Did It Have to Happen?
A report on the U.S. Anglican Congress, St. Philip's Cathedral, Atlanta, Georgia, December 4-7, 2002
by Louie Crew

"Why did the Methodists leave? Did it have to happen?" I asked Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold in the fall of 2000. We were discussing the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA), who had consecrated their first two bishops, the Rt. Rev. Charles Murphy and the Rt. Rev. John Rodgers, on January 29^th that year.

"Of course it did not have to happen," Bishop Griswold replied. "The Methodists left because of the hard-headedness of a few British bishops who refused to sit down and talk about how they might make room for one another."

As a member of Executive Council and of the House of Deputies, I am distressed that few of us who lead in the Episcopal Church (ECUSA) have sat down and talked with the leaders of AMiA and the several other groups that have left.

I believe that across our many disagreements Anglicans everywhere can find common cause in mission. Even if we cannot, we need to take the risk of trying. A church that includes those who agree with me is not enough; Anglicanism should be big enough to include all.

That's why I attended the AMiA consecrations of four additional bishops in Denver on June 24, 2001. That's why I attended the service on September 9, 2002, in Pittsburgh in which Bishop Duncan welcomed Forward in Faith leader the Rev. David Moyer, whom Bishop Charles Bennison had deposed. That's why I went to the U.S. Anglican Congress in Atlanta, December 4-7, 2002 at the Cathedral of St. Philip. I wanted to be a non-anxious loving presence. I am one of those whose inclusion has made many conservatives feel excluded. I wanted to listen.

Approximately 250 came to the U.S. Anglican Congress to seek convergence, exploring how Anglicans can begin to end our unhappy divisions. They came from ECUSA, from AMiA, from the Reformed Episcopal Church (REC), and from several other `breakaway' or `continuing Anglican' bodies. International participants included the Bishop of Bolivia, Francis R. Lyons III; the Archbishop of Central Africa (+Bernard Malango); an evangelist from the United Kingdom (Canon Michael Green); a retired bishop from Canada (+Malcolm Harding), and the retired Archbishop of the Southern Cone (+Maurice Sinclair). No one elected the registrants to attend; they represented just themselves.

The Congress generated excitement. Persons who had been out of communion with one another consecrated Communion together. Presenters explored how to tear down other walls that separate us. They spoke honestly about the divisions that continue even among conservatives, especially fierce divisions about the role of women in the priesthood. The Congress manifested extremely different liturgical preferences, including solemn high evensong and loud rock Renewal music. The Rev. David Moyer, of Good Shepherd in Rosemont, PA, opined: "My idea of heaven is `Baptist sermons and Anglican liturgy'; hell is `Anglican sermons and Baptist liturgy.'"

At the end of four days, the group endorsed a "Declaration of Anglican Essentials" and appointed the Rt. Rev. Leonard Riches, Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church to head up the continuing life of the Congress.

On the second afternoon of the Congress, the Rt. Rev. Robert Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh, and Bishop Ray Sutton of the REC explained how they had begun this journey personally in a simple visit in Bishop Duncan's office in Pittsburgh. "What's to prevent me from licensing one of my priests to serve in your congregation, or licensing one of yours to serve in one of my congregations?" Bishop Duncan had asked Bishop Sutton. Sutton realized this was not just an office visit, but an opportunity to heal old wounds and do mission together.

"A whole new Anglicanism is emerging," Bishop Duncan said at the end of the Congress; "what's going to define us is that all the old barriers have come down."

"Is there a way that liberals too might be part of these important alliances?" I asked the two… After a long pause, Bishop Duncan thanked me for my question, and acknowledged that he could not see a way for the new convergence to include liberals because of "our differences regarding sexuality."

After a long pause, Bishop Duncan thanked me for my question, and acknowledged that he could not see a way for the new convergence to include liberals because of "our differences regarding sexuality."

Liberals were not the whipping boys of the Congress. Liberals were not often mentioned. I heard Bishop John Spong and Bishop Michael Ingham mentioned only once each, Bishop Charles Bennison thrice. I was one of only 3-4 "out" liberals present; there was extensive and gracious hospitality towards me personally.

Nor did the Congress give much explicit attention to ECUSA, its governance or its mission. Only a handful of deputies to General Convention in 2003 were present, and none of the workshops addressed how those present might make common cause to support conservative legislative initiatives there. Instead, repeatedly speakers urged those present to think outside those boundaries. "An Episcopalian complained to me that she could not find trust even at the diocesan or national level," Archbishop Maurice Sinclair recalled; "'Go international!' I responded."

Young men at the Congress expressed similar disregard for episcopal structures when they pledged themselves to "the re-evangelization of North America" without regard to ecclesiastical boundaries. Fourteen signed the youth statement; earlier a speaker asked lay persons under 35 to stand, only three lay males stood. Over half those attending were ordained; over three-quarters were males.

The eight breakout groups further emphasized the primary focus of the Congress on mission: Reaching Children; Church Planting; Evangelism the Anglican Way; The Future of the Anglican Communion; Episcopacy; Christianity and Islam; Healing; and Reclaiming the Inner City.

Two of the plenary speakers — the Most Rev. Bernard Malango, Archbishop of Central Africa, and Philip Jenkins, author of The Next Christendom — both focused on the Global South and the enormous growth of the church there. Another, journalist David Aikman, gave a detailed report on the growth of the church in China and predicted that by 2050 one-third of China will be Christian, and will exert an enormous influence on the political and social agendas of that nation. He noted that already the Chinese are planning to re-build the church in Jerusalem, and expect to evangelize those on their direct route to the Middle East.

Perplexing Details

It would be unfair to say that the Congress was a planning meeting for coming schism. On the other hand, there is little doubt that many, perhaps even a majority, of those attending are hoping to align themselves with the expanding and more biblically orthodox Global South version of Christianity to the exclusion of the institutional Episcopal Church. Although it was not discussed openly at the Congress, in private conversations a number of participants, including some organizers believe the future of the Episcopal Church does not include a place for those who hold to what they would describe as "a traditional understanding" of scripture.

Conservatives frequently point to examples in which they believe that liberals in the church have taken inclusivity to a logical absurdity, and this report would be less than complete if I didn't point out some examples where certain principles or facts apparently held dearly by conservative participants of this Congress appear to be in contradiction with other principles or facts they also claim to cherish.

In his workshop on the episcopacy, I asked Dr. Vincent Eareckson whether episcopal acts, like priestly acts, have efficacy regardless of the state of grace of the one doing the action. Dr. Eareckson is a member of Good Shepherd in Rosemont, PA. Without apparent enthusiasm, Dr. Eareckson shook his head to indicate `Yes, episcopal acts would have efficacy." His rector, Father David Moyers, was sitting in the audience and vigorously shook his head to indicate `No. Episcopal acts do not have efficacy unless the bishop is in a state of grace.'

[Ed. note: click here to read David Moyer's response.]

Is Bishop Bennison's deposition of David Moyer efficacious?

The validity of sacramental acts by apostate bishops, priests and deacons was settled very early on in the life of the church. With non-sacramental acts such as administration of canon law, the situation becomes less clear.

In Africa, almost all [HIV/AIDS] infections are heterosexual. To be infected at that rate, clearly at least half of those Anglicans are not living in faithful monogamous relationships. I am pleased that Archbishop Malango is still in communion with the heterosexuals living with AIDS in his church.

When conference convenor Richard Kew asked the Very Rev. Sam Candler for permission to use the cathedral for the conference, he agreed to Dean Candler's condition, that the Dean be allowed to address the Congress. Later the two agreed that Candler would preach at a Eucharist for the Congress and that Candler would welcome the Congress. Without informing the Dean, Kew withdrew the Eucharist from the official program when some of Kew's colleagues complained about Candler's liberalism and his support of ECUSA. The organizers scheduled another service at a different location for that time, and most at the Congress did not know about Candler's sermon. With grace under fire, Candler welcomed the Congress generously. "Broken promises are part of our experience as Christians when we strive to be open to all people."

The name `Anglican Congress' has been used before, The First Anglican Congress was held in London 1908, the Second in Minneapolis in 1954, and the Third in Toronto in 1963. To each of these, the provinces of the Communion chose official representatives among the lay, clergy, and episcopal orders. The Congress in Atlanta has no such official standing, nor did it attempt the broad representation that the name `Anglican Congress' suggests. A fourth Congress of the Anglican Communion is slated for Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2008.

The actions taken by the U.S. Anglican Congress were prepared in private groups to which registrants did not have access without special invitation. Dr. Vincent Eareckson described one of the private sessions as "two hours in a gated condominium owned by one of the members of the cathedral, active also in the Congress, right down Peachtree Road from the cathedral. It was an intimate wine, tea sandwich and cheese gathering for those ‘at the center.’ I can only say that it was a step back in time when the ‘movers and shakers’ gathered in the most secluded of settings to talk about and make the decisions for the Church. I can only say we are in a new day, of which the Congress is a prime example and mover, TBTG! [Thanks be to God]"

On the final morning, the Congress was asked by a voice vote to affirm the two main documents — "The Re-Affirmation of Kingdom Norms" endorsed by 19 of 23 bishops present and "The Declaration of Anglican Essentials," a Canadian document re-worked slightly for the USA by Bishops Sutton and Rodgers and by Professor Leslie Fairfield of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry.

As the person in charge of any ongoing life of the Congress, the Rt. Rev. Leonard Riches inherited a debt of $25,000 of expenses still not paid for the Congress.

Dr. Louie Crew is the founder of Integrity and a longtime Episcopal Church leader. He currently sits on the Church’s Executive Council and the Episcopal Diocese of Newark’s deputation to General Convention 2003, and is a Witness contributing editor. Louie is a well-known collector and disseminator of statistics and little-known facts about the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion, most of which are found on his website. He may be reached by email at lcrew@andromeda.rutgers.edu