Exploring the Connections

Deeper partnership possibilities

Both churches ‘have the ability to speak truth to power,’ says U.S. Presiding Bishop

by Marites N. Sison
Anglican Journal at General Synod 2010, June 9, 2010

 U.S. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told members of General Synod that the Episcopal Church is eager to deepen its partnership with the Anglican Church of Canada, noting how the two churches have “common roots and history.”

Episcopalians are “deeply grateful for our friends north of the border,” said Bishop Jefferts Schori addressing the 2010 General Synod meeting here. “We’re eager for what you can teach us out of your experience, and we’re energized about the possibilities for increased mission partnership.”

Bishop Jefferts Schori said that as both churches look to the future, “there are significant ways in which our two churches might partner and learn from each other.” She cited as examples ministries in native and indigenous communities as well as in new populations, partnerships around “new forms of leadership development, especially around shared ministry (and) local common ministry.”

The Canadian and American churches can be “significant advocates for indigenous peoples together,” she later explained in a press conference. “The work that you’ve done with First Nations people, I think, is in a different stage than the work that we’re doing in the U.S.…The Episcopal Church has not really yet begun to address indigenous communities in Latin America.” She added that the Anglican Indigenous Network hasn’t really engaged indigenous Anglicans beyond Canada, the U.S., Australia and Hawaii. “There are some whose concerns aren’t on the radar screen of the rest of the communion.”

Anglicans and Episcopalians also have “a singular opportunity in our Full Communion relationship with Lutheran churches, an opportunity that we, as The Episcopal Church, really have only begun to explore,” Bishop Jefferts Schori added. “There are potentially similar opportunities with Moravians and for you, with the United Church.”

Together, both churches “have the ability to speak truth to power,” said Bishop Jefferts Schori, citing advocacy work with the U.S. and Canadian governments about issues around migration, labour and trade policy across the Americas. “The context that we share in North America means that common conversation and action around the challenges of our day could be greatly strengthened by partnership,” said Bishop Jefferts Schori. “Our common voices and varied context will enrich dialogue about ethics and biotechnology, energy--whether it’s the Gulf oil spill or Canadian tar sands, human sexuality and anthropology, preserving the language, culture and life ways of the indigenous peoples… global warming and climate change…”

The presence at General Synod of the bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Jerusalem, Suheil Dawan, “is a vital example of how much global peacemaking needs us all,” she added.

In her 20-minute speech that was twice interrupted by applause, Bishop Jefferts Schori gave a picture of what The Episcopal Church is and noted similarities that exist between the American and Canadian churches.

“The baptismal covenant that our churches have shared in recent decades has increasingly roused us toward mission,” she noted. “Our two churches share common roots and history in addition to the theologies that have developed from our liturgical reforms.”

She noted that the diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island is celebrating 300 years of continuing Anglican worship, while The Episcopal Church celebrated 400 years of continuous worship in the Atlantic coast of Virginia.

She noted how lay leadership became “essential and vital” and how women took significant leadership roles during the colonial period when the Church of England “largely ignored us.” She said that “the history of lay leadership and the development of democratic national ecclesiastical polity has continued to shape The Episcopal Church and in many ways, the church in Canada.”

Bishop Jefferts Schori noted how Canadian Anglicans have often “provided shelter to those fleeing our wars,” including Native Americans, slaves, the conscientious objectors of the Vietnam war eras…

“Our histories have continued to be intertwined. We’ve had quite a lot of consensual border crossing,” she said, which drew laughter and applause from members. (Both Canadian and American churches have complained of cross-border interventions from other provinces of the Anglican Communion unhappy with the more liberal views expressed on the issue of human sexuality.)

Bishop Jefferts Schori talked about how developing congregations and “awareness of mission” is a priority for The Episcopal Church.” Much of overseas mission work is shaped by the (UN) Millennium Development Goals, she said. Domestically, it is involved in initiatives addressing poverty.

She also noted that Episcopalians are “beginning to move beyond buildings” and are “beginning to learn new ways of accompaniment and solidarity.”

In a press conference held after her speech, Bishop Jefferts Schori said Episcopal dioceses whose bishops have left the Episcopal Church and who previously had been excluded from their former buildings “have discovered the freedom…of not being tied to a particular place.” She added: “They would love to go back to their historic buildings, don’t get me wrong, but they’ve discovered something about lightness of being in the interim that has been important.”

Those that are not tied to a particular location also discover something important about how community gathers on the road, she said. “When Jesus said the Son of Man has no place to lay his head, there’s an important teaching in that. We get so attached to our favourite pew that we can’t see God except through that particular perspective. When we move across the room or down to the local coffee shop or out to the athletic field to gather for worship we discover something different.”

Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, said that Bishop Jefferts Schori “opened for us a picture of The Episcopal Church–its diversity, commitment to God’s mission and its place in the Anglican Communion.” He said that he was “holding out the possibilities for deeper partnership” between the Canadian and American churches.

Archbishop Hitlz said Canadian Anglicans “value and cherish” their relationship with Episcopalians. The Episcopal Church “has walked alongside us through some difficult times,” he said. When General Synod almost went bankrupt following lawsuits over Indian residential schools, The Episcopal Church donated a gift of $100,000. “We’ve not forgotten that gesture,” said Archbishop Hiltz.

Anglicans and Episcopalians also share a common mission. Archbishop Hiltz noted that the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund and the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) are currently working closely on relief and rehabilitation efforts in earthquake-damaged Haiti, where more than 200,000 have died, and where much of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti’s infrastructure has been damaged.

“We are immensely grateful to your church for the $2 million raised for the relief and reconstruction efforts in Haiti and the people of Haiti, thank you,” said Bishop Jefferts Schori.

Renewing Christian hope in the City of Angels

by Savi Hensman
Ekklesia News Service, May 17, 2010

In the face of worldwide controversy, Anglicans in Los Angeles were on 15 May 2010 celebrating the consecration of Mary Glasspool as a new assistant bishop.

Some have condemned the Episcopal Church, on the grounds that she is a partnered lesbian, and so unfit to be a church leader, or that the time is not right since the Anglican Communion as a whole is not ready. Yet this development reflects attempts to be faithful to Christ and the Anglican tradition in an area of great diversity, and a world where there are sometimes no easy answers.

Throughout the twentieth century, Anglicans and other Christians across the world, have wrestled with what it means to love God and neighbour in practice. International gatherings have expressed gratitude for the work of scientists, calling on Christians to “learn reverently from every new disclosure of truth” and of theologians “who, worshipping the God of Truth, have enriched and deepened our understanding of the Bible, not least by facing with intellectual integrity the questions raised by modern knowledge and modern criticism” (http://www.lambethconference.org/resolutions/1958/1958-4.cfm)

From 1978 the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops called for “deep and dispassionate study of the question of homosexuality, which would take seriously both the teaching of Scripture and the results of scientific and medical research. The Church, recognising the need for pastoral concern for those who are homosexual, encourages dialogue with them”.

Justice too has been a key theme. Churches worldwide were urged to encourage “members to see that a true Christian spirituality involves a concern for God's justice in the world, particularly in its own community”.

As one report put it, “Christians in mission live out the values of the gospel: love, justice, peace and preferential option for the poor, powerless and weak. They respect and affirm the dignity of each person, looking for and honouring the Christ in each child of God... Christians in mission are prophetic risk-takers”.

Prophetic risk-taking was a hallmark of the movements for change that swept US society in the mid-twentieth century. Many Americans were socially conservative, though others sought more rights for workers, women, ethnic minorities and, in some cases, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people.

Even some of those opposed to racial segregation, at first viewed the civil rights movement as extreme and mainstream politicians kept their distance. But in 1960, Dr Martin Luther King Jr and other leaders organised a protest at the Democratic national convention in Los Angeles (LA) which, alongside other nonviolent activism, played a part in shifting attitudes.

King was a Baptist minister who pointed out that “History unfortunately leaves some people oppressed and some people oppressors” and argued that violent retaliation and passive acceptance were both wrong: what was needed was “mass non-violent resistance based on the principle of love” .

A few years later, in 1965, the riots in Watts, LA helped to spotlight deep-rooted injustice.

A former journalist, Malcolm Boyd, who had been ordained as an Episcopal priest in LA in 1955, became a dedicated civil rights activist, alongside a number of other Episcopalians willing to risk imprisonment or death to defend their neighbours’ rights.

He also wrote a best-selling book of prayers. Later Boyd came out as gay. He is now an honorary writer-in-residence in the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Tall and heavily built, diocesan bishop Jon Bruno played American football at college. Born and brought up in LA, he followed his uncle into the police force. But he too felt called to the priesthood. Though white and heterosexual himself, he ministered in communities deeply affected by racism and other forms of injustice, and combined prayerfulness and care for individuals with commitment to social change. When HIV swept through his parish in the 1980s, and many AIDS patients were shunned, he held the dying in his arms.

Along with many other Episcopalians, he was part of a journey of understanding which – though it did not lead to automatic acceptance of same-sex partnerships – meant that theological issues around sexual orientation and gender required careful thought, rooted in real-life experience rather than stereotyping.

By the early twenty-first century, it became apparent that some Anglicans elsewhere cared little for justice and were committed to blocking, rather than encouraging, serious study and dialogue.

As theologians put forward a strong case for equality, many in the Episcopal Church grew increasingly uneasy about discriminating against LGBT people. Some felt they were betraying their baptismal vows.

When Mary Glasspool was chosen, Bishop Bruno poignantly quoted Dr King: “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.”

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© Savitri Hensman works in the voluntary sector in community care and equalities in the UK, and she is also a respected writer on Christianity and social justice. Savi is an Ekklesia associate and regular columnist. A version of this article will also appear in her regular Guardian Comment is Free column: http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/savitrihensman

CANADA: 'Amazing Grace' video wins international award

by Al Symons
Episcopal Life Online, April 22, 2001

[Anglican Church of Canada] "Amazing Together," a compilation video of Canadian Anglicans singing "Amazing Grace," has been honored with a special jury award at WorldFest Houston, an international film festival.

The 10-minute documentary includes clips from 500 unique videos submitted after Amazing Grace Sunday in fall 2008. Thousands of Canadian Anglicans filmed themselves singing the hymn on beaches, in parking lots, in cathedrals and even from Kandahar, Afghanistan.

"Winning an award at the WorldFest film festival in Houston is an honor we all share—every single person, group and parish who participated in the Amazing Grace Project," said Anglican Video senior producer Lisa Barry. "The judging panel gave us the top award in the Religion, Ethics, and Spirituality category and the reason they cited was 'creative excellence.'"

The creativity started brewing at a national communications committee meeting in 2007. Members liked the idea of Canadian Anglicans sharing their renditions of "Amazing Grace," but, as Barry recalls, there were also concerns: "No one will do it." "People are too busy."

Communications staff decided to take on the project anyway. Led by Barry, the staff team included Brian Bukowski, web manager; Bev Murphy, manager of circulation, distribution and information systems, Anglican Journal; and Becky Boucher, Anglican Video production manager. They got the word got out, then watched the idea catch fire.

"When the videos started arriving, we quickly knew what a great gift was being shared," said Barry. "From large city parishes with big budgets to remote congregations in the furthest corners of our great country, creativity poured forth." (A map of where submissions came from may be found here.)

As an additional act of goodwill, singers were asked to donate a "toonie" (a Canadian two-dollar coin) to the Council of the North, the church's northern dioceses. Checks piled up alongside the videos, and more than $100,000 was raised, which the council eventually decided to use for a suicide prevention program.

By December 2008, the team faced another creative hurdle. How would editor Tim Ford of V-Clips combine 500 videos (some from cell phones, some on VHS tapes) into one watchable film? It took some late nights and elbow grease, but the team got "Amazing Together" up on YouTube by Christmas. It has been viewed more than 3,000 times.

The creativity and energy from the Amazing Grace Project is still brewing today. Another nationwide video project is in the works—this time with a Christmas carol. The song, and the good cause, will be announced closer to General Synod 2010.

In the meantime, Canadian Anglicans can celebrate the collective success of this award.

"I consider creativity to be one of God's most delightful gifts to us," said Barry. "I think with "Amazing Together," Canadian Anglicans just hit a great big creative home run. What we didn't have in budget, bells and whistles, we made up for in grace and spirit. Heartfelt congratulations to all!"

--Ali Symons is editor of the MinistryMatters website and communications assistant for communications and information resources for the Anglican Church of Canada.

Why we should be thankful for Rowan Williams and his church of common sense

The Church of England has taken a pounding from critics, but Rowan Williams has reasons to be cheerful as Christmas approaches, says a leading Anglican historian and commentator

by Diarmaid McCulloch, The Observer, December 20, 2009

Dear Archbishop Rowan,

Even though I'm not sending Christmas cards this year – ran out of time – you are not going to escape my seasonal circular letter. It is filled not with the record of my many achievements, holidays taken, operations survived and the GCSE results of my imaginary children, but instead has a few tidings of great joy, because you seem to need them at the moment.

You sounded a bit down the other day when you were talking to the Daily Telegraph, complaining that our government assumes "that religion is a problem, an eccentricity practised by oddities, foreigners and minorities". Well, the government is often right about that, so if I were you I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'd be more worried if the government didn't think religion was a problem.

The Telegraph came up with more why-oh-why material last week, publishing the results of a survey indicating that only half those questioned in this country called themselves Christian. I wouldn't pay too much attention to that either. God will no doubt cope. Let me draw on the words of the Blessed Ian Dury and give you some reasons to be cheerful: one, two, three.

The first reason is the established Church of England. It's true, as that Telegraph survey suggests, that it's not what it was, and the change has been astonishingly quick – encompassing my own still not over-prolonged lifetime. When my father, an Anglican parson, moved in the mid-1950s to become rector of a little country parish in Suffolk, there were still old ladies who would curtsy to him in the street, just because he was the rector.

Worldly power has gone out of the established church, and that is why so many of its adherents have fallen away. Thank goodness for that; churches never handle power well. Think what 1950s England was like when you and I were small boys: the stodgy conformity, the sexual hypocrisy, the complacent, monochrome white Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture. The Church of England, in its funny, messy, unwitting way, helped us to get out of that – giving vital help, for instance, to the tentative and much opposed moves in that same decade to decriminalise homosexuality. Compare the grim-faced, negative reaction of the Roman Catholic church in Spain in recent years to new freedoms as democratic Spain has thrown off General Franco's legacy; give public thanks for the Church of England's bumbling liberalism.

The C of E doesn't deliver strident moral or doctrinal judgments to make an easy headline. Journalists and broadcasters often sneer at such indecisiveness, even though rarely would they be inclined to subject themselves to any system of moral stridency. The history of Anglicanism is confused and contradictory, and because the C of E never succeeded in achieving the monopoly over national religion that it undoubtedly sought, the church has become an icon of diversity and plurality for the nation.

Its doctrinal statement, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion of 1563, is pleasantly anchored in past history, fighting ancient battles. Any Anglican would be happy to acknowledge the importance of such history, while not having to believe personally, for instance, that "the laws of the Realm may punish Christian men with death for heinous and grievous offences". Instead, this established church can be a home for those who go to it to express their doubts as well as their faith. It can be a shelter also for the kaleidoscope of culture, faith and no faith that now makes up our cheerfully diverse nation: an inoculation against the fanatics, both religious and anti-religious.

As the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish withdraw into their own search for national identities, please tell the English, whoever they are, to cherish this ecclesiastical symbol of a rainbow nation. At the moment the English church is afflicted by humourless, tidy-minded souls who want everyone in it to think just like them, and who frequently use the Bible to achieve their aim in the manner of a blunt instrument in an Agatha Christie mystery. Resist them, firm in the faith! Remember what Neil Kinnock achieved against the entryism of Militant in the Labour party of the 1980s. You and archbishop John Sentamu could together witness in the same way for sanity in the C of E.

My second reason to be cheerful is the ordination of women in the Anglican priesthood. Anglicans were the first episcopally governed church grouping to ordain women, way back in the Second World War, in a dire emergency in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, when the only person available to do one priestly job was a woman, Florence Li Tim-Oi. Loud were the condemnations then, and there has been much angry noise since. But what riches the Church of England has gained since it joined sister-Anglican churches in ordaining women in 1994!

Women priests have faced some extraordinarily childish behaviour from many male counterparts: bullying, condescension and frank undervaluing of their ministry. Besides this has been the glass ceiling that prevented them from being eligible for choice as bishops. Now all that is about to change, and not least among the considerations behind the General Synod's overwhelming vote for change has been the grace so many women have displayed in the face of masculine bad manners. But there is also an everyday grace that women have brought to the ministry: a general reluctance to join in the theological party strife so common among male clergy, who like nothing better than to line up as Anglo-Catholics or evangelicals, as if they were a set of football hooligans out on the streets after the match.

Consider, Archbishop Rowan, that one of the most positive images of the Anglican parish priest in the English media is the now evergreen Vicar of Dibley. There's what the Great English Public think of their women clergy: a bit daft, fond of a box of chocolates or two, but, underneath it all, a source of love and common sense for a community that always has the potential to behave badly. When you think of some of the other stereotypes of priests around at the moment in these islands or beyond, just thank your lucky stars for the folksy silliness of the vicar of Dibley.

My third reason is the election of a bishop in a diocese of the American Episcopal Church in California who happens to be a lesbian. There's maturity for you. Faithful, seriously worshipping Christian folk have made a free decision in an open election that the best candidate for the job is a woman, who has shown by her decisions in life that fidelity, love and honesty are demanded by her practice of the Christian gospel.

These Californian Anglicans are grown-up enough to believe that it is entirely irrelevant that such fidelity, love and honesty are expressed in a same-sex relationship rather than a heterosexual one. Perhaps they have come to the conclusion that it would be a strange sort of supreme being who cared that much for a particular configuration of genitalia in her servants.

The Episcopal Church of the United States of America has been subjected to continuous abuse and carping from fellow Anglicans, attempted poaching of its churches by dissidents and demands that it curb its understanding of love and sexuality to fit in with the sexual mores of an entirely different society. So American Anglicans have decided that enough is enough: that they should just get on with being Anglicans and elect the best person for the job.

It would be nice if the election of bishops in the Church of England were that democratic and so effectively took into consideration the wishes of all the diocesan faithful. That's a job to be tackled in Lambeth Palace once the mince pies have gone down and the archiepiscopal sherry decanter put back in the sideboard.

Meanwhile, I hope that you may rejoice at Christmas in this multiform church over which you so graciously and thoughtfully preside – give a welcome to the continuing unobtrusive and untrumpeted trickle of converts, not least from your sister church of Rome, join in the worship at one of your cathedrals, so packed to the gills, so well cared for and cherished as never before in their history, and enjoy the heritage of beautiful music that is one of the treasures of Anglicanism.

The Christmas story may be expressed in biblical forms that are not very good history and which some of your congregations may find difficult to take literally, but Christmas music can sweep past the puzzles of words to celebrate a new human life, weak, vulnerable and humble, which is glorified precisely for that. You will know the saying of Thomas Aquinas, which a wise old Dominican friar once quoted to me over a great deal of Irish whiskey, that God is not the answer, he is the question. As long as your church, and all other churches, go on asking the question, they will never die.

Diarmaid

Diarmaid MacCulloch is professor of the history of the church at Oxford University. His latest book is A History of Christianity: the First Three Thousand years (Allen Lane). His BBC4 television series on the same subject ended last week.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010

[Thanks to the Rev'd Harold Good, former President of The Methodist Church in Ireland, for the heads-up on this story - MT]

Homosexuality should not be an issue to tear the Anglican Communion apart, says the Archbishop of Wales

Sep 18 2008 WalesOnline

THE Archbishop of Wales yesterday warned any attempt to find a quick-fix solution to issues dividing the world’s 80 million Anglicans would “end in tears”
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He told the Church in Wales’ Governing Body in Lampeter that: Sexuality should not be a “Communion-breaking” issue; Churches should not be required to sign-up to a new set of binding beliefs; Anglicans had clamped down on homosexuality but not on heterosexual sex outside marriage.

Dr Barry Morgan said that while there was a focus on homosexuality “most people who come to be married in Anglican churches in Britain live together beforehand”.

In his report on the global gathering of bishops for the summer’s Lambeth Conference, he said: “The fundamental question in all of this is whether homosexuality is a matter of choice or not because that should make a difference to the way it is regarded.”

The Anglican Communion has been transformed through the creation of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, a world-wide group of conservative churches formed at the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), staged in Jerusalem in June.

The church leaders who attended – many of whom boycotted Lambeth – backed the Jerusalem Declaration which committed them to the “unchangeable standard of Christian marriage between one man and one woman”.

Dr Morgan said: “[One] of the glories of Anglicanism has been about being held together by our beliefs as contained in historic creeds and formulas but not by agreement to particular statements about that faith in each generation. That is the difference between belonging to a Communion rather than a confession.”
Further criticising the conservatives, he said: “Moreover, GAFCON members do not believe in engaging in dialogue with people with whom they disagree on human sexuality because it means being open to the possibility that the position of one’s opponent might be true when the plain sense reading of Scripture shows in their view that it is not.”

Calling for the freedom for Churches to make their own interpretations of the Bible’s teaching on this issue, he said: “Why is it that, as far as Anglicanism is concerned, we do not interpret the Scriptures literally when it comes to issues such as usury or marriage and divorce to name but two, but insist on a literal interpretation of texts that allegedly deal with homosexuality?

“It is difficult to believe that we have boxed ourselves into this particular corner.

“Allegorical, symbolical and mythical interpretations are allowed and have been allowed from the time of the Fathers to the present day for every part of the Bible, except for those that deal with sexuality and one is also left wondering why there cannot be diversity on this issue as on so many other moral issues.”

However, he acknowledged the severity of the crisis unleashed in 2003 when the Rev Gene Robinson – a divorced man with a male partner – was elected bishop of New Hampshire.

He said there was no doubt “the consecration of a bishop living in a same-gender union has caused deep upset and outrage and questions both the view of Scripture and tradition, has hampered mission in some parts of the Communion and led to the persecution of Christians in others, and has impaired ecumenical relationships as our Roman Catholic observers told us.”

But he added: “On the other hand, in other places, it has sent positive messages about the place of homosexuals in God’s church.”

A highlight of Lambeth for Dr Morgan was a march on London by the bishops to call on the world’s governments to honour the UN Millennium Goals for the eradication of extreme poverty.

He said: “I am left wondering that had we spent our energy on promoting these goals, rather than on debating sexuality over the last 10 years, how different things might be now.

“As the Prime Minister reminded us, 10 million children each year die avoidable deaths from TB, polio, diphtheria and malaria, 77 million children have no schools to attend and 100 million people face starvation in our world today.”

Australia appoints first woman bishop

Kay Goldsworthy to serve as assistant bishop in Perth

By Matthew Davies April 11, 2008[Episcopal News Service]

With the April 11 announcement that the Venerable Kay Goldsworthy has been named assistant bishop for the Anglican Diocese of Perth, the Anglican Church of Australia becomes the fourth province in the Anglican Communion to appoint or elect a woman to serve in the episcopate.

Archbishop of Perth Roger Herft, in announcing the appointment of Australia's first woman bishop, said the decision came after prayerful deliberation, "obtaining advice from others and with the unanimous endorsement of the Diocesan Council."

"In making this announcement I am delighted that we in the church of Perth continue our unwavering commitment to Christ's gospel by recognizing women and men as equal partners in the world," Herft continued.

Goldsworthy, 51, will be consecrated May 22 at St. George's Cathedral in Perth.

Goldsworthy, who has served several parishes in the Diocese of Perth and most recently as its archdeacon, is regarded as a pioneer of women's ordination in Australia. She was one of the first women ordained to the priesthood at St. George's Cathedral in 1992 by Herft's predecessor, Archbishop Peter Carnley.

"That momentous occasion will be in everyone's minds and hearts when Kay is consecrated bishop on May 22 in the same cathedral," said Herft, who called Goldsworthy an outstanding candidate for the position. "Her previous experience within the diocese, including terms as school chaplain, canon of the Cathedral, parish priest, and archdeacon means she is one of the best qualified priests to take on this role at this stage."

Herft said the way was cleared for women to serve as bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia in October 2007 with the ruling that such appointments were in accord with the constitution of the Australian Church. This appointment was a logical progression of that decision, he said. "We expect this news will be greeted with joy and excitement among Anglicans and many others in Australia and beyond."

The National Bishops' Meeting held in Newcastle this week established protocols in respect of women in the episcopate, and "parishes that cannot in good conscience recognize the ministry of a woman bishop will be offered the services of a male bishop," according to reports.

Fourteen of the 38 Anglican provinces have approved the ordination of women bishops but 10 have yet to appoint or elect one. Three provinces -- the U.S. Episcopal Church, Anglican Church of Canada and the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia -- currently have women serving as bishops. The Church of England's General Synod in July 2006 called for the practical and legislative arrangements of admitting women to the episcopate to be explored and the Scottish Episcopal Church voted to accept women bishops when it met in Edinburgh, Scotland, in June 2003.

The Rev. Canon Nerva Cot Aguilera became the first woman Anglican bishop in Latin America when she was consecrated bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Church of Cuba in June 2007

Bishop Barbara Harris, now retired suffragan of Massachusetts, became the Anglican Communion's first woman bishop after her election in 1988 and consecration in 1989.

Goldsworthy, who also serves on the Anglican Consultative Council, the Communion’s main policy-making body, said she was both humbled and deeply honored by her appointment. "Since the first consecration of a woman bishop in 1989, women have been serving with distinction alongside men as bishops in many parts of the Anglican Communion -- a development long taken for granted," she said. "Australia has been a while catching up, but our time has come, and I know that the great majority of Australian Anglicans will warmly welcome this day.

"Indeed, I am conscious of many other Christians, not to mention people of other great religious traditions, who are simply delighted that leadership in the Church can be shared in this way," she added. "On a more personal note and putting my natural fears and sense of inadequacy to one side, I am trying to trust the Church discerning me as a bishop, and I simply rely on God's grace as I face the future."

Goldsworthy was one of the international guests who attended the November 4, 2006 investiture of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman to serve as a primate in the Anglican Communion.

Goldsworthy is married to Ben and they have twin sons.

Leading Evangelical bishop calls for fresh approach to sexuality row

by Staff Writers
Ekklesia News Service (U.K.)
Feb 7, 2007

The Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev James Jones, has called for a change of heart among Evangelicals and others in the often bitter argument about sexuality, Scripture and authority.

But Bishop Jones has not, as reports in The Guardian and the Daily Mail newspapers have suggested, directly sanctioned same-sex relationships. In a lecture delivered at the end of 2007 and published in a new book designed to build-bridges in the run-up to the Lambeth Conference, he nevertheless points out that it is possible on the basis of the Bible to recognise that people of the same gender can have deeply involved emotional and physical friendships.

The bishop, who is a senior figure on the Evangelical wing of the Church, also forthrightly apologises for the form of action he took in opposing the appointment of Canon Jeffrey John, who declared himself to be in a non-sexual gay partnership, as Bishop of Reading. He expresses sorrow and regret over its hurtful impact, but he does not state that his reasons for doing so at the time were wrong.

For the rest of the story go here

INTEGRITY: "House of Bishops Stands Firm"

Integrity Press Release
by Susan Russell

NEW ORLEANS—The members of Integrity have prayed unceasingly for their bishops as they met this week to consider a response to the primates' communiqué. The bishops were pressured by the Archbishop of Canterbury and other international guests to comply with the primate's demands. The bishops struggled mightily amongst themselves to achieve a clear consensus on how to respond. Integrity is gratified that the final response from the House of Bishop declined to succumb to the pressure to go backwards, but rather took some significant steps forward.

We are encouraged by their strong language against the incursions of uninvited bishops into this province, their commendation of the Anglican Listening Process, their unequivocal support that the Bishop of New Hampshire should receive an invitation to the Lambeth Conference, and their affirmation of safety and civil rights for LGBT persons.

Integrity President Susan Russell said, "In response to requests for 'clarity' the House of Bishops made it clear today that the Episcopal Church is moving forward in faith. I believe today’s response will be received as a sign of great hope that we are committed to working through the hard ground of our differences. I look forward to taking the support of the House of Bishops for the Listening Process with me when I and other Integrity representatives meet with Anglican colleagues in London next month to prepare for our witness at the Lambeth Conference."

"Integrity is confident that The Episcopal Church will continue to move forward," concluded Russell. "Integrity expects General Convention 2009 to be a tipping point for equality. We will be working hard in the months ahead to repeal B033 and to authorize development of a rite for blessing same-sex relationships as steps toward the goal of the full inclusion of all the baptized into the Body of Christ."

House of Bishops response 'to questions and concerns raised by our Anglican Communion partners'

[Episcopal News Service]
House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
New Orleans, Louisiana
September 25, 2007

A Response to Questions and Concerns Raised by our Anglican Communion Partners:
In accordance with Our Lord's high priestly prayer that we be one, and in the spirit of Resolution A159 of the 75th General Convention, and in obedience to his Great Commission to go into the world and make disciples, and in gratitude for the gift of the Anglican Communion as a sign of the Holy Spirit's ongoing work of reconciliation throughout the world, we offer the following to The Episcopal Church, the Primates, the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), and the larger Communion, with the hope of "mending the tear in the fabric" of our common life in Christ.

"I do it all for the sake of the Gospel so that I might share in its blessings."
1 Corinthians 9:23.

Introduction
The House of Bishops expresses sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates for accepting our invitation to join us in New Orleans. By their presence they have both honored us and assisted us in our discernment. Their presence was a living reminder of the unity that is Christ's promised gift in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Much of our meeting time was spent in continuing discernment of our relationships within the Anglican Communion. We engaged in careful listening and straightforward dialogue with our guests. We expressed our passionate desire to remain in communion. It is our conviction that The Episcopal Church needs the Anglican Communion, and we heard from our guests that the Anglican Communion needs The Episcopal Church.

The House of Bishops offers the following responses to our Anglican Communion partners.  We believe they provide clarity and point toward next steps in an ongoing process of dialogue.  Within The Episcopal Church the common discernment of God's call is a lively partnership among laypersons, bishops, priests, and deacons, and therefore necessarily includes the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council, and the General Convention.

Summary

• We reconfirm that resolution B033 of General Convention 2006 (The Election Of Bishops) calls upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."
• We pledge as a body not to authorize public rites for the blessing of same-sex unions.
• We commend our Presiding Bishop's plan for episcopal visitors.
• We deplore incursions into our jurisdictions by uninvited bishops and call for them to end.
• We support the Presiding Bishop in seeking communion-wide consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.
• We call for increasing implementation of the listening process across the Communion and for a report on its progress to Lambeth 2008.
• We support the Archbishop of Canterbury in his expressed desire to explore ways for the Bishop of New Hampshire to participate in the Lambeth Conference.
• We call for unequivocal and active commitment to the civil rights, safety, and dignity of gay and lesbian persons.

Discussion
Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention
The House of Bishops concurs with Resolution EC011 of the Executive Council. This Resolution commends the Report of the Communion Sub-Group of the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates of the Anglican Communion as an accurate evaluation of Resolution B033 of the 2006 General Convention, calling upon bishops with jurisdiction and Standing Committees "to exercise restraint by not consenting to the consecration of any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church and will lead to further strains on communion."  The House acknowledges that non-celibate gay and lesbian persons are included among those to whom B033 pertains.

Blessing of Same-Sex Unions
We, the members of the House of Bishops, pledge not to authorize for use in our dioceses any public rites of blessing of same-sex unions until a broader consensus emerges in the Communion, or until General Convention takes further action. In the near future we hope to be able to draw upon the benefits of the Communion-wide listening process. In the meantime, it is important to note that no rite of blessing for persons living in same-sex unions has been adopted or approved by our General Convention. In addition to not having authorized liturgies the majority of bishops do not make allowance for the blessing of same-sex unions. We do note that in May 2003 the Primates said we have a pastoral duty "to respond with love and understanding to people of all sexual orientations." They further stated, "…[I]t is necessary to maintain a breadth of private response to situations of individual pastoral care."

Episcopal Visitors
We affirm the Presiding Bishop's plan to appoint episcopal visitors for dioceses that request alternative oversight. Such oversight would be provided by bishops who are a part of and subject to the communal life of this province. We believe this plan is consistent with and analogous to Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight (DEPO) as affirmed by the Windsor Report (paragraph 152). We thank those bishops who have generously offered themselves for this ministry. We hope that dioceses will make use of this plan and that the Presiding Bishop will continue conversation with those dioceses that may feel the need for such ministries. We appreciate and need to hear all voices in The Episcopal Church.

Incursions by Uninvited Bishops
We call for an immediate end to diocesan incursions by uninvited bishops in accordance with the Windsor Report and consistent with the statements of past Lambeth Conferences and the Ecumenical Councils of the Church. Such incursions imperil common prayer and long-established ecclesial principles of our Communion. These principles include respect for local jurisdiction and recognition of the geographical boundaries of dioceses and provinces. As we continue to commit ourselves to honor both the spirit and the content of the Windsor Report, we call upon those provinces and bishops engaging in such incursions likewise to honor the Windsor Report by ending them. We offer assurance that delegated episcopal pastoral care is being provided for those who seek it.

Communion-wide Consultation
In their communique of February 2007, the Primates proposed a "pastoral scheme." At our meeting in March 2007, we expressed our deep concern that this scheme would compromise the authority of our own primate and place the autonomy of The Episcopal Church at risk. The Executive Council reiterated our concerns and declined to participate. Nevertheless we recognize a useful role for communion-wide consultation with respect to the pastoral needs of those seeking alternative oversight, as well as the pastoral needs of gay and lesbian persons in this and other provinces. We encourage our Presiding Bishop to continue to explore such consultation in a manner that is in accord with our Constitution and Canons.

The Listening Process
The 1998 Lambeth Conference called all the provinces of the Anglican Communion to engage in a "listening process" designed to bring gay and lesbian Anglicans fully into the church's conversation about sexuality. We look forward to receiving initial reports about this process at the 2008 Lambeth Conference, and to participating with others in this crucial enterprise. We are aware that in some cultural contexts, conversation concerning homosexuality is difficult. We see an important role for the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in this listening process, since it represents both the lay and ordained members of our constituent churches and so is well placed to engage every part of the body in this conversation. We encourage the ACC to identify the variety of resources needed to accomplish these conversations.

The Lambeth Conference
Invitations to the Lambeth Conference are extended by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Those among us who have received an invitation to attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference look forward to that gathering with hope and expectation. Many of us are engaged in mission partnerships with bishops and dioceses around the world and cherish these relationships. Lambeth offers a wonderful opportunity to build on such partnerships.

We are mindful that the Bishop of New Hampshire has not yet received an invitation to the conference. We also note that the Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed a desire to explore a way for him to participate. We share the Archbishop's desire and encourage our Presiding Bishop to offer our assistance as bishops in this endeavor. It is our fervent hope that a way can be found for his full participation.

Justice and Dignity for Gay and Lesbian Persons
It is of fundamental importance that, as we continue to seek consensus in matters of human sexuality, we also be clear and outspoken in our shared commitment to establish and protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian persons, and to name and oppose at every turn any action or policy that does violence to them, encourages violence towards them, or violates their dignity as children of God. We call all our partners in the Anglican Communion to recommit to this effort. As we stated at the conclusion of our meeting in March 2007: "We proclaim the Gospel of what God has done and is doing in Christ, of the dignity of every human being, and of justice, compassion and peace. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, no male or female, no slave or free. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including women, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that stands against any violence, including violence done to women and children as well as those who are persecuted because of their differences, often in the name of God."
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(1) The Communion Sub-Group noted that "the resolution uses the language of 'restraint', and the group noted that there has been considerable discussion since General Convention about the exact force of that word. By requiring that the restraint must be expressed in a particular way--'by not consenting...', however, the resolution is calling for a precise response, which complies with the force of the recommendation of the Windsor Report." The group also noted "that while the Windsor Report restricted its recommendation  to candidates for the episcopate who were living in a same gender union, the resolution at General Convention widened this stricture to apply to a range of lifestyles which present a wider challenge. The group welcomed this widening of the principle, which was also recommended by the Windsor Report, and commend it to the Communion."

Without gay priests Church would be lost claims Bishop Gene

by Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent
The Times, July 27, 2007

The openly gay bishop whose ordination sparked the crisis in the Anglican Communion has claimed the Church of England would be close to shutting down if it was forced to manage without its gay clergy.

The Bishop of New Hampshire in the US, the Right Rev Gene Robinson, who is divorced and lives openly in partnership with a gay man, said he found it "mystifying" that the mother church of the Anglican Communion was unable to be honest about the number of gay clergy in its ranks.

He said many of the English church's clergy lived openly in their rectories with gay partners, with the full knowledge of their bishops. But he criticised the stance of bishops who threaten the clergy with emnity [sic] should their relationships become public.

Speaking in an interview in London, Bishop Gene said:

"I have met so many gay partnered clergy here and it is so troubling to hear them tell me that their bishop comes to their house for dinner, knows fully about their relationship, is wonderfully supportive but has also said if this ever becomes public then I’m your worst enemy.

"It’s a terrible way to live your life and I think it’s a terrible way to be a church. I think integrity is so important. What does it mean for a clergy person to be in a pulpit calling the parishioners to a life of integrity when they can’t even live a life of integrity with their own bishop and their own church? So I would feel better about the Church of England’s stance, its reluctance to support The Episcopal Church in what it has done if it would at least admit that this not an American problem and just an American challenge. If all the gay people stayed away from church on a given Sunday the Church of England would be close to shut down between its organists, its clergy, its wardens.....it just seems less than humble not to admit that."

Read the complete article here