Bishop Martyn Minns

Bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans of North America, a group of churches trying to secede from the Episcopal Church  

In this first interview, we hear from Martyn Minns, leader of about 35 churches trying to secede from their parent body, the Episcopal Church.  He was consecrated a bishop by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, although both the Archbishop of Canterbury and Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori requested that the ceremony not go forward. 

He says that the separation has been difficult, but in his view necessary.  He says that the Episcopal Church has abandoned traditional notions of authority, often treats truth as relative, and even puts in doubt the centrality of Christ.  The election of Bishop Gene Robinson as the openly gay bishop of New Hampshire was, he says, merely symptomatic of the larger problems about truth and authority. 

He has not engaged in direct dialogue with Bishop Robinson, but has been part of many dialogues over the years in the church.  However, using Bp. Robinson as an example, he says that Bp. Robinson regards gay sex as sacred, but he regards it as sinful, and there is no room for compromise.

Archbishop Akinola endorsed legislation in Nigeria (which did not pass) that would jail gays and lesbians who gathered or touched in public. Bp. Minns defended Akinola, but not the law itself.

Minns says that he feels very much a part of the wider Anglican Communion, where some prelates offer similar critiques of the Episcopal Church.  He calls this the “globalization” of the church, and emphasizes that his churches take part in work for economic development (such as micro-finance) in Africa and other parts of the developing world.

When asked about past splits in the Episcopal Church, over issues like the ordination of women, he says that the various dissident groups are attempting to work together, and decisions like women priests will be left to local churches.

He said that the seceding churches see themselves as part of three traditions in Christianity: Evangelical, Pentecostal and Catholic. 

Minns was very critical of Presiding Bishop Schori for initiating lawsuits over the ownership of the property of the seceding churches. He says that the local churches own the property, but the matter will be decided in civil courts.

When asked if he might be out of step with contemporary theology, and the notion that theological views can change (moral views on slavery being an example), he said no, claiming that the teaching on slavery was clear in Scripture.  When challenged with a quote from Paul, “slaves, be subject to your masters,” he conceded that some preachers had used that text to justify slavery.

In his new role, he plans to act as a pastoral leader, and believes that his movement will grow.  He will not seek reconciliation with the Episcopal Church, although he feels at home in the Anglican Communion at large. 

Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Katharine Jefferts Schori

Author of On a Wing and a Prayer, first woman to serve as Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA and first woman primate in the history of the Anglican Communion 

Presiding Bishop Schori may be the first woman in her position, but she says she takes it in stride, having worked in male-dominated professions (like oceanography and piloting aircraft) all her life. 

She notes that the current rift in the Episcopal Church is numerically small, with about 35 congregations involved in a secessionist movement that represents less than 1% of the 7400 Episcopal congregations nationwide.  (She notes that, in the Episcopal tradition, churches cannot secede, although individuals may leave the church).   However, the issues are serious, and she says that some people who are still part of the church are also troubled. 

When asked about issues of authority and truth, she cited the historic stance of the Episcopal Church, welcoming diverse theological viewpoints.  She says it always has.  The historic “Elizabethan Settlement,” she notes, permitted people to have different views of the Eucharist.  This, she says, means not having to define everything in black and white, and thus living with tensions.  Some people, she notes, are not comfortable with that.

In addition, she says that past disputes over issues like the Book of Common Prayer and the ordination of women, were not always handled well at a pastoral level, thus leaving residues of pain and grief in some congregations. 

She says that some people are still conflicted over the roles of women, and that even today, three bishops do not recognize the ordination of women as priests or bishops. 

The ordination of Bishop V. Gene Robinson (whom she notes is not the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, but rather the first to be open about his orientation in the election process), is certainly an issue in the disputes.   She says that issues of gay and lesbian rights, like women’s rights, challenge the historical patriarchal nature of the church.  In the present day Episcopal Church, policies about the blessing of same sex unions and the ordination of openly gay/lesbian clergy are made at the diocesan level. 

She says that some prelates in the Anglican Communion are also critical of the Episcopal Church, but many more are annoyed that issues of sexuality deflect attention away from the pressing global issues like poverty and hunger.  The voices of criticism, she says, are usually those of bishops, but everywhere in the Communion, there is a diversity of opinion.

When asked about the property ownership of the churches trying to secede, she says that the property is held in trust for the Episcopal Church since it is the legacy of past generations and will be passed on to future generations.  Some disputes have already been decided in favor of the national church. 

Her book, On a Wing and a Prayer, is a collection of her best sermons.  She says that its most pertinent message for her today is the call to build “shalom,” a community of justice and peace, with a specific focus on achieving the Millennium Development Goals. 

“Piloting” the Episcopal Church remains exhilarating, she says, but it’s not a “solo” flight any more.  She has a lot of people in the cockpit. 

Creationism in Canada

Alexandra Boutros, postdoctoral scholar at the New York University Center for Religion and Media and a writer for The Revealer, an online religion review. 

It is called the Big Valley Creation Science Museum in Alberta, Canada – and it is a new attempt to spread the creationist message in Canada.  But unlike it’s counterpart in Kentucky in the United States which cost over $3 million, this small museum cost only about $300,000.

Creationists believe in a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis, holding that the earth is only 6,000 years old. 

This museum, according to Alexandra Boutros, uses the language and symbols of science to try to convince visitors that “creation science” is indeed science, although it is founded on religious belief, not the scientific method.  Dinosaurs and people are pictured as living at the same time. 

The museum is located in a fossil-rich area of Canada, not far from one of Canada’s leading natural history museums, and there is something of a rivalry emerging, although the Creation Museum is much smaller by comparison.

Alexandra Boutros says that creationism may be “catching on” in Canada, but it does not raise the controversy it creates in the United States.  Canadians, she notes, object only when there is some threat of teaching creationism in public schools.