Cranmer’s Birthday // Pride Month // ACNA Dean Fired over Leadership Failure // TEC Embroiled in Multiple Sex Scandals // TEC Urges Dialogue over S-S Marriage //

Egyptian Bishop Demands CofE Listen to Other Voices over ABC Selection // GSFA Leader says CofE must choose Orthodox ABC // CofE Plans $2.2 Billion Spend Following Revival

In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent, but thin, veneer of Christianity. They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved, enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable. – John Stott

"Ungrateful" is the worst thing I can say about someone. It’s the thing in me that I hate the most. Ungratefulness drags me down - my natural tendency anyway. Ingratitude is the seed, the root, and the plant of discontentment. It’s disbelieving the promises of God for providence, care, and steadfast love. Ingratitude eats more than it should and is never satisfied. It renders praise mechanical, repetitious and heartless. It makes me grumpy to be around. It is selfish. – Chuck Collins

“The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves. The Scripture supplies him with the means of doing both.”  -- John Calvin

“[The New Testament] thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living as part of the universe occupied by the rebel. Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage. When you go to church you are really listening–in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going.”  -- C.S. Lewis

We note that many parishes in the coming 20 years will begin following non-traditional models…Yes, there are some beautiful buildings in the denomination, but with few exceptions, they are wildly costly to operate, energy inefficient, and poorly suited to today’s needs. Thus, with fewer people in the pews, many churches will need to offload costly relics of the past. – Anglican Watch

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

www.virtueonline.org

June 13, 2025

It was Thomas Cranmer’s birthday this past week, and while he never hit celebrity status or made the summit of Tik Tok because most American Christians are as a dumb as turtle wax (slightly more than 1 in 10 respondents (11%) believe in the Trinity) he has made and left a profound impression on Christianity that still continues almost 500 years after his death.

The 1549 Book of Common Prayer was his reason for being. Cranmer and his descendants have had an enduring linguistic, theological, and political impact on western civilization, almost unparalleled in our time. The architect of Anglicanism who began the English reformation created a seismic shift in western thought, a pivotal moment never to be forgotten.

If you marry in a church there is every reason to believe you will hear the words, ‘Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company of witnesses to join together this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony…’ pure Cranmer, making a mockery of Joel Osteen’s Money-Making Notion of Common Avarice. Reform theologian Chuck Collins has written about Cranmer’s legacy. Here are a few choice paragraphs:

“Cranmer’s Prayer Book was in English, not Latin, which represented a gigantic move to make worship the work of the people and not just a priest doing his magic at a high altar. It removed all suggestions of Eucharistic sacrifice, transubstantiation, the invocation of saints, and purgatory. Stone altars, which suggested that Jesus is re-sacrificed in every mass, were replaced by wooden communion tables placed in the midst of the congregation. The Word of God (God’s promises proclaimed) replaced the priest as the instrument by which grace is offered in the sacrament. Other sacerdotal priestly actions were summarily removed: the lifting-up (elevation) and adoration of the sacrament, sanctus bells, and the prayer invoking the Holy Spirit (the “epiclesis”).”

You can read more here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/cranmer-s-book-of-common-prayer-changed-the-church-forever

*****

It is June and Pride month. Pride goeth before a fall unless you’re gay and it is deemed okay. The culture has approved of homosexual unions and so have most of the mainline churches and their seminaries. By all accounts there is no going back, only forward, even if the end result is the destruction of the souls of those who practice it and the churches who proclaim it.

The die has been cast. In the case of The Episcopal Church, Resolution B012 sealed the deal for homosexual marriage. It was done in the name of inclusion, diversity and equality. The Bible was barely consulted, the texts as the late Louie Crew (the church’s leading lay homosexual) observed were never kind to gays and the “clobber passages” were recast to make homosexuality acceptable to the biblically illiterate. Basically, it was ‘never confuse the bible with absolute truth, we can never know it anyway.’

I have written about it here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/pride-goeth-before-a-fall-unless-you-re-gay-and-it-is-deemed-okay

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe doubled down on Pride Month and you can read his take here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/episcopalians-double-down-on-pride-month

From the Christian Post come this piece: https://www.christianpost.com/voices/the-best-lies-always-have-an-element-of-truth-in-them.html

Theologian Carl Trueman writes on Pride Month and the Infantilization of Society. Here is a choice paragraph: Ours is a culture not merely characterized by the death of old moral values but their intentional and exultant destruction. Anyone who has witnessed a Pride parade can be in no doubt about this. Twice I have unintentionally been in London as the parade takes place; twice my shock at the explicit nature of some of the floats has only been exceeded by my incomprehension at the parents who have brought their tiny children out to watch and cheer. Today, we apparently celebrate neither sexual modesty nor childhood.  You can read more here: https://anglicanmainstream.org/article/pride-month-and-the-infantilization-of-society/

*****

There is increasingly disturbing news of ACNA leaders falling down on the job. It is not always about sex, though the Bishop Stewart Ruch story has been one of prevarication and more. ‘Wall of Silence,’ a Podcast about abuse in ACNA, was silenced. Now, it’s back. At one point Archbishop Foley Beach, the primate of the Anglican Church in North America, accused his denomination’s highest court of attempting to stop an investigation into the Illinois bishop’s alleged misconduct. While Ruch himself was not charged with sexual abuse, a young man under his care was, and now the cry is why the cover up is only coming to a head 5 years later!

At the Redeemer Anglican Cathedral in Greensboro, NC., its Dean, The Very Rev. Canon Dan Alger, has been laid off effective June 1, for what has been described as a “failure of leadership”. None of the failings were of a sexual, theological or financial nature and no canonical charges will be pursued, Bishop Neil Lebhar told VOL.

Following a thorough investigation into complaints brought to the Diocese, Dean Alger was found to have had pastoral failings. It had been found that members of the church had been hurt under his leadership. Gulf Coast Bishop Neil Lebhar is leading the complaints and has called for disciplinary though not canonical action. You can read more here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/greensboro-nc-cathedral-dean-fired-over-failure-of-leadership

*****

By contrast, The Episcopal Church is embroiled in multiple sexual abuse scandals. Anglican Watch an unofficial watchdog on abuse in TEC shares these cases here: https://www.anglicanwatch.com/

The former Bishop of California, Marc Andrus, was found guilty of having an inappropriate relationship “with an adult over a series of years.” (AKA adultery). PB Sean Rowe said that under the terms of the accord, Bishop Andrus will remain suspended from ministry until he is satisfied that he has demonstrated sufficient amendment of life to permit his return. “During the period of suspension, Bishop Andrus will undergo a thorough psychological evaluation conducted by a professional whom I select and will continue the counseling and spiritual work he began voluntarily when he learned about the complaint.”

Two men, William Davis and Fr. Mark Schultz, have allegedly been arrested by New York police following allegations that they sexually abused an adult male individual connected with St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, the prestigious New York parish. The alleged victim also reported the matter via a Title IV clergy disciplinary care to the Episcopal Diocese of New York, which, in true church fashion, was promptly dismissed.

Subsequently, the victim has retained legal counsel and we expect will soon file a lawsuit against the Diocese and the parish. Predictably, instead of caring for those hurt by this situation, the Church Pension Group (CPG), which is the church’s captive insurance carrier, will throw money at the matter, litigating until the last possible moment, then settling for the smallest amount possible, writes Eric Bonetti. New York Bishop Matthew Heyd should resign over the issue, opined Anglican Watch, but that is unlikely to happen.

In the Diocese of Dallas, a new Title IV clergy disciplinary complaint has been filed against Dallas Bishop George Sumner for retaliating against Rich Daly, an Episcopal priest who opposed the sexual harassment of an adult woman connected to St James Episcopal Church of Texarkana.

Acting in collusion with rector David Halt, Sumner retaliated for Daly’s opposition to sexual harassment by forcing Daly out of the parish, then lied to parishioners, telling them that Daly had retired. You can read more here: https://www.anglicanwatch.com/new-title-iv-clergy-disciplinary-complaint-filed-against-dallas-bishop-george-sumner/

The British, who are masters of the English tongue, are geniuses when it comes to talking about sexual abuse. Instead of stating the obvious like having sexual intercourse with a minor, they choose language like “inappropriately tactile”. You can’t make this up. “Your honor, my client will admit to behaving in an inappropriate tactile moment but we believe that her bottom got in the way of his hand and not the other way round.”

*****

TEC just has to keep trying…very trying. Year over year they keep wanting to believe the lie that ‘respectful conversation’ is possible over same-sex marriage and that a bridge can gulf opposing views. It’s pure fiction of course, but TEC keeps trying.

Some 15 Episcopalians met recently in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island to have a respectful conversation on same-sex marriage, with a view, presumably, to providing a bridge between opposing views.

For the Rev. Scott Gunn, one answer is to bring together a group of people who “disagree about things that are important to each individual” and engage in thoughtful discourse “in a loving and respectful way.”

“Jesus told us to love our neighbors,” Gunn told TLC, “And we don’t always agree with our neighbors.” Episcopal Bishop Larry Provenzano of Long Island emphasized the need to continue the work of reconciliation throughout the church by acknowledging and listening to diverse viewpoints on same-sex marriage. Without compromising core theological principles, the Church must “prioritize understanding” as if there is no absolute across difference to maintain unity.

Someone should roll out the movie showing TEC splitting and the forming of the ACNA; the Global South bishops in GAFCON and the GSFA revealing the Communion’s fabric being torn, complete with video graphics; and a reading of the Jerusalem Declaration by Nigerian Archbishop Henry Ndukuba. When the credits role they can show the steady ASA decline in TEC, followed by pics of cemetery columbaria just before THE END hits the screen.

*****

The Church of England is looking to replace Justin Welby, the fallen ABC who managed to turn the church into chicken liver before quietly bowing out over his failure to report the abuse of boys by the late John Smyth.

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church which took all of two weeks to blow white smoke over the Vatican, the CofE will take more than a year and then elect the person who can tick the most woke boxes to reside at Lambeth Palace. Right now an Iranian born woman bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani, who lived in Iran until she was 14, is the lead contestant, but you still make bets at Ladbroke’s and other brokers for other choices.

But one archbishop who has come out swinging is the former Bishop of Egypt, Dr. Mouneer Hanna Anis, chairman of the Global South steering group of primates of the Anglican Communion.

In a piece for FIRST THINGS, he writes that the appointment of the Archbishop of Canterbury must not be made without listening to voices from around the world.

“The decision of the general synod of the CoE in 2023 to bless same-sex couples led to a division in the church that is difficult to mend. Moreover, the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA) issued a response—the “Ash Wednesday Statement”—declaring that they no longer recognize the headship of the archbishop of Canterbury for the Anglican Communion. The GSFA constitutes more than 75 percent of the membership of the Communion. As such, the situation has deeply impaired the relationship of the CoE to the rest of the Communion, breaking apart what unity previously existed.”

“Now, as the process of appointing the next archbishop of Canterbury has begun, it is essential to appoint an archbishop who can bring hope and unity within the CoE and restore its place as a historical sister of the churches of the Communion. He should be deeply rooted in the historic and traditional teachings of Anglicanism. It is now clear that archbishops who supported doctrinal innovations such as gay marriage have not been able to preserve the unity of the church.” 

“Given this reality, it is imperative that the selection process for the next archbishop reflect the theological convictions and pastoral concerns of the broader Anglican world—not just those of a shrinking liberal Western context.

Appointing an archbishop who compromises these principles in the name of institutional appeasement will only deepen the fractures already within the Communion.”

Will the deep thinkers in the Church of England listen to this brave and brilliant bishop or will they continue headstrong in their own direction thinking only of themselves.  You can read more of Bishop Anis’s thinking here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/the-next-archbishop-of-canterbury

Earlier Archbishop Justin Badi Arama of South Sudan urged the Church of England to uphold the orthodox faith in the choice of the next ABC. He and his fellow bishops of the GSFA wrote an Open Letter to the Crown Nominations Commission saying that the next Archbishop of Canterbury should be someone who will uphold the orthodox faith shared by the great majority of global Anglicans.

“By rejecting the authority of Holy Scripture, the General Synod also chose to reject the hopes and convictions of the Anglican Global South. In our Ash Wednesday statement of 2023 which followed, we therefore stated, with great regret, that we could no longer recognise the Archbishop of Canterbury as the ‘primus inter pares’ spiritual leader of the Communion.

“So while we recognise that the appointment of an orthodox Archbishop of Canterbury cannot of itself turn back the clock, this could be an opportunity to begin undoing the damage by showing that the Church of England is now willing to take seriously the deep concerns of her ‘daughter’ Churches.”  You can read more here: https://www.virtueonline.org/post/global-south-fellowship-of-anglicans-urge-church-of-england-to-uphold-orthodox-faith-in-choice-of-ne

*****

The Church of England plans to spend a record $2.2 billion after signs of revival. A three-year spending plan marks 36% jump over last period. These proposals come after four years of growth in churchgoing. Clergy stipends are also expected to rise by 10.7%. It is hoping to build on signs of a churchgoing revival among Britons.

A YouGov/Bible Society report this year found that a growing number of young men are attending church in Britain compared with before the COVID pandemic, upending an established trend of generational decline in Christianity across Western nations.

The number of regular worshippers across 16,000 Anglican churches in Britain grew 1.2% to 1.02 million in 2024. The country's overall population is roughly 68 million.

"Parishes and clergy are at the heart of everything we do in the Church ... It is also vital that we prioritise support for churches serving communities in the greatest need," the Church's interim leader, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, said in the statement.

The plans to increase stipends - payments made to clergy to cover their cost of living - by 10.7% next year will be financed by the Church Commissioners, who manage the institution's 11.1 billion endowment fund. That fund grew by 10.3% in 2024.

The Church, under pressure over failures to handle child abuse complaints, said it would spend 30 million pounds on safeguarding work and confirmed 150 million pounds would be allocated to a redress scheme.

*****

The year 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, convened by Emperor Constantine I to resolve the Arian controversy. The Creed hammered out in the fourth century is the bedrock of Christian convictions about the Triune God. Sunday next is Trinity Sunday. All in all, it’s a good time to reflect on the import of the church’s unique confession that the living God is Father, Son, and Spirit. You can read more here: https://firstthings.com/the-comic-trinity-of-nicaea/

*****

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My Substack on the Middle East continues to grow. It is drawing a lot of attention from across the globe. You can access my Substack here: https://davidvirtue2.substack.com/  I am a strong supporter of the state of Israel’s right to exist and prosper while confronting her enemies both foreign and domestic. My latest on Israel’s strike on Iran can be seen here: https://davidvirtue2.substack.com/publish/posts/detail/165868897?referrer=%2Fpublish%2Fposts