American Anglican Council

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The American Anglican Council is a traditionalist organization within the Episcopal Church in the United States which supports changes in the Church, particularly the reversal of recent decisions concerning homosexuality as a litmus test showing post-Christian or "revisionist" views. It was incorporated in 1996 and is one of several key organizations in the movement for Anglican realignment.

Contents 1 Mission Statement 2 Positions 3 Controversies 4 Leadership 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Mission Statement

The American Anglican Council is a network of individuals (laity, deacons, priests and bishops), parishes and specialized ministries who affirm Biblical authority and Christian orthodoxy within the Anglican Communion. In response to the Lord's calling and by His grace, we commit ourselves to proclaim the Good News to every person and to reform and renew the Church of Jesus Christ. We are uniting in order to fulfill our apostolic mission and ministry, working to build a faithful Anglican witness in the Americas.

[edit] Positions

The AAC believes that "Christian mission is rooted in unchanging biblical revelation." Presently it sees "specific challenges to authentic faith and holiness [...] which require thoughtful and vigorous response." These challenges include moral relativism, a lack of "Christian ethical principles" in "the public life of the nation", "abortion, unwanted pregnancy, and end-of-life illness", and questions of sexual ethics.

[edit] Controversies

While the AAC presents its goal as reforming ECUSA, others have claimed that its ultimate goal is a "realignment" of Anglicanism in which ECUSA would be expelled from the Anglican Communion and the AAC would form the nucleus of a replacement Anglican jurisdiction in the United States. The latter view is supported by a leaked strategy memo (dated December 28, 2003) written by Geoff Chapman, an Episcopal rector claiming to represent the AAC, which gave a detailed plan of action.^[1]

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of AAC is that it was intitially funded and continues to be funded by the Institute on Religion and Democracy "IRD", an organ of the extreme right-wing of the Roman Catholic Church. Recent IRD documents obtained by mainstream Protestant churches have revealed that the IRD has for years worked to subvert the work of most of the major Protestant denominations. These revelations have caused many to conclude that the aim of the AAC is not to reform the Episcopal Church but to cooperate with right-wing elements of the Roman Catholic Church to destroy it.

[edit] Leadership

The AAC is governed by a Board of Trustees. The current members are:

• The Rev. Canon David C. Anderson, President and CEO
• The Rt. Rev. Peter H. Beckwith, Bishop of Springfield, Vice President
• Mr. R. Wicks Stephens II
• Mr. Lyman D. Aldrich
• The Rev. Roger C. Ames, Rector, St. Luke's, Akron, OH
• The Rev. Frank Baltz, Rector, St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Marietta, GA
• Mr. Mark F. C. Berner, Esq.
• Mr. David R. Bickel
• The Rt. Rev. Robert W. Duncan, Bishop of Pittsburgh
• The Rev. John M. Guernsey, Rector, All Saints' Episcopal Church, Woodbridge, VA
• Ms. Sarah V. Hey
• Dr. Michael Howell
• The Rt. Rev. Jack L. Iker, Bishop of Fort Worth
• The Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns, Rector, Truro Episcopal Church, Fairfax, VA
• The Rev. William A. Thompson, Rector, All Saints' Anglican Church, Long Beach, CA
• The Honourable Samuel B. Thomsen
• Mr. Frank H. Trane

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• American Anglican Council
• memo from Rev. Geoff ChapmanPDF (3.88 MiB)