May 3, 2006
For Immediate Release (Part 1 of 2)
(View Part 2 of 2)

Contact:
Cynthia P. Brust
770-414-1515

PROFILES OF 2006 NOMINESS FOR PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
(*Note: All photos courtesy of Episcopal News Service)

General Convention 2003 Resolutions Index:

B001 (2003) – Defeated: Upheld the authority of Scripture and basic tenets of Christian faith.

C051 (2003) – Passed: Declared that “local communities are operating within the bounds of our common life as they explore and experience liturgies celebrating and blessing same-sex unions.” (Note: The House of Bishops approved this resolution by voice vote, and therefore votes were not recorded.)

The Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander, Bishop, Diocese of Atlanta

Biographical Information

• Age 52
• Ordinations:
     Priest – 1988

    Bishop – 2001 

General Convention 2003 Votes

• Voted AGAINST B001
• Voted FOR the consecration of V. Gene Robinson

General Facts

• Presenter at the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) meeting, Bishop Alexander endorsed “To Set Our Hope on Christ: A Response to the Invitation of Windsor Report Paragraph 135” which justified decisions and actions of the Episcopal Church contrary to Scripture and Anglican teaching and practice, professing that the Holy Spirit led ECUSA to consecrate a non-celibate homosexual and bless same-sex unions.
• Author of This Far by Grace: A Bishop's Journey Through Questions About Homosexuality, a chronicle of his changing views on homosexual practices in the life of the Church.
• Supports same-sex blessings and ordination of non-celibate homosexuals. 
• Declared orthodox theological views on human sexuality during the episcopal election process in Atlanta; pledged he would neither vote for consecration of V. Gene Robinson nor endorse same-sex blessings. At General Convention 2003, reversed his position on human sexuality, due to an “awakening”.
• Applauded formation of Via Media and endorses/supports its agenda.
• Named in Via Media minutes of September 29, 2005 as key individual to work with in order to “build broader awareness and support” for Via Media and their goals in the “coming crisis.”  The Via Media minutes outlined plans to seize control of Anglican Communion Network (ACN) dioceses following General Convention.
• Inhibited and deposed at least two priests who affiliated with bishops in other Anglican provinces, thereby misapplying and abusing canon law.

Information on the Diocese

• Since 2002, the diocese has experienced an approximate 5% decline in baptized members.
• Between 2002 and 2004, the diocese had a 7.4% decline in Average Sunday Attendance (ASA), with the sharpest decrease from 2003 to 2004 (6.1%).
• Plate and pledge income in the diocese went down by 1.5% between 2003 and 2004, and diocesan operating revenue declined by approximately the same percentage during that time.
• Formed a diocesan study committee to consider same-sex unions and the formation of a liturgy for the blessing of such unions; this committee began meeting in Spring 2005.
• The diocese and bishop supported Integrity USA’s conference “Justice IS Orthodox Theology” held in Atlanta in October 2004.

In His Own Words…

"In the Anglican tradition, we got over the need to agree with one another centuries ago... It is not necessary that we all stand in the same place, but it is essential that we all stand together."
-Alexander (Paragraph 3, This Far by Grace: A Bishop's Journey Through Questions of Homosexuality, 2003)

“In Atlanta, Bishop Neil Alexander faced some angry parishioners, but reporters from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that in 53 of the diocese's 93 congregations, there was no evidence of 'mass defection or financial crisis.' A single parish in Columbus announced it was withholding funds from the diocese in protest, but the next week the parish's associate priest resigned in protest against the action, citing 'the conservative and schismatic direction' in which she said the parish was going.”

-Article by Jan Nunley (Episcopal News Service, September 25, 2003)

“The Bishop of Atlanta has commended as an example of new ministries empowered by last summer’s General Convention 12 grassroots unity groups that have formed in most of the dioceses which have disassociated from the decisions to permit same-sex liturgical blessings and to consecrate a sexually active homosexual person as Bishop Coadjutor of New Hampshire. The groups held a private organizational meeting March 25-27 at All Saints’ Church, Atlanta.
   “Rather than being torn apart by last summer’s General Convention votes on sexuality, the Episcopal Church had been reborn, the Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander said in his sermon at the closing Eucharist. ‘I have a sense in which the Church we have known, which taught us the gospel and the sacraments and which we grew up in, that Church is no longer part of us,’ he said. ‘In its place we are going through the labor pains of a new empowerment and ministry of the Church.’
   “During the meeting, representatives from the 12 local organizations agreed to form an umbrella organization named Via Media USA…”

-The Living Church, April 2004

"The question we are asking in the church is, 'Is all same-sex behavior immoral and indecent in all circumstances?' The Bishop observes that if a literal reading of the English texts is taken as 'the last word,' the answer is 'yes.' (54) 'If, however, one understands those texts to be condemning particular aberrations of same-sex behavior' widely prevalent in the ancient world and seen mainly as 'acts of violence and humiliation,' then it becomes possible for Scripture to permit something it never explicitly forbids: 'loving, faithful, monogamous, life-giving same-sex relationships.' (54)"
-Book review of Alexander's This Far By Grace, by the Rev. Dr. William Hethcock (Covenant, Issue 17, June 2004)

“If you must choose between heresy and schism, choose heresy. For heresy is, in the end, just an opinion, and opinions come and go. Schism tears the fabric of the Body of Christ and is irreparable.”

-Alexander (Remarks on those leaving the Episcopal Church, diocesan newsletter “DioLog”, March 2004)

“However, I believe that God makes a small percentage of people gay.”

-Alexander (“Media with a Message: Q & A” with John Blake, staff, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 27, 2004)

“He [Alexander] formed his opinion after deeper study of Scripture and meeting homosexuals who convinced him they didn’t choose their sexual orientation, he wrote.”

-Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 26, 2006

“[The Primates’ Communiqué] will be a great cause of conversation, but I don’t see any of this as having any direct bearing on the life of our parishes and diocese in terms of carrying out its mission and ministry.”

-Alexander (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 26, 2005)

ANALYSIS

An article in The Christian Century describes Bishop Alexander as “perhaps the most liberal of the four nominees.”  Certainly, his brief tenure as diocesan demonstrates an unwavering commitment to revisionism following a theological awakening he describes in his book, This Far by Grace: A Bishop's Journey Through Questions of Homosexuality.  The timing for this new understanding of the issue was politically expedient – had he expressed his new views in the Diocese of Atlanta during the election process, it is very possible he would not be bishop today.  Instead, he pledged he would neither vote to approve the election as bishop of a non-celibate homosexual nor endorse same-sex blessings.  Just two years later, at General Convention 2003, he had embraced a new gospel as demonstrated by his votes on B001 and the election of V. Gene Robinson, a reversal that caused many in the diocese to feel betrayed.

Bishop Alexander’s political savvy is further displayed in the way he has avoided the pitfalls of other revisionist bishops while moving his agenda forward. For example, he has avoided hostile actions in the diocese but has allowed a committee to proceed with developing sample rites for blessings of same-sex unions.  He has avoided negative headlines but shaped a diocese that is among the most revisionist in the nation.  Finally, Bishop Alexander is firmly committed to relativism, which explains his vote on B001 – he could not support an ultimate authority on truth.  Disagreement over basic Christian tenets of faith – considered essential by the vast majority of the Anglican Communion – is simply another sign of healthy diversity for Bishop Alexander.

His short tenure as bishop, regardless of theological issues, would provide minimal experience for the position of Presiding Bishop.  The decline in his diocese certainly raises a red flag as well.

As a presenter at the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Nottingham, Bishop Alexander’s carefully worded presentation focused on unity (without doubt at the expense of truth) and the need for new consensus and common ground.  The clear implication was that, given enough time, pressure, and listening, the Communion will embrace the new gospel of ECUSA.

The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick, Jr., Bishop, Diocese of Kentucky

Biographical Information

Age 57

Ordinations:
    Priest – 1974

    Bishop – 1994

General Convention 2003 Votes

• Voted AGAINST B001
• Voted FOR the consecration of V. Gene Robinson

General Facts

• 1997-present – Served as co-chair of the Anglican Roman Catholic Dialog .
• 1994 - Signed Bishop John Spong’s “Statement of Koinonia” that defined homosexuality as morally neutral and supported the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals in committed relationships.
• 1997 – Voted for A053, a measure making women’s rights to minister mandatory in all dioceses.
• 1998 – Signed “A Pastoral Letter to Lesbian and Gay Anglicans from Some Member Bishops of the Lambeth Conference” apologizing for Lambeth Resolution 1.10.
• 2000 – Served on Committee 22 of General Convention, which addressed all questions related to human sexuality.
• 2000 – Voted for Resolution D039, which acknowledged “that while the issues of human sexuality are not yet resolved, there are currently couples in the Body of Christ and in this Church who are living in marriage and couples in the Body of Christ and in this Church who are living in other life-long committed relationships”; and that “such relationships” should be characterized by “fidelity, monogamy…and holy love.”
• 2000 – Voted for a committee substitute for D039 which included a “resolve” directing the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to prepare for consideration by the 74th General Convention rites for inclusion in The Book of Occasional Services by means of which the Church may express support for “relationships of mutuality and fidelity other than marriage.” (This substitute resolution was defeated.)
• 2005 – Gulick abused canon law by inhibiting, and later deposing, the Rev. Kent Litchfield, a retired ECUSA priest who founded an Anglican church under the Diocese of Bolivia.

Information on the Diocese

• The diocese experienced a net decline in Average Sunday Attendance of 4% between 2003 and 2004; the diocese also lost three parishes during that time period and plate/pledge giving declined by 1.7%.
• An orthodox congregation in Elizabethtown left the diocese over the crisis within the Church, resulting in ongoing controversy with the bishop and the inhibition of the parish priest (despite his having formed a new Anglican parish outside of ECUSA).
• The 2006 Kentucky diocesan convention approved a budget that dips "more deeply" into endowment funds in order to avoid cutting programs. One reason for the income shortfall was that congregational pledges were more than $100,000 less than expected.

In His Own Words…

“Interestingly enough, in my public statements, I believe I expressed regret regarding my vote to confirm Gene Robinson because I felt that I had compromised my vows to guard the unity of the church. … What would be hard for me would be to repent of it because my conscience has not informed me that I was wrong.  So I think the choice of the word regret is very nuanced and important…”
-Gulick (Interview regarding his response to the Windsor Report, Episcopal News, Diocese of Kentucky, November 2004)

“I would hope they [homosexuals] would perceive me as having the same voice as Frank Griswold has yet I can say in conscience that I regret aspects of that decision that have hurt the body of Christ. … I happen to think that Frank Griswold was not only right but on several levels courageous to have done that consecration [V. Gene Robinson’s] himself…”
-Gulick (Interview on Windsor, Episcopal News, November 2004)

“There are some in the church who arrange truth in a hierarchical way over unity and justice. I think that’s always dangerous. It would be hard to make the Biblical case that truth is more important than unity. … But for anyone to say that truth is more important than unity, I could certainly make the opposite Biblical argument…”

-Gulick (Interview on Windsor, Episcopal News, November 2004)

“Another thing is a feeling in the House [of Bishops]—and it’s a strong feeling of new members—that since the action of General Convention was canonical, to declare a moratorium in response to the request from the Windsor statement would lay the burden of that moratorium on gay and lesbian Episcopalians because the moratorium asks that no further elections of gay and lesbian people in same gender partnerships be confirmed…”

-Gulick (Interview regarding the March 2005 House of Bishops’ statement, Episcopal News, Diocese of Kentucky)

“Basically the bishops found a way of doing the moratorium [on consecration of partnered homosexuals, recommended by the Windsor Report and called for by the Primates] without specifically laying the burden of that moratorium on one group of people. The moratorium is now borne by the whole church…”

-Gulick (Interview on March 2005 House of Bishops’ statement)

“Windsor asks us to express regret. We went further. Now we are repenting, not for the decision but that the decision without consultation was a breach of the bond of trust in the Communion…”

-Gulick (Interview on March 2005 House of Bishops’ statement)

“To my mind, the act of beginning a listening process [to hear the experiences of gay and lesbians], illustrates that the issue of human sexuality is far from resolved in our Anglican family. It would be regrettable to draw a line that says there is only one way to understand this reality.”

-Gulick (Letter to Elizabethtown congregation regarding deposition of Fr. Litchfield, October 2005)

“It’s a Sophie’s choice between our care for the communion and our care for those who are members of our church, including those who are gay and lesbian.”

-Gulick (The Courier-Journal - Louisville, January 26, 2006)

ANALYSIS

Bishop Gulick has a long-standing and consistent record of revisionism and has made no effort to conceal his theology or activism for the gay-lesbian agenda.  In addition, he has proven himself hostile to those who oppose the new gospel of ECUSA.  Perhaps the most enlightening and significant insights regarding Bishop Gulick’s personal theology can be found in his remarks on truth. He not only values unity and justice over truth, but also says that arranging “truth in a hierarchical way” over unity and justice is “always dangerous.” He has also stated that, “It would be regrettable to draw a line that says there is only one way to understand this reality.”  These statements clearly demonstrate heterodoxy and the pluriform reality of ECUSA as Frank Griswold has defined it.  As with Bishop Alexander, truth is relative for Bishop Gulick.

If elected Presiding Bishop, ECUSA can expect Bishop Gulick to work diligently to promote and implement a revisionist theology and agenda, an agenda he would seek to extend throughout the Anglican Communion.  Those in his diocese describe him as hostile to the orthodox under his pastoral care, and we can expect that hostility to extend throughout the Episcopal Church should he be elected Presiding Bishop.

The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop, Diocese of Nevada

Biographical Information

• Age 51
• Ordinations:
     Priest – 1994

     Bishop – 2001 

General Convention 2003 Votes

• Voted AGAINST B001
• Voted FOR the consecration of V. Gene Robinson

General Facts

• Jefferts Schori is the first woman selected as a nominee for Presiding Bishop.
• Serves on the Court for Review of a Trial of a Bishop.
• Appointed by Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold to serve on the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.
• Encouraged passage of a resolution (see below diocesan info and quotes) that implicitly approved recognizing ceremonies to celebrate relationships of “mutuality and fidelity” between same-sex couples.

Information on the Diocese

• Between 2002 and 2004, parochial reports show slight increases in number of parishes and Average Sunday Attendance (ASA), as well as increased plate/pledge giving from 2003 to 2004 (2.5%).
• Number of baptized members of the diocese slightly declined from 2003 to 2004 (-0.7%).
• ASA has decreased by 1% from 1999 to 2004, holding virtually steady over the past several years.
• The diocesan website provides links to numerous pro-homosexuality resources and studies on their Congregational Resources page.
• According to the 2005 diocesan treasurer’s report, the diocese had a net loss in income for 2005, and the proposed budget for 2006 predicted another net income loss for the year.
• The 2003 Diocesan Convention passed the following resolution (113-58):
  
  Recognize Ceremonies to Celebrate Relationships of Mutuality and Fidelity
  “Whereas, the Episcopal Church professes that at its best, a Christian community lifts up its members, freeing their gifts and supporting their life;
  
  "THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the 33rd Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, desiring to support relationships of mutuality and fidelity which mediate the grace of God between those persons for whom the celebration and blessing of a marriage is not available, does hereby recognize that ceremonies to celebrate the relationships of such persons who are baptized members in good standing in this diocese may be conducted by clergy in the diocese, with the approval of the bishop, respecting their pastoral discretion.”

In Her Own Words…

“I have come to understand that sexual orientation is primarily a given characteristic, rather than one that is chosen. I have come to this conclusion after reading the results of scientific studies, and hearing the stories of those who know themselves to have a same-sex orientation…”

-Jefferts Schori (2003 Convention Address, Diocese of Nevada)

“Before we get there [debate of a resolution], I want to say that part of our difficulty lies in not having a fully developed and uniformly held theology of marriage, let alone what is being asked for in blessing same-sex relationships. That is largely the result of the way in which Anglicans do theology…”

-Jefferts Schori (2003 Convention Address)

“We are not a people who figure everything out and then develop a liturgical rite that spells that out in great detail. We are a people who pray publicly together, using a form or a shape that is increasingly diverse across the globe, but which still harks back to the English Prayer Book of 1549, as well as earlier Christian liturgical texts. Our theology continues to develop as we use those forms year after year. We understand marriage far differently today than we did in 1549. We have discovered new things about the centrality of baptism in using the Prayer Book of 1979. What gay and lesbian people are asking of the church is a prayer form, a liturgical container, in which partners may make promises to each other that their unions be faithful and lifelong…”

-Jefferts Schori (2003 Convention Address)

“The nature of blessing a relationship, whether a marriage or a same-sex partnership, means that the community who stand with the couple also promise to bless them.”

-Jefferts Schori (2003 Convention Address)

“I did say that if a congregation decided that it wished to bless such unions, that I expected there to be a parish policy in effect before I would grant permission to proceed…”

-Jefferts Schori (2004 Diocesan Convention Address)

“All of this is a very long way of saying that neither this [Lambeth] commission, nor the Archbishop of Canterbury, nor the gathering of primates, can make rules or laws that bind the Episcopal Church.”

-Jefferts Schori, on the creation of the Lambeth Commission (2004 Diocesan Convention Address)

“The Windsor Report contains some significant misunderstandings and errors of fact. It does not clearly recognize how the polity of the Episcopal Church varies from that of most other parts of the Communion. It does not recognize that the Resolution of General Convention (C051) simply acknowledges that experiencing and experimenting with liturgies for blessing unions is within the bounds of our common life, rather than authorizing specific public rites…”

-Jefferts Schori (“So where is the Episcopal Church Headed Now?” speech in Seattle, November 22, 2005)

“Our heritage and context shape our theology. The ways in which we understand scripture and appropriate gospel response to social realities are shaped both by our roots and our current circumstances.”

-Jefferts Schori (“So where is the Episcopal Church Headed Now?” November 22, 2005)

“At its best, Anglicanism has always upheld the comprehensiveness as one of its highest values. We don’t all have to agree. There can be more than one right answer.”

-Jefferts Schori (2004 Holy Week Message to the Diocese of Nevada)

“Reason implies, as the old hymn puts it, that ‘new occasions teach new duties.’  We believe that revelation continues…”

-Jefferts Schori in an article on creationism, in which she cites Scripture, tradition and reason as equally authoritative (NPR, January 2006)

ANALYSIS

Like Bishop Alexander, Bishop Jefferts Schori’s tenure has been very brief, calling into question whether her experience is adequate for serious consideration as Presiding Bishop.  She has kept a low profile in the media, and she does not appear to have taken hostile action against any orthodox that may be in her diocese.  Her voting record at her first General Convention (2003) and subsequent public statements clearly define her as a committed revisionist.  She shares other nominees’ understanding of truth as relative and echoes Frank Griswold’s view of pluriform reality and theology based on cultural context.   In 2003, her diocesan convention address clearly redefines marriage and underscores that truth is ever evolving.

It also appears that Jefferts Schori had a strong influence on the Report of the Special Commission on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.  Her emphasis on the fact that local option practice of same-sex blessings is not equal to official authorization by the church is a significant theme in the commission report.  Bishop Jefferts Schori also highlights that unity in Christ and membership in the Communion is found not in a common faith but rather in a common baptism. In addition, she stresses the autonomy of provinces, another argument made by the report.  Like, other candidates, she is clearly committed to a new consensus in the Communion that embraces progressive, revisionist theology.

The Rt. Rev. Henry Nutt Parsley, Jr., Bishop, Diocese of Alabama

Biographical Information
Age 57
Ordinations:
   Priest - 1974
   Bishop - 1996

General Convention 2003 Votes

• Voted FOR B001
• Voted AGAINST the Consecration of V. Gene Robinson

General Facts

• Chair of the Theology Committee and a member of the Planning Committee of the House of Bishops.
• Chaired the Standing Commission on Stewardship and Development since 1998 and the Church Pension Fund’s Abundance Committee since 2001.
• Serves as Chancellor of the University of the South, Sewanee, and as a member of the Board of Regents of the university. 
• Named in Via Media minutes of September 29, 2005 as key individual to recruit and work with in order to “build broader awareness and support” for Via Media and their goals in the “coming crisis.”  The Via Media minutes outlined plans to seize control of Anglican Communion Network (ACN) dioceses following General Convention.
• Bishop Parsley issued a Pastoral Directive to clergy of the diocese forbidding their affiliation with the Anglican Communion Network (ACN), and threatening inhibition and deposition for those who did not comply (May 5, 2004). Verbal instructions warned clergy and congregations not to affiliate with either the ACN or the AAC, and the Living Church reported in June 2004, “Bishop Parsley’s directive is believed to be the first instance of a diocesan bishop formally prohibiting membership in the network under threat of ecclesiastical sanction.”
• Inhibited and deposed two priests who had disaffiliated with ECUSA in 2005, misapplying the abandonment of communion canon.

Information on the Diocese

• Average Sunday attendance (ASA) in the diocese declined 0.5% over the five-year span of 1999-2004.
• In 2005, the diocese increased funding to the national Church by about $51,000, an 11% increase from the previous year. In a news article, Bishop Parsley stated that the increase was “a symbol of our commitment to the whole [Episcopal] church and the Anglican Communion.”
• Was seriously affected by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and has spent much effort rebuilding and assisting neighboring dioceses (Mississippi and Louisiana) with relief.
• At least 12 evangelical clergy have left the diocese during Bishop Parsley’s tenure. 
• While Bishop Parsley directed clergy not to affiliate with the AAC or ACN, Integrity is allowed to function, and individuals (clergy and lay) are allowed to affiliate, without fear of retribution or condemnation.

In His Own Words…

“Our liturgy expresses what we believe. So we need to be particularly clear theologically before we move forward liturgically…This amendment helps us be a church together as we seek theological consensus more solid and sound than we have found.”
-Parsley regarding his vote for C051 in 2003 (Episcopal News Service, August 6, 2003)

"Bishop Henry Parsley of the Diocese of Alabama, however, argued the resolution appropriately tried 'to contain as many points of view as we can without moving forward, lacking sufficiently sound foundations for liturgical development.'”
-Parsley regarding C051 (Episcopal Life Convention Daily, Issue 8-1, August 7, 2003)

“Anglicans, however, are not Biblical literalists. Our tradition has held for centuries that the truth of the scriptures is best revealed using tradition and reason as tools to the interpretative process. Bishop Carpenter used to carry around a three-legged stool … to illustrate this. …Our understanding of the truth of God revealed in the Holy Scriptures has evolved over the centuries…”

-Parsley (“A Short Teaching on Christian Sexual Ethics in the Present Life of the Church,” Diocesan Convention 2005)

“Parsley criticized the practice of Anglican bishops extending their authority into other regions.”

-The Birmingham News, January 13, 2006

“Parsley said the reason he voted against confirming Robinson was that the church was not ready. … ‘I tried to make a faithful, prayerful and conscientious decision, based on my feeling the church had not come to a theological consensus and we needed to have a proper and more complete consultation,’ Parsley said.”

-The Birmingham News, January 26, 2006

“In October 2003, Bishop Parsley stated that he voted for failed General Convention 2003 resolution B001 upholding the authority of Scripture and historical documents because ‘he didn’t want it used as a sword against him.’   He made no mention that it was because he really didn’t believe those things.”

-Ted Sluice, Episcopal lay leader (Stand Firm Alabama blog entry, September 2004)

ANALYSIS

Bishop Parsley is clearly presented as the “moderate” of the four original nominees, but his strongest commitment appears to be the institution of the Episcopal Church.  To categorize him as a “defender of the faith” would be a misrepresentation.   His record demonstrates careful protection of his public persona, a persona that has proved politically beneficial. For example, he has cast votes typically associated with an orthodox perspective, but his public statements qualify these votes: The vote for B001 protected him from criticism from conservatives; and the votes on sexuality issues were based on process (ECUSA took unilateral actions at General Convention 2003) rather than on theology.  In the Diocese of Alabama, he has emphasized that he is in obedience with the current consensus of the Anglican Communion regarding human sexuality issues, but his statements implicitly anticipate a change in teaching and practice with regard to homosexuality.  It is reasonable to assume that Bishop Parsley would encourage a new consensus contrary to Scripture and Christian teaching.

Those in his diocese who live and minister under his leadership express the most disturbing facts about Bishop Parsley. We were told by numerous diocesan members that Bishop Parsley was unsupportive, and in some cases even hostile and intimidating, toward those of Anglican orthodox conviction, and they cited very specific examples.  No one from the diocese would go on record about this due to concern about reprisals, which only add to our concern. Such leadership suggests that political power and control would dominate his tenure.

View Candidates Nominated by Petition & Final Summary 
(Part 2 of this Press Release)