How the Cow Eats the Cabbage in the Diocese of British Columbia - I write this after consulting with the Dean and Archdeacons of the Diocese, and their unanimous recommendation is that I do so, even though it may sound blunt. new

Why I Did - Why I Didn't - Why Bishop Frade Consented to the Inhibition of Bishop Duncan and Why Bishop Wimberly Did not Consent to the Inhibition of Bishop Duncan

365+ Reasons - for Becoming an Anglican/Episcopalian

Tom Woodward's Fort Worth Speech - One of the most frustrating things about being a moderate in The Episcopal Church is the constant need to respond to various bizarre charges made against you by groups like the Anglican Communion Network (ACN), American Anglican Council (AAC) and allied groups.

Many Self-Delusions - Michael Russell says lets take a look at some of the many self-delusions that fuel the conservative movement.

Replacing the Christ with a Code - The Undermining of the Episcopal Church, [Part 4] by the Rev. Thomas B. Woodward *

A Case of Spiritual Adultery - The Undermining of the Episcopal Church, [Part 3] by the Rev. Thomas B. Woodward *

Blasting Away at the Bedrock - The Undermining of the Episcopal Church, [Part 2] by the Rev. Thomas B. Woodward *

Cheap Substitutions Are Not Acceptable - The Undermining of the Episcopal Church, [Part 1] by the Rev. Thomas B. Woodward *

Who Has The Power - Who Can Expel the Episcopal Church from the Anglican Communion?

Critique of Proposed Covenant - My own view is that such a covenant is not only unnecessary but potentially harmful to our life together in Christ

Declaration of the Anglican Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean - The Anglican Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, call upon the Anglican Communion to preserve its participative nature, diverse, ample and inclusive, characteristics which they consider essential to Anglicanism.

The end of communion - None of the Sunday papers seem to have noticed it, but the Anglican communion ended on Saturday. The Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, installed an Englishman, Bishop Martyn Minns, as his representative in north America.

Tolerance and Adulthood - Tolerance is possible for adults who are secure in their convictions. Adult faith can hold its position without demanding anyone else's conformity.

Toleration of Ambiguity - When we use Scripture as a club instead of a path into mystery and love, we use it in a way that Jesus never did.

Interpreting the Proposed Anglican Covenant - As a member of the Covenant Design Group, a New Testament theologian, Katherine Grieb, shares her insights with the House of Bishops.

Episcopal Diocese of Olympia Comments - The elected Deputation of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia has, after reflecting on the recent Anglican Communion Primates meeting in Dar-es-Salaam, the following comments to make to you, members of The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church, our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Archbishop of Wales Speaks Out - "It is shocking to observe people from part of the traditional wing of the American church quite blatantly influencing the more conservative primates of provinces at every Primatial and ACC meeting, making an inflammatory situation potentially explosive."

Some Possible Root Causes of TEC's Problems - Root-cause analysis is a powerful tool in making organizations more effective, especially in the presence of problems and/or competition.

The Bishop of Bethlehem asks: - How can it help bonds of affection for Communion leadership to so overtly and maladroitly play us for chumps?

Finding the Heartlands of Anglicanism - But it does mean that we cannot throw baby out with bath-water, by ignoring, sidelining and generally disregarding our current polity and structures; and then expect to call ourselves authentic, orthodox, Anglicans at the end of it all.

Hold to Episcopal Church's uniqueness - the bishop of Oklahoma tells his diocesan convention.

Keep talking to everyone - bishop urges convention. Christians have often been "embroiled in controversy over the interpretation of Scripture" in ways that threaten the church's unity.

Intention to Separate - We question whether a person who repudiates our national Church and is working to replace The Episcopal Church with another organized church structure should be considered qualified to be a bishop in this or any other diocese.

South Carolina Says No - We believe that The Episcopal Church must continue to embrace a wide range of Anglican expression

There's a New Boss in Town... - Mr. Beers concludes his letter stating “should your diocese decline to take that step, the Presiding Bishop will have to consider what sort of action she must take in order to bring your diocese into compliance”...

Three Views - Well, I think that we may well be at that point where there are irreconcilable differences in theology and church discipline and so on. Then perhaps the best thing to do is say, how can we have an amicable divorce?

The Hijacking - So the minute I hear a hard liner on any of the controversial issues facing our Episcopal church, or anyone who claims a corner on the truth, the hair on my head begins to rise, and I want to stand up and say, "No. You are not going to hijack our beloved church, our Via media, our Anglican way."

Don't Call Them Conservatives - I am ashamed that the AAC and the ACN are now synonymous with conservatism and I wish to give genuine conservatives back their name.

Other Voices, Other Worlds: the Global Church Speaks Out on Homosexuality - The book brings together essays from twenty-four different places from around the Anglican Communion to reflect theologically (in the broadest sense) on the issue of homosexuality.

Prayer Book of 1662 - It will be interesting indeed to see how many people are really, really, really interested in stepping back from the 1979 Prayer Book (US) to the 1662 book, both in theology and practice, and to see just what true allegiance to the Thirty-Nine Articles will mean.

Open Hearted, Open Minded Christianity - It is in these overarching commandments and central mandates from the Bible as a whole that we find the authority of Scripture. We do not look for that authority in any handful of scattered, isolated passages selectively gathered to rationalize intolerance, cruelty or unfairness.

Dear Rowan... No Thanks - The Church of Nigeria is to be the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes the Anglican Communion. The Lambeth Conference is described as risking having outlived its usefulness, and an alternative will take its place if things don't go the way the Nigerian pontificators think they should.

Speaking of Regret - It is time, in the spirit of the Windsor invitations to express regret, to ask if perhaps the Archbishop of Canterbury, the President of the Anglican Consultative Council, and other ranking members of any of the instruments of communion in the Anglican Communion might express regret:

The Episcopal Church in the Balance - Presently each bishop at his/her consecration promises that “I do solemnly engage to conform to the doctrine, disciple, and worship of the Episcopal Church.” Further when the question is asked of the new bishop, “Will you share with your fellow bishops in the government of the Whole Church,” the answer is, “I will by the grace given me.” Up to now, the Episcopal Church could depend on the word of its bishops to uphold its unity. But no longer.

Repentance & the Paradigm Shift - ...a new phenomenon has arisen which seeks to redefine us from being a community which primarily prays together to a Church which has a universal theology -- which we have never had. Our Anglican world seems to have changed from being a house with many rooms, where our common prayer and worship were the foundations, to being a place of exclusion based on the need to follow Law and to be pure before God at the expense of the mutual communion of all of us...

I am going to pose some of the hard questions - Are you certain that you wish to be identified with the way Archbishop Akinola expresses his way of following Jesus Christ? Is that the model you want to use to "win the world to Christ?" short

Apology Opens Remarks - from Anglican Consultative Council chairman

I am sick to death - of the unity of this church resting on the shoulders of those of us who are threatening to STAY says the Reverend Susan Russell

Robert Duncan & Nigel Taber-Hamilton - write opposing articles

Anglicans Forever - Regardless of what they call themselves, they will never be Anglican, nor will the Episcopal Church ever cease to be Anglican...

The Bishop of Kansas Responds to a Letter - "It is becoming clear that the objective of the Anglican Communion Network is to create schism in the Episcopal Church," says Bishop Wolfe of Kansas

The Schism of 1977 - We affirm that the Anglican Church of Canada and the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, by their unlawful attempts to alter Faith, Order and Morality (especially in their General Synod of 1975 and General Convention of 1976), have departed from Christ's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Choose This Day - The video, shown at the Pittsburgh meeting opens with a narrator comparing the Episcopal Church to a forged version of a masterpiece painting, and includes comments that the Episcopal Church teaches a pagan religion.

Houston Delegate Laments - The stories coming out of Pittsburgh are very sad. It seems that the Anglikans, led by their Global South primates, are walking apart already.

Pittsburgh Diocese Threatens to Walk Apart from Episcopal Church - The annual convention of the Diocese of Pittsburgh overwhelmingly passed a resolution threatening to walk apart from the Episcopal Church if the 2006 General Convention does not accede to conservative demands.

The Schism Quiz - Is it "realignment" or schism? - Use this quiz to see how far towards schism a particular diocese has moved. important

A Short History of the Move to Schism - The American Dissidents explain their plans for schism.

Insurrection in the Making - Bishop Sergio Carranza, retired Bishop of Mexico, argues "...there is a subversive movement going on in the Communion...imposing on it an alien ecclesiology..."

Stuck in a 19th Century Paradigm - For them there is no Via Media, only a fixation with "what has always been believed". Yet it is the Via Media now, more than ever, that represents the essence of the Anglican ethos.

Schism at St. John´s - The Anglican communion is falling apart, and Connecticut is the center of the crises; "It would be unsporting of me to weigh in on the internal struggles of a religious denomination that I don't belong to, but, you know, what the hell."

The Windsor Papers - Investigative and Reflective Papers by Students of The General Theological Seminary

What is Likely to Happen - Possible outcomes of divisions in ECUSA and the Anglican Communion

Scotland joins the fray - The bishops of Scotland seem to agree with the American Episcopal chorch on all points of contention in the Windsor Report

Delegate from Lexington Speaks his Mind - To me, the more relevant question is what are we willing to give up to remain in the Anglican Communion?

There is no crisis in the Anglican Communion - ...the future of the Anglican Communion might be seen to be based on nothing more than the occasions of invitation to Lambeth, the coordination of good works by Churches whose leaders gather at Lambeth, and the common discussions of Primates. Perhaps, then, those who did not wish to gather when invited could just stay away.

The Center Still Holds - An article in The Living Church dated January 30, 2005 by Joan Gundersen, vice president for policy of PEP

Limits of Episcopal Control Over Scripture - Anglicans, unlike certain Christian fundamentalists, are not forbidden the exercise of setting aside parts of the Scripture as no longer binding on a province by province basis. We are explicitly free to do so, although there are limits, and the Articles of Religion are very clear in those limits to the church's scope of authority.

PEP of Pittsburgh is Alarmed - The theological statement of the Network of Anglican Communion Diocese and Parishes (NACDP) contains propositions and assumptions that would radically change the nature of the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church, and are destructive of the via media. View rest of Article as a PDF file.

(To get Adobe Acrobat Reader for reading a PDF file click here.)

Terrified Traditionalists - Four American and seven bishops from around the world along with nine other functionaries write the Eames Commission. They are terrified that the upcoming Eames commission proposal to the Archbishop of Canterbury might not be strong enough.

Let's not get too upset - In the pre-GenConv 2000 & 2003 discussions, Ted Mollegen offered the following conjectures of what might happen if ECUSA took steps that the majority of the Anglican Communion didn't approve of

Tolerating the Intolerable - ...you are helping to awaken and rally the majority of Episcopalians who have hitherto been ignorant of the threat to our church or who have mistakenly viewed that threat as insignificant.

Biblical Orthodoxy - The truth is "Biblical Orthodoxy" is being used today as smoke screen language to cover up the actual controversy on the table: who has the power, who USED to have the power, who wants the power.

Theologian Writes Eames Commission - The Rev. Prof. L. William Countryman, Sherman E. Johnson Professor in Biblical Studies, The Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, California, USA, sends a communication to the Lambeth/Eames Commission

3 Network Bishops Talk Candidly About the Network - Speaking at the 16th Annual Assembly of Forward and Faith NA, three Network bishops spoke candidly about its aims, objectives and problems. "There is an end game for the Network and that is to get out of the ECUSA as ECUSA is irreformable. The Lambeth Commission will chastise the ECUSA and if it doesn't it will not lead to subservience but to violence."

Network Backlash in Central Florida - Some of our people are absolutely outraged that our hard earned money is going to support The Network. It would be hard to find an Anglican congregation anywhere in Uganda that does not have among its active membership any number of polygamists.

Do Nothing Without the Bishop - At a recent church meeting in Long Beach, California, the bishop of the diocese, the Right Reverend Jon Bruno, was barred from attendance. This was done, according to the American Anglican Council, so that they could make sure the conference was a 'safe place'.

What Eames says is not what Eames does - Though Eames has claimed publicly to be speaking with all parties, that is clearly not what is happening. In fact, Eames’ commission's only direct communication appears to have been with Griswold and conservatives.

Disturbing News about the Anglican Communion Network - The Long Beach, CA meeting concluded with the AAC steering committee issuing a statement asking the primates to "recognize the Anglican Communion Network as a true Anglican province [church] in North America if the Episcopal Church does not repent."

Not In My Diocese - The Bishop of Alabama states: "In my judgment the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes is a divisive organization outside the canonical structures of the Episcopal Church, the charter of which is undermining of the good order and mission of this church."

Do Justice - A series of over 150 short essays usually from a liberal perspective. Topics include How a community can disagree yet remain united, Report on an AAC meeting in Atlanta, The Bible and Moral Change etc.

Secret Document Admits Schism - In his six page secret strategy paper, Geoff Chapman, speaking on behalf of the American Anglican Council, admits that the goal of the realignment movement is for ECUSA to be replaced by a "confessing" church in the USA.

Rules jettisoned in Episcopal rift over gay bishop - The conservative coalition of Episcopalians who lost their campaign against an openly gay bishop have adopted a new strategy for the new year. They're not going to play by the rules anymore.

Moderate Bishop Responds to Secret Document - The Rt. Rev Don E. Johnson, Bishop of West Tennessee, takes measures to uphold the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Church he has sworn to defend. He maintains that "deceitfulness and subversive sabotage justified in the name of serving Christ cannot be overlooked."

A Confessional Church? - The rich theological middle way of diversity and tolerance of classical Anglicanism with its emphasis on The Book of Common prayer will be supplanted in the "Realignment" movement spearheaded by the AAC, by the dominant American legalism and reduced to yet one more "confessing church"www.everyvoice.net

AAC Backtracks on Breaking the Law - Why do I think the conservative takeover seems to be breaking apart like a brittle glass onion even though they have dominated the post-General Convention debate? A cogent series of reasons is presented for the movement falling apart.

The Bishops Speak - Have access to the speeches of the Bishops in the aftermath of General Convention's endorsement of the ordination of Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. Get into their minds and understand why they did (or did not) vote for Robinson's Ordination.

The Blight of Parallel Jurisdictions - "...we do not have parallel Anglican jurisdictions in Europe" "There is however nothing good about parallel jurisdictions", says the Rt Revd Pierre W. Whalon Bishop-in-charge, Convocation of American Churches in Europe.

Anglican Biblical Interpretation - Richard Hooker, Elizabethan Divine and foundational theologian of Anglicanism, forms the backbone of the four hundred plus years of Anglican heritage with respect to careful Biblical Interpretation. What can he tell us about the hot button issues of our day?

Anglican Pages of Louie Crew - A world of data and graphs on about everything in the Episcopal Church. Find a profile of your bishop. Read the history of The Book of Common Prayer

Those who look through a keyhole with two eyes are blind to humanity's riches - The way Anglicans are debating these issues threatens to dangerously drag the church down into the mire of prejudice and banality. Says the vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Dealing with Conflicts as Anglicans

Episcopal News Service - ENS issues official press releases on behalf of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America