Back in January, Calvin Robinson had his ministry license revoked by the Anglican Catholic Church, which is a communion of Anglo-Catholic priests in the broader Anglican communion. The revocation was due to the use of a “Roman salute,” where Robinson mocked the leftist reactions to Elon Musk doing the same gesture.
Last month, Robinson spoke at the Right Response Conference. This month, he was given licensure in the Reformed Episcopal Church. One archbishop within the ACNA responded by releasing a press release because they were concerned:
ARCHBISHOP STEVE WOOD EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER TEMPORARY LICENSE OF REV. CALVIN ROBINSON TO THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH (REC)
Mt. Pleasant, S.C.—Presiding Bishop Ray R. Sutton of The Reformed Episcopal Church Diocese of Mid-America, a sub-jurisdiction of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), recently granted a temporary license to allow The Rev. Calvin Robinson to serve at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan (a church not affiliated with the REC or ACNA) amid significant concerns about his fitness to serve within the Anglican Communion.
Rev. Robinson’s license to serve within the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) was revoked on January 30, 2025, due to a variety of circumstances including an inappropriate gesture at a pro-life rally, allegedly making statements that were anti-semitic, or in sympathy with anti-semitic groups, and a habit of speaking rashly about a variety of sensitive topics. This led the ACC to conclude in its public statement dated February 6, 2025, “[Rev.] Robinson demonstrated repeatedly that he lacks the temperament and prudence needed in a parish priest.”
Due to changes in Rev. Robinson’s licensure, on May 4, 2025 St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan voted to disaffiliate itself with the ACC and requested for Bishop Ray Sutton of the REC, Diocese of Mid-America, to grant a temporary license to Robinson to minister while the church determines its future affiliation. Bishop Sutton agreed to provide personal oversight of the Church during this interim season and has emphasized that Rev. Robinson has not been admitted as a member of the REC or the ACNA.
“I am concerned to have the Anglican Church of North America affiliated with a leader whose public comments and persona constantly fail to exhibit the love and grace of Jesus Christ,” said ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood. “I have concerns about Rev. Robinson’s ability to uphold the full commitments of our Anglican tradition, and his ability to model the Christ-like virtues of peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, and love. I know all of our permanent licensed clergy abide by in the daily exercise of their priestly duties. I do not personally believe The Rev. Robinson is a good representative of the Anglican Church in North America.”
The Rev. Robinson’s temporary license to serve in word and sacrament was signed on May 5, granting him eligibility to minister for one calendar year unless further action is taken.
The sheer use of a press release designed to concern post over Calvin Robinson is a rather effeminate gesture on behalf of Steve Wood, which is unsurprising considering that Robinson’s license was revoked for being too right-wing. Wood is a lifelong liberal who supports women’s ordination and BLM. He has no jurisdiction over the decision made by Bishop Ray Sutton, but is nevertheless using his rank as a bully pulpit.
Overall, this is good news for Calvin Robinson, who, despite his Romanist leanings, is a fighter in the Church Militant.
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I hope Steve Wood is not just an anonymouse account of Buice.
The ACC and other so-called Continuing Anglican churches are not in the wider Anglican Communion at all. The ACNA, and thus the REC, which is a sub-jurisdiction of the ACNA, is joined to the bulk of the Anglican Communion, but not through the Archbishop of Canterbury.
I think all the Anglicans outside of communion with Canterbury are now the “wider Anglican Communion” via GAFCON which I think excommunicated the Archbishop of Canterbury or something.