Beloved in Christ,
The General Convention of The Episcopal Church (TEC) is now well over, but the ramifications of the actions taken there are starting to hit the grassroots level in those few remaining orthodox TEC dioceses. From South Carolina to Albany, from the Midwest to South Central, conversations are taking place where Episcopalians gather. It takes a while for parishioners who don't follow Anglican news closely to become aware that the General Convention was another disaster for orthodox Christianity, not just for Anglicans, and for them to start talking with each other and then with their priest, but it's now happening.
The problem for the orthodox in TEC is that no one has yet put forward a well-thought-out, realistic, attainable way forward, other than leaving TEC. Since the Archbishop of Canterbury has issued an analysis which, while accurate in many respects, lacks a concrete plan of action that he is willing to implement, the question is "what is the way forward?" If Dr. Williams were willing to act in favor of Anglican orthodoxy, granting independent recognition of the Communion Partner Bishops and Diocese, and similar recognition for ACNA, things would begin to settle down. But, it appears, Dr. Williams isn't going to come over and rescue anyone, and so the question lingers, "what is the way forward?"
For those who have left and formed the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) the question has been answered, but for those still inside TEC who avow that they will never leave TEC, the future is decidedly unclear and unsafe. And if, in an orthodox diocese, many orthodox parishes decide to leave, the result can be a formerly orthodox diocese which is nearly evenly split between revisionist and orthodox congregations, such that a diocesan departure is not possible. Then what can happen is that the orthodox bishop retires, more congregations decide to leave, and eventually TEC will establish its aberrant form of Anglicanism where once orthodoxy lived and thrived. Orthodox faith alone isn't enough; the church needs leaders who are also visionary, courageous and bold, and have a sense of how strategically and tactically to move the church committed to their protection forward.
We anticipate that before the end of the year, dozens of orthodox congregations across the United States and Canada will decide to leave TEC or the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC). Already some revisionist bishops are boldly going after the orthodox congregations left in their dioceses. One of the game plans involves the bishop expressing his/her concern for the mental well-being of an orthodox rector, and insisting (by godly admonition or pastoral directive if needed) that the priest see the diocesan psychiatrist. If the priest refuses, he or she is inhibited and cut off from the parish because the bishop is "concerned about the safety of both priest and the congregation." Checkmate, game over. If the priest has the evaluation, he or she is, of course, reported to be over-stressed, not mentally well, and in an unstable time of life for making decisions, so the priest (who is usually not allowed to see the actual report), is inhibited while he or she recovers. Checkmate, game over. There are effective counter moves to these revisionist tactics against priests which the AAC can provide, working within a one-on-one counseling relationship. You don't have to lose your parish and be declared nuts by a revisionist bishop's unfriendly psychiatrist.
One of the great hopes that the orthodox Anglicans in the United States have had, in the midst of the turmoil and suffering, was that other so-called mainline denominations, such as the Lutherans, would see the wreckage that the homosexual lobby has made of the Episcopal Church, and that sane and thoughtful Lutherans would step back and say, "We don't want our church to go through that." For orthodox Anglicans to have endured the persecution but also to have provided a warning to other denominations would have made the difficulties easier. Apparently this is not to be, for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has passed this week the first of several homosexual-agenda pieces of legislation by an astounding two thirds majority. The most critical vote is Friday, August 21, and this vote, to permit homosexuals to serve in congregations as pastors, only requires a simple majority. Pundits call it a slam dunk. Why have Lutherans, like lemmings, raced over the spiritual edge of the cliff, following their Episcopalian counterparts into greater heterodoxy? We will have to listen to the Lutherans from both sides of the issue to find the reasons, but it suggests that there will be a Lutheran exodus as well, as those good Lutherans who are faithful to the Gospel will realign somewhere. It is a sad day to see another great church body choose the spirit of the age rather than the Holy Spirit as the guiding presence of their denomination.
There will come a day, I am sure, when the heterodox Episcopal Church and a heterodox Lutheran Church will merge. Apparently TEC has now entered into inter-Communion with the Moravian Church. Do the Moravians have any idea of what they have done and with whom they have allied? May God help the Moravians.
The final defining line through Christianity won't be on liturgy or vestments, it will be over Christology and Holy Scripture, and one can pray that these two also become the basis for the reunification of faithful orthodox Christian Churches in the battle for the soul of humankind.
May our Lord bless and sustain you in every good thing,
The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council
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