Articles December 2007May 20045-26-2004
Global South Urges ECUSA to Repent, 5-14-2004
Why the 1928? One True Liturgy Would Bring Together 5-14-2004 Poking Fun - ECUSA the Butt of Media Jokes 5-14-2004 Two More Dioceses Vote to Associate with Network5-12-2004
Gnostic Notions Permeate Church, 4-24-2004 Via Media or Via Sinistra? - Thought Police Deployed to Conservative Dioceses March 2004 3-25-2004 Orthodoxy: The Real Watershed 3-23-2004 Poking Fun - ECUSA Is the Butt of Media Jokes 3-23-2004 Majestic, Solemn, True – and within Reach 3-23-2004 Don’t Support Businesses that Mock Religion 3-23-2004 ETF Annual Meeting - Organization of Faithful Laypersons is Insurance Against Complete Takeover of ECUSA by Radicals 3-21-2004Via Media Spins "Middle Way"While Pushing All Out for Changed Church February 2004 2/23/2004 Diocese of Springfield Offers Adequate Episcopal Oversight Long Island Diocese Pushes Illegal Alien Rights;Bishop Calls for Same-Sex "Marriage" Rites Hispanic Worshippers Distressed By Church's Recent Actions January 2004 1 - 27 2004 Dear Friends of Episcopalians for Traditional Faith (ETF) 2003 and Earlier 12 - 18 - 2003 ECUSA Turns Its Back on Tenets of the Church 11- 29 - 2003 - Traditional Episcopalians to Withhold Funds From National Church <11-6- 2003 - Fanatics in Grey Flannel Clerical Suits 10/25/2003 - Election of Homosexual Bishop Violates Faith and Doctrine of Episcopal Church DEAR FRIENDS ANGELS NEEDEDWell, Now What? ETF Supports Orthodox Anglican Leaders Committed to Teachings of the Church Allegations of Sexual Misconduct, Porn Site Link Delay Vote On New Hampshire Bishop-Elect A STATEMENT FROM THE GATHERING OF WORLDWIDE ANGLICAN MAINSTREAM LEADERS ON CRISIS IN THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH Traditionalist Church Leaders Vow Action If Homosexual Bishop's Election is Confirmed Feathers and All - Stage is Set for the Expulsion of ECUSA From the Worldwide Anglican Communion General Covention Could Widen Rift or Begin True Reconciliation Episcopal Church Political Action Arm Sets Out To Save Caribou from Big Oil Spring Meeting : Urge Bishops and Clergy to Support 1928 Prayer Book Use Laity speaks out on cavalier actions of General Convention A Bishop of the Episcopal Church Is Bound By His Vows to Uphold Biblical Teaching Church Clears Way for VoteOn Homosexual Bishop-Elect The American Prayer Book - Episcopalians Have the Right to Use 1928 Prayer Book ETF President's Letter - Presiding Bishop Supports Use of 1928 Prayer Book For your marriage, choose the Christian ceremony from the traditional 1928 Book of Common Prayer Assert Right to Worship As You Believe Readers Respond to 1-30-2003 News Release "ETF URGES BISHOP GRISWOLD TO APOLOGIZE FOR ANTI-AMERICAN SLURS" A Fragmented Church in Decline is Result of Emphasis on Secular Celebrations God for Dummies? Readers turn to Pop-Spirituality Books for Shortcuts in Coping with Problems A "New Beginning" Must Include Moral Choices 9/11 Reflections A Request for Inclusiveness St Johns - Historic Church in Jeopardy Diocesan Convention Advocates Political Activism Presiding Bishop Supports Use of 1928 Prayer Book "Here Come the Traditionalists"- Changes Noted in Teen Values Since 1970s Presiding Bishop to Meet with ETF Directors in January Fr. Politzer's Speech - Full Text Fr. Politzer's Speech - Excerpts Global South Urges ECUSA to Repent, Votes to Decline Funding from American Church Calling on the Episcopal Church USA to repent, the Primates of the Global South, representing 55 million Anglicans, voted at their April 15-16 conference in Nairobi, Kenya, to decline any funding from ECUSA. They met to address conditions to be considered by the Lambeth Commission when it meets in June. Episcopalians for Traditional Faith (ETF) suggests that ECUSA leaders, in reflecting on this development, use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer in their church services and private devotions, in the interest of promoting biblical truth and unity in worship throughout the Church. The Primates’ statement, issued May 17, follows. April 16, 2004 By the special grace of our God, we, the Primates of the Global South of the Anglican Communion representing 18 Provinces with a membership of over 55 million, have met together in Nairobi on 15 & 16 April 2004 under the Chairmanship of the Most Revd Dr Peter Akinola, the Primate of all Nigeria. We begin our gathering around the Lord’s Table celebrated by the Primate of Kenya, the Most Revd Benjamin Nzimbi, and the homily delivered by the Most Revd Drexel Gomez, the Primate of West Indies and Bahamas. Through it, we experience, with deep gratitude, Christian fellowship with one another because of our unity in our risen Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As we meet, being acutely conscious of the current critical challenges we face as a Communion, we reaffirm our unswerving commitment to the historic and apostolic Christian Faith as revealed in the Holy Scriptures "once delivered to the saints" (Jude v.3), proclaimed and practised by the Anglican Communion over the centuries. It is our heartfelt desire to see the Anglican Communion move faithfully forward in true unity under the supreme authority of the Word of God. In this, we express our deep appreciation and prayerful support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, in his unique leadership role amongst us. Affirming the Resolution I.10 of Lambeth 1998, and the unanimously agreed Primates’ Statement of 16th October 2003 which the Presiding Bishop of the ECUSA himself consented to, and the Global South Primates’ Statement of 2nd Nov 2003, we reiterate unreservedly our unequivocal opposition to the unilateral decision of ECUSA to proceed with the consecration of a divorced and practising homosexual priest as Bishop. This deliberate disobedience of the revealed will of God in the Holy Scriptures is a flagrant departure from the consensual and clearly communicated mind and will of the Anglican Communion. By this, ECUSA has wilfully torn "the fabric of the communion at its deepest level", and as a consequence openly cut themselves adrift and broken the sacramental fellowship of the Communion. We commit ourselves to ongoing prayer for the work of the Lambeth Commission recently appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and respectfully submit the following for their consideration: · The Commission should include in its Report a specific call to ECUSA to repent; revoking and rescinding their decision and action regarding the election and consecration of Gene Robinson as a Bishop in the Church of God. · Should ECUSA fail to comply within three months, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates should then take appropriate disciplinary action, which should include the suspension and ultimate expulsion of ECUSA from fellowship and membership of the Anglican Communion. · Recognition and full Episcopal and pastoral oversight should be given by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates to those dioceses, parishes and laity within ECUSA who continue to uphold the historic faith and order of the Anglican Communion. · Similar measures should be applied to the Bishop and Synod of the Diocese of New Westminster, Canada for their unilateral approval and implementation of rites for the blessing of same sex union. · We also request the Commission to give urgent consideration to the renewal of mutual accountability and the harmonization of constitutions and canons of the various Provinces in the Communion. As Primates of the Global South, we are of one mind that these measures are essential to preserve our Communion in true union and to avoid the tragic realignment which would otherwise be inevitable. The ACC, upon the recommendation of the Brisbane 1986 Missions Conference, organised a gathering of the non-Western parts of the Communion for mutual consultation on their distinctive contextual mission challenges. The 1st South-South Encounter was held in Limuru, Kenya in 1994. The 2nd South-South Encounter in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1997, produced the important "Kuala Lumpur Statement on Human Sexuality" which was significantly fed into the 1998 Lambeth Conference resulting in no small way the historic and overwhelming approval of Resolution I.10. Other subsequent gatherings and initiatives took place in more recent years. At this juncture of critical challenges faced by the Communion for its integrity, credibility and acceptability both within and before other churches, faiths and an increasingly secularised and divided world, we resolve that our fellowship and unity be further consolidated and mutually strengthened for even more concerted efforts in our common faith, witness and mission of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, notwithstanding our diverse social, cultural, religious, economic and political contexts. We challenge ourselves to spiritual renewal and transformation in stewardship and development of resources, both human and financial, through biblical discipleship and mutual care and sharing! Thus, we further intend to gather in a 3rd South-South Encounter in Egypt under the theme of the "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church". As we have experienced deep Christian fellowship and unity in the faith and mandate of our shared mission throughout the two days of our gathering, we are eager to share with you our wonder and joy in the amazing grace of God in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. By the mercies of God, we urge all His faithful people in our historic and worldwide Anglican Communion, especially those in difficult situations for the sake of the Gospel, to be encouraged and to remain steadfast in "faith, hope and love". "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart". (Heb 12.1-3). Most Revd Peter J. Akinola, DD, CON One True Liturgy Would Bring Together All the Faithful in Common Worship The realignment in the Episcopal Church began when the revisionists rewrote the Prayer Book in the 1960s and '70s. Make no mistake: The widening split in the Church today was made possible -- indeed inevitable -- by the liturgical rewrite that switched emphasis from the Holy Trinity to the unholy trinity of today’s self-absorbed church leadership -- Me, Myself, and I. Never has it been more important for the faithful laity – the backbone of the Church -- to insist that clergy emphasize traditional values and the God-centered religion of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Fallout continues to rain down from the dirty bomb dropped by the small but determined revisionist majority who made a mockery of their vows at the 2003 General Convention and brought disgrace to the Church by approving the election of an openly homosexual bishop and the creation of same-sex "marriage" rites. The bishop, Gene Robinson, recently accepted "Person of the Year" designation by PlanetOut, a lesbian-gay-bi-transgender (LGBT) internet site and The Advocate, a LGBT magazine that features Robinson, resplendent in his bishop’s finery, on its cover. In an attempt to control the unprecedented damage and to bring heterosexuals on board its pansexual bandwagon, ECUSA is planting in conservative dioceses an organization calling itself Via Media. (See related article.) This re-education brigade plans to promote its revisionist agenda in parish classes with such titles as "What Is Sin?" While GC2003 fallout pollutes the Church, the faithful are heading for spiritual fallout shelters provided by bishops and priests who uphold traditional faith, order and worship. Some dioceses have formed alliances within ECUSA. Other groups have one foot in and one foot out of ECUSA. Still others have left for Anglican churches outside ECUSA. Within these traditional groupings, three separate and very different liturgies are being used: Rite I, Rite II, and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer -- not to mention a plethora of more recently penned rites of dubious doctrinal authenticity. It would seem that in order to be truly united in the faith, traditional Episcopalians everywhere would use the only liturgy that embodies that faith -- the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, which, ECUSA, even in the midst of its folly, still approves for use in the Church. The Common Prayer tradition unites all the faithful with an ordered, scripture-based liturgy that gives one voice to our common belief. Its language undimmed by the centuries, the 1928 is based 100 percent on holy scripture. The 1979 book and the medley of rites that have followed decidedly are not. –Jan Mahood Majestic, Solemn, True – and within Reach The Daily Order for Morning Prayer, 1928 BCP
Episcopalians don’t need a parish church to be able to worship God "In spirit and in truth." All we need is a copy of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer or a previous edition. Despite the present upheaval in the church, there are probably thousands of 1928 Prayer Books in thousands of homes. The Order for Daily Morning Prayer, while majestic and solemn in tone, is couched in the graphic, illuminating language of the Bible. There is never any mistaking its meaning. We don’t need a bishop to explain to us what a phrase really means. Sentences such as "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done," or "Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies" speak with a clarity which has vaulted over the centuries. The opening words of the Service of Morning Prayer list the spiritual acts to be performed by the worshipper. In computer parlance, they give us the "menu," which is:
Finally, and most challenging of all, we are to perform these spiritual acts with the proper attitude on our part. We are to approach God with a "humble, lowly, penitent and obedient" and "pure" heart. No matter how much "false doctrine, heresy and schism" the Episcopal Church is now indulging in, no matter in how much "danger, necessity, and tribulation" we might find ourselves personally, we can always start the day by coming into the presence of God through MORNING PRAYER. If persistent and faithful in this worship, we might surely hope that God will favorably answer our petitions, both for ourselves and for the Episcopal Church. – Nancy Von Klemperer Poking FunECUSA the Butt of Media Jokes The media are having a field day, gaily poking fun while ECUSA airs its dirty laundry in public. Journalists have a saying, "Bad news is good news." The bad news generated by General Convention 2003 is good news indeed for cartoonists and copy editors. Two recent cartoons in the New York Post probably are more likely to make a faithful Episcopalian weep than guffaw. In one, a Roman Catholic priest says to another: "Our prayers have been answered, Father. Send all our problem priests to the Episcopalians." Another Post offering shows accused pedophile Michael Jackson in court, delighted because he has drawn a friendly jury – all priests and bishops. A Tribune Media Service cartoon by Wright shows a priest labeled "Episcopal Church" being split in half -- Zip!!! -- by a large knife captioned "The Gay Blade." A post-General Convention headline reads "New bishop’s gay Episco-pal." Another says "Nay-gay diocese slaps Episcopal church." Apparently unconcerned and unembarrassed, the pansexual element within the Episcopal Church goes about its destructive business, a small but determined minority focused on sabotaging Christian marriage. For a clear picture of how Prayer Book revision created a new religion and weakened traditional marriage, read Nancy VonKlemperer’s "What’s the Difference?" which contrasts the 1928 Prayer Book marriage service to the 1979 revision. Use the form on the ETF Book Store page to order this illuminating booklet for yourself and your friends Through the Looking GlassRetired Bishop, Divorced Father of 5, "Marries" Man Divorced 4 Times The same topsy-turvy sense of unreality that permeates Lewis Carrol’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass keeps intruding on Episcopalians today. This first article in a series "Through the Looking Glass" focuses on the latest mockery of Holy Matrimony – this by a bishop who for eight years was in a position to impart his version of wisdom to hundreds of seminarians. "What do we teach the kids?" a parish youth advisor asked recently when faced with the wide disparity between the teachings of the Bible and the actions of ECUSA bishops and priests. One wonders what impressions the eight-year-old grandson of Otis Charles, retired bishop of Utah, will carry with him throughout life. The Living Church (May 23) reports that the lad witnessed his 78-year-old gramps "marry" a male Episco-pal April 24 in a church ceremony lasting almost three hours. Four clergy helped officiate at the service, which began with drumming and ended with the bishop and Felipe Sanchez Paris being borne aloft on chairs and carried out of the church. Charles, father of five, had been married for 42 years in 1976 when he told his wife of his sexual preference. They were divorced after his 1993 retirement from his position as dean and president of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Mass. He had assumed that post after a 15-year tenure as Bishop of Utah. This is the fifth "marriage" for Paris, 67, who has four ex-wives. The scene of this mockery of Holy Matrimony was St. Gregory of Nyssa Church in San Francisco. Charles has been removed from his position as assisting bishop of California and his license to officiate has been revoked by the Rt. Rev. William Swing. A diocese spokesman said that Charles did not notify Swing of his "wedding" plans, and that the diocese is investigating the situation to determine if any of its clergy violated diocesan guidelines, according to The Living Church. However, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that according to clergy at St. Gregory's, Bishop Swing was aware of Charles's plans before the ceremony and had been satisfied with them. Nothing has yet been said about violating the Word of God and Church doctrine. According to scripture, marriage -- an institution between a man and a woman – was ordained by God and consecrated by Jesus Christ at the Marriage at Cana. It is represented as such in The Book of Common Prayer, 1928 and preceding editions since 1549. Only in the 1979 Prayer Book and subsequent rites has the ceremony of marriage been adulterated. The incrementalism that began with the Prayer Book revisions of the 1960s and 1970s has led to the same-sex rites of the pansexual circus ECUSA has become. "What do we teach the kids?" Good question. Gnostic Notions Permeate Church,Contribute to Moral Collapse of ECUSA by The Rev. Jerome F. Politzer The spiritual and moral crisis facing the Episcopal Church today has its roots in the same deadly cancer that threatened the infant Christian Church in the second and third centuries. Theologians have termed this cancer Gnosticism because it is based not on faith, but on a supposedly more spiritual knowledge (gnosis). Its early proponents, who for the most part were brilliant theologians, taught a form of dualism in which the world was dominated by ignorance and was under the control of evil powers. The God of the Old Testament was considered to be patriarchal, bigoted and judgmental and no longer relevant. The true God is not the creator God, according to the Gnostics. Rather he is a higher spiritual God of love. The Gnostics rejected the norms and institutions of the world such as marriage and the state and felt that they were free from the laws that govern society. This led to a radical amoralism and a libertine life style. Most significant of all, they did not believe in the historical reality of the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. One can find all these themes being taught and practiced in the contemporary Episcopal Church. For example, the question asked of the candidate in the service of Holy Baptism in the 1979 Prayer Book, "Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God" could have been written by Simon Magus himself, the first Gnostic. (Compare with the traditional 1928 Prayer Book Baptism service, which is based on holy scripture.) The disrespect and marginalization of traditionalists who hold to the orthodox teachings of the Church and are called ignorant biblical literalists by the spiritual elite who hold high office in diocesan and seminary circles is a typical gnostic attitude. The inability to arrive at any standards for sexual conduct before, during and after marriage by the General Convention is a reflection of the libertine and hedonistic mindset of the leadership of the Episcopal Church. Those who are advocating the homosexual agenda in the Church claim that the historically conditioned teachings of the Bible regarding homosexuality are to be ignored. In their place we are to be guided by the spiritual God of love. In support of the consecration of Gene Robinson to the episcopate, the former bishop of the Diocese of El Camino Real stated, "Love, the note of orthodoxy God created us in, is the note of the inexhaustible possibility and hope of love." The teaching by the majority of the Church’s theological seminaries that the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are mythological rather than historical is in perfect accord with the position held by the early gnostics. Like them, the seminaries teach that a superior spiritual knowledge of salvation has taken the place of faith. The rift running through the Episcopal Church today is a Gnostic crisis which is as menacing as it was two thousand years ago. The Episcopal Church has abandoned its orthodox roots and morphed into a Gnostic Sect. Unfortunately, the Archbishop of Canterbury seems unable to recognize this fact. Unless radical surgery is undertaken soon this cancer will spread throughout the entire Anglican Communion. Via Media or Via Sinistra? Thought Police Deployed To Conservative Dioceses by Jan MahoodThe thought police are here, and they’re every bit as tiresome as previous re-education squads bent on redefining such terms as tradition, reconciliation, and sin. If you’re in a conservative parish or diocese, you’ve probably been exposed to their shrill name-calling: "Religious right," "mean-spirited," and "homophobic" are a few of their favorite invectives. This re-education brigade, Via Media USA, has been deployed with the support of ECUSA Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold in an attempt to control the unprecedented damage to the Church that began in the 1960s with Prayer Book revision and culminated with the disastrous General Convention of last summer. Via Media is in attack mode, waving revisionist lesson plans, recruiting allies, insulting traditionalists, carping at orthodox bishops, and trying to derail a diocesan election. What spurs this frenetic behavior? Of what are they afraid? Why slosh yet another noisome wave of propaganda over the bishops, clergy, and laity of traditionalist dioceses? Haven’t they suffered enough? To hear Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and his spokespersons tell it, the exodus of one-third of ECUSA members over the past 30 years is due to "demographics." (Yes! That’s exactly what he told a group of ETF directors during a meeting in his office.) They further close their eyes to the obvious by claiming that the budget shortfalls reported by diocese after diocese are of little concern. But the creation of a thought police brigade for the purpose of bringing conservative dioceses to heel demonstrates that the revisionists who have hijacked the church are concerned indeed. They’re concerned that conservative parishes and entire dioceses that they so rashly and arrogantly underestimated will withdraw from ECUSA. Belatedly, the trumpet sounds! And Via Media is in attack mode. "Via Sinistra" a More Appropriate Name Via Media is the Latin term for "Middle Way" or more loosely "Middle of the Road." The term was used by leaders of the Oxford Movement during the 1830s to 1850s in England, to describe the position occupied by the Church of England between Rome and protestantism. In the case of the angry troops Via Media has loosed on conservative dioceses, this term is a misnomer indeed. Given Via Media’s purpose and focus, a better name might be Via Sinistra, Latin for "Left Way." Sinister, sinistra, sinistrum (depending upon your gender) means left. It also translates to awkward, clumsy, adverse, contrary, injurious, and bad. It will be interesting to see how parishes under attack react to the clumsy blandishments of Via Media "facilitators" as they talk of "openness," "differing interpretations" of holy scripture, the "core of diversity," and "reconciliation" – which, in the lexicon of the left, means "My way or the highway!" Share Your Via Media Experience! It will be impossible to ignore them, so why not expose them? Send your experiences with Via Media to: With your permission, we’ll post them on the ETF website. If we keep our website visitors informed, they’ll be better able to deal with this fresh assault on their sensibilities. Watch for Via Media agitators among you as they:
The re-education squad is targeting dioceses that have not supported General Convention’s decision to allow consecration of a non-celibate homosexual as bishop and to formally approve same-sex "marriage" rites within the Church. Via Media affiliates have formed in Albany (which apparently merits not one, but two, Via Media groups), Central Florida, Dallas, Florida, Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Rio Grande, San Diego, San Joaquin, South Carolina and Springfield. Quincy and Western Kansas haven’t been infiltrated yet. The thirteen Via Media affiliates go under various names such as
Via Media has set up websites for these groups, so if you’d like to learn more about what they’re doing in these dioceses, conduct a web search by individual name. "That Church is no longer part of us . . . " Scorning the godly guidance of faith, order, and doctrine as set forth in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and previous Prayer Books going back to the mid-1500s, Via Media mandates a redesigned church, unbound by holy scripture as it has been taught for more than 2000 years. At an organizational meeting March 25-27 at All Saints’ Church, Atlanta, the Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander left no doubt as to the group’s orientation and intention. In a sermon during the gathering he told them: "I have a sense in which the Church we have known, which taught us the gospel and the sacraments and which we grew up in, that Church is no longer part of us. In its place we are going through the labor pains of a new empowerment and ministry of the Church." The Pansexual Agenda Further, Via Media, as part of ECUSA’s The Every Voice Network (See upcoming article), aligns itself with activist groups that have been lobbying, some for as long as 30 years -- for lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender (LGBT) "rights" within the church:
Also see additional links on the above sites to see how far off the tracks Via Media and its revisionist fellow travelers are taking the Church. Claiming the Blessing’s executive director, Rev. Susan Russell, summarized the objectives of the LGBT lobby in her remarks to General Convention last summer:
Via Media in attack mode: In December, well before its formal organizational meeting, which was closed to the media, the group tried to block the election of bishop coadjutor in the Diocese of the Rio Grande. The group complained that the diocese was split 2-1 in favor of conservatives, and attempted to influence the placement of an interim bishop presumably more to their taste "who would lead us in a time of clarification of our polity, reconciliation with one another in the diocese and patient discernment of God’s will for us." The group wrote to all ECUSA standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction asking that they withhold their consent to the election. Their meddling in diocesan matters failed. Rio Grande recently announced that it has received the necessary consents from bishops and standing committees, and will proceed with the election. Veritaphobia? (Fear of The Truth) It’s interesting and enlightening to browse through the interconnected websites listed above for more information on how the pansexual thought police plan to indoctrinate church members according to their agenda. As you browse through the sites, notice how the Baptismal Covenant is used as justification for radical social change. The Baptismal Covenant did not exist until the revisionists inserted it into the 1979 Prayer Book. This bogus bit of non-scriptural trickery changed the Sacrament of Holy Baptism into an instrument for social activism. Thus is the power of words used to change the life-giving, death-destroying Christianity set forth in the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer into a non-christian, man-centered "religion". Godly Episcopalians – laity, clergy, and bishops -- who deplore this secularization of the Church and seek to maintain true religion and virtue are being targeted and vilified by Via Media. We pray that orthodox Episcopalians, who truly are via media in the traditional sense, will turn to the scripture-based 1928 Book of Common Prayer for strength and determination to prevail resolutely against the revisionists and destroyers. For what do the schismatics fear? They fear The Truth. Episcopalians for Traditional Faith (ETF) is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization dedicated to repairing and restoring the Episcopal Church from within through use of the traditional liturgy of the classic 1928 Book of Common Prayer, which is based entirely upon holy scripture. ETF relies completely on contributions to carry on with its work. Won’t you help us today? Please be generous in helping ETF promote and preserve use of the 1928 BCP. All contributions are tax deductible. To make a contribution, print the form on this website’s Book Store page. Fill it out and send with a check to ETF’s headquarters address. If you’d prefer to make a contribution online using a credit card, click on the PayPal icon and follow the directions. 5-14-2004 Two More Dioceses Vote to Associate with NetworkThe Dioceses of San Joaquin (California) and Springfield (Illinois) have formally associated with the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes, commonly known as the Anglican Communion Network. San Joaquin and Springfield join the Dioceses of Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, Rio Grande (Texas and Arizona), and Central Florida in associating with the Network. At the Network’s Organizing Convocation, held January 19-20, 2004, bishops and representatives from twelve dioceses voted to approve the Charter for the Network (to read the Charter, please go to www.americananglican.org). Dioceses have sought final ratification by their respective legislative bodies, as appropriate. The 1928 edition of the Prayer Book is in use in some, but by no means all, Network churches. Laity whose churches have joined the Network should insist to their vestry members and priests that the traditional 1928 liturgy – which is based on holy scripture and leaves no doubt as to standards of Christian behavior – be used in their churches.
Diocese of Springfield Offers Adequate Episcopal Oversight Special Report by David W. Virtue EVANSVILLE, IN -- In what might be the first test case of Adequate Episcopal Oversight in the Episcopal Church, a fellowship has been formed in the Diocese of Indianapolis, under the oversight of the Diocese of Springfield that is drawing parishioners from four parishes primarily in the Dioceses of Indianapolis and some from the Diocese of Kentucky. "It is the first of its kind," said the Rev. Robert Todd Giffin, 33, an orthodox priest who will lead the 60 plus parishioners under the banner of Faithful Anglicans in the Heartland (FAITH) Inc. They are meeting at Evansville's West Side Fairfield Inn, but its future location will be the former St. Andrews Presbyterian Church on Stringtown Road. Faithful Anglicans in the Heartland confirmed it had successfully bid $150,000 on the church. The newly formed fellowship, which has the blessing of the orthodox Bishop of Springfield, the Rt. Rev. Peter Beckwith is drawing people from liberal parishes in St. Paul's Henderson, Ky, St. Paul's Evansville, In; St. Stephen's, New Harmony, Ind. and St. John's Mt. Vernon, Ind. The decisive issue for these Episcopalians who left their Tri-State churches was the confirmation of an openly homosexual bishop to the ECUSA episcopacy as well as the promotion of same-sex blessings by General Convention. The two dioceses of Indianapolis and Kentucky have revisionist bishops unacceptable to this new group of parishioners who are crossing diocesan lines to attend the FAITH parish. The Rev. Robert Todd Giffin is the new Episcopal priest for the 60 orthodox Episcopalians. They will now worship under the banner of Faithful Anglicans in the Heartland (FAITH) Inc. Giffin said he expects the number to swell to over 150 in the next few months. The new members of the group have decided to change their memberships from liberal dioceses and parishes to the Diocese of Springfield and to worship as a satellite fellowship of the adjoining, more traditional diocese. Fr. Giffin said that one parish priest, Fr. Phil Lewis, formally of the Diocese of Albany at St. John's, Mt. Vernon in the Diocese of Indianapolis is orthodox, but the revisionist Bishop of Indianapolis, Catherine Waynick was forcing these people to look elsewhere for spiritual leadership. The Rev. Giffin is presently in charge of two missions in eastern Illinois - St. Mary's in Robinson, Ill and St. Alban's, in Olney, both under Bishop Beckwith. "This new group is meeting on a Saturday, so it won't conflict with my other duties," he told Virtuosity. Giffin will continue his two-hour commute to his church, operating the Evansville center as a satellite of his parish. "I am functioning with the full authority and blessing of the Bishop of Springfield, The Rt. Rev. Peter H. Beckwith. We are offering pastoral care to those in southern Indiana and the Tri-State area that feel estranged from their church since General Convention. This is a temporary provision being offered to faithful Anglicans in this region until adequate Episcopal oversight is accomplished through the Network of Communion Dioceses and Parishes," he told Virtuosity. "Up till now diocesan boundaries were defined by state lines," now that is changing." "We're excited to get Fr. Giffin," said John Lippert, a member of the new fellowship's steering committee. Lippert is listed as the sole incorporator of Faithful Anglicans in the Heartland, according to the nonprofit domestic corporation application through the Indiana secretary of state. Giffin, originally of Indianapolis and now a Newburgh resident, said he was unaware of the traditional Episcopalians until he read about them in the newspaper. "The intent was to remain who they were and what they believe and worship the way they did last year," said Giffin, whose diocese has rebuked the confirmation of openly gay New Hampshire Bishop V. Gene Robinson. Members of the new fellowship - they are careful not to call themselves a church, which could bring opposition from both diocesan leaderships in Kentucky and Indianapolis - said they represent the true worldwide Anglican Communion. "This is not a group of splintered Anglicans or a breakaway group. This is the mainstream," Giffin said. "This is not a reactionary movement or an aggressive movement. ... No one has broken away from anything." "Not everyone in FAITH Inc. will transfer," Ward said. "These people will move, though. If they don't, they still will be welcome." He said patience will be key to the group's success. "God called the Israelites to walk in the desert a long while," Ward said. "This is hardly a challenge. There's a lot of work that needs to be done and now we can do it."
The online journalist David Virtue extensively covers the Episcopal Church and the global Anglican Communion. This article first appeared on February 13, 2004 on the website www.virtuosityonline.org. Poking Fun ECUSA Is the Butt of Media JokesThe media are having a field day, gaily poking fun while ECUSA airs its dirty laundry in public. Journalists have a saying,"Bad news is good news." The bad news generated by General Convention 2003 is good news indeed for cartoonists and copy editors. A cartoon in the New York Post on November 7 has one Roman Catholic priest saying to another: "Our prayers have been answered, Father. Send all our problem priests to the Episcopalians." An August 3 Tribune Media Service cartoon by Wright shows a priest labeled "Episcopal Church" being split in half -- Zip!!! -- by a large knife captioned "The Gay Blade." One post-G.C. headline reads "New bishop’s gay Episco-pal." Another says "Nay-gay diocese slaps Episcopal church." Apparently unconcerned and unembarrassed, the pansexual element within the Episcopal Church goes on its merry way, a small but determined minority focused on sabotaging Christian marriage. For a clear picture of how Prayer Book revision created a new religion and weakened traditional marriage, read Nancy VonKlemperer’s "What’s the Difference?" Use the form on the ETF Book Store page to order this illuminating booklet for yourself and your friends.
------------------------------------------------------ Majestic, Solemn, True – and within Reach The Daily Order for Morning Prayer, 1928 BCP Episcopalians don’t need a parish church to be able to worship God "In spirit and in truth." All we need is a copy of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer or a previous edition. Despite the present upheaval in the church, there are probably thousands of 1928 Prayer Books in thousands of homes. The Order for Daily Morning Prayer, while majestic and solemn in tone, is couched in the graphic, illuminating language of the Bible. There is never any mistaking its meaning. We don’t need a bishop to explain to us what a phrase really means. Sentences such as "We have left undone those things which we ought to have done," or "Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies" speak with a clarity which has vaulted over the centuries. The opening words of the Service of Morning Prayer list the spiritual acts to be performed by the worshipper. In computer parlance, they give us the "menu," which is:
Finally, and most challenging of all, we are to perform these spiritual acts with the proper attitude on our part. We are to approach God with a "humble, lowly, penitent and obedient" and "pure" heart. No matter how much "false doctrine, heresy and schism" the Episcopal Church is now indulging in, no matter in how much "danger, necessity, and tribulation" we might find ourselves personally, we can always start the day by coming into the presence of God through MORNING PRAYER. If persistent and faithful in this worship, we might surely hope that God will favorably answer our petitions, both for ourselves and for the Episcopal Church. – Nancy Von Klemperer ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Don’t Support Businesses that Mock ReligionIf you’re thinking of shopping at Urban Retailers, we suggest that you think again. The New York Post recently carried this item in its "Weird But True" column: By Peter C. Moore The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown's blockbuster novel, gives us a hauntingly mystical view of Christ. In The Code, Jesus is married to Mary Magdalene and has children with her. Along the way, he also spawns a cult of secret goddess worshippers. According to the novel, in the modern age, the rigidly orthodox Catholic order of Opus Dei fanatically suppresses a group of cultists who keep alive Jesus' ancient and "true" vision of Christianity. If you suspect that this plot line is too absurd to gain attention, consider that the novel has spent 52 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and is currently at the top. One of Brown's astonishing claims (presented as fast-paced truth) is that Jesus was never considered divine until, at the Emperor Constantine's insistence, the Council of Nicea voted him so in 325 A.D. Brown doesn't explain why Christians of that day never noticed this sudden change in their doctrine of Christ. Why should we be surprised by the public's fascination with unorthodox theses on the nature of Jesus Christ? Colorful advocates have promoted these sorts of claims for centuries. In the 19th century, cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses and Christian Science sprang into existence asserting that Jesus was less than the unique Son of God. The idea they exploit is, of course, far older. In the 4th century, Arius, a presbyter in the Church of Alexandria, nearly caused a major schism by claiming that Christ was less than the Father. Fifteen emperors, five popes, scores of patriarchs, hundreds of bishops, innumerable priests, and even fervent street mobs took sides for or against Arius. Thirteen church councils hashed through the problem until it was eventually settled with the Nicene Creed. The heresy of subjectivismToday there is a new spin on these old heresies, arising from our culture's fascination with religious pluralism. Along with a widespread loss of belief in absolutes, we see a loss of faith in objective truth. People now hesitate to say that any religious convictions represent literal facts. They prefer to think that all beliefs are subjective. This allows them the benefit of holding on to beliefs that offend no one. Thus, these people can appear religious but tolerant. One of the most vigorous proponents of this new heresy is the controversial Canadian bishop Michael Ingham. He precipitated an international Anglican crisis by promoting the ordination of active homosexuals and performing same-sex blessings. Consequently, one third of the laity of his diocese (10 parishes) have left him and sought protection from the wider Communion. Theological warfareA few years ago, Bishop Ingham sponsored a debate on the topic, "Is Jesus Christ the only way to God?" The debaters were American Bible scholar Marcus Borg and British theologian Tom Wright, presently the Bishop of Durham. Four hundred people packed the auditorium, and 300 more were turned away; so clearly the subject was important to Anglicans in the Vancouver area. During the debate, Borg claimed that it was acceptable for Christians to reject the traditional belief that Jesus Christ is the only way. He warned against Christians making "triumphalist and provincial claims" that Jesus is the only way. Wright, on the other hand, quoted John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life, no one can come to God except through me." He defended the "scandal of particularity" that asserts the politically incorrect view that Jesus is "the climax of God's story in the cosmos." The two scholars frequently appear on the same platform. I heard them debate at Chautauqua a couple of years later. Tom Harpur, a popular Canadian author, columnist, and TV commentator who renounced Anglican orders some years ago, sees John 14:6 as a pretext for "coercion and then violence against those who [don't] happen to agree." Harpur claims that John 14:6 should not be considered historical because, in his words "the Gospel of John is not historical." However, Matthew 11:27 and Luke 10:32 say virtually the same thing as John 14:6. And so the battle is joined. Curiously, virtually all parties to the debate would doubtless claim that they are orthodox Christians. All most likely confess the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed and insist that the differences between conservatives and liberals are merely differences in the interpretation of Scripture rather than a rejection of the authority of Scripture. Similarly, when it comes to the current divisive issue of homosexuality, the same argument is offered: we all accept the authority of Scripture, say those in favor of the revisionist agenda, we just differ on its interpretation. I'm frankly troubled by this claim. While the issue of Christology and homosexuality seem miles apart, I see them as two sides of the same coin. Double-thinkLet's look again at the issue with which I began. Both liberal and conservative Anglicans claim to be "orthodox" Christians. Why then do they come to very different conclusions about the uniqueness of Jesus Christ? How can a large number of priests and bishops say that they affirm the divinity of Jesus Christ, but refuse to say that he is the unique Son of God and the only Savior of the world? Ask your rector whether she or he believes that Jesus is the "only way." You may be surprised at the answer you get. The argument you get may sound like this: Jesus may have been the Son of God. But we cannot proclaim him to the world as anything more than "my God" or "our God." Is this muddled-headed thinking or something worse? I am reminded of George Orwell's "double-think." According to his major work, Nineteen Eighty-Four (published in 1949), double-think is the modern faculty of simultaneously harboring two conflicting beliefs! Laity, I find, are sometimes quicker than clergy to see the incongruity of affirming one thing in a creed, and then proclaiming another from the pulpit. This was proven in a study of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. by two American sociologists. They asked why a very large number in the age group 35-55 had left the denomination. The reason was not what conventional wisdom would suggest: changes in worship, controversial social stances, poor preaching, or inadequate adult education. No, most people in this age group who left the Presbyterian Church did so for only one reason: they no longer believed that Jesus Christ was the only Savior of the world. Liturgical dissonanceI suspect that the figures for lay flight would be much the same for the Episcopal Church. While the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only Savior is the Church's historic position and the only logical conclusion to be drawn from our hymns, creeds and liturgies - to say nothing of the Scriptures - many church members reject it. A friend of mine wagers, for example, that 90% of those Episcopalians who support the consecration of an openly gay bishop and the blessing of same-sex relationships would deny that Jesus Christ is the only way. Which raises the question, "What does orthodoxy mean?" Is one orthodox if one denies such a central claim of the Faith as the position of Jesus Christ? Can one say the creed, recite the prayers, sing the hymns, and claim to be orthodox, and still be unwilling to say that Jesus is the only way? Two ways can't both be rightDuring my 25 years of ministry to students, I was frequently challenged to answer the charge: "How can you say that Jesus Christ is the only Savior?" Here's what I said: I reminded them of Jesus' parable about two men who went into the temple to pray. One thanked God that he was "not as other men." He reminded God that he tithed, fasted and prayed, and was completely different from that other man "over there" who was a sinner. Most of us would conclude that the first man was sincerely religious and moral. The other man, however, knelt, beat his breast, and prayed, "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." "Which one left the temple in a right relationship with God?" asked Jesus. Even his detractors had to say, "The one who asked for mercy." Jesus is talking about two fundamentally different approaches to God. The first approach relies on good works, honest intentions, and moral rectitude. The second approach is to cast oneself on the mercy of God. The first ultimately has no place for Jesus Christ, except as a moral teacher. The second will know Jesus at a glance, because Jesus embodies the divine mercy that is needed. So then, I respond to my challengers by saying that Jesus is the only Savior because he alone embodies the mercy of God. No other religious teacher or prophet ever came close to offering God's unconditional love to sinners, as Jesus did. So, if it's mercy we know we need, Jesus is the only way. And who doesn't need mercy? What of the people, then, who have never heard of Jesus? Isn't it logical to assume that, whenever they do hear of him, on this side of death or on the far side, they will recognize him as "the God they never knew?" Orthodoxy is simply the framework in which the uniqueness of Jesus Christ is preserved. That uniqueness is not something we can disperse into the mists of subjectivism. It's essential to our experience of unconditional mercy. Without it, we are all lost. With it, we are gloriously found. Dr. Peter Moore is the President of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. This article first appeared in Seed and Harvest, the TESM magazine.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Organization of Faithful Laypersons is Insurance Against Complete Takeover of ECUSA by Radicals
Objectives for 2004-2005 were set by ETF at its Annual Meeting February 7 at the Yale Club, New York, NY. Among these were:
ETF directors, representing four dioceses, reaffirmed their intention to work for change within the Episcopal Church. They agreed that a faithful, vocal organization of laity and clergy within the Church is the best insurance against a complete takeover by left-wing radicals. Meeting with GriswoldDirectors discussed the jam-packed schedule of the past year, including meetings with Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and Long Island Bishop Orris Walker. ETF also contacted Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Primates of the global Anglican Communion, urging that they exert their influence to restore order in ECUSA and recognize the importance of the 1928 BCP. New OfficersDr. Janet Hildebrand of Louisiana and Anthony Kilminster of England have joined ETF’s Advisory Council. Jan Mahood declined to accept a second term as President so that she can devote more time to ETF communications. Irving P. Graeb was unanimously elected ETF President, with Capt. Douglas Hard and Mrs. Mahood serving as vice-presidents. Dorothy Aldrich and Emily Jablonsky will continue as Recording Secretary and Treasurer, respectively. A new director, John Cota of Long Island, was voted in by the board. ETF will increase website activity.Use of the website has increased dramatically, with more than 6,500 visitors and a growing email list. ETF has received hundreds of positive email messages, and only two pieces of hate mail. It was noted that when Episcopalians contact ETF through the website, asking how they can approach vestries and clergy in efforts to promote use of the 1928BCP, ETF provides them with literature and sends speakers when requested. Have 1928 Prayer Book, will travel! When a church holds regular 1928 services, ETF provides support through contributions and programs. Events featuring prominent speakers are being planned for Spring and Autumn 2004. The 2005 Annual Meeting will be in May. Watch mail and website for details. Linking the WorldCheck out other traditionalist websites: ECUSA Power Failure?Before the ETF Annual Meeting on February 7, ETF directors met in front of St. Thomas Episcopal Church on New York City’s Fifth Avenue to attend a 1928 Prayer Book service of Holy Communion. A tour of the historic church was scheduled after the service. However, when churchgoers arrived, they found the heavy wooden front doors locked. A sign on one of the doors read: CHURCH CLOSED POWER FAILURECould this delightful irony be directed at ECUSA? It turned out that flooding had knocked out the power that morning all over a section of Manhattan. ETF Directors from out of town look forward to visiting this beautiful, traditional house of God, an oasis within ECUSA, when they’re next in New York. If you live near Manhattan or plan to visit, attending a service at St. Thomas will restore your soul. Check the St. Thomas website for times of services: www.saintthomaschurch.org ------------------------------------------------------------------ Via Media Spins "Middle Way" While Pushing All Out for Changed Church News Analysis By David W. Virtue Almost a dozen revisionist Episcopal groups meeting under the banner of Via Media will meet in Atlanta March 25-27 to, in the words of Lionel Deimel, president of Progressive Episcopalians of Pittsburgh, "swap notes, meet each other and plan strategy." That's a half-truth. They will meet to figure out how to deal with, bend to their will and destroy, if it comes to that, the biblically orthodox minority in The Episcopal Church. It is absolutely ironic that they call themselves the Via Media, in Latin, the Middle Way, because in truth they are as far from being the 'middle way', as a drunk driver telling a cop that he was driving down the middle of the road, because he was frightened that if drove on either side of the road he might just drive off the black top and hit a tree. When one of the founders of Anglicanism, Richard Hooker first coined the term, Via Media was the special grace of the Church of England in that it took the best insights of Reformation theology; especially its evangelical stress on salvation by grace alone, and combined it with the spiritual disciplines and sacramental worship of the traditional church. According to William L. De Arteaga, Ph.D. in his book "Forgotten Power", he writes that the Wesley brothers did exactly that. "They brought passion to both the evangelical and Catholic sides of the balance. They were better evangelicals than most Protestants and, at the same time, better at the disciplines of the spiritual life and more loyal to sacramental worship than most Catholics." This is not what the contemporary Via Media types in ECUSA are planning, rather plotting to bring to the table. Among the 40 odd revisionists gathering in Atlanta will be three representatives from the national church. One of them, Virtuosity has learned, is David Booth Beers, the church's attorney and Griswold's personal attorney. He comes at a price break of $350.00 an hour. Now he will not be there to via media anything. You may take my word for it. He will be there to inform these angry revisionists, with all legal solemnity, that they are the true and faithful sons and daughters of the Church and they have nothing to fear, and if anyone tries to leave the ECUSA with their property they will get a taste of hell in this life. Just watch the fun and games begin in the Diocese of Missouri with the Church of the Good Shepherd in St Louis. They have left the diocese and ECUSA and plan to keep their parish property. If you don't think that Beers has not been in touch with Bishop George Wayne Smith (Missouri) and his attorneys with legal advice, then you need to rethink your doctrine of Original Sin. This gang is saying they do not want their church to split over Robinson's consecration and they plan to establish a nationwide alliance of clergy and laity who stand for moderation, tolerance and inclusion, leaders of the movement told the Washington POST. Deimel said the Via Media groups have some members on both sides of the thundering debates in the church, including whether to bless same-sex unions and whether to support the election of V. Gene Robinson. That is a fiction. If they didn't believe fundamentally in ECUSA's adopted pansexualism they wold be a member of the AAC or NADCP. They are not. These ultra liberals have one goal - to win the culture wars in the Episcopal Church and to turn it into a theological whore house with the vestal virgins (ECUSA's orthodox) paying the bills. Anything else is lies and spin. Deimel says he believes "in a united church in having a view of the Episcopal Church as being a welcoming, inclusive church with broad tolerance of theological differences." Interpretation: Inclusion without redemption, tolerance for those who believe in sodomy and calling the biblically orthodox "fundamentalists" and "homophobes" if they don't go along with the new religion. Via Media groups can be found in such dioceses as Pittsburgh, Albany, South Carolina and Fort Worth, oddly enough they are ALL in orthodox dioceses. If they were so "Via Media" why is there not one single Via Media in a liberal or revisionist diocese? And the answer is that they don't need them there because those bishops have already sold out and rolled over to the new religion, so a "Via Media" group is unnecessary. While the orthodox continue to say with loud voices that they are not leaving ECUSA and the new Network say they are the legitimate sons and daughters of orthodoxy in the Episcopal Church, it might well be that this face off could lead to the very schism everyone says they are trying to avoid. The Rev. John T. Sorensen, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Plattsburgh, N.Y. and a leader of Albany Via Media says that the Via Media groups "are basically here to demand that we remain an inclusive place that is not only embracing of liberals or gay clergy but also of conservatives and everybody in between." That's a fiction that even his own boss Albany Bishop Dan Herzog does not buy and never will. Most of the 11 Via Media groups are small, so far, with fewer than 100 active members, but with the national church behind them and all their media power you can be sure it won't stay that way for long. Sooner or later the two sides will face each other for an all out battle, and when the dust clears, there will be bodies all over the beach. Via Media no more represents the true center of the church, than Frank Griswold represents Anglo-Catholicism. It's all a great lie. Nor is this about extremism, it is about the 'faith once delivered' and that faith does not include abandoning doctrines people find nauseating like the Atonement or upholding sex outside of marriage. Those are positions that no other denomination, so far, believes in except the ECUSA. One cannot simply agree to disagree, the eternal destiny of thousands of souls are at stake. As one astute observer noted, "Via Media is made up of liberals who are working for reconciliation in the same way that the communists did through "re-education." As Lecutious of Borg (Star Trek) said, "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile." Futile it would seem, and spiritually fatal. Reprinted with permission of www.virtuosityonline.org -----------------------------------------------------------Convention Report Long
Island Diocese Pushes Illegal Alien Rights;
Illegal
aliens, called "undocumented workers" by the church's
"social justice" activists, got another boost last month from
the Diocese of Long Island, NY. Every worker in the U.S. -- those
already here as well as those who will pour over our borders legally or
illegally -- should have equal rights, according to The Rev. Neil Blatz,
who introduced the resolution, which passed, and a copy was sent to
every legislator. |