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Bishop Barnum Responds To ACNA Announcement

2008, December 17 - 01:36 — mrudolph

Rt. Rev. Thaddeus Barnum, Bishop of the Northeast Network in Anglican Mission in America, responds to the news that the Anglican Church in North America as been formed as a response to the heresy of ECUSA/TEC. Information regarding the formation of the ACNA can be gotten from the web site of The Anglican Church in North America and you can click HERE and HERE for a PDF version of the Constitution and Canons, respectively.

The PDF of Bishop Barnum's original letter may be downloaded HERE.  Following is the text of his letter.

December 4, 2008

TO: THE NORTHEAST NETWORK

Greeting in Christ Jesus,

The news is out announcing the formation of a new Anglican province called the “ANGLICAN CHURCH IN NORTH AMERICA.” Let me give you an overview:

  • This new province has come about because of the great heresy that has come upon The Episcopal Church in the US and the Anglican Church of Canada.
  • It has the support and endorsement of the GAFCON Anglican Archbishops who are meeting this coming weekend in London.
  • We, in Anglican Mission, have been active in the creation of this new province. We will be fully part of it as a demonstration of gospel unity in Christ.
  • At the same time, Anglican Mission (and therefore all our churches) will remain under the Province of Rwanda and the leadership of the Archbishop of Rwanda.

Let me say that Anglican Archbishops worldwide set September 30, 2007 as the date for the Episcopal Church in the US and the Anglican Church of Canada to repent of their rebellion to Christ and His Word. To date, they have refused to repent. They have therefore abandoned their duty to uphold the gospel as faithful Anglicans in North America. It is therefore necessary for all who confess Christ as Anglicans in the US and Canada to be together in the common mission of proclaiming Him to our world.

By launching this work we are not actually starting something new as much as we are taking up what has been recklessly abandoned. We are not breaking from the historic Church but rather, we are remaining faithful to it.

This announcement is therefore good news.

It is also good news that we in Anglican Mission remain under Rwanda and continue to develop this relationship in Christ Jesus. This partnership has much to teach us and we have much to give back – especially as we, in our churches, devote ourselves to their poor, to developing relationships with sister churches and orphanages as a vital part of our mission work. I encourage this for all the churches in our Northeast Network.

I have recently given both a sermon and an interview on these matters which can be found on www.anglicantv.org.

I pray this brief report is helpful to you. I give thanks in the Lord Jesus for you all as I keep you in my prayers.

Blessed Advent Season to you, your family, and all the faithful in Christ in your churches.

/ s /

 Thad