Drell’s Descants

Adapted from the timeline prepared by the American Anglican Council and other sources, with some additional thoughts and events by me.

1966-1967
• Heresy charges brought against
Bishop James Pike, who had declared
that “the Church’s classical way of
stating what is represented by the
doctrine of the Trinity is…not essential
to the Christian faithâ€; Bishop
Pike was censured but a heresy trial
averted because the Church believed
such a trial would give it an “oppressive
image†and be a “throw back†for
the institution.

1976
• General Convention of ECUSA
approved Resolutions A068 and B101
calling for study/dialogue on sexuality
and ordination of homosexuals
• John Spong ordained Bishop of
Newark, despite his denial of essential
Christian doctrines.

1979
• General Convention of ECUSA
approved Resolution A053, reaffirming
traditional teaching on sexuality
and morality
• Twenty bishops issued
“Statement of Conscience,â€
rejecting A053

1985
• General Convention of ECUSA
approved Resolution D082 calling to
“dispel myths and prejudices†against
homosexuality

1987 & 1989
• Panel of bishops dismissed heresy
charges against Bishop Spong

1988
• General Convention of ECUSA
approved Resolution D102 calling
for the continuation of
consultation/dialogue regarding
human sexuality.

1989-1991
• Bishops Spong and Walter Righter,
Diocese of Newark, and the Diocese
of Washington, D.C., ordained openly non-celibate homosexuals amid much media attention.

1994
• General Convention of ECUSA
approved Resolution D049 calling for
preparation of a report considering
rites for blessings of same-sex unions
• Bishop Spong drafted the “Koinonia
Statement†defining homosexuality as
morally neutral and supporting the
ordination of homosexuals in faithful
sexual relationships (signed by 90
bishops and 144 deputies)

1996
• Both counts of heresy against Bishop
Righter dismissed in an ecclesiastical
court, which declared there was “no
clear doctrine†involved when the
bishop ordained an openly non-celibate gay
man to the diaconate in 1990

1997
• The Kuala Lumpur Statement,
released by the Second Anglican
Encounter in the South, upheld traditional
theology on human sexuality.

1998
• Lambeth Conference upheld
Scriptural and traditional teaching on
marriage and human sexuality.

March 2000
• Primates’ meeting in Oporto,
Portugal, issued pastoral letter
upholding the authority of Scripture.

July 2000
• General Convention of ECUSA
approved Resolution D039 acknowledging
relationships other than
marriage and existence of disagreement
on the Church’s teaching.

In this same month, two Episcopal priests are consecrated in Singapore for ministry in the United States, and the Anglican Mission in America begins. Presiding Bishop Griswold issued a letter of protest to the Primates of the Anglican Communion.

March 2001
• Primates’ meeting in Kanuga, N.C.,
issued pastoral letter acknowledging
estrangement in Church due to
changes in theology and practice
regarding human sexuality, and
calling Communion to avoid
actions that might damage
“credibility of missionâ€

April 2002
• Primates’ meeting at Canterbury
issued pastoral letter recognizing
responsibility of all bishops to
articulate fundamentals of
faith/maintain truth.

June 2002
• Synod of the Diocese of New
Westminster in Canada approved
blessings of same-sex unions
Sept. 2002
• ACC Meeting in Hong Kong
approved motion urging dioceses and
bishops to refrain from unilateral
actions/policies that would strain
communion.

May 2003
• Primates’ meeting in Brazil issued
pastoral letter stating that liturgy
reflects theology/belief, thereby
negating authorization of rites for
blessings of same-sex unions
• Michael Ingham, Bishop of New
Westminster, Canada, issued rite for
blessings of same-sex unions for use
in his diocese.

Aug. 2003
• General Convention of ECUSA
defeated Resolution B001, which
affirmed the authority of Scripture;
voted to confirm Gene Robinson, a
non-celibate homosexual, as bishop;
and approved Resolution C051
recognizing blessings of same-sex
unions as “within bounds of our
common lifeâ€

Oct. 2003
• Special Primates’ meeting at
Lambeth Palace issued pastoral statement
condemning ECUSA’s decisions
at General Convention and calling for
“adequate provision for episcopal
oversight†for those dissenting from the decisions of the General Convention and the decisions of their bishops in this regard.

“If his consecration proceeds, we recognise that we have reached a crucial and critical point in the life of the Anglican Communion and we have had to conclude that the future of the Communion itself will be put in jeopardy. In this case, the ministry of this one bishop will not be recognised by most of the Anglican world, and many provinces are likely to consider themselves to be out of Communion with the Episcopal Church (USA). This will tear the fabric of our Communion at its deepest level, and may lead to further division on this and further issues as provinces have to decide in consequence whether they can remain in communion with provinces that choose not to break communion with the Episcopal Church (USA).â€

Despite our Presiding Bishop’s acknowledgment of this by assenting to the issuance of the communique, he presided at Robinson’s consecration.

Nov. 2003
• V. Gene Robinson consecrated Bishop
of New Hampshire

Jan. 2004
In response to the consecration, plans are made by conservatives to provide for alternative episcopal oversight by overseas bishops for congregations in the United States; many conservatives, feeling completely estranged from the Episcopal Church, begin making plans to supplant the Episcopal Church as the Anglican Province in the United States.

Feb. 2004
• Lambeth Commission
began deliberations

March 2004
• ECUSA House of Bishops issued
Delegated Episcopal Pastoral
Oversight (DEPO) Plan; Conservatives complain that the choice of DEPO bishop resting solely with their current bishop to be unacceptable.

April 2004
• Retired Bishop Otis Charles “marriedâ€
homosexual “partner†in Pasadena,
Calif. (The two have five previous
heterosexual marriages between them.)

May 2004
• Bishop of Los Angeles, J. Jon Bruno,
performed blessing of
a same-sex union

June 2004
• Bishop of Washington, D.C., John
Chane, performed blessing of
same-sex union
• Dioceses of Washington, D.C., and
Vermont issued proposed rites for
blessings of same-sex unions

Oct. 2004
• Lambeth Commission released
Windsor Report 2004; reaffirmed
Lambeth 1.10 and the authority of
Scripture as central to Anglican
common life, and called for moratoria
on public rites of same-sex blessings
as well as on the election and consent
of any candidate to the episcopate
living in a same-sex union

Feb. 2005
• Primates’ meeting in Dromantine,
Ireland, examined Windsor Report
and produced a Communiqué calling
on ECUSA and Canada to “voluntarily
withdraw†their representatives
from the ACC until Lambeth 2008,
in addition to requesting a “hearingâ€
at the June 2005 ACC meeting for
the two suspended churches to “set
out the thinking behind†their
recent actions

March 2005
• ECUSA House of Bishops meeting
declared moratorium on consent to
the consecration of any person
elected to the episcopate until
General Convention 2006; no consents occur until GC2006.

April 2005
• ECUSA Executive Council held
special meeting and announced they
would send their delegation to the
June ACC meeting for observation
but not official participation
June 2005
• ACC meeting in Nottingham,
England, upheld Lambeth 1.10
teaching on human sexuality and
endorsed the Primates’ request for
ECUSA and Canada to withdraw
their representatives from the ACC
until the next Lambeth Conference;
at the meeting.

Sept. 2005
• Church of Nigeria Synod voted to
change its constitution, redefining the
Anglican Communion around a
common faith rather than the
See of Canterbury

Minutes from a Via Media
Steering Committee meeting in
September 2005 were leaked to
the press, revealing a “worst-case scenarioâ€
plan for the “Day Afterâ€
General Convention 2006, in
which Anglican Communion
Network bishops would be
deposed and ECUSA would seize
control of orthodox dioceses
(including property).

Oct. 2005
• The Third Anglican South-to-South
Encounter in Egypt issued a harsh
indictment of ECUSA and Canada
and called for a common “Anglican
Covenant†among churches remaining
true to Biblical Christianity and
historic Anglicanism

Feb. 2006
• Global South Primates Steering
Committee issued a communiqué
reemphasizing the seriousness of the
crisis within the Communion and the
need for ECUSA to repent and
comply with the Windsor Report.
• Susan Russell, President of Integrity
USA, “married†her lesbian partner,
declaring beforehand that the action
was “God willing and the primates
notwithstanding.â€
• The Diocese of California nominated
two partnered homosexuals for the
post of diocesan bishop. The Archbishop
of Canterbury expressed “deep
unease†with the nominations.

June 2006
• General Convention of ECUSA in
Columbus, Ohio. Katherine Jefferts Shori is elected as Presiding Bishop. She has previously authorized same sex blessings in the Diocese of Nevada AFTER the issuance of the Windsor Report which called for a moratorium on such blessings.

General Convention rejects resolutions calling for a moratorium on same sex blessings, and passes an equivocal resolution on the election of bishops who are in same sex union urging “restraint†but falling short of the moratorium language of the Windsor Report.

Since then, same sex blessings are occurring in many Dioceses throughout the Episcopal Church - not just in the usual places such as California and Newark, but even Arkansas.

Eight dioceses request some form of alternative primatial relationship at or immediately after GC2006.

August 2006 Martyn Minns consecrated as CANA missionary bishop.

September 2006 The Global South Primates meeting at Kilgali, Rwanda, issue a communiqué that laments, “We deeply regret that, at its most recent General Convention, The Episcopal Church gave no clear embrace of the minimal recommendations of the Windsor Report.” but “We are, however, greatly encouraged by the continued faithfulness of the Network Dioceses and all of the other congregations and communities of faithful Anglicans in North America.” and “We are convinced that the time has now come to take initial steps towards the formation of what will be recognized as a separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA.”

October 2006 The Presiding Bishop’s chancellor, David Beers, writes letters threatening legal action against the dioceses of Fort Worth and Quincy.

November 2006 In an escalating environment of threats and persecution (including a presentment filed against him), Bishop Schofield of San Joaquin, pulls no punches in his response to the new Presiding Bishop, saying, in part, “The Episcopal Church, as an institution, is walking a path of apostasy and those faithful to God’s Word are forced to make painful choices.” The presentment is ultimately dismissed.

December 2006 Nine Virginia congregations, including Truro and the Falls Church, vote to leave the Episcopal Church. Eight join CANA, the ninth accepting oversight from a global south primate. This brings the total number of congregations that have left the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia to 13, with another two having congregational votes coming up in January.

December 2006 In a letter to the Primates, the Archbishop of Canterbury explains his rationale for not withholding an invitation for the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church to the Primates Meeting scheduled for February 14-19 in Tanzania, saying “I am also proposing to invite two or three other contributors from that Province for a session to take place before the rest of our formal business, in which the situation may be reviewed, and I am currently consulting as to how this is best organised.”

January 2007 Diocese of Virginia press release announces lawsuits against 11 of the 15 departing congregations.

February 2007
At the Primates Meeting in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, 14-19 February, the “Report of the Communion Sub-Group (on TEC’s response to the Windsor Report)” was released on 15 February. The Report is a travesty that on clear reading states that TEC’s response to the Windsor report meets the requirement. A comprehensive commentary on the Report was released on 17 February on Stand Firm in Faith.

Very late on 2/19, a communiqué was released from the primates of the Anglican Communion.

The thrust of the communiqué is that it provides a short deadline, till September 30, 2007, for The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops confirm back to the Primates, that “the bishops will not authorise any Rite of Blessing for same-sex unions in their dioceses or through General Convention,” and “that the passing of Resolution B033 of the 75th General Convention means that a candidate for episcopal orders living in a same-sex union shall not receive the necessary consent.”

“If the reassurances requested of the House of Bishops cannot in good conscience be given, the relationship between The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion as a whole remains damaged at best, and this has consequences for the full participation of the Church in the life of the Communion.” Also, to “respond pastorally and provide for those groups alienated by recent developments in the Episcopal Church,” “the Primates will establish a Pastoral Council to act on behalf of the Primates in consultation with The Episcopal Church. This Council shall consist of up to five members: two nominated by the Primates, two by the Presiding Bishop, and a Primate of a Province of the Anglican Communion nominated by the Archbishop of Canterbury to chair the Council.”

March 2007
The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church pass resolutions protesting the Dar es Salaam communiqué - request urgent meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury/Primates Standing Committee. While not an outright rejection of the Communique, the mind of the house is, well, that the house is none too happy.

Meeting at Camp Allen, Navasota, Texas, March 16-21, at the end of their deliberations on March 20, the House of Bishops issued strong rejections of the requests contained in the communiqué in a Mind of the House Resolution addressed to the Executive Council, a Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Primates Standing Committee, and a Public Statement from the House of Bishops.

Late May, 2007 – The Archbishop of Canterbury states that +Gene Robinson and +Martyn Minns, along with a handful of other bishops of the Anglican Communion, will not be invited to Lambeth, 2008. Bishop Robinson, however, may be invited as a guest. Archbishop Akinola threatens a Nigerian boycott of the Conference (pointing to the dishonor on all Nigerian Bishops that +Martyn Minns was not invited), likewise does Archbishop Orombi of Uganda (if any bishops who consecrated +Gene Robinson attend). Several bishops of the Episcopal Church express deep concern over the decision to not invite Gene Robinson, while ++Katharine Jefferts Schori urges calm. Anglican Bishops from Latin American Provinces issue a united statement urging continued participation in the Communion, reaffirming their position as stated in the Declaration of Panama in 2005.

June, 2007 – The Church of Kenya becomes the third Anglican Province to found a missionary organization in the United States, the North American Anglican Coalition (NAAC). The Church of Uganda is also planning to consecrate a bishop for the United States. A September 30th common cause meeting for the leadership of these groups, disaffected bishops of the Episcopal Church, the Reformed Episcopal Church, and other continuing churches is planned by Bishop Duncan of Pittsburgh. The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church follows the House of Bishops’ recommendation in rejecting the Primates proposed “pastoral scheme,†noting that participation in it would ultimately require a decision of General Convention, particularly provisions that call for moratoria on the consecration of openly gay and lesbian bishops. Executive Council also passes a resolution declaring “null and void†clauses in disaffected dioceses’ constitutions that have removed the accession to the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church.