Anglican Communion Institute (ACI)

Divisions Deepen in Pilling

The Church of England House of Bishops' Working Group on Human Sexuality, chaired by Sir Joseph Pilling, published its report ("the Pilling Report") on November 28, in advance of discussion by the House of Bishops in December and the whole College of Bishops in January (see this TLC report by John Martin). It is, as Lambeth Palace tweeted, a report to not of the Church of England but it will set the agenda for future discussions and so its content, rationale, and significance are important.

Polity "Primer": ACI Response

An "Ecclesiology Committee" committee advising the House of Bishops has released a "Primer" on polity prepared with the assistance of various consultants identified at the end of the document. The identity of those preparing this document"”most have participated as counsel or witnesses or have been listed as potential witnesses in the various lawsuits"”makes obvious that the primary purpose of this document is its perceived usefulness in litigation. ACI principals have also appeared as witnesses in this litigation. This is our response to the claims asserted in this Primer. 1.

After Quincy: Rethinking The Purpose Of Our Common Life

The recent decision in Illinois upholding the property rights of dioceses who withdraw from General Convention may not stand up on appeal. But the opinion's reasoning, by Judge Thomas Ortbal, was perhaps the most careful and thorough on record in such cases, and will likely have to be taken into account in all future judgments.

The Instruments of Unity and the Way Forward

Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon at the Toronto Conference Click

Here to Listen To The Audio

The State of the Communion and the Way Forward

Presiding Bishop Mouneer Anis At The Toronto Congress:

Click here to Listen To The Audio

Greetings to the Faithful of the Anglican Communion and all our Friends in Christ

The following will appear shortly at the website of Global South Anglican. Until then we have permission to post it here. Toronto, Ontario September 20, 2013 Greetings to the Faithful of the Anglican Communion and all our Friends in Christ: We write to you from a conference in Toronto, Canada, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1963 Pan-Anglican Congress held here.

Why Encouragement for North American Parishes and Dioceses Matters?

I am the fourth speaker in a series that covers these important questions,

Why:

Affidavit Of Mark McCall

In April I submitted an affidavit in federal court in South Carolina on behalf of Bishop Mark Lawrence. It was one of several affidavits submitted by the Diocese of South Carolina in response to litigation filed against Bishop Lawrence by parties supporting the position of the Episcopal Church in South Carolina. My affidavit included work on issues relating to TEC polity that I have done over the last three years but had not previously published. This affidavit has been part of the public record for several months. ACI is now posting it online.

Same-Sex Marriage Is Still Wrong; And It's Getting Wronger Every Day

by Ephraim Radner The unexpectedly rapid civil acceptance of same-sex marriage in the West may lead one to imagine that the issue is somehow already settled. Whatever doubts one may have had, they have been swept away by the overwhelming flood of changed public opinion. Fait accompli. Traditional Christians must simply step aside now. Such a judgment would be a mistake. Indeed, far from the matter being settled, at least form a Christian perspective it has hardly been engaged, despite claims to the contrary by proponents of same-sex marriage.

"Motivated Thinking" Or On Why The Dynamics Of Life Within The Episcopal Church So Closely Resemble Those Of The U.S. Congress

Polls indicate that people of all political persuasions are frustrated by the “gridlock” that now characterizes congressional debate and action. Many go on to ask how and why this sad state of affairs has come about. Recently, these questions presented themselves to me in a particularly powerful way when I read that unspecified complaints by unspecified persons had been registered under the new Title IV against nine Episcopal Bishops. I wondered on what basis such complaints possibly could have been made.