Rev. Dr. Philip Turner

Communion And Episcopal Authority

A Concluding Postscript to "The organizational basis of the Anglican Communion:  a theological consideration" by Ephraim Radner I My colleague Prof. Radner traces a significant history"”one that locates the authority of Bishops as prior to that of the administrative structures into which they were later folded.  The prior authority of the Episcopal Office, in the tradition of the church, rests not in its structural position within a hierarchical order but in self-expenditure on behalf of the church on the part of those who hold office.

A Question for Progressive Episcopalians

Chief among the claims now made by The Episcopal Church (TEC) is that it is an inclusive church that is open to a variety of opinions and practices.  This self-definition is an updated version of the traditional claim that Anglicanism represents a via media between extremes of one sort or another"”Catholic/Protestant, liberal/conservative, modern/traditional, etc.  The simple fact is, however, that the policies and actions of the progressive leadership of The Episcopal Church have exposed the false nature of these claims, at least as in so far as they are applied to TEC. The false nature of t

Unanswered Questions

The posting of a stream of private emails that came from an unnamed source, including the correspondence of senior Bishops of this church and their lawyer, has added considerable heat to the debate that has followed publication on the ACI Website of the Bishops' Statement on the Polity of The Episcopal Church. To date, the discussion that has taken place on the Web has served more to cloud than clarify the significant issues now faced both by The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.

The Subversion of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church: A Response to my Critics

I am pleased that my article "The Subversion of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church" has generated the discussion it has.  A number of the responses simply display the toxic atmosphere that sadly prevents the blogs from realizing their potential for furthering genuine debate.  There have, however, been a number that are serious in their intent and deserve a measured response. I would particularly like to thank those who, like Bishop Pierre Whalon, recognize that the very survival of both The Episcopal Church (TEC) and the Anglican Communion is at issue in the crisis brought on

Subversion of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church: On Doing What it Takes to Get What You Want

I Introduction Recent actions of The Episcopal Church (TEC) in the matter of Gene Robinson have sent shock waves throughout that church and indeed throughout the Anglican Communion.  These actions present both TEC and the Communion unprecedented challenges to their forms of order and governance.  Indeed, an underlying assumption of this essay is that neither TEC nor the Anglican Communion as a whole at present has instruments and forms of governance capable of coping with a crisis of this magnitude.  As a result, solutions (if the

The Presiding Bishop of TEC: Does She Know What She Is Doing?

Three events in the recent past have posed a serious question.  Does the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church (TEC) know what she is doing?  The possible answers to this question have raised even greater concern than the question itself. For, I have concluded, if, on the one hand, she does not know what she is doing then TEC is without effective leadership at perhaps the most crucial time in its history.  If, on the other hand, she does know what she is doing, she is leading TEC in directions for which she has no warrant.
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