wfn.org | Anglicans grapple with implications of 'unprecedented' consecrations in Denver

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2001-169
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Anglicans grapple with implications of 'unprecedented' consecrations in Denver

by Jan Nunley
jnunley@episcopalchurch.org

     (ENS) "If they can point to me where I'm mistaken, I'm willing to repent," 
said South East Asia Archbishop Datuk Yong Ping Chung at a news conference the 
morning after he had defied the archbishop of Canterbury and consecrated four 
American priests as "missionary bishops" for the Anglican Mission in America 
(AMiA) on June 24. The AMiA operates under the auspices of the Anglican provinces 
of South East Asia and Rwanda.

     The actual status of the bishops within the Anglican Communion is murky, 
since they are not accepted as bishops in the Episcopal Church nor recognized by 
Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, but depend on acceptance as bishops in the 
provinces that consecrated them.

     The consecrations, held at Denver's Colorado Community Church, represent an 
unprecedented crossing of diocesan and provincial boundaries, and were condemned 
last week by Carey and several other primates of the Anglican Communion, 
including Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, as a violation of traditional Anglican 
polity. 

Humility and obedience

     "I don't want to break the sacred tradition of the Anglican church," Yong 
told journalists, adding that he chaired the Anglican Consultative Council for 
six years and has "committed my whole life" to Anglicanism. As recently as June 
11, he said, the decision to move forward with the consecrations was in doubt. 

     Despite pleas from other bishops and primates--including bishops from the 
conservative American Anglican Council--not to go ahead with the ceremony, Yong 
said that "nobody told me how to protect" those claiming persecution for their 
conservative views in the Episcopal Church without proceeding as planned. "What 
sort of integrity will I have if I now back down?" he asked. He added that he has 
"respect" for Carey.

     Following the news conference, Yong said, the AMiA's council of bishops 
would gather to formulate a response of "humility and obedience" to Carey. He 
also has to confer with them about responding to the other three bishops of his 
province, who have disassociated themselves from his actions. 

Overlapping jurisdictions?

Charles Murphy, consecrated for the AMiA in a controversial service held 18 
months ago in Singapore, appealed to a 1968 Lambeth resolution recognizing 
"overlapping jurisdictions" such as exist among Anglicans in Europe as 
justification for the actions of the archbishops.

     The four new bishops--Thaddeus Barnum, Alexander "Sandy" Greene, T.J. 
Johnston, and Douglas Weiss--were also seated at the news conference in new 
clergy shirts of episcopal purple. 

     According to Murphy, the four will not head geographical dioceses but will 
have "oversight by affinity," according to their "unique gifts and talents." AMiA 
congregations will have the freedom to work with particular bishops as they 
choose. 

     But fellow AMiA bishop John Rodgers, who was consecrated with Murphy, said 
that "geography will play a role…but not a definitive one" in the administration, 
which he described as operating with "flexibility" under Rwandan and South East 
Asian canons. It appears that congregations which accept the ordination of women 
may be gathered under Rodgers and the Province of South East Asia, while those 
who oppose women's ordination will gravitate to Murphy and the Rwandan 
jurisdiction.

Solemnity and spontaneity

     The Sunday night service combined Anglican solemnity and evangelical 
spontaneity. Following the South East Asia consecration rite, the liturgy offered 
no opportunity for objection to the consecrations, as is customary in the U.S. 
church. Cameras flashed as Yong and Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini, Bishops John 
Rucyahana and Venuste Mutiganda of Rwanda were joined by retired American bishops 
Alex Dickson of  West Tennessee and FitzSimons Allison of South Carolina laid 
hands on Barnum, Greene, Johnston, and Weiss. The increased the number of AMiA 
bishops to six for an estimated 8,000 congregants.

     In his sermon to the gathering of almost a thousand people, Yong alluded to 
letters from people condemning the action, saying, "It is never our intention to 
offend or hurt them….Despite tremendous pressure, we are going ahead with this 
consecration tonight." 

      Fifty clergymen processed down the aisle of the suburban Colorado Community 
Church with their hands upraised as the verses to "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus" were 
projected on to two screens flanking the dais. A praise band led by the Rev. Phil 
Eberhart of the newly formed Resurrection Anglican Fellowship in Colorado led the 
congregation in praise choruses prior to the service and in contemporary versions 
of traditional Anglican hymns.

     The service was punctuated by "amens" and applause, with a standing ovation 
for Murphy as he thanked the two archbishops for providing "a way forward" for 
the AMiA. 

'God knows what he's doing'

     Earlier that day, at Christ Church in Denver--whose rector of just a month 
ago, Sandy Greene, was one of those consecrated--the Rev. Mike Flynn urged the 
congregation to reach out to both sides. "When you accept yourself in Christ 
Jesus, you don't feel tainted by those who compromise the faith," he said. "When 
you accept yourself in Christ Jesus, you don't feel abandoned by those who feel 
they have to leave." 

     Christ Church members were given a pastoral letter from Colorado's Bishop 
Jerry Winterrowd, who said that "my heart goes out to you as you try to move 
beyond the tear in the fabric of your life that has caused great pain…I pray that 
God will give you the grace and strength to let go of all the fear and hurt that 
has been caused and that you will be freed from the burdens Satan would place 
upon you." That evening they gathered for a colloquium on "Safeguarding the 
Faith," led by Flynn and the Revs. Ephraim Radner, Don Henderson, Jack Stapleton, 
and Phil Webb, to talk about "our future together and our future as Anglicans in 
the Episcopal Church."

     Parishioners at Christ Church estimated that no more than 100 of their fellow 
worshippers, out of more than 800, departed for the AMiA recently. Some even 
expressed relief that the direction of the parish was now much clearer.

--Jan Nunley is deputy director of Episcopal News Service.