simply means English; a term indicating the English origins of the Episcopal Church.

indicate any national church which derives from the Church of England

(from Rowan Williams) Communion means a great many things, and means more than simply a set of structures, a regular pattern of meetings between Primates or any other official leaders. Communion means the Mother's Union group from Lancashire going to visit Burundi, it mean the youth workers in the West Indies going to spend five years in the United States, and all manner of things like that. It means the existing close relationships between provinces as, for a long time, between Australia and Papua New Guinea whereby the life and the resource of different bits of the Communion is shared. So the degree to which we are in or out of Communion, as between local churches, is never that easy to determine. Having said that, a superficial unity just clinging to structural forms for the sake of it is not at all what we are about. That's why I emphasise the deeper levels of Communion.

the presiding bishop of the Church of England; sometimes acknowledged by American Episcopalians as the honorary spiritual head of the entire Anglican communion.

The title used in some member churches of the Anglican Communion for the chief bishop in that national church; a bishop over a group of dioceses; for instance, the Archbishop of South Africa or New Zealand.

The title used in some member churches of the Anglican Communion for the chief bishop in that national church; thus, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the "Primate of all England", and the Archbishop of Sydney if the "Primate" in Alstralia.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the institute's Web site characterizes it as "fighting for the reform of American churches. It promotes a philosophy that mainline Protestant churches have strayed from their central tenets, especially, "affirming biblical authority". In a 2000 paper called "Reforming America's Churches Project 2001-2004," the institute set its goal to "redirect these [mainline] churches away from their reflexive alliance with the political left and back towards classical Christianity."

To swing the pendulum to the right and fund its work, the institute has turned to a dozen well-known conservative foundations, including several run by Richard Scaife and Howard Ahmanson's. Their funds help support three "action programs" that promote reform in the Episcopal, United Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Between 1997 and 2002, the institute spent more than $2.5 million to monitor those churches' activities and work for scripture-based reform. About $541,000 of that was spent specifically on Episcopal Church-related programs.

The Episcopal branch of the IRD, also headquartered in Washington, D.C. The 7-year-old council's stated mission is to "affirm biblical authority and Anglican orthodoxy within the Episcopal Church of the United States," and it used more than $3 million in donations between 1997 and 2002 toward that purpose.

The document list.   Either click on the titles or just scroll down.

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Most Reverend Fathers in God:

As Bishops of the Church catholic with jurisdiction (or office) in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECDSA) we are speaking to address the crisis of Faith and Order that is increasingly unfolding among us, among our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Anglican Church of Canada, and, for now, in limited other places throughout our worldwide Anglican Communion.

We begin by stating that we utterly repudiate the recent actions of the Synod and the Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster in authorizing liturgies for blessing 'same-sex partnerships. At the same time, we wish to speak in more detail to the unfolding situation in the Episcopal Church, among whose leaders we have been called and consecrated.

The election Jin New Hampshire of a man who openly confesses an active homosexual relationship to be Bishop Coadjutor, and the inclusion of a measure affirming the blessing of same-sex unions on the agenda of the upcoming General Convention, both serve as symbols of a desperately confused, errant and disintegrating Anglican province. At stake are the fundamental doctrines of apostolicity and of marriage. The confirmation by national synodical vote of the bishop-elect or the adoption of any same-sex marriage provisions would be unparalleled departures from received church order and universal church teaching. We further regret to have to state that it is our assessment that the likelihood of the approval of these church-rending innovations has been dramatically increased by a letter sent by our Presiding Bishop to all bishops of this province, a letter which can have no other interpretation than encouragement for confirmation of the New Hampshire election.

In the face of these looming departures from evangelical truth and catholic order, and in line with our commitment to oppose all such innovations in every Godly way, we do hereby affirm the moral and spiritual authority of you, the "Concerned Primates" of the Anglican Communion, and do join in commitment with you to address the situation under your leadership. We desire to act in concert with you, and are ready to take counsel from you. We pledge solidarity with you in sharing common faith and practice within an Anglicanism that is submitted to her sovereign Lord, true to his holy Word, and at one with his catholic Church.

We now join in your declaration of impaired communion with the Bishop and Diocese of New Westminster. We also join you in affirming bonds of fellowship and communion with those in the Diocese of New Westminster (ACiNW) who have stood firm in resisting that conciliar and episcopal authority which has exceeded its legitimate boundaries. We further state that we stand ready, in concert with you, to commit to common responses to the deteriorating situation within the Episcopal Church, and elsewhere. We take these actions and make these commitments in order that Anglicans everywhere might ever be numbered among the mainstream witnesses of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, who alone is true God and true man, the only Savior of humankind, whose disciples are ever constrained by the plain sense of God's Word written.

15th July, A.D. 2003

St. Swithun's Day

SIGNED:

EDWARD SALMON - Bishop of South Carolina

JOHN HOWE - Bishop of Central Florida

BERTRAM HERLONG - Bishop of Tennessee

JAMES STANTON - Bishop of Dallas

FITZSIMONS ALLISON - Bishop of South Carolina, Retired

STEPHEN JECKO - Bishop of Florida

MAURICE (BEN) BENITEZ - Bishop of Texas, Retired

JACK IKER - Bishop of Fort Worth

ALEX DICKSON - Bishop of West Tennessee, Retired

ANDREW FAIRFIELD - Bishop of North Dakota

ALDEN HATHAWAY - Bishop of Pittsburgh, Retired

ROBERT DUNCAN - Bishop of Pittsburgh

HUGO PINA-LOPEZ - Assistant Bishop of Central Florida

KEITH ACKERMAN - Bishop of Quincy

DONALD PARSONS, Bishop of Quincy, Retired

CLARENCE POPE - Bishop of Fort Worth, Retired

TERRENCE KELSHA W - Bishop of the Rio Grande

HENRY SCRIVEN - Assistant Bishop of Pittsburgh

GETHIN HUGHES - Bishop of San Diego

WILLIAM SKILTON - Suffragan Bishop of South Carolina

JOHN-DAVID SCHOFIELD - Bishop of San Joaquin

WILLIAM WANTLAND - Bishop of Eau Claire, Retired

PETER BECKWITH - Bishop of Springfield

Bishops approve Robinson
Historic vote called 'a big step' for gays and lesbians

by David Skidmore
8/6/2003

[Episcopal News Service] A long and difficult journey, for both the church and the bishop-elect of New Hampshire , ended Tuesday evening when the House of Bishops voted to confirm the Rev. Canon Gene Robinson’s election as the next diocesan bishop of New Hampshire . The vote — 62  for and  43 against — capped a dramatic and history-making session that began with an exoneration of Robinson on charges of misconduct.

After announcing the results, Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold permitted Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh , among the most outspoken opponents of Robinson’s consent, to make a statement rejecting the General Convention’s action. Surrounded by 18 bishops, many of whom were signatories to the Truro statement opposing Robinson’s election, Duncan said by the bishop’s vote the Episcopal Church “has divided itself from millions of Anglican Christians around the world, brothers and sisters who have pleaded with us to maintain the church’s traditional teaching on marriage and sexuality.”

In the prepared statement, which was also read in Spanish by Bishop William Skilton, suffragan of South Carolina , the dissenting bishops said they would be calling on the primates of the other 37 provinces of the Anglican Communion, in accordance with a 1998 Lambeth Conference resolution, “to intervene in the pastoral emergency that has overtaken us.”

The Lambeth resolution (III.6) from a subcommittee on the church’s work in a plural world calls for the expansion of authority of the Primates Meeting to include “intervention in cases of exceptional emergency which are incapable of internal resolution within provinces.” It further states these responsibilities should be carried out in consulation with the provinces and the Anglican Consultative Council.

Duncan concluded by stating “we must go take counsel with our people and minister to them.”

Challenge of living in 'tension of disagreement'

In a news conference following the vote, the presiding bishop said in a written statement that the decision would bring “great joy” to some in the church while for others it “signals a crisis and reflects a departure from biblical teachings and traditional church practice.”

Griswold said he hoped the inevitable outcry would not “drown out the quieter voices” of the many persons who have yet to come to terms with what the decision means for the church.

Robinson’s confirmation, he continued, honors the search and election process of New Hampshire . The church, he said, has a long history of honoring diocesan choices of episcopal leadership.

Griswold said he in fact had voted for Robinson “because I see no impediment to assenting to the overwhelming choice of the people of New Hampshire .”

He acknowledged there would be difficult days ahead as the church addresses the question of how a faith community can live “in the tension of disagreement.” He noted that the fact “we are willing to do this work in a public way that is honoring of one another says a great deal about who we are as a community of faith.”

In the question period following in his statement, Griswold said he valued his relationship with other primates and the Archbishop of Canterbury and would be in contact with them soon. Archbishop Rowan Williams, said Griswold, is “profoundly aware” of the differing contexts within the various provinces and is sensitive to the strains within the Anglican Communion.

Archbishop of Canterbury responds

Responding to the consent, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s office released a statement late Tuesday from Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams who said the decision “will inevitably have a significant impact on the Anglican Communion throughout the world,” but it was too soon to predict how provinces will respond.  Williams said he hoped the Episcopal Church and the rest of the communion would have a chance to reflect more deeply on the action “before significant and irrevocable decisions are made in response.”

Said Williams: “I have said before that we need as a church to be very careful about making decisions for our part of the world which constrain the church elsewhere.”

Easter out of Good Friday

Appearing before reporters after Griswold, Robinson said, “God has once again brought an Easter out of Good Friday.” Affirming his love for the Episcopal Church, Robinson said the last 36-hour period “has made me love it even more.”

Asked about the impact of the decision, Robinson called it “a huge step for gay and lesbian folk in the church.” The church has attempted to affirm this before, he noted, but by the action today it has made its position really meaningful.

Robinson, who was joined by Bishop Douglas Theuner, the present bishop of New Hampshire , and Hays Junkin, president of the diocese’s Standing Committee, said his consecration had been scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 2, at 4 p.m. in Durham , N.H. He then was joined on the dais by his partner, Mark Andrew, and daughter Ella.

Debate mirrors tone in deputies

The hour-long debate, close in spirit to the forceful but respectful arguments made in the deputies’ debate Sunday, involved 21 bishops, seven speaking against consent. Before engaging in open debate, the bishops shared reasons for and against consent in table conversations.

Bishop Andrew Fairfield of North Dakota , the first to speak, argued that Robinson’s sexual orientation was at odds with the church’s basic faith principles as expressed in Scripture and the Nicene Creed. The Apostle Paul argued in Romans that “humanity has exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped a creature rather than the creator,” said Fairfield and that homosexual activity “is a sign of this rebellion and idolatry.”

The issue before the house today, he said, “touches the deepest roots of our community, the community of love,” and must be weighed against the truth of the Nicene Creed as revealed in Scripture.

The issue of homosexuality in Scripture is not so easily settled, responded Bishop Robert Ihloff of Maryland , a member of the House of Bishops Theology Committee. In its report to the bishops meeting in Kanuga last March, the committee found significant differences for interpreting eight passages that address homosexuality, he said, acknowledging that it is not enough to disregard the passages or to assume they have no application to the church today.

“It is important to be able to grapple with the realities of the scriptures and their time,” he said, “and the effect of those scriptures as they are read today.” But it is fair to argue, he said, that the scriptures on prohibiting homosexual behavior “are not speaking to people who are identifying themselves as gay and lesbian persons by nature, because all of those scriptures were in fact written in an ancient time and assumed everyone was heterosexual.” In that era the thinking was that if someone committed homosexual acts “it was against their nature,” he noted.

The passage on Sodom and Gomorrah , he said, may be seen not as about “a group of gay men behaving badly but a group of heterosexual men behaving atrociously.” 

Trying to apply these passages against Robinson or any other gay or lesbian Christians in long-term relationships shows how complicated these issues are and how bishops “need to work with our people on the complexity of the issues and be open to a variety of interpretation.”

One of the strongest dissenting statements came from Northern Indiana Bishop Edward Little who shared how he had been overwhelmed during the Convention Eucharist procession Sunday with the thought this might be the last time he would be in procession with many of his fellow bishops. “What should have been the most glorious moment of convention for me became one of profound sadness,” he said.

If the bishops confirm Robinson, he said, “the unity of this house will be shattered forever,” and the Episcopal Church will emerge from convention “broken, wounded, divided and more desperately polarized.”

Some churches and provinces will disown the Episcopal Church forever, he warned. “We cannot abandon the teaching of the church and expect any other result,” he said.

Bishop James Jelinek of Minnesota , a supporter of consent, painted a less dire portrait of the house, emphasizing that the bishops were in agreement on their fundamental understanding of God, the creator and God’s relationship with creation. Where they part is on their understanding of what it means to be human, he said. "That’s what we’re struggling with, and I don’t think that’s enough to break communion.”

Introducing himself as “still the bishop of New Hampshire ” and looking forward to retirement, Bishop Douglas Theuner said Robinson’s 28 years in New Hampshire more than qualified him to lead the diocese. “I doubt if there are many people who have ever been elected bishop who are better known than Gene Robinson,” he said.

When the vote is finally taken, he added “it will seem like Good Friday for some of us, and it will seem like Easter day for others of us. I pray that I, and all of us, can remember, that in the things that really count, that in the things in which we wish to bear witness, Easter always follows Good Friday.

Investigation exonerates Robinson

In his report to the house after the bishops spent over an hour in executive session, Bishop Gordon Scruton of Western Massachusetts announced he had completed his investigation and found “no necessity to pursue further investigation” and no cause for preventing bishops with jurisdiction from going forward with a vote on consent.

Scruton, who had been appointed by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold Monday to head the investigation, said he had thoroughly checked the complaint from an adult male in Manchester, Vt., as well as concerns raised by officials with the American Anglican Council over an adult-content Web site supposedly linked to an organization associated with Robinson. In both cases the charges do not warrant further inquiry, and there is “no reason” to further delay the vote on Robinson’s consent, said Scruton.

Addressing the press and gallery before Scruton delivered his report, Griswold said the bishops had spent the executive session in prayer and the ministry of reconciliation, which included a community anointing, as a way to free themselves, he said, from the “various affectivities” that have surrounded the Robinson consent and allow them the greatest degree of “interior freedom” in their debate.

The allegations of inappropriate contact stem from two encounters the complainant had with Robinson at a November 1999 Province I convocation. The complainant, David Lewis, who is married and a member of Zion Episcopal Church, said Robinson had touched him during two conversations at the province meeting, contact that Lewis described as inappropriate.

The Web site belonged to the Concord , N.H. , chapter of Outright, an organization that supports gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual youth. Robinson helped found the Concord chapter but has not been active in the organization since 1998, said Scruton, and had no involvement in the development of the chapter’s Web site, which was established in 2002.

Episcopal News Service writer Richelle Thompson contributed to this story. 

  Bishops turn down development of same-sex liturgies

by Richelle Thompson
8/6/2003

[Episcopal News Service] 

A day after confirming the election of an openly gay man as bishop, the House of Bishops on Wednesday agreed to a compromise and decided not to move forward with the development of same-sex blessing liturgies.

An amendment offered by Bishop Peter Lee of Virginia and approved by the house deleted the lines from resolution C051 that asked the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music to develop rites for blessing same-sex relationships. The resolution now goes before the House of Deputies for consideration – but without a measure that would provide for developing same-sex blessing liturgies.

The amended resolution calls the church to “continued prayer, study and discernment on the pastoral care of gay and lesbians persons.” The work is to include the compilation and development of resources under the direction of the Presiding Bishop to facilitate as wide a conversation as possible throughout the church.

A similar measure to develop same-sex rites was narrowly defeated by the House of Deputies at the last General Convention.

While the decision disappointed some activists, others said the resolution offered some latitude in the phrase, “We recognize that local faith communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions.”

The move was taken as an encouraging sign by bishops affiliated with the American Anglican Council. “I think it is something we can go home with,” said Bishop William Skilton, suffragan of South Carolina . He would have felt better, he said, if there had been no resolution moving the church toward accepting gay and lesbian relationships, but was willing to live with the compromise worked out by the bishops. “It is certainly better than what was originally proposed,” he said.

Bishop Edward Salmon of South Carolina , who chose not to vote on the resolution, said he had no major objection to it since the language to develop rites had been dropped out. The more significant action, he said, was yesterday’s consent on the bishop coadjutor-elect of New Hampshire , the Rev. Gene Robinson, which makes the vote on the resolution moot. Robinson is an openly gay man living in a committed relationship.

More moderate conservatives saw the measure as something of speed bump. More reflection and study is needed on how the church incorporates gay and lesbian members, said Bishop Herbert Thompson of Southern Ohio . He noted the “wonderful pastoral way” both sides of the issue had agreed to the compromise. The message today, he said, is that the church is not yet ready develop rites for blessing same-sex unions. “Maybe down the road but we need a conversation and they are allowing that to happen.”

Bishop Lee said he offered the amendment in consideration of the 43 bishops who voted against the Robinson's confirmation. After Tuesday’s vote, several bishops said they would be calling on the other primates of the Anglican Communion “to intervene in the pastoral emergency that has overtaken us.” Some deputies walked off the floor Wednesday and have made dire predictions about schism and the future of the church.

Lee, who voted in support of Robinson, said that the “exercise of restraint,” in the church, the nation and around the world, would be an appropriate pastoral response.

Bishop John Lipscomb of Southwest Florida was on the opposite side of the debate Tuesday and has spoken against the confirmation of Robinson. But on Wednesday, he offered support for Lee’s amendment.

He pledged to “do everything possible to help my diocese turn to godly conversation about what will continue to be a difficult issue.” He said the amendment provides the opportunity to engage and continue that discussion.

Bishop Henry Parsley of Alabama also cast a "no" vote against Robinson’s confirmation, but he found common ground in the amended resolution.

“Our liturgy expresses what we believe. So we need to be particularly clear theologically before we move forward liturgically,” he said. “This amendment helps us be a church together as we seek theological consensus more solid and sound than we have found.”

While the Diocese of New York is stronger and growing because of the ministries of gay and lesbian priests and lay people, Bishop Mark Sisk also said he was aware of the worldwide implications of approving the development of same-sex liturgies.

“I am mindful that our actions do have an impact around the world. We are not alone,” Sisk said. “I believe we are growing in the direction that will, in the future, authorize such blessings. I am also aware that all growth needs to take place in a measured way. Growth that is too quick leads to weakness.”

There was dissent as well. Some bishops urged the house to reconsider and to approve this step in developing same-sex blessing liturgies.

“You cannot understand the experience that it is for every gay and lesbian member of the Episcopal Church when this house debates whether or not our relationships can be honored and celebrated,” said Bishop Otis Charles, who announced he was gay after he retired as bishop of Utah . “We must be mindful of the pain that is in the hearts of all the people in your conversations, known or unknown, who are gay and lesbian … who would like to have the same dignity that each one of you has in your relationships.”

Bishop James Kelsey of Northern Michigan read his diocese’s vision statement, saying that it calls the church to move ahead with faith and compassion.

Gay and lesbian persons “deserve our support and affirmation,’’ he said. “They should not be asked to live in hiding. They – and we – should celebrate the gifts they bring to us.”

Two proposals to reinstate resolution B007, crafted and proposed by the bishops of Province IV, also failed.

The Prayer Book, Liturgy and Music Committee reworked C051 to merge several of the resolutions in an effort to find common ground, said Bishop Catherine Roskam, suffragan of New York and the committee’s vice chair.

The fear among many committee members was “If we don’t bring home something, we are going to lose people,” Roskam said. “We worked to craft something where we might not lose one.”

-- Episcopal News Service writer David Skidmore contributed to this article.

What do we do next?

1. Rejoice... in all circumstances. God is still on the throne.

2. Repent... for our participation in our Church's sins. Continue in a spirit of repentance, not arrogance, in the days ahead.

3. Forgive... as Jesus did, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing."

4. Pray... for God's grace to guide and sustain us.

5. Love... those who consider themselves to be homosexual, sharing the transforming power of God.

6. Reject... the unbiblical, unconstitutional actions of General Convention. Repudiate them, disassociate yourself from them. Do this personally, as a parish, as a diocese. Communicate with your rector, your bishop (even those bishops who share your views; they need to be supported!), the Presiding Bishop (815 Second Ave., New York, NY 10017), and the Archbishop of Canterbury (Lambeth Palace, London SE1 7JU, England). Copy the American Anglican Council (1110 Vermont Ave., NW Suite 1180 Washington, DC 20005. lhuntington@americananglican.org).

7. Reach out... to those who are lonely and isolated in unsupportive parishes or dioceses, and those who share our concerns but are not at General Convention; they are likely confused about what happened, unaware of the strength of our coalition, and uninformed about the Primates, the Plano meeting, etc.

8. Redirect... money from structures which support these actions (parish, diocese, national church), and give to parishes, dioceses, organizations and mission agencies which are upholding mainstream Anglicanism, such as the AAC, FiFNA, and Ekklesia.

Sunday, September 21, 2003

By Steve Levin, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Staff Writer

The current canonical battles being fought for the future of the Episcopal Church USA have deep financial roots in Western Pennsylvania and ties to some of the country's most conservative Christians.

At stake is the continued unity of the 2.3-million-member Episcopal Church, which at its triennial convention in August became the first mainline Protestant denomination to confirm an openly gay bishop.

The nexus includes conservative think tanks, philanthropists and advocacy groups. Playing a key role is the Rev. Robert W. Duncan Jr., bishop of the Pittsburgh Diocese, who led 19 conservative bishops at the convention in calling the confirmation of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire "a pastoral emergency." Duncan urged emergency intervention by the leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church.

That call to action, an outward manifestation of a deeper, more fundamental split in church theology, will be considered during the next several weeks as many dioceses, including Pittsburgh on Saturday, hold special diocesan gatherings in response to Robinson's confirmation and the convention's tacit approval of the liturgical blessing of same-sex unions.

Next month in Dallas, conservative Episcopal bishops, priests and laity will formulate a petition that probably will seek the creation of a parallel Episcopal church. That request will be presented in mid-October in London to a special meeting of the primates, or archbishops, who represent the 77 million members of the Anglican Communion.

Leading the conservative charge within the Episcopal Church is the American Anglican Council, of which Duncan is first vice president and chairman of its bishops network.

The 7-year-old council's stated mission is to "affirm biblical authority and Anglican orthodoxy within the Episcopal Church of the United States," and it used more than $3 million in donations between 1997 and 2002 toward that purpose.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., it is the primary Anglican network within the Episcopal Church, and its board members maintain ties to a host of Anglican groups. In addition to Duncan, other local members of its current board of rectors include R. Wick Stephens II and the Rev. Leslie P. Fairfield, both of the Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, and the Rev. James B. Simons, of St. Michael's of the Valley church in Ligonier.

The Pittsburgh diocese lists 15 of its 77 parishes -- about one-fifth -- as affiliated with the American Anglican Council, second only to the 16 in the Diocese of Central Florida. The Pittsburgh diocese is considered among the most conservative in the Episcopal Church.

"Many of our clergy and lay people are members of the American Anglican Council," Duncan said. "It's been an umbrella [group] for many of the missionary organizations that are headquartered in Pittsburgh."

Among those organizations are the Ambridge-based Episcopal Church Missionary Community, Rock the World Youth Alliance Mission, South American Missionary Society and Solar Light for Africa along with the National Organization of Episcopalians for Life in Sewickley.

The American Anglican Council is supported primarily by donations, but because the council receives more than one-third of its funding from contributions related to its charitable functions, the Internal Revenue Service does not require it to list its sources of income for public review.

One major source of its funding is Howard F. Ahmanson Jr., of California, a $10-million-a-year patron of conservative causes through the Fieldstead Foundation. An Episcopalian, Ahmanson is heir to a savings and loan fortune accumulated by his father. Ahmanson attended St. James Church in Newport Beach, Calif., which, until recently, was run by the Rev. David C. Anderson, now president of the American Anglican Council.

For many years, Ahmanson was associated with the late Rev. Rousas John Rushdoony, considered the father of Christian Reconstructionism, which advocates basing American society on biblical laws. For 10 years ending in 1995, Ahmanson contributed a total of $700,000 to Rushdoony's Chalcedon Foundation and served on its board of directors.

Since then, both Ahmanson and his wife, Roberta, have repudiated Christian Reconstructionist philosophy.

Roberta Ahmanson was recently named to the board of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Religion and Democracy, which works closely with the American Anglican Council.

"The theonomist or [Christian] Reconstructionist philosophy is antithetical to our idea of religion and democracy," said Diane L. Knippers, a new member of the council board and president of the institute. "Roberta wouldn't have come on our board if she didn't agree with us."

According to the Rev. James M. Stanton, bishop of the Dallas Diocese, Howard Ahmanson's agreement with the American Anglican Council was to annually provide $200,000 to match money raised by the council.

"We worked with Howard Ahmanson in terms of that agreement," said Stanton, who served for several years as chairman of the council. "There are people who have given all along who are interested in the work that the group has done."

Duncan confirmed the arrangement and said it was renewed annually with Ahmanson.

"The AAC has really risen to the role as the primary agency for the reform of the Episcopal Church," Duncan said, explaining Ahmanson's connection with the council. "Various folks invest their money where they think it's going to have the best impact."

Roberta Ahmanson's inclusion on the board of the Institute on Religion and Democracy further cements that group's connection with the council.

The institute's Web site characterizes it as "fighting for the reform of American churches." It shares a Washington, D.C., address with the council.

The two groups also share philosophies that mainline Protestant churches have strayed from their central tenets.

To swing the pendulum to the right and fund its work, the institute has turned to a dozen well-known conservative foundations, including several run by Richard Scaife, the conservative Pittsburgh philanthropist and heir of the Mellon family banking and oil fortune.

Of the $3.8 million the institute received from those foundations between 1985 and 2002, nearly half -- $1.7 million -- came from the Sarah Scaife, Scaife Family and Carthage foundations, all of which are run by Richard Scaife.

The funds help support three "action programs" that promote reform in the Episcopal, United Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Between 1997 and 2002, the institute spent more than $2.5 million to monitor those churches' activities and work for scripture-based reform. About $541,000 of that was spent specifically on Episcopal Church-related programs.

Although those three denominations -- about 14.1 million members -- account for less than 10 percent of the country's total church membership, they make up a disproportionate number of national leaders in political, business and cultural discussions.

In a 2000 paper called "Reforming America's Churches Project 2001-2004," the institute set its goal to "redirect these [mainline] churches away from their reflexive alliance with the political left and back towards classical Christianity."

The Episcopal Action program, the report continued, "places a key role in the American Anglican Council, an alliance of nearly all the conservative Episcopal renewal groups."

"We work together," Knippers said. "We're proud of the affiliation."

Bishop of New Hampshire by a duly constituted convention of that Diocese. We recognize the constitutionality and legality of the consents granted for his consecration by the General Convention.

Concerned Episcopalians Seeking a "Middle Way" (Via Media). AlbanyViaMedia@aol.com

September 18, 2003

Background: As of this writing, the bishop and standing committee president have promised that voting will be by orders, requiring a secret ballot. You will be able to vote your conscience.

Realignment: Know that, no matter how they may read, we believe that each of the resolutions is designed to give the leadership of the Diocese of Albany the rationale, authority and permission to take the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, ‘lock, stock and barrel,’ into a newly aligned Episcopal entity designed by the well-financed American Anglican Council. This special convention appears to be no accident or impulse, but part of a well-planned, nationally orchestrated effort to create a power-block of ultra-conservative fundamentalist dioceses who give away their decision-making power to their leadership who then could make them part of a new AAC realignment.

On July 15, before General Convention, twenty-four bishops, including bishop Herzog, met at Truro church, Fairfax, Virginia and wrote an "open letter" to the "primates of the Anglican Communion" asking for intervention in our church, marginalizing Presiding Bishop Griswold by affirming "the moral and spiritual authority of you, the ‘Concerned Primates’ of the Anglican Communion" and promising to "join in commitment with you [foreign primates]", to "act in concert with you, and . . .to take counsel from you. We pledge solidarity with you." But Episcopal clergy, bishops, priests and deacons, take vows to "conform to the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal Church" (BCP 513), not to whatever Anglican jurisdiction is most theologically convenient.

As of this date, seven of the thirteen diocesan bishops that met with fellow bishops in Fairfax have called special diocesan meetings or conventions, with similar resolutions and so far ominous results, to protest recent general convention decisions and look ahead to a realigned church.

Bishop Herzog, we discovered, is an active board member of the American Anglican Council). Their web site gives this direction to the ultra-conservative faithful:

"Do NOT say you are leaving the Episcopal Church . . .

"DO give the orthodox bishops and archbishops six months to achieve a framework for dramatic realignment."

We hope our bishop will explain how he can, on the one hand, promise to not lead us out of the Episcopal Church, but on the other hand remain a member of an organization planning a full realignment. Perhaps the AAC is going further than our Bishop is either comfortable with or aware of. We remain deeply concerned with this relationship.

Our open letter was criticized for our statement that "We vigorously oppose any action by this Special Convention that reduces further our Diocesan contribution to . . . General Convention." Officials insisted that it was only their intent to give options to traditionalist congregations who in good conscience could not donate to the national Episcopal Church, a procedure our diocese is already following. We appreciate the deletion of financial resolutions from this Special Convention. But we wonder what resolutions are awaiting future conventions. We want to know why the American Anglican Council is advising Episcopalians to 

"Redirect... money from structures which support these [General Convention] actions (parish, diocese, national church), and give to parishes, dioceses, organizations and mission agencies which are upholding mainstream Anglicanism, such as the AAC, FiFNA, and Ekklesia."

Moved by: The Rev. Douglas Smith
Seconded by: Barbara Munson

Be it resolved that this Special Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany affirms that:

1. Marriage is intended by God to be the faithful