'Never Silent': New Book on Anglican Struggles

"Never Silent" by Bishop Thad Barnum details the struggles in the Anglican church over issues of Christian orthodoxy.

NEW YORK, N.Y. (Virtue On Line) - When the official history of North American Anglicanism is written in the 21st Century there will be a handful of primary sources that scholars will not be able to ignore. One of them will be "Never Silent" by Bishop Thad Barnum.

In the Year 2,000 it became apparent to Barnum and a number of evangelically minded Episcopal priests in The Episcopal Church that all was not well in the stately U.S. denomination. Heresy had taken a hold of its churches and institutions reaching into the highest levels of the church, even unto its national headquarters in New York City.

The spiritual, ecclesiastical and theological infection touched priests, bishops, dioceses, parishes and seminaries alike. No one was spared. With the heresies came the beginnings of oppression of laity and priests who would not roll over to the new spiritual order.

As tensions rose and the persecution of those who would not conform grew this group of evangelical priests pondered and prayed. Then they acted. There was no question that what they wanted and now sought. It was Anglicanism with an orthodox face. The Episcopal Church they had grown up believing was a gospel driven body now proved apostate and heretical, unable to either discipline itself or be disciplined from abroad - a church beyond hope or redemption.

It was a kairos moment. They knew that if they stayed they would be compromised and their message muted and scorned. If, on the other hand they elected to go, it would be against the might and power of the Episcopal Church. It would be certain ecclesiastical death. Pulpits would dry up, pensions would cease and doors would close.

So be it.

What should they do? This book is the story of what they did and the birth of a new movement of the Holy Spirit. It is the story of men and women who took a risk, who reached out to orthodox Global South archbishops and got their permission to start an Anglican Mission on these shores. Thus was born the Anglican Mission in America and, as it expanded into Canada, it became the Anglican Mission in the Americas.

Their names: Chuck Murphy, Thad Barnum, "TJ" Johnson and Jon Shuler would form the nucleus of a spiritual movement that today embraces 130 churches in 50 states and Western Canada - a spiritual movement to reach 130 million unchurched Americans within the framework of an historic Anglicanism.

With deftness and honesty Barnum recounts firsthand the events and intrigue surrounding the crisis over the blatant rejection of the authority of Scripture and the ordination of openly homogenital priests. He pulls no punches. The personal anecdotes, the meetings here and abroad paint a picture of God's steady leading rhythm in his life and those who would follow him.

Barnum's meeting with Bishop John Rucyahana of Rwanda and hearing the stories of pain and suffering he witnessed in that country's genocide sealed it for Barnum. That his African brethren would refuse to accept money from wealthy American Episcopal dioceses they sought to reform would cost his people dearly. Compromise was not on the cards. Barnum had not suffered for his faith. He would take the risks of losing all for the sake of the kingdom. It pushed him to greater risks and to greater heights. He would risk all for Christ.

The opening chapters of Never Silent powerfully capture the slaughter of 800,000 people while the world stood by and did nothing. In this genocide Barnum saw a parallel spiritual genocide being waged in America. He and his fellow believers set about changing that. His goal: to bring spiritual relief to brothers and sisters in America.

Never Silent captures it all. This story is far from over in fact it has only just begun. The Anglican Mission in the Americas continues to capture international media attention, and as Bishop Rucyahana insists, it's not merely about the gay issue it's about the gospel, and who Christ is.

Barnum agrees. This book is not just about the failure of The Episcopal Church it is about the new thing God is doing. You don't have to be an Episcopalian to read this book. What is happening in The Episcopal Church is happening to all the mainline American denominations that are floundering in liberalism and watching as their churches go into decline and slowly die.

This book will excite men and women of vision among Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists and other groups who believe God is calling them "to come out from among them" and venture all for Jesus. This book is a clarion call to Christians in all of America's denominations to speak up and act as they see spiritual darkness, inertia and oppression descending over this country. Doing nothing is not an option. Postmodernism is eating up churches and people everywhere.

This book will move you off the dime. It carefully documents a new movement of the Holy Spirit and is powerfully told, with complete index. The Foreword by Rick Warren and endorsements by J. I. Packer, Chuck Colson, and Christianity Today Managing Editor, Mark Galli only confirms the quality and depth of this book.

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Bishop Barnum is the rector and bishop of Church of the Apostles, in Fairfield, CT and travels the country as one of America's most gifted evangelist teachers.You can watch an interview here with Bishop Barnum on Anglican-TV conducted by Kevin Kallsen. Questions were provided by VOL. http://www.anglicantv.org/

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Virtue Online, edited by David W. Virtue, is the Voice for global orthodox Anglicanism.