Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner

To the Members of the Covenant Design Group and the Windsor Continuation Group:

I write to you as a concerned member of the Covenant Design Group, as a committed member of the Episcopal Church (USA), and as one whose professional and spiritual life has been and continues to be devoted to the strengthening of our common witness as Anglican Christians. This is a simple plea for us to do our work better in the midst of continuing ecclesial disintegration.

The factual question Men, women and children are distinct and united in their living forms. As a man and a woman unite in sexual intercourse, a child is conceived and then given birth. The physical elements involved in this are obvious and particular. The bond between a mother and her child is among the deepest that is experienced, and goes beyond (but includes) hormones and breast-feeding. It is shaped through a range of physical elements still not well understood.

From the end of the Roman Empire into early modern times the Christian Church has, here and there, practiced forced conversions. The most frequent objects of this practice were Jews; and among them were most especially children, "converted" in the form of forced baptism. The official teachings of the church since the 5th century at least, forbade such forced baptisms, but the practice continued nonetheless. One problem that the church had to face was how to deal with the children thus baptized.

In what follows I do not intend to respond to the Taskforce on Marriage's theological papers. The papers deserve such a response, but not here. Rather, I wish to respond to the Taskforce Report on basis of its canonical proposal and its implied approach to the Church's decision-making, both of which I believe are seriously deficient and potentially harmful to our church's common life and future witness. I will argue that the Taskforce not only avoids the deep disagreement within the church over the matter of marriage, but stokes that disagreement.

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.

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.

by Ephraim Radner Who are the predominantly younger theologians and priests clustering around The Living Church's Covenant blog? Or "A Tribe Called Anglican"? Or those who read more individual blogs like "Creedal Christian" or "The Conciliar Anglican"? Or those who have contributed to the recent book Pro Communione? Or who attend seminaries like Wycliffe College or Duke Divinity School?

Hello, General Convention! Here's the answer I would give; and it doesn't appear to be that hard: Define the Gospel of Christ in terms of the smallest social unit and interest possible (e.g. homosexuals and their right to sexual affirmation) Define the episcopacy according to the smallest unit possible (e.g.

The announced resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Church of England's rejection of the Covenant promises a new free-for-all period among Anglican churches. Meetings are promised in London, Toronto, and elsewhere. Who knows where all this will lead. The moment, however, does provide a good opportunity to rethink and restate what conservative Anglicans like myself, who have remained in The Episcopal Church, are really after. It's worth reminding ourselves of our goals. I speak only for myself here, of course; although I imagine my views are shared by many.