A Message from Bishop David Anderson

Bishop Anderson

Beloved in Christ,

If you have been listening to some of the Anglican internet chatter, you may have heard the allegation that the Prime Minister of the UK has asked for a study to be done on what procedure he should follow if the Archbishop of Canterbury (ABC) were to resign. I don't believe that it has been proven that the PM did ask for such a study, but if he did, the question would be "why?"

Would the alleged study imply an impending resignation by the ABC, or would the study be a signal sent to Lambeth that such a decision might be appropriate? Until it is clear that a study was actually requested, it is all chasing after shadows. It is possible that some group unhappy with the ABC might have concocted the story and released it to cause the ABC further difficulty. The ABC has been facing real opposition in the General Synod in his attempt to provide a safe harbor for those opposing women in the episcopate. Our highly reliable sources tell us that Dr. Rowan Williams is absolutely not considering a resignation, and we hope that this is fact.

It seems that, in the last few weeks, Dr. Williams might finally be realizing that TEC Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's "Global TEC Communion" is really trying to take his job away - that is, to supplant the historic Anglican Communion with an international American-controlled, TEC-run communion, with Dr. Jefferts Schori as the queen bishop. Dr. Williams may be close to grasping the severity of his problem, and certainly he seems to be understanding the belligerence of TEC when asked to play by Communion rules, as seen in TEC's reaction to Kenneth Kearon's recently announced sanctions against them.

The breaking news is a report filed with the Church of England Newspaper by journalist George Conger about the Standing Committee of the Anglican Communion (SCAC). You need to read the article in its entirety. The unofficial word is that, some time ago, Kenneth Kearon delivered a letter from Dr. Williams to Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori which asked her not to come to the next SCAC meeting, since TEC had violated the moratorium on consecrating bishops living in same-sex relationships. No one is forthcoming with a copy of the letter, but Jefferts Schori's response in a press conference was that she is planning to attend.

When the American Anglican Council contacted the Episcopal Church Center regarding this, Neva Rae Fox, TEC public affairs contact person, informed the AAC that the Presiding Bishop and Bishop Douglas will both be attending next Friday's meeting of the SCAC. Ms. Fox said that "it is important to note" that Bishop Douglas is representing the ACC and was elected by the ACC and that Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori was elected by the Primates of North and South America as the representative of the Americas for the Primates to the Standing Committee. Ergo, they were duly elected and they will attend.

I would presume that if they became ill and were unable to attend, the SCAC has alternative representatives who would attend in their place. In this case, perhaps the Archbishop of Canterbury's request to Dr. Jefferts Schori not to come should be treated as an illness preventing her fulfillment of the office to which she was elected. The situation with Bishop Douglas is that he was elected as a priest, and was filling a presbyterial slot as an elected representative. Now he is a bishop, and that should be prevent him from attending as a priest representative.

The problem seems to be that rules adopted one day cease to have any meaning the next if they become inconvenient. We have observed how Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori has expanded and extended rules she liked in TEC without benefit of any additional legislative or approval process. We have also seen how she ignores or re-interprets rules when they become inconvenient to her. Now we see this Schori-esque approach being manifested in the SCAC, which recreated itself out of the former Joint Standing Committee without any legitimate authority to do so. And so it goes.

George Conger reports that a spokesman for the Anglican Communion Office, when questioned about the activities going on, said in essence that observance of the Anglican Consultative Council's bylaws are discretionary when they are inconsistent with its political agenda.

The Archbishop of Canterbury's press spokesman, however, told Conger that the ACO staff's views are not the final word on the matter, as the appointment of Bishop Ian Douglas and Canon Janet Trisk to the SCAC are under legal review.

Fortunately, while all these maneuvers are going on at the higher levels, down on the street where most of us live, orthodox Anglican churches are doing the things that one expects them to do: having regular worship, providing Christian education to adults and children, preparing families for baptizing their children, preparing confirmands for the bishop's visit, preparing couples for Christian marriage, visiting and bringing the sacraments to the sick and shut-in, reaching out to those in the community in need, both spiritually and physically, and generally being the Body of Christ. To all the parish priests, deacons, and lay leaders who are working hard where God has placed you, bringing the love of Jesus Christ to those who need to experience it, thank you, and may your name and face always be before our heavenly father as he looks at his Son's Church.

Blessings and peace in Christ Jesus,

The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr.
President and CEO, American Anglican Council

Bishop Anderson's message is also available on the AAC's website here.

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