The concept of progressive revelation (God teaching his people in many parts and many ways) is a notion quite different from that of progressive religious evolution (man groping in a darkness which becomes gradually less dark). A biblical understanding of progressive revelation does not imply an adverse judgment on any of the biblical material involved at any stage in the process. It is all God's truth, so far as it goes; the only difference is that some parts go further than others. ---From 'Jesus Christ Our Teacher and Lord', J.I. Packer

The conservative Episcopal Church in America has no reason to be defensive because we have done nothing wrong, and no reason to believe we are a minority because we are not. --- Mark Lawrence, Bishop of South Carolina

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
www.virtueonline.org
February 8, 2008

The Episcopal Church is suffering from spiritual motion sickness. Every which way it turns, it takes an ecclesiastical Dramamine in order to prevent Spiritual Sickness. However, that is proving harder and harder not to do in the face of the ecclesiastical and moral decay that now envelopes the church. Each week in the Episcopal Church, more and more laity, clergy and bishops leave or are tossed out while TEC leaders retreat to lick their wounds, hoping that somehow the ship will right itself. The players continue to play out the drama of their lives while attempting to dodge the lifeboats of AMiA, CANA, Uganda, Kenya and TAC, sent to rescue those the church denies or rejects.

In the DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA, the majority of six churches joined the Anglican Mission in the Americas (AMiA) this past week continuing the exodus of orthodox parishes from TEC. In this case, the issue is complicated by the fact that these are orthodox parishes in an orthodox diocese who have no beef with their bishop, John W. Howe, but who do have a beef with the national church.

* Good Shepherd Episcopal, Maitland, elected a new vestry, as the rector and a portion of the congregation is planning to leave.

* Gloria Dei Episcopal, Cocoa, plans to become an independent community church. The diocesan board has agreed to rent facilities to them for three years.

* Grace Episcopal, Ocala, has an interim rector in place to serve, if the current rector and portion of the congregation disaffiliate, as planned.

* Holy Cross Episcopal, Winter Haven, has a vestry and interim rector in place.

* St. Edward's Episcopal, Mt. Dora, has an interim rector in place.

* St. Nicholas Episcopal, Poinciana: The church planter and congregation have disaffiliated. No property is involved. They plan to return $25,000 given by the diocese to start the Episcopal mission in 2007.

* St. Philip's Episcopal, Lake Nona: The church planter and congregation have disaffiliated. No property is involved. They have given to the diocese a $10,000 "tithe" of the start-up money they had raised.

* Trinity Episcopal, Vero Beach (trinityvero.org): The rector and large portion of the congregation are considering disaffiliating.

The majority of these parishes and their priests are joining the Anglican Mission in the Americas.

In November, the clergy and lay leadership at nine of the diocese's 86 parishes and missions announced plans to leave The Episcopal Church. Trinity Church, Vero Beach, which has been reported on in previous VOL digests, is looking for a negotiated settlement with the diocese. A protocol developed by Bishop Howe and approved by the standing committee and diocesan council forbids departing congregations from affiliating with an overseas Anglican jurisdiction.

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In the DIOCESE OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, St. John's Anglican Church in Petaluma rebuffed diocesan attempts to spin who owns their church property. Their attorney sent a letter to VOL which said, "We reiterate that St. John's Anglican Church has fully owned and maintained its property since 1856. The issue of real estate ownership is a matter of civil law by those who own, have title to and maintain their property. St. John's vigorously disputes the allegations that the Diocese of Northern California or The Episcopal Church can claim ownership to St. John's property-- property that it never purchased, paid for or maintained." You can read the full story in today's digest or here http://tinyurl.com/3bwac7 In an additional note sent to VOL, the DNC made their stance clear with this line: "The diocese wishes to enforce its right to the use and control of the consecrated and real property held by or on behalf of the church as of December 17, 2006".

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In the department of what goes around comes around, the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA announced this week that former PA Bishop Allen L. Bartlett has agreed to be the Assisting Bishop Pro Tempore, while the diocese continues its search for an Assisting Bishop following the inhibition of Charles E. Bennison.

Bartlett wrote a private note to "friends new and old", which VOL has obtained, with this choice paragraph, "There is one other thing you ought to know. In the sensitive situation in which this Diocese finds itself presently, I will not engage in conversation about the merits or demerits of my previous episcopacy nor that of my successor. My focus in this present ministry will be on the present and the future, not the past."

One good thing you can say about Bartlett, he did allow a flying bishop arrangement with "seven sisters" orthodox parishes when he was bishop, a policy that Bennison promised to continue and then nixed. This diocese is still in free fall. There will be no let up in closures. No gospel, no future.

On another note, Concerned Pennsylvania Episcopalians (CPE) will meet again on Thursday, February 21st at 7:00 pm at St. Peter's Church, Third and Pine Sts. in Philadelphia to look at various options, including a healing process and alternative camping experiences for kids.

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THE WEEK saw this writer in Charleston, SC covering the MERE ANGLICANISM conference, which brought together such illustrious figures as Canon Michael Green from Oxford UK; Dr. Ashley Null, the world authority on Thomas Cranmer; the Dean of Exeter Cathedral, the Very Rev. Jonathan Meyrick; Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan and many more. More than 250 turned out for this occasion including several bishops, a large clergy contingent and many interested lay folk. I have posted a number of stories from this conference which you will find in today's digest. This conference has grown considerably in its few short years under the wise counsel of Bishop C. FitzSimons Allison (SC ret.). Mere Anglicanism believes that educated, authentically discipled, and active Anglicans - both lay and clergy - are central to the efforts to reform and renew Anglicanism in North America. Canon Green's moving lecture; Scripture: Revelation or Speculation is must reading. http://tinyurl.com/3xtyph

Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan told the gathering that a new post-colonial Anglican Communion is emerging in the Communion even as The Episcopal Church is disintegrating. You can read that story here or in today's digest. http://tinyurl.com/2pa2kg

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While in the DIOCESE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, I briefly spoke with their new bishop, Mark Lawrence, who is clearly enjoying a honeymoon period in the diocese. I asked him why a resolution, at the last diocesan convention calling for just two diocesan persons to attend GC2009 and not the full diocesan contingent of clergy and laity, was not voted on. He said that the motion was withdrawn as there had been no time for discussion. In time, the honeymoon will be over for him and the serious business of whether this diocese stays or leaves TEC will rear its head as it has in almost every orthodox diocese. Like most orthodox dioceses, there is always a small contingent of liberals that the national church gloms onto as the authentic voice of Episcopalianism. In any event, there is a lot of pain that I could see in clergy faces. They know the game is up, and that, sooner or later, Lawrence will face what bishops John-David Schofield, Bob Duncan, Jack Iker and Keith Ackerman are facing. It won't be pleasant. Perhaps as a start, the new bishop should remove the link to Louie Crew's website on the front page of the diocesan website. It sends an odd signal for an orthodox diocese to have. Other revisionist links on their front page seem out of order, as well.

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The DAUGHTERS OF THE KING (DOK) took a beating this past week when 19 diocesan bishops, resident in Province 4 of TEC, signed a letter chastising Joan Dalrymple, president of the DOK, over her apparent unwillingness or inability to produce a full financial accounting and a regular audit of the organization's funds. She was taken to task by the Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander, Bishop of Atlanta, who in a letter wrote. "We are further concerned to hear that amendments to the constitution and bylaws and other governing documents of the Daughters of the King have been made without the full consent of the membership gathered in the appropriate assembly empowered to make those changes." Bishop Alexander concludes the letter with an exhortation for President Dalrymple to "address these concerns, not with us alone, but especially with the leaders of the Daughters at the diocesan and parish levels ... as quickly as possible."

When I spoke to Bishop John W. Howe (Central Florida) he said he was not present for the Province 4 bishops' meeting at which the letter was discussed, but he would not have signed, even if he had been present, both because of his position as chaplain of the order and also because he believes it to be inaccurate.

"As far as I can tell, the finances are transparent," Bishop Howe said. He added that "the results of the 2006 independent audit are published on the DOK website and that the 2007 results will be published there shortly." At its triennial meeting in Orlando, FL, some 80 percent of the 238 delegates agreed to seat, with full voice and vote, the DOK representatives from the ecumenical chapters, which include Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Anglicans in the U.S. affiliated with overseas provinces. The latter apparently irked Mrs. Jefferts Schori and the liberal bishops.

"It is part of the larger hatred in so many parts of TEC toward the orthodox who have left us. The attacks have been unrelenting and absurd. There is no substance to them. And the vote, reported as "approximately 80%" was actually over 87% by my reckoning," Howe told VOL. Dalrymple did not return calls to her office for a statement.

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The DIOCESE OF ROCHESTER has a new bishop who looks to be light years ahead of his predecessor, Jack McKelvey - a true lightweight. The diocese elected the Rev. Dr. Prince Singh on February 2. He's 45, rector of St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Oakland/Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, in the Diocese of Newark. He was elected on the second ballot from a slate of five candidates. He has good credentials. Singh was ordained a priest in the Church of South India (CSI) in 1990. CSI was inaugurated in 1947 by the union of the South India United Church (itself a union of Congregational and Presbyterian/Reformed traditions), the southern Anglican diocese of the Church of India, Burma, Ceylon, and the Methodist Church in South India. It is one of the four United Churches in the Anglican Communion. He graduated from Madras Christian College, Tambaram, and Union Biblical Seminary, both in India. He also holds degrees from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia (1994) and Princeton Theological Seminary (1995). Singh was awarded the doctor of philosophy degree from Drew University in 2005 in the Religion and Society division of its theological school. Some of these institutions are decidedly conservative. The Rochester diocese serves eight counties in the Finger Lakes region of New York with 52 congregations and seven chapels and a membership of 13,000. Time will tell where he stands on THE issues. and how he votes in the HOB.

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Not surprisingly, The DIOCESE OF VIRGINIA, at its 213th annual Council Meeting, January 25-26 in Reston, committed itself to a continuing discernment process over the full inclusion in the life of the diocese of people living in same-sex relationships. It also heard its bishop defend ongoing property litigation. Bishop Peter Lee told the Council that the litigation is "required to secure churches occupied by individuals who have abandoned the Episcopal Church."

Lee whined about the cost of litigation, but says he expects to pay off the line of credit by selling undeveloped and unconsecrated property, a process that is already under way. "No one likes lawsuits, but at the same time, our generation has a stewardship responsibility to protect the property of our churches for Episcopalians in the next 400 years."

Not surprisingly, Lee blasted the "intrusion" of Virginia Attorney General Robert McDonnell's intervention in the case. McDonnell sided with the fleeing parishes in their lawsuit with the diocese.

You can read an op-ed piece in today's digest by Jim Oakes, who makes a strong case saying that if the Anglican Diocese of Virginia (ADV) churches fail in their legal dispute, we all fail. "The Episcopal Church's legal assault on Anglican churches in Northern Virginia - which have chosen to remain faithful to Scripture and foundational church teachings - is 180 degrees away from Christ's commandments," he wrote.

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This quote comes from the newly minted BISHOP OF CHICAGO, Jeffrey Lee, a Nashotah House alumnus: "So many of us seem to think that salvation depends on our theological correctness."

Responded one VOL reader, "I would ask the good Bishop Lee what it would take for him to cry 'heresy.' Would it be the denial of the Holy Trinity or any other sacrament of the Church? Would such doctrinal 'rigidity' qualify as "theological correctness" in his view? Indeed, Baptism is a sacrament (and a prerequisite of another sacrament, Holy Communion, which refutes the apparent ambivalence on such core doctrine evidenced by the recent Christian-Hindu joint service in Los Angeles). This self-serving and disingenuous rhetoric on the part of a bishop is appalling. Lee is leading his flock astray for which his very soul is at grave risk."

*****

ON another note, a friend attending the dedication recently at St. John's, the pro-cathedral of the DIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES, was highly offended when a child was allowed to participate in Holy Communion as a server! "I don't know the age of the child, but was told that he/she acted in the capacity of a quasi-L.E.M."

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In the DIOCESE OF NEW YORK, there is a report on a blogsite that the cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, which is going broke, has leased parcels of properties in an attempt to alleviate its financial problems. In an article, "How Firm a Foundation, Ye Manhattan Schist", Bloviator reports that the trustees of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, have leased out two large swaths of the 11.5 acre spread for development. The Cathedral set strict development guidelines for what could be built, which are recorded in a Restrictive Declaration with the City of New York. The guidelines set a limit on the height and bulk of new development, require that open space surround the structure and views of the Cathedral be protected. According to photographs at the blogsite, these guidelines would appear to be violated. The building could have been even bulkier and higher than it already is. The parcel of land to the north is about twice the size of the one built on, allowing for an even bigger building. A couple of ironies: 1) It is unlikely many of the residents of these luxury rentals will be worshipers at St. John the Divine. 2) The number of residents could far outnumber the declining number of present worshipers at the Cathedral. It's looking more and more that the future of the Episcopal Church is getting out of the business of saving souls and into real estate development. For the full story with pictures click here: http://bovinabloviator.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-firm-foundation-ye-manhattan-schist.html

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SHARIA LAW in UK is "unavoidable" says Rowan Williams in a headline that screamed around the globe this week. "Has the Archbishop of Canterbury gone bonkers?" asks London Times religion writer Ruth Gledhill. "Forgive the stark clarity of my headline, but sometimes, when writing about the Archbishop of Canterbury, clarity is what is needed. I ask this of readers because this is the question put to me time after time by incredulous commentators of every variety, stunned into blunt expression by the Archbishop of Canterbury's uncharacteristically clear comments on Sharia in Britain. The Archbishop believes adopting aspects of Sharia law into British law would help maintain social cohesion. But who exactly is asking for this? No Muslim organization in Britain has requested it. I could not find any who even wanted it. Instead, Muslims I spoke to seem fearful of the effects the Archbishop's latest remarks will have on those already prejudiced against their community. As well they might be.

"A few days ago, the Archbishop argued also for the abolition of the blasphemy law - as long as it was replaced by something even more severe. People should be punished for daring to voice thoughts that were hurtful to others, he said, even when that hurt was unintentional. Now it seems he wants women, children, all of us in fact, to have to kow-tow to some of the strictest, harshest and most draconian laws dreamed up by any religious system, ever, anywhere in the world.

"There might not be no-go areas for non-Muslims in Britain, as he recently argued against the Bishop of Rochester. But this is certainly the way to go about creating them.

"Is the Archbishop of Canterbury unaware of the history of the Church he has been chosen to lead? Coming from Wales is no excuse, as until the early years of the last century, Wales was part of the Church of England as well. The Church of England was born out of an express desire to rid Britain of a foreign, ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Article 37 of the 39 says: 'The Roman Pontiff hath no jurisdiction in this realm of England.' Queen Elizabeth I early in her reign decreed that the Crown had restored to it 'the ancient jurisdiction over the state ecclesiastical and spiritual, abolishing all foreign power repugnant to the same'." You can read several stories in today's digest on the Archbishop's lecture including Williams' full text.

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A NEW (SECOND) DRAFT ANGLICAN COVENANT is out for all to read. The Design Group, under its chairman Archbishop Drexel Gomez, has issued the new draft, the first version was contained in the Windsor Report. A number of liberal dominated provinces, including the Church of England, produced submissions which would have severely weakened the initial Covenant. At least this new draft does not seem to have given too much ground in that direction. However, the whole thing still remains entirely inadequate to meet the needs of the hour, say early reports coming in. The new draft can be viewed at VOL's website or in today's digest.

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A HUGE BLOW to orthodoxy occurred this week in the Church of England when the evangelical Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt. Rev. James Jones, apologized for opposing the appointment of Jeffrey John as suffragan Bishop of Reading. Then it got worse. He also called on Anglicans to "acknowledge the authoritative biblical examples of love between two people of the same gender, most notably in the relationship of Jesus and his beloved [John] and David and Jonathan"! Not surprisingly, Jonathan Clatworthy of the Modern Churchpeople's Union, a group committed to a "liberal theology in a changing world", applauded the bishop's statement "for publicly acknowledging in his book that while some biblical texts condemn homosexuality others are sympathetic to it." That's nonsense, of course. There are no sympathetic texts endorsing sodomy in Scripture. Bishop Jones is chairman of Wycliffe College, Oxford. It will be interesting to see how all this plays out. You might remember that Lake Malawi wannabe Bishop Nickie Henderson was also a member of MCU and it is why Archbishop Bernard Malango of Central Africa didn't want him on the African continent.

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DUMBING DOWN the Lord's Table. A Seabury-Western panel will explore "Who May Be Invited to the Table?" at their theological seminary in Evanston, Illinois. Odds on, they will conclude that anyone may come and don't worry your little head about what you believe. After all, the Church could not pass B001, a resolution calling the church to fess up on certain basic doctrines of the faith, so why should we have any limitations on who can come to the Lord's table? The bar is being lowered so far these days in TEC a two-year old can step over it.

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THE QUEEN speaks. On the issue of homosexuality, she is typically forthright. "We are playing games to our detriment," she said. "There are much more important problems to be concerned about than homosexuality. Look at what is happening in Kenya and Zimbabwe and with child soldiers and AIDS. This is where our prayers should be and our attention directed to what we can do." Same old claptrap. According to Ms. Hudson-Wilkin a CofE vicar (perhaps unwittingly), said homosexuality IS a problem for the Church, merely less 'important' than others. Her flippant notion that the Church is "playing games" on issues of morality is beyond me. To her, I say: "Let the games begin!"

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WHAT IF. Reform (UK) claims to have about 500 churches on its books - if they signed up to a new network, it would shake the Church of England to its foundations. It would only take 50 churches to announce that they are affiliating with a Nigerian bishop and there would be a revolution here. Source: An English vicar who asked not to be named.

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THE HONEYMOON is over for homosexual marriages as the number of civil partnerships in the UK declines. The number of homosexual couples getting "married" plummeted by more than half last year. Figures from the Local Government Association show the number of single-sex civil partnership ceremonies fell by around 55 per cent during 2007, the second full year such unions were permitted.

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If you had any doubt about the soulfulness of the BISHOP OF NEW WESTMINSTER, Michael Ingham, your worst fears are realized in his book "God's Gift of Creation: Children, Wonder, Stewardship & Hope". He explores how you and others of different faiths and cultures can take part in community programs or create your own projects. No mention of the uniqueness of Jesus over all time and history, just more bloviating about social and environmental issues and of course niceness towards other religions without pressing the unique claims of Christ on other religions now enveloping this multi-faith world. Say hello to the world, say goodbye to Christ.

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THE MALAYSIAN Government should stop harassing Christians by seizing their Bibles, especially at entry points, said the country's biggest church group recently, amid a new furore over the imports of the holy book. The Christian Federation of Malaysia's statement came a day after a Malaysian Christian complained that airport custom officers seized 32 English Bibles on her arrival from Manila. Federation chairman, Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, said the incident, which happened on Jan. 28, was not an isolated case. "We have received many complaints from Christians being told to hand over religious books to custom officers at various checkpoints in the country," he said in a statement. "Now they even want our Bibles."

Said Tan, who represents the country's three main church groups, "We will not comply with any directives from the government or its agencies that infringe on our right to use our sacred book and other Christian literature.".

The wife of an Anglican Primate wrote VOL to say they had been noticing the posture of the Malaysian government in its efforts to secure votes and to be the voice of the dominant population, as well as the slow but steady Islamization via the education system. "Certainly, the Church in Malaysia needs the prayers of the worldwide Body of Christ to continue to be courageous and sensitive and faithful witness." VOL calls on its readers to pray earnestly for the Anglican Province of Southeast Asia.

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A series of earthquakes hit the Anglican Diocese in Cyangugu, Rwanda, last Sunday morning just as people were preparing to go to church, with subsequent tremors throughout the day. Many people are sleeping outside at night. There are still a few tremors, reports a local priest. Fortunately there were no serious casualties among the people there, though thirteen people died at worship in a nearby church and others were injured. There were also people killed in the center of Kamembe. "After having done our best yesterday to check that everyone was safe and had the medical care that was needed, we have spent the best part of today trying to assess the damage done to properties. There has been considerable damage to many of the diocesan buildings," said the spokesman.

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The BARNABAS FUND, the world's leading authority on the persecuted church, is looking for people who can support a specific Barnabas Fund project, for example work with Iraqi Christian refugees in Syria or their current Violence in India project. If you are interested click this link: http://www.barnabasfund.org/news/archives/article.php?ID_news_items=358 You can also visit the website: www.barnabasfund.org

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