On 24 August I linked to a story about legal battles within the Episcopal Church: six Episcopal priests from Connecticut had lost their federal case, over civil and property rights, against their bishop, Andrew D.Smith. Now the case is going to appeal.
Given recent hostility towards Christianity of the federal judiciary and its secular allies, I would not give much for their chances.
VirtueOnline analyses the opposing forces.
David Virtue's article is undoubtedly correct that the liberals have enough of the upper hand to impose their views , making full use of the law but, although the liberal bishops can sue the orthodox parishes
...for their properties, inhibit and depose the priests... they cannot stop the hemorrhaging of the church. You cannot sue individuals for leaving the church. (The first parish in Northern California left this week)Indeed, what was once a trickle is threatening to become a flood.
...the revolution has already started with the advent of CANA - the Nigerian Anglican church in North America, now with its own bishop Martyn Minns. Events have overtaken Dr. Williams. And what about the Anglican Mission in America, it is well established as an alternative Anglican presence in the U.S. and the Diocese of Recife in Brazil dumped their Primate and sought ecclesiastical refuge under orthodox Southern Cone Primate Greg Venables. The mutiny is already underway. Dozens of other parishes now have African bishops and call themselves "Anglican" not Episcopalian. One seminary T(E)SM has even dropped the word "Episcopal" from its mast head.Virtue points out that the controversy is in effect between two quite different views of religion. He asks,
Why can't Williams stand up and say, 'The Episcopal Church has abandoned any semblance of the Christian faith, it is done, it is over, you're not coming to Lambeth, and you will wither and die because you have no Good News to proclaim, and there is no such thing as an inclusive church because the church cannot baptize unrepentant sexual sin.' How difficult would that be to say?For someone who has shown little, if any, signs of decisive leadership, very difficult if not impossible.
Time was when the West sent missionaries to Africa. Now the Church of Nigeria is sending missionaries to America.
In a direct response to the ordination of a homosexual priest in the USA, the Nigerian Anglican church, which had already effectively seceded from Canterbury has consecrated its own bishop and is offering a haven for orthodox Anglicans in America and Canada (see previous post today) through the Convocation for Anglicans in North America.
So, orthodox US and Canadian Anglicans are being offered a viable episcopal alternative within the Anglican communion by the Church of Nigeria. That is the mess the Archbishop of Canterbury is next month going to America to try to sort out.
In 2005 the Anglican Network in Canada asked the Archbishop of Canterbury for "Adequate Episcopal Oversight", essentially a device which allows churches in doctrinal dispute with their bishop and diocese to continue within the Anglican communion but under external supervision. The basic reason behind the dispute was concerns over the appointment of homosexual priests.
In response, the Archbishop established a Panel of Reference to hear the application. To cut a very long story short, from the onset the Panel was hostile to the Network.
Now, after a convoluted controversy, the panel has decided to exclude the Anglican Network from its deliberations. So the situation will continue to be that described by the Network when announcing its decision to appeal: directly to the Archbishop.
In the diocese of New Westminster, not only have priests and elected wardens been fired and congregations locked out of their own buildings, but many parish youth have been waiting more than 5 years for confirmation from an orthodox bishop and new orthodox ministers cannot be ordained for these congregations.
