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Evangelical Episcopalians Roll over on Gay Marriage*St. Paul's Episcopal Academy embroiled in Sex Scandal*Lord Carey backs Assisted Suicide*GAFCON Primates oppose Corruption*Bishop Doyle's Fictional World

A Trinitarian Bible. The Christian understanding of the Bible is essentially a trinitarian understanding. The Bible comes from God, centres on Christ and is inspired by the Holy Spirit. So the best definition of the Bible is also trinitarian: 'the Bible is the witness of the Father to the Son through the Holy Spirit'. --- John R.W. Stott

While the United States remains shaped by Christianity, the faith's influence--particularly as a force in American politics and culture--is slowly waning. An increasing number of religiously unaffiliated, a steady drop in church attendance, the recent Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage, and the growing tension over religious freedoms all point to a larger secularizing trend sweeping across the nation. ---- The Barna Group

The Anglican Church of Canada has produced endless papers, theological reflections and conversations on why, for 2000 years, the church had it wrong on the gay issue. All a learned smokescreen designed to conceal the real reason: compared to the general population, there is a disproportionately high number of gay clergy who wish, not only to continue living with their same-sex partners, but to have their employer's approval of the arrangement. --- Samizdat

Why God is not always known. Just as it is the nature of light to shine, so it is the nature of God to reveal himself. True, he hides himself from the wise and clever, but only because they are proud and do not want to know him; he reveals himself to 'babies', that is, to those humble enough to receive his self-disclosure ... The chief reason why people do not know God is not because he hides from them, but because they hide from him. --- John R.W. Stott

The law has always shared the Christian assumption that life is a gift of God, not something we are in control of. That is the basis not just of a civilized society, but the meaning of love. Love is only possible because our God-given lives mean we are infinitely worthy, whatever our state in life; once we -- with the help of the state and the medical profession -- declare that this or that life is without value and can be ended, we start down the road that leads in only one direction -- to the death camps and the gulags. --- Catholic Voices

It is one thing to say women can be leaders and entrepreneurs; it is quite another matter to make them priests and bishops. --- anonymous

Dear Brothers and Sisters
www.virtueonline.org
August 21, 2015

There is a lesson in the current political climate as to why outsiders like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are making headway with the American public. It is this. People no longer trust establishment politics and politicians. Washington's total gridlock and ineffectiveness has so angered them that regardless of what side of the fence people are on they have had enough. You may recall a certain Jesse Ventura, an outsider with not a chance of winning, who took the election in Minnesota. Think how Ross Perot divided Republicans and Bill Clinton walked into the White House. It could happen again.

And the lesson for America's mainline Protestant churches is the same. Millennials and Nones have had enough. They no longer care because the Church's message is not much different from the worlds'. So why bother. The mainline protestant denominations have short changed the message and fallen for everything and anything; so they have no distinctive gospel voice. In short, there is no life in these religious parties. So millions have abandoned the faith and church going. They are protesting because establishment religion is not for them and it is not touching their lives.

It's happening in politics and it is happening in the churches. Partisan politics and denominational adherence are over. People are no longer loyal to institutions; they are loyal to themselves, their own felt needs, to friends and to whatever is left of the nuclear family. The lessons are the same and should not be missed.

It can no longer be business as usual in politics and it can no longer be business as usual in the churches. Those days are over.

The churches that are growing are those with a distinctive voice like the Pentecostal churches and independent Bible churches, growing Southern Baptist churches, Seventh-day Adventists, and Mormon churches as well as the small but growing spinoffs of mainline denominations like the Anglican Church in North America and the North American Lutheran Church. There are others. This is a sample.

And they are growing because they are outsiders. They are going against the tide of the culture and the world...and the churches. They are standing up and declaring a unique Savior who offers salvation and hope in a world fast falling apart.

The mainline denominations simply don't get it. They think that by embracing the world's mindset and values and accommodating to the spirit of the age, they will grow and flourish. It is not happening. Pansexuality is not a winning hand despite all the bluster and shouting about rights and rites. Episcopal churches are not growing, they are dying; they are aging and withering. Well that they should. 33 percent of Episcopal churches no longer have a rector and another 12 percent have a non-stipendiary priest assisting them. It's the kiss of death.

According to church statistician Kirk Hadaway, Episcopal Church members are older on average than the American public. The differences are greatest among the oldest and youngest age categories. Proportionately, there are many more persons age 65 or older and fewer children, youth and young adults than in the general population. The Episcopal Church has failed to retain many of the children of its members over the years.

This bears out VOL's recent findings that two thirds of all parishioners in TEC are women over 60; that a third of all its priests are women (add 21 women bishops); and they have been unable to add one soul to the churches.

All TEC's dioceses are dying, some faster than others. One exception is the Diocese of Albany which has seen small but modest growth. Barna Research places Albany as #2 on the "most post-Christian" cities In America. (Two years ago, it was #1.) Bishop Bill Love, an evangelical catholic, has been faithful in a hard place for a long time, but he has seen an upward tick. The reason? He is faithful in faith and morals and the Lord is honoring that.

For those of you who read the story in the Albany Times Union with a headline that read, "Episcopal bishop's opposition to same-sex marriage creates rift...opposition to Episcopal leaders' acceptance drives some away".

"Episcopal Bishop William Love's opposition to same-sex marriage in defiance of the recent 78th general convention of the Episcopal Church that affirmed marriage equality has roiled the Albany diocese and caused parishioners to quit the Cathedral of All Saints in protest."

Not true. The General Convention resolution clearly stated that this was not binding on bishops and clergy and no bishop or priest was being forced to marry gay and lesbian couples. That loophole allowed Bishop Love to act as he did. No priest can be forced or coerced into performing such rites and may turn people away. That 98% of bishops will allow such "marriages" to take place, does not mean the other two percent have too.

*****

There is much irony in the fact that while TEC continues on its gadarene slide, one bishop is whistling Dixie and offering the view that TEC has a golden future.Bishop Andy Doyle of the Diocese of Texas has written a book 'Unabashedly Episcopalian and Church': A Generous Community Amplified for the Future. He will offer up his views in the Diocese of Atlanta telling them that TEC has a great and glorious future. Really. He will also speak on his next book, due out in October, Church: A Generous Community Amplified for the Future. Now it should be noted that Doyle is a Sewanee trustee and he will be speaking at the Diocese of Atlanta's most out gay church.

Here is a blurb about the book; "Doyle casts a vision of the church with clarity and hope; the life-giving principles that will guide the future church in a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Bishop Doyle is one of the most hopeful, realistic, enthusiastic, positive, informed and empowering people of our time, assessing where we are today as Christians and as the Episcopal Church and how we are going to step into our future."

One wonders what delusionary Episcopal bubble Doyle is living in. Texas, of course, is about all things big; big steaks, big churches, big cemeteries, and the nation's largest prison population, which goes along with all the guns people are allowed to carry including concealed weapons. It also has a former governor, Rick Perry, who believes everyone who goes to the movies should carry a gun just in case a lone wolf comes in and starts shooting everyone. Then in the darkened theater everyone can pull out their guns and start shooting. The last person standing can get a refund on the way out. I digress.

The only problem is that the Diocese of Texas is NOT big. It, like the rest of TEC, is shrinking. In 2003 the number of baptized was 85,793. By 2013 it was down to 76, 558. And that's something to be excited about? ASA in 2003 was 30,769, by 2013 it was down to 25, 254.

Of the 154 congregations in the diocese, some 70 have less than 100 ASA.

In fairness PLATE & PLEDGE had risen during that time from $64 million to $70 million which in economic parlance is called Dead Cat Bounce.

The number of marriages recorded was 330, but the number of funerals was 800! Any statistician (or bishop) can see where this is going.

Here is a part of an interview a local newspaper had with Bishop Doyle:

ES: How do you define the mission of the Episcopal Church today?

CAD: The world around us ought to be, at the end of the day, a better place because Episcopalians are a part of it.

ES: What does the church do to make that happen?

CAD: We provide assistance to immigrants and first-generation Latinos in Austin. We provide pastoral care to most every ship that comes into the Port of Houston through chaplaincy services and ecumenical partnership. We're digging water wells in Malawi. We're supporting hospitals in South America. We're feeding the homeless. We're helping the poor to find jobs. We have a huge network of outreach within the Diocese of Texas that is transforming the lives of the people of this state and this country and this world. As bishop I get to see all this incredible work that Episcopalians and those who join with them do every day. But I also get to see people who come to me on a Sunday-by-Sunday basis and tell me that they have found this incredible church home and community and family and that their lives have never felt better spiritually. That is an amazing thing.

So no mention of Jesus Christ and his saving message and power. It's all about good works. Oh, Martin (Luther), where are you now that we need you?

Following the last General Convention, Doyle said he would allow one congregation in Houston and one congregation in Austin permission to bless same-gender covenants. He is light years from some of his predecessors who were thoroughly orthodox in faith and morals like Don Wimberly (VIII Texas) and Maurice Benitez (VI Texas). Texas is now following the rest of the Episcopal Church. How sad, how very, very sad.

*****

This week's leading story tells of the long slide away by Evangelical Episcopalians from orthodoxy on Same-Sex marriage. In what was once thought to be almost impossible to imagine or think, evangelicals in The Episcopal Church are slowly abandoning the solid foundation of Scripture on human sexuality.

When Louie Crew (who is not an evangelical) began his long and successful campaign, decades ago, to change the Church's teaching on sexuality, very few took it or him seriously. His relentless and dogged push and pursuit (based on his own lifestyle preference) slowly persuaded priests, bishops, and presiding bishops that his preferred sexuality and a host of other sexualities, including LGBTQI, would become the sine qua non of the Church's moral foundation and teaching.

With almost Blitzkrieg like speed, the Episcopal Church rolled over, in the name of inclusivity, diversity, gender differentiation, emotion, felt pain, pluriform truths, and a headstrong gay culture that yelled hatred and homophobia at anyone who dared oppose the sexual zeitgeist.

Christians (but mostly evangelicals) by and large believe that homosexual acts are wrong and did not feel threatened (at first) by a small percentage of the population (less than 2%) who believe their sexuality is immutable.

VOL took a long hard look at the new bishop of Central Florida and his recent statement on same sex marriage, and the rector of a once powerful evangelical parish in the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

You can read the story here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/qfyhtfa

*****

The secular media is all over the St. Paul's, Concord, New Hampshire, story about the "senior salute" at this elite campus, in which senior men compete to see who can sleep with as many younger girls as possible.

What you don't know, and the Washington POST conveniently overlooked, is that this is an EPISCOPAL academy in the Diocese of New Hampshire under the leadership of Bishop A. Robert Hirschfield.

Why hasn't the bishop issued a statement about the behavior of students at this academy? After all, you can read at the diocese' website about "Safeguarding Our Children" and how important it is to safeguard children from sexual predators. All well and good.

Why is the bishop silent on what happened at St. Paul's? VOL wrote to the bishop. We received this response from a Laura Simoes saying that "a statement following the outcome of a legal trial will be offered."

An interesting note is that the bishop's brother Michael G. Hirschfeld is the rector of St. Paul's school!

He did put out this statement: "St. Paul's School has policies in place to ensure that our students are safe, secure, and treated equitably. Our faculty and staff do their utmost to enforce these policies and to guide our students concerning challenging topics. At St. Paul's, breaches of School policies, or the trust upon which they are founded, are addressed swiftly and judiciously. All School discipline strives to address the failings of the individual and serve as a platform for deeper learning for the community. We do not tolerate conduct that is at odds with our commitment to a safe and welcoming environment for everyone in the St. Paul's School community. Current allegations about our culture are not emblematic of our School or our values, our rules, or the people who represent our student body, alumni, faculty, and staff."

Right, and fish fly.

*****

Lord Carey's backing for assisted suicide perverts both the law and the Gospel, says British journalist Austen Ivereigh.

"The letter from religious figures in favor of assisted suicide in Saturday's Telegraph -- among them the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey -- presents a curious theological argument. "There is nothing sacred about suffering, nothing holy about agony, and individuals should not be obliged to endure it", say the signatories, who add that helping terminally ill people to commit suicide should be viewed simply as enabling them to "gracefully hand back" their lives to God.

The first curiosity is their perception that religious bodies in the UK overwhelmingly oppose assisted suicide because they believe God wants people to suffer. Who says this? Not the Catholic or Anglican Churches, that's for sure; they have constantly pointed out the need for more and more effective palliative care and hospice beds, precisely in order to not just relieve physical pain, but also provide loving care and support to those in their final journey. This is not something that the churches have merely talked about, but put into action: the network of hospices across the UK are the fruit of great energy and resources dedicated to the proposition that "last days are not lost days" (as Dame Cicely Saunders used to put it).

Indeed, the bishops' point has consistently been that an assisted suicide would rapidly dissolve any support for this idea, by introducing the notion that a life which includes pain and suffering is less worthy of being lived, and of being protected.

The second curiosity is the attempt to create a theological justification for assisted suicide in defiance of the long-settled teachings of the Christian tradition (as well as other faiths). As the Catholic bishops of England and Wales put it, the lack of health or the fact of one's disability are never valid reasons for exclusion or, and what is worse, the elimination of persons. The gravest deprivation experienced by the aged is not the weakening of one's physical body, or the disability that may result from this. Rather, it is the abandonment, exclusion and deprivation of love.

Lord Carey et al are offering a theological fig leaf for the usual argument in favor of assisted suicide, one that rests on an ethic of autonomy: that individuals should be allowed to decide on such personal matters for themselves, and control the time of their death; that these decisions should be respected by the law; and (which is not often stated directly) that doctors should be asked to enable this. Hence next month's bill sponsored by Labour MP Rob Marris, which would allow people thought to have no more than six months to live who have a "settled intention" to end their life, to be given a lethal dose of drugs on the authority of two doctors.

VOL believes that Lord Carey, an Evangelical, is wrong on this issue. My mother (90) died peacefully in the arms of Hospice at Home care and right now my mother-in-law's sister (89) is in the same process. I cannot fathom that he said this. Fortunately another evangelical, Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali took him on in parliament, so all is not lost...yet.

*****

America is in the midst of a raging national debate on issues surrounding sexuality and gender. If you dare to suggest that gender is determined by sex and is immutable, that same-sex acts are immoral, or that marriage is a permanent, exclusive union of husband and wife, then you will be called an intolerant bigot, hater, and homophobe.

Where does the charge of bigotry come from? Is it just a passing fad, a political and social tool for power and control, or do its roots go deeper?

Bigotry is defined as "intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself." Notice that bigotry is not intolerance toward the opinions or beliefs of persons other than yourself, but intolerance of the other person. Bigotry is not simply disagreeing with what someone else believes; it is an unwillingness to tolerate or accept the person who holds those beliefs.

A little reflection on this definition will reveal that the vast majority of bigotry accusations populating the internet and in public discourse are not legitimate ones. On the contrary, they are the consequence of a mistaken view of tolerance that is itself a product of a warped postmodern epistemology.

You can read the full story here at: http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/shut-up-bigot-the-intolerance-of-tolerance/16701#sthash.q28wjTQg.dpuf

*****

GAFCON primates have released a statement this week condemning corruption in Africa.

The Chairman of the Primate's Council, Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, was appointed late last year to chair Kenya's Anti-Corruption Campaign Steering Committee.

Among other measures, the committee will run a nationwide public education campaign aimed at changing Kenyans' attitude towards corruption.

Archbishop Wabukala has compared corruption to 'a national disaster' and declared "The time has come when all must face the law. The culture of impunity has to be done away with." You can read the full statement in today's digest.

*****

Six Anglican Bishops in Kenya have accused politicians from western Kenya of engaging in confrontational politics in funerals at the expense of development.

The Bishops from the Dioceses of Maseno North, Nambale, Katakwa, Butere, Mumias and Bungoma said it was wrong for politicians to use funerals to settle scores instead of addressing the region's development needs.

Led by Maseno North Bishop Simeon Oketch, the clerics said they planned to convene meetings in the four counties of Kakamega, Vihiga, Bungoma and Busia to discuss with leaders on how to work together and promote peace among communities. "We want to use the meetings to bring the leaders together and explain why they need to work together," said Bishop Oketch.

In a statement titled "Role of the Church in Politics," Bishop Oketch warned that church officials would not allow leaders who promoted confrontational politics to incite mourners in funerals.

The clerics spoke yesterday after attending a five day western region meeting of the Kenya Anglican Men's Association (KAMA).

Two weeks ago, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and MCA Cleophas Malala clashed at a funeral when the latter accused the county boss of protecting corrupt officials in his administration.

*****

According to a new YouGov survey, 49% of 18-24 year-olds in Britain define themselves as something other than completely heterosexual. The Kinsey scale invented in the 1940s placed people on a range of sexual preferences from exclusively heterosexual at 0 to exclusively homosexual at 6.

In the YouGov study, individuals were asked to put themselves on that sexuality scale. In total, 72% of the British public scored themselves at the completely heterosexual end of the scale, while 4% were at the completely homosexual end, with 19% stating they were somewhere in between -- classed as bisexual by Kinsey.

One of the most striking findings of the new study is that with each generation, people see their sexuality as less fixed and more fluid. The results for 18-24 year-olds are particularly telling, with 43% placing themselves in the non-binary area between 1 and 5 and 52% place themselves at one end or the other. Of these, only 46% say they are completely heterosexual and 6% as completely homosexual.

Public opinion seems to accept the concept that sexual orientation exists along a continuum, rather than being a either/or choice between being straight and gay. According to YouGov, 60% of heterosexuals support this idea, as do 73% of homosexuals.

*****

John Oliver calls out shady televangelists for "exploiting people's faith for monetary gain." Oliver, otherwise known as the man who makes us all feel bad about ourselves on Monday mornings, has turned his attentions to the world of televangelism this week. He really doesn't like what he sees.

"This is about the churches that exploit people's faith for monetary gain," he said, and proceeded to show a series of depressing/damning clips of televangelists asking for "seed money" on their programs, like asking people deep in debt to give the church $1,000 to sow a "seed" to God that will eventually get rid of that debt. Or, in one particularly horrific case, asking someone to "sow" money into a church instead of seeking treatment for cancer.

And to prove how easy it is to form a church of your very own, Oliver actually founded one: Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption. It even includes its very own nun: Sister Wanda Jo Oliver, aka former SNLer Rachel Dratch. What will Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption do, you ask? Collect donations while encouraging its followers to mediate silently on fraudulent churches.

The deeper question is why orthodox Christians and evangelicals in America are not ranting and raging against these health and wealth prosperity gospellers. They are a curse on the nation and the faith, totally unbiblical and simply a place for them to extract money from the helpless and poorest to line their own pockets and buy themselves big and better jet planes to soak Christians in other countries.

*****

Bishop Sanco King Rembert, 92, the first black bishop consecrated in the Reformed Episcopal Church, a founding member of ACNA, died Friday August 14, 2015. Beloved husband of Patricia Singleton Rembert. Beloved father of Karol Gail Rembert of Columbia, SC. Beloved brother of John Rembert of Pineville, SC. Tentative funeral plans for Thursday, August 20, 2015 @ New Israel R E Church, Simmons Street, Charleston, SC. You can read more here:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?n=sanco-king-rembert&pid=175519312#sthash.EoLdwkyI.dpuf

*****

The Anglican Use Society is changing its name to the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society in order to reflect its expanded mission. In another change, the society is dropping the requirement for dues. They will hold their 2015 Annual meeting in Philadelphia on September 23, 2015, during the World Meeting of Families. They will be hosted by St. Michael the Archangel Church, an Ordinariate community pastored by Fr. David Ousley.

Established at the end of 2003 by a group of interested laity and clergy, The Anglican Use Society is dedicated to: Increase knowledge and understanding of the personal Ordinariates erected under the terms of Anglicanorum coetibus, the Apostolic Constitution issued by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, and support the Ordinaries in their mission of gathering Anglicans into communion with Holy See.

*****

NEW RESEARCH: Divorce Divides More Than Just Families. Pastors are divided about when divorce is sinful and whether or not they would perform the marriage of someone who is divorced, says Ed Stetzer.

Last week, LifeWay Research released new data from a recent study on how Protestant pastors and Americans see divorce. What makes divorce sinful? Do circumstances around the divorce drastically affect how pastors or Americans view divorce?

What Do Americans Think?

Aaron Earls wrote for LifeWay Research: In a phone survey of 1,000 Americans, LifeWay Research found 39 percent say divorce is a sin when an individual's spouse commits adultery; 38 percent when the couple no longer loves one another; 38 percent when a spouse abandons the other; 37 percent when a spouse is abused; and 35 percent when a spouse is addicted to pornography. Close to the same (37 percent) say divorce is not a sin in any of these.

Scott McConnell, Vice President of LifeWay Research, reported, "About one in seven Americans are saying divorce is a sin in all of these cases, more than a third don't think any of these would be a sin, and almost half believe some circumstances would be sinful, but not others."

*****

We really must have a working budget going forward. VOL has no corporate backers. We depend solely on you our readers to keep us afloat. Less than one per cent of you make a donation. Why? I have a small staff to pay along with web and communications bills. Yet the attraction of getting a "free service" seems overwhelming. Thousands go daily to www.virtueonline.org It is my responsibility to change that. We must have new donors to keep us going. If you have not contributed in the last year or so, please jump in and do so.

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Thank you for your support.

In Christ,

David

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