Ephraim Radner Steps Over the Line.

I’ve long respected Dr. Ephraim Radner, though I’ve sometimes found him exasperating.

But today he stepped over the line.

Not that he resigned from the Network. He feels the Network is now going in a direction he can not go, so resigning is a perfectly honorable thing to do.

He stepped over the line in his resignation statement, particularly here:

Bp. Duncan has, in the end, decided to start a new church. He may call it “Anglican” if he wishes, though I do not recognize the name in these kinds of actions that break communion rather than build it up . . .

So if an orthodox Anglican feels that to be faithful to the Anglican tradition, he must leave the Episcopal Church and perhaps the Anglican Communion, he is no longer Anglican? If a new North American province is formed (which I think likely), but ++Rowan doesn’t recognize it (And I don’t think he will.), will that province be “un-Anglican”?

I’ve seen this sort of denigration of the Anglicanism of those not in perfect communion with Canterbury from liberals. I did not expect to see it from Dr. Radner. It is completely uncalled for and below the belt. Further, it does not the Lord's work but the liberals' work of undermining faithful orthodox Anglicans.

I certainly hope he and the ACI refrain from further undercutting those orthodox who feel they must leave TEC. Kicking them on the way out may be a more graphic way of putting it.

Those orthodox who feel they must remain in TEC on principle, such as Dr. Radner, may be mistaken, but they deserve respect for their difficult stand. Likewise, those who feel they must leave TEC deserve more respect than Dr. Radner exhibited today.