New evangelical bishop hails Anglican unity

From the London Times-

A leader of a prominent evangelical Anglican group has been appointed bishop to Sherborne, one of the oldest episcopal seats in the country. The appointment of Dr Graham Kings is a strong sign that the Archbishop of Canterbury is winning the battle for Anglican unity.

Dr Kings, 55, is the founder of Fulcrum, which has campaigned for orthodoxy without schism in the Church of England. Centrist conservatives are resisting moves to defect over the consecration of a gay bishop and the blessing of same-sex marriages. Fifteen of these bishops in the US Episcopal Church this week published a statement arguing for the recognition of the individual diocese as “church” rather than the national province. If these were accepted it would mean that dioceses could invidually sign up to the new unity document, the Anglican Covenant, even if a national Church refused to do so because it wished to pursue a more liberal pro-gay agenda.

Dr Kings said he believed that the strategy of Dr Rowan Williams to attempt to keep most conservatives and liberals on board through the “covenant process” was working.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6164563.ece

Sorry bishops, but a diocese is not a church.

From the London Times

Just when I thought I might never have to write about Graham Kings' camel walk ever again, the Bishop of Salisbury goes and makes him his Bishop of Sherborne in Dorset, and I just know that camel walks will be with me for the rest of my professional life. Not that I've got the hump or anything. Because in fact this is a fascinating appointment with far-reaching implications. Dr Kings, currently Vicar of St Mary's Islington and the founder of Fulcrum, is the closest thing we've got in England to an Anglican Communion Institute. And these are the dear folk who've been trying to persuade themselves that their episcopal dioceses are 'proper churches' after all.

It merely adds to the interest that Sherborne is one of the oldest centres of Christian worship in England, and that Dr Kings' diocesan bishop David Stancliffe and his neighbour in Wiltshire, Bishop of Ramsbury Stephen Conway, are both leading lights in Affirming Catholicism, one vehicle by which traditionalists who supported the ordination of women also managed to remain within the Church in the previous debate between 'new' and 'old', namely the ordination of women.

You can read my news story about Dr Kings' appointment at Times Online's Faith page.

So why would the 15 or so conservative bishops in TEC with whom Dr Kings aligns himself in England, even though England is an altogether different kettle of fish and the same circumstances would never apply here, want to assert diocesan supremacy, thus posing an apparent ecclesiological threat to the authority of the Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori?

more here-

http://timescolumns.typepad.com/gledhill/2009/04/sorry-folks-but-a-diocese-is-not-a-church.html

Evangelical appointed Bishop of Sherborne

From the London Times

A leader of a prominent evangelical grouping in the Anglican war over gays has been appointed bishop to one of the oldest historic Episcopal seats in the country.

Although Sherborne, founded in 705, is no longer a see in its own right but an area in the Salisbury diocese covering Dorset, the appointment Dr Graham Kings as its bishop is one of the strongest signs yet that the Archbishop of Canterbury is winning the battle for Anglican unity.

Dr Kings is founder of the increasingly influential group Fulcrum, which publishes the writings of conservative evangelical Bishop of Durham, Dr Tom Wright.

Fulcrum, based at Dr Kings’ present church of St Mary’s Islington, has campaigned for orthodoxy without schism in the Church of England.

Fulcrum is aligned theologically with conservatives in North America who are also attempting to maintain a conservative agenda without schism.

Unlike other conservative bishops, clergy and laity who have already left, the centrist conservatives are resisting moves to defect over the consecration of a gay bishop and the blessing of same-sex marriages.

More here-

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article6163720.ece

Reflections on Conservatives in Anglicanism

Graham Kings from Fulcrum opines on the conservative movement in the Episcopal Church in The United States

There are in fact two conservative strategies for the way forward for Anglicans in North America. CEEC should bear both of these in mind as it prepares to make a statement on this issue, which is meant to represent evangelicals in the Church of England. The motion at NEAC 2008, which was 'not put' in the end, would have backed the former and did not specifically mention the latter. It may be helpful to have them both set out.

First, the ‘Federal Conservative’ strategy which is focused on the 'Common Cause Partnership' and involves splitting from The Episcopal Church (TEC) and working with GAFCON/FCA (4 dioceses, some previously separated groups and about 24 churches in Northern Virginia).

Second, the 'Communion Conservative' strategy which is focused on 'Communion Partners' – a development of the ‘Windsor Bishops group’ which now includes 40 Rectors of major churches - and involves working from within TEC and with the Windsor Process (15 dioceses)

At the beginning of Advent, these two strategies are represented in two conferences. On Wednesday 3 December 2008, at Wheaton College, an independent evangelical college in west Chicago, on Wednesday 3 December 2008, the proposed constitution for an independent new Anglican 'Province' in North America will be unveiled. Bob Duncan is in line to lead the new Province and will be speaking, together with Martyn Minns and others.

On Saturday 6 December 2008, four days later, at the Church of the Incarnation, Dallas, Texas, the ‘Covenant’ web site and the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas are holding a conference, open to everyone 'Discerning the Body: The Gift and Discipline of Communion'. The speakers are James Stanton, Bishop of Dallas, and Ephraim Radner, together with others.

http://www.fulcrum-anglican.org.uk/page.cfm?ID=363