Message from Bishop David Anderson   Bishop Anderson Dearly Beloved in Christ Jesus, This last year has been a time of tribulation for many theologically orthodox Anglican churches in the United States that previously had broken off from the American Episcopal Church (TEC). Indeed, for those whose property has been seized it would appear to be an "annus horribilis." When a person professes faith in Jesus Christ and thus becomes a Christian, an individual who lives in the Western world seldom weighs fully the cost of that decision. It has been said of the Platte River in Nebraska that in the Spring runoff it is a mile wide at the mouth and only six inches deep. From this observation by early travelers has come the frequently used expression "a mile wide and an inch deep" to connote something that is wide and impressive but shallow and lacking depth of content. Much of Western Christianity is figuratively a mile wide, but the depth of commitment is untested and whether the individual Christian is willing to suffer discrimination, marginalization, abuse, loss of property or even life is unknown. A martyr is a witness, and martyrdom may take different forms in various countries. For example, in parts of Africa, it may mean loss of life; in some Muslim countries, it may mean being run out of your home and having all your property taken away. In England and North America, it may mean financial loss or loss of employment. Included today is a story about Christian innkeepers in Vermont, USA, who have had to pay a stiff penalty for living out their Christian faith by running their business on Christian moral principles. Remember them in your prayers. They are witnesses, being obedient to what they believe God requires in Holy Scripture.

There are many times individuals have demonstrated their faith and their understanding of the consequences of following Jesus to the point of great pain and even loss of life. Many Anglican leaders during the short reign of Queen Mary were hung, drawn, and quartered, while others were simply burned alive at the stake. One of my Amish/Mennonite ancestors on my mother's side of the family was Jacob Hochstetler from Berks County, Pennsylvania. On the night of Sept. 19-20, 1757, a group of Delaware Indians surrounded his cabin, inside which he and his wife and several of his adult children had taken refuge. On the table were several loaded rifles ready for a hunting excursion, and as the Indians broke into the cabin, the young teenage sons, Joseph and Christian, reached for their hunting rifles in an attempt to kill or scare off the attackers, but their father, true to their Christian pacifism, did not allow them to kill or injure the attackers even at the risk of their own death. The sons obeyed their father and the Indians immediately killed Barbara, the mother, a daughter and a son Jacob. The father Jacob and his sons Joseph and Christian were taken captive. Although I am not a pacifist, and an Anglican rather than a Mennonite, I fully appreciate the depth of this family's commitment to their Christian faith as they understood it, and to the Savior that they loved. I don't advocate their approach for Anglicans, but I am moved by their willingness to go the full distance. Their faith was tested as they all were martyrs. Our situation today in America and Europe is much different, and yet still unfolding. In England it is lawful to discriminate against Christians who wear a cross as a sign of their faith, yet it is permissible for others of different faiths to wear some identification. It seems that in England and Europe, no religion or other religions are somehow chic but faith in Jesus Christ is odious. I believe that this calls for activism on the part of Christians to defend their right to practice their faith, but also a resolute peacefulness to stand up under abuse without responding in equal kind. My heart breaks for those faithful Anglicans in Canada and the United States who have built their churches, paid for them, and now have been legally defrauded of them and expelled. Let those Canadian and American heterodox leaders in the Canadian Anglican and American Episcopal churches consider what they will tell the Lord Jesus Christ when they come before the judgment seat and are asked what they did to their departing church members. For those faithful who departed and have suffered such loss, God be with you. Your witness shows the depth of your faith and commitment to Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures, and your losses, though great, will be returned with blessings beyond measure. You have endured your loss with grace and good character, you have defended the faith. May our Lord Jesus Christ watch over you and prosper you, granting you such depth of faith that you will be more than conquerors in Him. May God add to your house those who the Holy Spirit is bringing to faith, give you songs of joy instead of tears, and a new home to replace those taken away. To all those who suffer and thus witness to the Holy Faith, may you receive a crown that shall not be taken away. Faithfully in Christ, +David The Rt. Rev. David C. Anderson, Sr. President and CEO, American Anglican Council