The other day I used the term "Anglican Communion" in a posting and a couple of folks had questions about it. In brief, the Episcopal Church in the United States, which is officially known as The Episcopal Church*, is part of a world-wide communion of churches that were founded by the Church of England, the so-called "mother church", during the heady days of England's muscular colonization of most of the world into the British Empire. So, the Episcopal Church is the post-revolutionary form of the Church of England in the colonies. Similarly, the churches throughout the rest of the world that are part of our Communion were, for the most part, founded by Church of England missionaries from the 17th to the late 19th centuries.
Unlike, say, the Congregational Church [no offence to them; merely pointing out the historic difference], we have always been part of a world-wide Christian witness that is united mainly by history and the use of the Book of Common Prayer. So, whether we are talking about the Archbishop of Canterbury, or Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu, or Palestinian activist Hanan Ashrawi, we are talking about fellow Anglicans with a shared liturgy and theology. All of them would be comfortable in our small parish and find it a familiar worship experience.
So, from time to time, and to remind us all of our global witness, I'll list the leading stories of work and concerns that press upon our Anglican Communion, featuring ministries and personalities of which we may be proud.
To begin, I offer the following:
Southern Africa archbishop tells Mugabe to end church persecution
After carnage in Nigeria, spiritual leaders seek unity
UK churches strive for an environmentally ‘green’ Christmas
For those who noticed the irony, British Anglicans struggle to be environmentally sensitive; African Anglicans struggle to stay alive.
Please note: Those of you in your 40's grew up in the ECUSA, or Episcopal Church of the United States; those older grew up the PECUSA, or Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States. There is no canonical difference between the PECUSA, ECUSA, or what is now called TEC; it's just that in every generation the powers-that-be like to demonstrate that power and engage in pointless name changes. It's okay as it hurts no one, costs very little, and allows them to feel secure in their authority, which is the real reason for it, after all.