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09/02/2004: "Bell soon to toll for ECUSA"

According to the Times of London, the Episcopal Church USA will soon be getting the boot (article is from David Virtue's site):

THE Episcopal Church in the United States faces exclusion from the worldwide Anglican communion as punishment for ordaining a gay bishop, The Times has learnt.

The draconian disciplinary measure is expected to be recommended by a commission set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, to resolve the crisis over homosexuality.

The suspension of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America, known as ECUSA, from the 75-million strong Anglican Church is expected to be recommended at the final meeting of the Lambeth Commission in Windsor next week.

The exclusion of the American Church would not necessarily be permanent but would last until the province, which is financially powerful but numerically weak, "repented" of its actions in the election of Bishop Robinson, who lives with his male partner.

It would be allowed back in when Bishop Robinson retired, or in the unlikely event that he was removed from his post, as long as Ecusa did not consecrate any more similar bishops, or commit the other "sin" of sanctioning rites for the blessings of gay unions.

The commission, chaired by Dr Robin Eames, Archbishop of Armaghand Primate of Ireland, is made up of representatives of both the conservative, liberal and catholic wings of the Anglican Church from both the West and the Global South.

When the membership of the Lambeth Commission was announced last year, a lot of American conservatives thought that it tilted left. Even if such was the case, it would appear from this story that the members have decided that the vast majority of world-wide Anglicanism is more important than the bishop of New Hampshire and his supporters. They may have even decided that fidelity to Scripture and historic Anglican theological standards is also more important. We'll have to wait for the final report to know for sure.

(Thanks to Chris Johnson for the link to Virtuosity.)