Letter from the AAC President
 Following the 75th General Convention of the
Episcopal Church
June 23, 2006

Dear Friends,
We have just returned from the 75th Convention of the
Episcopal Church USA (ECUSA). The American Anglican
Council (AAC) went to Columbus to work for clarity,
and I believe we witnessed ECUSA make their choice.
The worldwide Communion asked for simple, unambiguous
compliance with the Windsor Report, specifically an
expression of regret for decisions made in 2003 and
subsequent actions, as well as moratoria on
consecrations of non-celibate homosexuals and same-sex
blessings. The Episcopal Church did not deliver.
Instead, both the House of Bishops and House of
Deputies bowed to intense pressure from the Presiding
Bishop to pass B033, a resolution characterized by
ill-defined language with no provision for enforcement
or accountability. The legislation “called upon”
standing committees and diocesan bishops to “exercise
restraint” by not consenting to the election of
individuals whose “manner of life presents a challenge
to the wider church.” Why was this legislation not
cast in Windsor language? It was clear that neither
house would have approved Windsor compliance wording.
 
Biblically faithful bishops denounced B033, accurately
assessing the resolution as “misleading the rest of
the Communion by giving a false perception that they
intend actually to comply with the recommendations of
the Windsor Report.” According to Associated Press
reports, John Chane, Bishop of Washington, immediately
declared that the resolution was “non-binding” and
that “he would not follow it.” This is no surprise. If
past performance is the best indicator of future
behavior, we can expect the Episcopal Church to
continue its revisionist trajectory with no regard for
the Anglican Communion. 
 
In addition to the unsurprising fudge on consecrations
of bishops, the Episcopal Church simply refused to
address the matter of same-sex blessings.  Dodging the
issue with a claim that ECUSA has not authorized
official rites, General Convention ignored the fact
that same-sex blessings are occurring on a regular
basis all around the country, performed in churches by
Episcopal clergy and bishops. In addition, numerous
dioceses have developed, or are in the process of
developing, rites of same-sex blessings.
 
The election of Katharine Jefferts Schori as presiding
bishop – arguably the least experienced as priest or
bishop, and possibly the most liberal – is an affront
to the Anglican Communion. Before the election, her
record was clear. At the 2003 General Convention, she
voted against a resolution affirming basic tenets of
Christian faith and the authority of Scripture, and
supported V. Gene Robinson’s confirmation as well as
blessings of same-sex unions. In the days following
her election as presiding bishop, her personal
theology has been exposed even more clearly. In her
first sermon as presiding bishop-elect, she referred
to “our Mother Jesus.” In interviews, she expressed
her version of the Gospel: “Now the Bible tells us
about how to treat other human beings and that’s
certainly the great message of Jesus. To include the
un-included.” She has also stated that homosexuality
is not a sin. When the global primates were gathered
in October of 2003 in Lambeth Palace to deal with the
chaos resulting from Gene Robinson’s confirmation as
bishop, she was in her Nevada Diocesan Convention
pushing a same-sex blessing resolution for her
diocese. This does not argue well for her having a
sensitivity to the larger Communion, or even caring.
When asked about life after death, Jefferts Schori
responded: “But what’s important about your life? What
is it that has made you a unique individual? What is
the passion that has kept you getting up every morning
and engaging the world? There are hints within that,
about what it is that continues after you die.”
 
Such statements indicate clearly that Jefferts Schori
is committed to a belief system which is fundamentally
contrary to Scripture, Christian teaching and Anglican
doctrine. There is no other way to interpret her
words.
 
What will be the Communion’s response? The Archbishop
of Canterbury issued a brief statement, noting that
the Communion will have to carefully review the
decisions of General Convention 2006. Primates of the
Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) also
issued an open letter saying, “…reports to date of
your elections and actions suggest that you are unable
to embrace the essential recommendations of the
Windsor Report and the 2005 Primates Communiqué
necessary for the healing of our divisions.” Global
South primates will meet in September and will offer
their “concerted pastoral and structural response.”
 
CAPA primates also sent a strong message to the
orthodox in America: “We assure all those Scripturally
faithful dioceses and congregations alienated and
marginalised within your Provincial structure that we
have heard their cries.”
 
Brothers and Sisters, despite their best efforts to
feign Windsor compliance, ECUSA has made its choice,
and now we must unite and act to ensure a biblically
faithful expression of Anglicanism in America. Whether
you are in ECUSA, are in the process of
disaffiliating, or are under oversight of another
Anglican province, we are committed to assisting you
to go from strength to strength. The war is over; it
is time to build the church.
 
In Christ,
 
The Rev. Canon David C. Anderson
CEO and President, AAC