were summoned by the Primates’ leadership team to Jerusalem in June 2008 to deliberate on the crisis that has divided the Anglican Communion for the past decade and to seek direction for the future. We have visited holy sites, prayed together, listened to God’s Word
preached and expounded, learned from various speakers and teachers, and shared our thoughts and hopes with each other.

The meeting in Jerusalem this week was called in a sense of urgency that a false gospel has so paralysed the Anglican Communion that this crisis must be addressed. The chief threat of this dispute involves the compromising of the integrity of the church’s worldwide mission. The primary reason we have come to Jerusalem and issued this declaration is to free our churches to give clear and certain witness to Jesus Christ.

It is our hope that this Statement on the Global Anglican Future will be received with comfort and joy by many Anglicans around the world who have been distressed about the direction of the Communion. We believe the Anglican Communion should and will be reformed around the biblical gospel and mandate to go into all the
world and present Christ to the nations.

Jerusalem
Feast of St Peter and St Paul
29 June 2008

via e-mail.

Friday Night at the Cafe: El Shaddai

Washington Post: 57-9 "did not parachute into this dispute from a clear blue sky," says judge

BB NOTE: Michelle Boorstein reports for The Washington Post:

A Fairfax County Circuit Court judge struck a blow today to the Episcopal Church's battle with a group of breakaway conservatives. The ruling, which likely will be appealed, heartens those who feel the mainline Protestant denomination has become too liberal, particularly on the issue of human sexuality.

Eleven Virginia congregations whose members voted to leave the Episcopal Church in late 2006 and early 2007 have remained in the church buildings since, arguing that a Civil War-era state law allows them to keep the property worth tens of millions of dollars.

The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia argued that the state law is unconstitutional, that the government should not be involved in deciding when a religious organization has legally "divided" and that internal church laws and practices should govern such a spat.

But Circuit Court Judge Randy Bellows ruled today in favor of the breakaway congregations, saying the diocese could have used routine civil documents to protect its property, but didn't. The law has been around for 141 years and "did not parachute into this dispute from a clear blue sky," Bellows wrote.

The breakaway churches are part of a movement within the Anglican Communion--of which the Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch--that is disaffected by the U.S. church's acceptance of homosexuality. The members of the breakaway congregations have argued that by doing so, the American church has abandoned its scriptural roots.

"While there are some issues that remain to be resolved and we will continue to defend ourselves in court, we are hopeful that [the Episcopal Church] and the Diocese will put aside this expensive distraction," the breakaway churches said in a statement. "While we disagree with their decision to walk apart from the worldwide Anglican Communion, we acknowledge their right to do so. We would hope that they would acknowledge our right to remain faithful to the tenants of faith that have given comfort to our forbearers . . . "

Episcopal Church officials have said they would appeal if they lost, and a statement from the diocese today said officials were exploring their options.

"The Diocese remains steadfast in its commitment to current and future generations of loyal Episcopalians and will continue to pursue every legal option available to ensure that they will be able to worship in the churches their Episcopal ancestors built," the statement said.

The dispute over the properties is running on two tracks. The conservatives brought the issue into court first, filing a petition activating the Virginia law, called 57-9. The diocese then filed a separate request for summary judgment, asking Bellows to require the conservatives to leave the property. A trial is slated for the fall on the latter question. It wasn't immediately clear how today's ruling would affect the schedule for that trial.

Robert Tuttle, an expert on church-state law, said the "only way" for the Episcopal Church to win now is for 57-9 to be overturned by a higher court. Tuttle also serves as legal counsel for the regional branch of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which filed a brief in the case on behalf of the Diocese of Virginia.

Washington Times: Court Hands Crucial Victory to 11 Virginia Parishes

BB NOTE: Calling the decision today "a crucial victory" for the Virginia churches, Julia Duin reports for The Washington Times:

A Virginia circuit judge has handed a crucial victory to a group of 11 former Episcopal churches that left the Diocese of Virginia 18 months ago over issues of theology and the 2003 consecration of the denomination's first openly gay bishop.

In a 49-page ruling issued Friday morning, Judge Randy I. Bellows said a Civil War-era statute allowing the churches to split and keep their property is constitutional.

"Simply put, [the division statute] was constitutional in 1867 when it became the law of the Commonwealth of Virginia and it remains constitutional in 2008," the judge wrote.

Nor does it violate the U.S. Constitution, he added, including the First Amendment guarantees against the establishment of religion and against prohibiting the free exercise of religion.

The statute is key to the case being made by the churches, which have said they are entitled to keep millions of dollars in land and assets because their denomination has undergone an irreparable "division."

The Episcopal Church and the diocese have sued, saying both that the statute does not apply in this case and that it is unconstitutional. The lawsuit, which is the largest church property case in the history of the Episcopal Church, is being closely watched around the country.

On April 3, Judge Bellows said that the statute applied to the case, a ruling considered a victory for the conservatives.

During a May 28 hearing in Fairfax Circuit Court, the Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia said the division statute is unconstitutional because discriminates against hierarchical denominations by imposing democratic government on them — a majority vote of a congregation can leave the church with the property.

The judge disagreed, saying the law doesn't single out the Episcopal Church or other churches with bishops such as Lutherans and Methodists.

Rather, he said, it was passed in light of splits within multiple denominations in the 19th century in the hopes of peacefully resolving property disputes. He added that it does not deal with the "thicket" of church doctrine.

"The Episcopal Church and the diocese's various arguments against the constitutionality of [the division statute] fail," Judge Bellows wrote. "Although the Episcopal Church and the diocese assert the court has entered into the forbidden religious thicket ... this court finds their arguments unpersuasive."

He also faulted the diocese for leaving itself vulnerable by having church property in the 90,000-member diocese held, not by the bishop, but by the members of the congregation as trustees. The denomination argued in court that re-titling some 195 congregations in the nation's largest Episcopal diocese constituted a "burden."

Several other hierarchical churches in Virginia keep their properties in their own name, the judge said, citing the Roman Catholic, Mormon, Greek Orthodox and Foursquare Gospel churches.

"The Episcopal Church and the diocese could have, at any time within the past 140 years since [the division statute] was originally passed, re-titled their properties in the name of a bishop or other ecclesiastical officer," he wrote. "If they had done so, they could have permanently avoided any potential application of [the division statute]."

The diocese issued a statement calling the ruling "regrettable" and potentially damanging to other hierarchical churches around the state.

"We continue to believe that this division statute is clearly at odds with and uniquely hostile to religious freedom, the First Amendment and prior U.S. and Virginia Supreme Court rulings," it said.

"The diocese remains steadfast in its commitment to current and future generations of loyal Episcopalians and will continue to pursue every legal option available to ensure that they will be able to worship in the churches their Episcopal ancestors built."

Jim Oakes, vice chairman for the Anglican District of Virginia, the corporation to which the 11 churches belong, pronounced itself "pleased" with the ruling.

After meticulous examination, the judge ruled to uphold the constitutionality of the Virginia division statute against all of the Free Exercise, Establishment, Equal Protection, and Takings Clause challenges raised by The Episcopal Church (TEC) and Diocese of Virginia," he said.

"The division statute states that the majority of the church is entitled to its property when a group of congregations divide from the denomination. Therefore, the Episcopal Church and diocese had no legal right to our property."

The diocese, the Episcopal Church and the 11 churches, now under the aegis of the Anglican District of Virginia, will next meet in Judge Bellows' court in October for the third phase of the lawsuit, which determines ownership of the property.

A Sleeping Giant Awakes

Check out the remarks of Archbishop Jensen of Sydney where he describes the strategic blunder of the Episcopal Church at General Convention 2003 when, apparently thinking there would be no consequences to their provocative actions, woke up a sleeping giant.

Virginia Anglican Churches win major court ruling - Division Statute 57-9 ruled constitutional

Anglican Churches Win on Constitutional Grounds - Va. Court Upholds Constitutionality of Virginia Division Statute to End Episcopal Attempt to Seize Control Over Church Property

FAIRFAX, Va. (June 27, 2008) – The 11 churches sued by The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Virginia celebrated today’s Fairfax County Circuit Court ruling that confirms the constitutionality of Virginia Division Statute (Virginia Code § 57-9). The 11 churches named in the lawsuit are members of the Anglican District of Virginia (ADV).

“We are pleased with Judge Bellows’ ruling today. After meticulous examination, the judge ruled to uphold the constitutionality of the Virginia Division Statute against all of the Free Exercise, Establishment, Equal Protection, and Takings Clause challenges raised by The Episcopal Church (TEC) and Diocese of Virginia. The Division Statute states that the majority of the church is entitled to its property when a group of congregations divide from the denomination. Therefore, TEC and Diocese had no legal right to our property. We have maintained all along that our churches’ own trustees hold title for the benefit of these congregations. It’s also gratifying to see the judge recognize that the statute means what it says—it’s ‘conclusive’ of ownership. We’re thrilled to see this litigation nearing an end,” said Jim Oakes, vice-chairman of ADV.

“While there are some issues that remain to be resolved and we will continue to defend ourselves in court, we are hopeful that TEC and the Diocese will put aside this expensive distraction. While we disagree with their decision to walk apart from the worldwide Anglican Communion, we acknowledge their right to do so. We would hope that they would acknowledge our right to remain faithful to the tenants of faith that have given comfort to our forbearers who built the churches TEC and the Diocese are now trying so hard to take.”

On April 3, 2008, Judge Bellows issued a landmark ruling that acknowledged a division within TEC, the Diocese and the larger Anglican Communion.

TEC and the Diocese abruptly broke off settlement negotiations in January 2007 and filed lawsuits against the Virginia churches, their ministers and their vestries. The decision of TEC and the Diocese to reinterpret Scripture caused the 11 Anglican churches to sever their ties.

UPDATE: Here's the Diocese of Virginia's Press Release:

June 27, 2008

Today's ruling upholding the constitutionality of the Division Statute in Virginia is regrettable and reaches beyond the Episcopal Church to all hierarchical churches in the Commonwealth. We continue to believe that this Division Statute is clearly at odds with and uniquely hostile to religious freedom, the First Amendment and prior U.S. and Virginia Supreme Court rulings. We are unwavering in these beliefs and will explore fully every option available to restore constitutional and legal protections for all churches in Virginia.

The Diocese remains steadfast in its commitment to current and future generations of loyal Episcopalians and will continue to pursue every legal option available to ensure that they will be able to worship in the churches their Episcopal ancestors built.

BREAKING NEWS: WE WIN first Ruling - Court Rules Virginia Statute 57-9 is Consitutional

UPDATE: The Ruling that the Virginia Division Statute is constitutional is here.

The judge has also issued a Letter of Opinion where he answers five questions he posed to both the CANA Counsel and the TEC/Diocese of Virginia Counsel and again, this opinion hits the ball right out of the park. What is so refreshing - which is such a change after witnessing five General Conventions - is that the judge sticks to the law, he doesn't make it up along the way. TEC and the Diocese have used the same kind of reasoning that they use when they disregard scripture and the meaning of words (remember how Judge Bellows was astonished that the expert that TEC put up to explain the meaning of the word "branch" had no idea, just some general observations and feeling about the word - the judge noted that the "expert" hadn't even consulted a dictionary, which ironically was thrown back at him by the TEC lawyer at the Constitutional hearing, nearly ridiculing the judge's initial ruling to his face - it was astonishing then and in the second ruling we see today, that was duly noted by the judge). That is not the case in this court of law.

As soon as there is a link to the Letter of Opinion, it will be here.

GAFCON Report: "More than I could ever have imagined"

BB NOTE: Jim Oakes, Vice Chair of the Anglican District of Virginia, is among the pilgrims in Jerusalem attending GAFCON. Here is an excerpt from his report of what it's been like so far on this historic journey in the Anglican Communion:

GAFCON has proved to be much more than I could have dreamed, and we are only halfway through the week! We have heard great preaching from some of the giants of the Anglican Communion - Peter Akinola, Henry Orombi, Michael Nazir-Ali, Os Guinness, and more. And the worship has been some of the most transporting I have ever experienced. Imagine the power of 1200 people singing "It is Well with My Soul" at the top of their lungs. I think that might qualify as a small glimpse into what Heaven will be like! As I looked around the room, I was struck by the fact that the gathering looked a lot like the Anglican Communion as a whole - a majority of the group is African, but with plenty of people from all over the world as well. And I noticed that people were not sitting in little groups keeping to themselves - Nigerians mingled with Australians, Ugandans were rubbing shoulders with Canadians, and so forth. We are all truly one in Christ!

It also has been wonderful to reconnect with Martyn, as well as Angela and Rachel. He is as frantically busy as always, but he is still deeply interested in the ongoing life of CANA and the ADV. It is good to catch up with him.

In the middle of all of this activity, I have found a little time to see Jerusalem. We gathered early in the week on the Mount of Olives, and I was able to walk the Via Dolorosa yesterday. It is a special thrill to see these holy places, and to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. I have made a vow to return!

I know that people are wondering what the outcome will be of GAFCON. Will there be a movement to form a new province in North America? Will there be a realignment of the Anglican Communion? The answer is that I have no idea, and neither does anyone else here (although we know that God is in control, and He knows where He is leading us). We are in the middle of the most open discernment session I have ever seen anywhere. We are breaking into small groups to discuss the sermons we are hearing, and struggling to understand what God is saying to us through this experience. We are handing in comment forms by the hundreds, and giving inputs to a group that will be drafting statements as the week goes on.

But mostly, we are listening and praying. I am not sensing any anger or bitterness towards anyone, just a genuine desire to hear God's will for us all. It is truly humbling to be a part of this gathering, and I know that I will never forget this pilgrimage. As with so many things in my Christian life, it has been more than I could ever have imagined. Thank you Lord, for your blessings!

BREAKING NEWS: Judge will issue ruling on constitutionality of the Virginia Division Statute 57-9 on Friday, June 27

LIVE from Jerusalem: GAFCON gathers Anglicans from around the world for historical conference

.TV online : provided by Ustream

No Front Seat to Schism: The Press at GAFCON

We have all probably heard - or heard variations of - the famous Mark Twain quote that the rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated. The famous quote is, "the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," though the actual quote appears to differ somewhat from the famous one. But the intent is just the same - Mark Twain was not dead, not yet anyway. And neither is the Anglican Communion.

What continues to stun me about the "press" reports at GAFCON is that it appears many - not all, mind you - but many of these media types went to Jerusalem to get a front row seat to a schism. And my, my, are they sad and disappointed! Not even a t-shirt to show to the kids, well, not yet.

The deal is - when did they decide to stuff cotton balls into their ears? Kevin Kallsen has a reason. The rest of them do not. Take the cotton out and listen very carefully.

We say it over and over and over and over and over and over - and yes, over and over again. We did not leave the Church. We did not leave the Church. It is the Episcopal Church that left us. We want to remain Anglican. It is the Episcopal Church that took - and continues to take - actions that are tearing the fabric of the Communion apart. We want to stay, it's TEC that left us.

As John Howe used to say, get it?

Perhaps these media-types are just plain clueless - or bored or hot or sleepy or bewildered. How many of those who are in Jerusalem now have any idea what really has been going on over on This Side of the Big Pond? For example, nearly 200 people - 2oo people - regular people, moms and dads, and grandmas and grandpas and twenty-somethings, some on social security, some pouring in hard earned pay into social security, young, old, and many half way in between. Real people, living real lives with real families, driving on the Beltway, and shopping at Tyson's Corner only if they have to - real people who who take time out of their lives to volunteer - volunteer - to serve their local parish - 200 of them were sued by The Episcopal Church for voting.

Yes, for voting.

TEC's motto is no longer "The Episcopal Church welcomes you," but rather "Resistance is Futile."

That we voted differently then the Authoritarian Collective, once known as The Episcopal Church, we're said to be schismatics. Sorry Charlie, only the best tasting tuna gets to be Starkissed. Now - what does that say to these press people who are now resulting to interviewing each other since they are so disappointed to find out what we've saying all along is true. If there's going to be a schism - it's not going to be in Jerusalem, God willing.

It does not take a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist or my cat to figure out that what the folks in Jerusalem are trying to do is save the Communion, not destroy it.

In own my own parish, dozens and dozens of individuals and families were going to the rector and telling him most plainly (this is what happens when you have a biblically literate laity - they get uppity, which may be why so many clerics leave their own laity in the dark) that what the scriptures teach and what the Episcopal Church was endorsing were so diametrically opposed to each other that it was darn near impossible to reconcile. What was he going to do about it? How could our own local parish remain in a diocese that was full of talk but no walk? If something wasn't done, then they would have to walk. Many did, more were preparing to follow, and the floodgates would soon be open. They could not in good conscience willingly embrace theological duplicity. They would not be fooled. If the rector - and the Vestry - didn't do something the parish was going to fall.

Bishop Lee knew that and so helped us provide a way that we could put the finger in the dike and stay in, as he said, "as close a communion as possible," even with the Diocese of Virginia. But instead of putting a finger in the dike, we were given the proverbial finger. Lawsuits with your tea, sir?

We had Lambeth 1.10, we had the strong leadership from the Global South and in the Church of England - many of whom were on the frontlines of the larger global conflict between the Christian and Islamic world views, while those in the West were in a painful struggle between historic Anglican Christianity and modern gnostic innovations masquerading as A Brand New Thing. The primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury were remaining grounded in the solid Anglican witness that personal revelation was checked through the lens of biblical truth, not the other way around.

There was hope.

We would vote to remain Anglican by realigning with an Anglican Province that would offer refuge as The Episcopal Church, in decision after decision after decision, made provision to separate from the Anglican Communion. They hung up their new flags at General Convention 2006 and changed the name of the church. No longer would it be called for all intensive purposes The Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America, now it would simply be The Episcopal Church. They have been clear about building a new Episcopal Communion and have reinvented the term "communion" to mean the Communion of the The Episcopal Church, as though the ecclesiastical center was now New York, not Canterbury. If a priest separates from the Collective, the priest separates from the Communion. So at least twenty of our clergy were defrocked for leaving this reinvented Communion of The Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Church is a Communion unto itself.

Having bankrupt itself on its product - Anglican Christianity, it now clings to its assets for legitimacy. It is a New Gnostic Communion with prime real estate. Why else is Katharine Jefferts Schori flying around visiting the closely aligned churches and provinces beyond the USA borders that would make up this new Episcopal Communion? Yes, yes, the Philippines are quite lovely in the spring.

It appears that the press are in the wrong city. They are in Jerusalem looking for schism when they should in fact be encamped in Manhattan. Martinis anyone?

What we will see over these next few days is how these representatives, these pilgrims at GAFCON - who are representing millions more at home - millions more at home - find a way to keep the Anglican Communion together, not tear it apart. They have put down their own arms to reach across their own significant divides and embrace one another. No small task. GAFCON is a miracle and if one don't know that, then one has spent the last thirty years asleep.

And so the press and their legions sit and sit and sit - crushed that they didn't get their Front Seat to the Schism.

If you want to get a front seat to schism, book your flights to Utah today. September is a lovely month to be in Salt Lake. And the hotels are cheap too.

GAFCON in Jerusalem: A Ministry of Reconciliation

BB NOTE: Part II of the BabyBlueOnline video series of GAFCON in Jerusalem. To view Part I with commentary, click here. Part II is below or click here.




NOTE: To see continuous video coverage of GAFCON in Jerusalem, click the video post below.

LIVE from Jerusalem: Day Three of GAFCON

.TV online : provided by Ustream

GAFCON 2008 and the Historic Breakthrough: Thousands of Anglican leaders and bishops gather in Jerusalem in bold witness of solidarity

BabyBlueOnline presents a video overview of GAFCON 2008: Day One and Two. It's an extraordinary event - it's clear that GAFCON has drawn Anglicans from all streams from all over the world, truly astonishing.

There is one thing that seems to be confused in the media and that is the difference between unity and uniformity. For years, we believed that unity was a virtue to be pursed in the Episcopal Church. But it became clear the deeper into the structures one went, the clearer it became that it wasn't unity that the leadership was after - but uniformity. It became clear that the Episcopal leadership had no idea what real unity looks like. They still don't.

Unity is not uniformity. Unity is not keeping the peace. Unity is full of passion, enthusiasm, frustration, exhilaration, discussion, debates, truth telling, laughter, hard work, trust, transparency, surprise, hope, joy, life, love, humility, humor, more frustration, breaking bread, reconciliation, resurrection, repentance, and sometimes peace. It's all that, rolled up into a package that explodes with laughter from time to time. Uniformity is filled with fear. Unity is fun. Finally.

When I look at the faces of the people in these photos I see surprise - the kind of surprise that comes from encountering joy unexpectedly. It is not what they all have in common that makes this gathering so special - but it is how they are all so different, how those differences enrich their fellowship and their relationships, the lack of uniformity - which can at any moment explode into chaos - and yet it doesn't. And why is that? Because what they have in common is so deep and so significant that all their differences are enriched by this one common bond - Jesus.

Not theology, not culture, not religion, not worship style, not politics - but a simple but profound life-changing relationship with the Risen Lord. It appears He is risen - really - and He is alive. All our prayers are lifted up as these amazing people gather together and take a risk, a risk of failure because they'd rather risk failure then do nothing.

Here they are - a short video to remind us that there are people in Jerusalem, real people, with families, and churches and loved ones back home. Today Archbishop Orombi echoed the question asked by Jesus, "do you want to be healed?" Yes. Oh yes.

LIVE from Jerusalem: Day Two of GAFCON

.TV online : provided by Ustream

Monday June 23, 2008
7:00pm (EST) Opening Service of Holy Communion
Keynote Address: Jesus Christ as Lord - The Most Rev. Henry Orombi
8:00pm (EST) - The Gospel and Secularism -Dr. Os Guinness

Reflections from the Garden of Gethsemane

Todd Wetzel writes this morning from The Garden:

Not all sites are probable sites. This one, however, is thought to be genuine. So, it was especially touching to kneel down, touch the rock and pray. To pray for friends left behind: there have been so many casualties in the twenty years I have been the Executive Director of Episcopalians United, now known as Anglicans United. Clergy, bishops and laity. So many who have given up and joined other denominations. So many who have made choices based on political expediency, citing the need to educate their children and pay the mortgage over taking God at His word. For those who were afraid if they talked honestly and/or candidly with their bishop, they would never get another job, and may not keep the one they have. For those who made the great leap of faith, and their parishes threw them out, saying they were not Episcopalian any more. When Jesus said he came with a sword, he wasn't kidding. Taking Him seriously can cost you everything, a lesson I have learned personally. I wept for all of my lost friends and acquaintances today.

Late Night at the Cafe

Okay, this is the new Bob Dylan. Something has happened. Here's one of our favorites - we've been playing it since Columbus, but this performance from just six days ago in Bergamo is outstanding. Here's High Water from June 16, 2008:



High water risin' - risin' night and day
All the gold and silver are being stolen away
Big Joe Turner lookin' East and West
From the dark room of his mind
He made it to Kansas City
Twelfth Street and Vine
Nothing standing there
High water everywhere

High water risin', the shacks are slidin' down
Folks lose their possessions - folks are leaving town
Bertha Mason shook it - broke it
Then she hung it on a wall
Says, "You're dancin' with whom they tell you to
Or you don't dance at all."
It's tough out there
High water everywhere

I got a cravin' love for blazing speed
Got a hopped up Mustang Ford
Jump into the wagon, love, throw your panties overboard
I can write you poems, make a strong man lose his mind
I'm no pig without a wig
I hope you treat me kind
Things are breakin' up out there
High water everywhere

High water risin', six inches 'bove my head
Coffins droppin' in the street
Like balloons made out of lead
Water pourin' into Vicksburg, don't know what I'm going to do
"Don't reach out for me," she said
"Can't you see I'm drownin' too?"
It's rough out there
High water everywhere

Well, George Lewis told the Englishman, the Italian and the Jew
"You can't open your mind, boys
To every conceivable point of view."
They got Charles Darwin trapped out there on Highway Five
Judge says to the High Sheriff,
"I want him dead or alive
Either one, I don't care."
High Water everywhere

The Cuckoo is a pretty bird, she warbles as she flies
I'm preachin' the Word of God
I'm puttin' out your eyes
I asked Fat Nancy for something to eat, she said, "Take it off the shelf -
As great as you are a man,
You'll never be greater than yourself."
I told her I didn't really care
High water everywhere

I'm getting' up in the morning - I believe I'll dust my broom
Keeping away from the women
I'm givin' 'em lots of room
Thunder rolling over Clarksdale, everything is looking blue
I just can't be happy, love
Unless you're happy too
It's bad out there
High water everywhere

B. Dylan 2001

BB NOTE: We've also put up a great performance of Like A Rolling Stone over at All Along the Watchtower. One of the things that is difficult to explain about Dylan is that he is a master of phrasing. He can change the meaning of his own songs by how he phrases, by how he emphasizes and de-emphasizes words, by the rhythm, and by his expressiveness in the song. This particular performance in Liverpool, illustrates his ability to phrase his works with energy and take a song that is considered the #1 Rock Song of All Time by Rolling Stone Magazine and reinvent it all over again. It's frustrating for those who come to a Dylan Concert to hear the old hits from the foggy 60s - but for those of us of a new generation, it's all new.

One day we'll post the worst of Bob Dylan. But as we learned in his autobiography, sometimes when he's bad, he means it.

Sunday Night at the Cafe: Every Grain of Sand

In the time of my confession, in the hour of my deepest need
When the pool of tears beneath my feet flood every newborn seed
There's a dyin' voice within me reaching out somewhere,
Toiling in the danger and in the morals of despair.

Don't have the inclination to look back on any mistake,
Like Cain, I now behold this chain of events that I must break.
In the fury of the moment I can see the Master's hand
In every leaf that trembles, in every grain of sand.

Oh, the flowers of indulgence and the weeds of yesteryear,
Like criminals, they have choked the breath
of conscience and good cheer.
The sun beat down upon the steps of time to light the way
To ease the pain of idleness and the memory of decay.

I gaze into the doorway of temptation's angry flame
And every time I pass that way I always hear my name.
Then onward in my journey I come to understand
That every hair is numbered like every grain of sand.

I have gone from rags to riches in the sorrow of the night
In the violence of a summer's dream, in the chill of a wintry light,
In the bitter dance of loneliness fading into space,
In the broken mirror of innocence on each forgotten face.

I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea
Sometimes I turn, there's someone there, other times it's only me.
I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.

B. Dylan 1981; video performance from 2002

Tip of the proverbial tinfoil to RWB.