Updated Friday
The Anglican Communion Network has issued a press release Anglican Communion Network Celebrates Successes, Prepares for Hand Over to Province.
“God did not use the Network to change the direction of The Episcopal Church as we had originally hoped. He has used it and us to create a Biblical, missionary and united Anglican province-in-waiting here in North America. We are deeply thankful to Him and to all who have supported its work,” said Bishop Duncan.
The full text of the Resolution includes this:
…And finally be it resolved, that the Steering Committee enter into conversation with that part of the membership of the Anglican Communion Network remaining in The Episcopal Church as to whether they might desire to take upon themselves the original mantle of the Anglican Communion Network.
Friday Update
The Living Church reports that Rio Grande Drops Network Affiliation:
The standing committee of the Diocese of the Rio Grande has voted unanimously to disaffiliate from the Anglican Communion Network…
…The withdrawal of the Rio Grande, which did not send any representatives to the annual council meeting, leaves eight of the original 10 dioceses nominally in the organization. Four of the original 10 founding dioceses—Fort Worth, Pittsburgh, Quincy and San Joaquin—have withdrawn from The Episcopal Church.
…Bishop John Howe of the Diocese of Central Florida withdrew his Network affiliation about six months ago in favor of affiliation with the Anglican Communion Institute. Leaders from the remaining four Network dioceses—Albany, Dallas, South Carolina and Springfield—expressed varying degrees of support for the formation of another organization, but all four said there were no plans at present to discuss withdrawal or disaffiliation.
And there is also an ENS report on this: RIO GRANDE: Diocese disaffiliates from Anglican Communion Network.
“God did not use the Network (ACN) to change the direction of the Episcopal Church as we had originally hoped..” – former Bishop Robert Duncan Oh, indeed! Surprise, surprise! What was it then, about the expressed purposes of the former *Anglican Communion Network* that God seemingly didn’t go along with? Was it anything at all to do with the puritanical tendencies of it’s constituent membership? Or was it the prospect of a return to modern-day Pharisaism in the Church? Only the future will reveal what might have been God’s thoughts about the intended ‘new province’, which is still awaiting the… Read more »
“the Steering Committee enter into conversation with that part of the membership of the Anglican Communion Network remaining in The Episcopal Church as to whether they might desire to take upon themselves the original mantle of the Anglican Communion Network.” The recent creation of a “Third Province” in the Anglican Church has left a void in the Episcopal Church of the United States. There is urgent need for Fifth Column members to continue the Gospel work of reviling, slandering, and goading anyone who does not subscribe to an extreme conservative political agenda. If these positions are not filled immediately, Republican/IRD… Read more »
IMHO Bob Duncan man is really sick and these people have made him even more sick. After several years of hearing, seeing and talking with Duncan I’ve come to the conclusion that he really does need help. This quote really comes to mind: “Joe Gillis: [narrating] How could she breathe in that house full of Norma Desmonds? Around every corner, Norma Desmonds… more Norma Desmonds… and still more Norma Desmonds.” From Wikipedia Megalomania (from the Greek word μεγαλομανία) is a historical term for behavior characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, genius, or omnipotence – often generally termed as delusions… Read more »
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…
The passing of an extinguished torch.
And I see that the Christian Challenge is ceasing publication as well. Perhaps these folks are finally running out of money. How many bishops and programs can a group of 100,000 (at the largest estimate)support?
“We remain sisters and brothers in Christ, regardless of our way forward. We will certainly be looking at ways we can continue to support each other as the Network transitions over the next few months” said Bishop Duncan.
In other words, we will continue to vitriolic slander.
The worst part is, it looks as if Pittsburgh is going to be their national headquarters. Lucky us, like Lynchburg VA will we be known as the center of another group of evangelical, homophobic Christians.
“God did not use the Network to change the direction of The Episcopal Church as we had originally hoped.” It occurs to me there may have been another effect of all this. There is a considerable number of people who have just been getting on with the business of being Christians in the Episcopal Church. They probably don’t know many, if any, gay people, and have never really understood what all this gay rights business is about, nor why gay people can’t just BE gay. Why do they have to keep demanding “rights”? Well, they know now. Just by virtue… Read more »
It’s the old “Declare Victory and Leave” strategy.
As in “Mission Accomplished!” but not really…
Oh heck, just when I had adjusted to hating the sinner and loving the sin…er, or was it the otherway around…whatever, David Anderson finally got crowned even though the ¨place to stand¨ is in shambles.
Ford, I think you are on to something here.
I wonder also if the kinds of things that went on at GAFCON, the recent CEEC meeting, and so on might have finally opened a few eyes in the Church of England. They’ve had a taste now of what the US and Canadian Churches have had to endure for decades, and they’ve found they don’t like it. Well, neither do we.
“It’s the old “Declare Victory and Leave” strategy”
aka “creating reality through definitions…”
;=)
“How many bishops and programs can a group of 100,000 (at the largest estimate)support?”
Oh, but the givings from members are only a drop in the bucket of this group’s funding. But, with Bush out of the White House, IRD’s funding might be dwindling, so they may be less able to support their Episcopal Wing. Anyone have an update on this?
With luck and prayer and blessing, the much vaunted rightist realignment may well go the way of Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. Existing, still amusingly and fairly welcome in the public square so long as people promise to play fairly with others in that square, but minus all the holier than thou-isms and minus the special powers to lord it all over everybody else using any number of different economic or political or social levers. As bald-naked Creationisms go, so will go the worst features of this horrid campaign for realignment. Watch, pray, give thanks, delight.
Isn’t it marvelous how Bob Duncan always knows precisely what it is the mind of God!
(Even more wondrous, of course, is how God’s mind is always and in every way identical to Bob Duncan’s!)
“the much vaunted rightist realignment may well go the way of Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz.”
Is it too early yet to start work on a new Canticle, on the lines of the Song of Moses and Miriam?
“The overseer and his presbyters hath he cast into the midst of the sea.”