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Biblical Man Jan 21, 2026 Yuval Noah Harari stood on a World Economic Forum stage and said something that made the crowd smile and nod. “AI can write a new Bible.” He wasn’t joking. He said AI could create “religions that are actually correct.” The globalist crowd loved it. The tech bros clapped. The spiritually dead cheered. And I sat there thinking: This man has never once had Scripture read him back. Let me tell you something. I used to open my Bible like a textbook. Looking for answers. Looking for ammunition. Looking for a verse to win arguments. I treated it like a vending machine. Insert effort. Receive wisdom. But something was wrong. The words sat flat on the page. Dead letters. Empty doctrine. I could quote Romans. But I couldn’t feel Romans. I was reading Scripture. But Scripture wasn’t reading me. That’s the difference Harari will never understand. Here’s what the elite intellectuals miss: The Bible isn’t an information delivery system. It’s not a moral code generator. It’s not a religious operating manual. It’s alive. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12 (KJV) Read that again. The Word discerns your thoughts. Your intents. Your hidden motives. AI can process language. It cannot pierce your soul. The moment my Bible reading changed wasn’t when I got smarter. It was when I got hungry. Starving, actually. I stopped skimming for facts and started sitting with God. I stopped reading at the Bible and started letting the Bible read into me. And it found things. Dark things. Pride I called discernment. Bitterness I called boundaries. Fear I called wisdom. No algorithm can do that. No large language model can expose the rot in your heart. No silicon prophet can make you weep over your sin at 2 AM. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. And He doesn’t run on servers. Here’s what Harari doesn’t understand about humans: You are not just a body. You are not just a spirit. You are body, spirit, and soul. The body? Outside forces can influence that. Drugs. Disease. Environment. The spirit? Outside forces can mess with that too. Demons. Deception. False teaching. But the soul? The soul belongs to God alone. “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” — Matthew 10:28 (KJV) AI can reach your body through screens. Demons can attack your spirit through lies. But your soul? That’s God’s territory. And He speaks to it through His Word. Let me give you something practical. Leviticus 2:1–6 describes something called the Meat Offering. Most people skip right past it. Boring Old Testament stuff, right? Wrong. The Meat Offering is a blueprint for spiritual growth. Three ingredients. Fine flour — the pure Word of God. Ground down. Refined. No lumps. Not your favorite preacher’s paraphrase. Not a podcast summary. The actual text, studied and absorbed. Oil — the Holy Spirit. You can’t understand Scripture without Him. He illuminates the text and applies it to your life. Frankincense — prayer. The aroma that rises to God. Bible reading without prayer is just academics. Prayer without Bible reading is just emotion. Fine flour. Oil. Frankincense. Word. Spirit. Prayer. That’s the recipe. And that’s what AI cannot replicate. The Bible isn’t described as just one kind of nourishment. It’s described as many. Milk — for new believers (1 Peter 2:2) Bread — daily sustenance (Matthew 4:4) Meat — deeper doctrine (Hebrews 5:12–14) Fruit — life-giving refreshment (Proverbs 18:21) Honey — sweetness to the soul (Psalm 119:103) AI can generate words. It cannot generate nourishment. You can’t feed your soul on synthetic Scripture. You can’t grow strong on machine-made mantras. A counterfeit Bible would be like artificial honey. It might look similar. It might taste familiar. But it cannot sustain life. Here’s the hard truth most believers never hear: Personal Bible study is your primary ministry. Not church attendance. Not small groups. Not even serving. Your number one job as a believer is to get alone with God and His Word. Every single day. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Notice: approved unto God. Not approved unto your pastor. Not approved unto your denomination. Not approved unto your favorite theologian on YouTube. God. When you sit with your Bible and let the Spirit teach you, something happens no conference, no course, no AI-generated devotional can replicate: You hear from God directly. So why don’t believers tremble at Harari’s words? Because we’ve sat with the real thing. We’ve had mornings where one verse wrecked our whole week. We’ve had nights where Psalms were the only thing between us and despair. We’ve watched Scripture predict things, reveal things, heal things no human author could’ve orchestrated. I’m not threatened by AI-generated religion. I’m not afraid of synthetic Scripture. I’m not worried about machine-made messiahs. Because I know what the real Word does. It cuts. It heals. It transforms. It reads you back. Your move. Stop outsourcing your Bible study. Stop letting podcasts chew your food for you. Stop waiting for Sunday to hear from God. Open the Book. Sit with the Spirit. Let the Word read you. Fine flour. Oil. Frankincense. Word. Spirit. Prayer. Start tomorrow morning. Fifteen minutes. Just you, your Bible, and God. And when some elite intellectual tells you AI can write a new Bible, you’ll know the truth: A machine can generate text. Only God can generate transformation. Harari can keep his synthetic scriptures. I’ll take the one that’s been reading my soul for years. If this hit different, share it with someone who needs it. If you’re ready to stop consuming secondhand faith and start feeding on the real thing, subscribe. The world is building fake gods. We’re still serving the real One.

By Terry Mattingly From coast to coast, United Methodists are doing the math. America's third-largest flock just survived another quadrennial General Conference rocked by media-friendly fighting over sex. Now it's time to dissect the numbers. Delegates voted 570-334 to affirm the historic doctrines of the Christian faith. Efforts to back laws defining "marriage as the union of one man and one woman" passed on a 624-184 vote. Same-sex union rites fell -- 756-159. Should the church delete its "faithfulness in marriage and celibacy in singleness" standard for clergy? Delegates voted 806-95 to say "no." The big news was a 579-376 vote against weakening the Book of Discipline's law that self-avowed, practicing homosexuals cannot be clergy because homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." Delegates also rejected a resolution from gay-rights supporters that said: "We recognize that Christians disagree on the compatibility of homosexual practice with Christian teaching." That vote was 527-423. After three decades of pain, it seemed the numbers were stacking up for United Methodist conservatives, whose churches are thriving in the American Sunbelt and the Third World. But a final plot twist remained in Pittsburgh. A key church leader caused fireworks by saying it's time to end the war over the Bible and sex -- by separating the armies. "Our culture alone confronts us with more challenges than we can humanly speaking confront and challenge. That struggle, combined with the continuous struggle in the church, is more than we can bear. Our people, who have been faithful and patient, should not have to continue to endure our endless conflict," said the Rev. William Hinson, retired pastor of the 12,000-member First United Methodist Church of Houston, at a breakfast for conservatives. "I believe the time has come when we must begin to explore an amicable and just separation that will free us both from our cycle of pain and conflict. Such a just separation will protect the property rights of churches and the pension rights of clergy. It will also free us to reclaim our high calling and to fulfill our mission in the world." To understand the roots of this move -- which parallels divisions looming in other oldline Protestant churches -- it helps to dig a little deeper into the United Methodist numbers. Hinson is president of the "Confessing Movement," with 1,400 churches with 650,000 members. Gay-rights supporters have a Reconciling Ministries Network of 192 churches, with 17,000 members. But there are 35,000 congregations in all, with 8.3 million members. Sickened by decades of decline -- membership was 11 million in 1970 -- the last thing Methodists in the institutional middle wanted to hear was the word "schism." Before the conference closed, delegates linked hands, sang a hymn and passed a symbolic call for unity -- 869 to 41. And there was another number that deserved study. General Conference voted by a narrow 455-445 to clarify which Discipline violations can lead to a trial. The list of chargeable offenses now includes failing to be "celibate in singleness or being unfaithful in a heterosexual marriage; being a self-avowed practicing homosexual; conducting ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions or performing same-sex wedding ceremonies." But leaders on both sides noted that about 20 percent of the delegates this year came from Africa, Asia and Latin America -- where churches are more conservative. Efforts to enforce the Discipline's teachings might fall short, if left to delegates from North American churches. United Methodist progressives also continue to dominate the church's bureaucracies and seminaries. So be it, said theologian Thomas Oden, a former United Methodist liberal who now is a conservative strategist. The key during the next four years is for local church leaders to weigh options for how to end the national warfare over the Bible and sex. "We don't particularly care about the powers that be. What we care about is the doctrine and the Discipline in our church," he said. "That's were our focus is and that's where it will stay. … But the actual enforcement of those teachings remains a problem for us, as it is for most Protestant churches today. "We know that we will be struggling with that issue for decades. That's the question: We know what our church teaches, but do we have the will to enforce it?" Terry Mattingly (www.tmatt.net) teaches at Palm Beach Atlantic University and is senior fellow for journalism at the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. He writes this weekly column for the Scripps Howard News Service. END

By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent, and Victoria Combe THE DAILY TELEGRAPH May 12, 2005 A written constitution is being considered by the Anglican Church in an attempt to prevent it splitting over the issue of homosexuality. The Primate of Ireland, Archbishop Robin Eames, who chairs the Lambeth Commission set up to resolve the crisis, said last night that it was examining whether a constitution could heal the rifts in the Church. But he acknowledged that there would be resistance from people anxious to retain the autonomy of the 38 individual provinces that form the worldwide Communion, and some want an even more loosely-tied federation. "The Anglican Communion is not like a golf club," said Archbishop Eames. "The question is, do you write rules and, having written these rules, then try to get agreement from those who do not want to be bound by rules? If that is done, then it will be the first time we have done it." The Archbishop's comments came at a press conference on the first day of the Church of Ireland's General Synod in Armagh, and coincided with an appeal for unity from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Preaching in St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh last night, Dr Williams singled out Dr Eames's work on the commission and said that Christians who faced conflict had to try to see the position from the point of view of their enemies. "We have to let the fear and suspicion that another is going through be felt in our own hearts and minds; we have to let the world appear to us as it appears to them, and to sense and share the risks they believe they face," he told the congregation. Dr Williams, who set up the Lambeth Commission in October, said that the process was more intense for groups of rival Christians because they were rooted in the same faith. However, in fresh evidence of growing divisions, a church is to withhold its entire quota - the "tax" paid by parishes to central diocesan funds - in protest at the appointment of Dr Jeffrey John as Dean of St Albans. In what is thought to be an unprecedented act, Holy Trinity church in Barnet, north London, has told the Bishop of St Albans, the Rt Rev Christopher Herbert, that it will not pay a penny of the £33,600 the diocese expects. The Rev Charles Dobbie, the vicar, said that he blamed Bishop Herbert for approving the appointment of Dr John, the openly homosexual cleric who was forced to stand down as Bishop of Reading last summer. Mr Dobbie, a member of the conservative evangelical Church Society, said he hoped that other churches, some of whom already withhold parts of their quotas, would follow Holy Trinity's lead and pay nothing. "We were shocked and grieved by the appointment of Jeffrey John last month," he said. "We have decided to stand up and be counted." He added that he would not now expect the diocese to pay for his upkeep, and any extra money the parish held would go to a Christian charity ministering to homosexuals. Church sources said that the decision would have little impact on central finances, though the position could change if a large number of parishes followed suit.

Otis Charles, left, a retired Episcopal bishop, is shown marrying his partner, Felipe Sanchez Paris, at St. Gregory's of Nyssa Episcopal Church on April 24. Disclaimer: The following photo is from SFGate.com. Given the details of this "ceremony", some may wish to skip to the next story. Viewing of this photograph may cause various violent reactions. -webmaster.

By Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent THE TIMES Jeffrey John says Church and State should offer couples a covenant of faithfulness JEFFREY JOHN, the gay cleric who is to be appointed Dean of St Albans, called on the Church of England yesterday to move towards blessing same-sex unions. Dr John, the canon theologian at Southwark Cathedral who had to withdraw last year from his nomination as Bishop of Reading after concerns that the appointment would damage church unity, said that Church and State should offer gay and lesbian people a "covenant of faithfulness". Dr John was speaking at a news conference at St Albans Cathedral, where he will be installed as Dean this year, succeeding the Very Rev Christopher Lewis who is now Dean of Christ Church, Oxford. Dr John's views are significant because, although the appointment is not as provocative as if he had been made a bishop, his promotion has the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. Dr John, who abides by church rules on homosexuality and has had an abstinent 27-year relationship with his partner, another Anglican priest, pledged not to contravene canon law. He said: "Certainly I won't be attempting to do anything in the abbey which goes against the canons of the Church of England. Certainly as things stand, anything resembling a same-sex marriage service would be against these. "I support the State and the Church offering gay people a framework to live their lives within, a covenant of faithfulness to each other. I do not much mind whether one calls that a marriage or not. "What matters is that gay people are given that framework for stable, healthy living." He hoped the Church would follow the State in supplying that framework. He said a relationship between two men or two women could be sacramental in the same way as a heterosexual marriage because "it can reflect that love of God". Dr John said he had been banned from visiting St Albans Cathedral in the past few months in case news leaked out that he was being considered for the post of dean. He said: "It's a wonderful place. It's not only a very beautiful place, it's a deep place, a profound place." Dr John, 51, said that as dean he would help the cathedral to work towards its £6.4 million appeal target for education, music and fabric, but he also wanted to develop his role as pastor, teacher and preacher. "This is a place that has been prayed in for a good 17 centuries by monks, parishioners and pilgrims, a 'thin' place, as the Celts say, where the barriers seem to be down between Heaven and Earth. "That's very important, because so often the Church, let alone the world, has lost this sense of place and holy presence, and losing that has left us bereft of something crucial." The Bishop of St Albans, the Right Rev Christopher Herbert, welcomed the appointment. He backed Dr John's statement on same-sex blessings, saying such relationships could have "something of the mercy and the love of God". Bishop Herbert said: "I am very, very pleased that the State is beginning to recognise same-sex partnerships. I agree entirely with Jeffrey that human relationships are based on covenant. Marriage is obviously what God desires for many of us but I think what God desires overall is covenant, faithful relationships." The Bishop added: "Jeffrey John has a well-deserved reputation for being a good, caring pastor. He is an intelligent, courageous priest who will follow a long line of superb deans of St Albans and will bring to the abbey a wide range of gifts. He is a man of prayer, a preacher and teacher of real authority and grace." The appointment comes at a sensitive time in the Anglican Communion, which remains in danger of being split by the debate over gays. Dr John's remarks on same-sex blessings and Bishop Herbert's backing for him will deepen concerns among conservative evangelicals that the Church of England is heading in the same direction as Canada and the US. Last week, leaders of the Church in Africa issued a statement insisting that they would accept no future funding from dioceses in the West that took a liberal approach on the gay issue and giving the American Church three months to "repent" for its ordination of the openly gay priest Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire. Dr Williams had pleaded for a period of calm reflection in Anglican provinces worldwide until the Lambeth Commission that he has set up to resolve the issue reports at the end of the year. The appointment of Dr John to St Albans was made by the Queen on the advice of Downing Street. Because St Albans is a parish church cathedral, Bishop Herbert was consulted as patron of the parish. He said: "I had to take this entirely on my own shoulders and have not been able to discuss the appointment with my closest colleagues nor with the cathedral staff or wardens, simply because the system of appointment does not allow this." LIFE AND WORK Jeffrey John was born in the South Wales mining village of Tonyrefail in 1953 and brought up as a chapel boy. He was confirmed as an Anglican at 18. While reading classics and modern languages at Oxford he was called to the priesthood. He served a curacy in South Wales then returned to Oxford at Magdalen and Brasenone colleges, doing theological research and teaching as well as pastoral duties. Appointed Vicar of Holy Trinity, Eltham, in 1992, he became a canon at Southwark six years later.

By Steve Levin Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Tuesday, May 11, 2004 A confirmation ceremony Sunday in Ligonier of 13 adults by a retired bishop of a splinter Episcopal group was a historical first for the denomination. The Rt. Rev. Daniel G. Cox of the Reformed Episcopal Church performed the confirmation after receiving permission from the church's rector and from the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, the Rt. Rev. Robert W. Duncan Jr. The service at St. Michael's in the Valley unsettled some members of the Pittsburgh Diocese, who believed -- wrongly -- that it violated canon law of the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church USA. Attorney Charles B. Jarrett Jr., former chancellor of the Pittsburgh diocese, said that Cox's ordination and Duncan's permission for him to perform a sacramental act satisfy church law. Duncan is out of the country and the diocese's assistant bishop was presiding at another confirmation Sunday. But not everyone was happy about it. "We are certainly not in full communion with the [Reformed Episcopal Church] and so I do not believe it is appropriate for one of their bishops to confirm," said the Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting, the national church's deputy officer of ecumenical and interfaith relations. "That is not the way we do ecumenical work." The Reformed Episcopal Church split from the larger church in 1873 over scriptural issues. It has a U.S. membership of about 14,000. Les Fairfield, a professor of church history at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, said it was the first time such a "distant" member of the greater Anglican family had conducted a sacramental service in the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Jim Simons, rector of St. Michael's in the Valley, wasn't sure such "an esoteric historic moment" was worth any extra attention. "They're not going to make a stamp about it," he said.

Garrison forbids two other rectors from seeking outside bishops for confirmation Special Report By David W. Virtue BUFFALO, NY—The Bishop of Western New York, the Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison has lowered the boom on an orthodox rector, making unreal demands on him, in order to stifle the priest's canonical desire for Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight. Two other diocesan rectors were forbidden to present confirmands to any other bishop, and were told they could not invite another bishop to preach, teach or preside at the sacraments in their respective parishes. In an exchange of letters between Fr. Arthur W. Ward Jr., the rector, wardens and vestry of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, Tonawanda and the Buffalo-based bishop, Fr. Ward wrote Garrison on April 6 requesting DEPO — a course of action approved recently by ECUSA's House of Bishops. St. Bartholomew's has the largest parish income in the diocese with a budget of $470,000 and an anticipated parish income of $520,000 in 2004. It is also the numerically largest parish in the diocese with more than 1,100 attending members. In his brief one-page letter Ward wrote, "As you are aware, we are gravely concerned about the direction of this diocese and The Episcopal Church in general. However, we also recognize that we are called by our Lord to work towards reconciliation. We are most willing to meet with you toward that purpose." Fr. Ward then wrote that adult candidates and youth confirmands for Holy Confirmation had asked for another bishop to administer Holy Confirmation. "As a result, there will be no candidates available for confirmation during your scheduled May 30th visit to St. Bartholomew's. The priest said he had scheduled only one service for that day. Ward concluded his letter saying that he was ready to meet "so that we can work towards achieving some sort of agreement that will satisfy both sides." On April 23rd, Bishop Garrison wrote a blistering two-page detailed letter with the following demands. He began with a slap and put down of Fr. Ward saying, "Happily I am not planning to be with you on Sunday morning, May 30, as I have another invitation. Since I made a visitation to St. Bartholomew's in 2003 for Confirmation, I shall not return for visitation until 2006." Instead the bishop will be blessing an altar at St. John's Grace, Buffalo run by an openly homosexual priest, the Rev. Phil Dougherty. Then the bishop listed a set of six demands on Fr. Ward, concluding by telling him that he was reassigning his deacon, and that when another priest who served with him, Fr. Clark Hubbard Jr. had found another parish that he would never license another priest to serve with him. Garrison said that an ordinand who was preparing for the ministry would also be removed from his parish. Garrison then demanded that Fr. Ward meet with him and insisted that he bring along the Parish Register and Service Book; financial statements from the first quarter of the year, including a list of beneficiaries of your "alternative" to the Fair Share. "Fair Share" is a voluntary pledge made by the bishop to all parishes. The bishop also demanded the minutes of the vestry meetings for the same period of time. The bishop then demanded that Ward "deliver to my office a copy of three teachings that you will prepare and deliver to the people of St. Bartholomew's on the Heresy of Donatism and its application in the current crises with reference to Article XXVI of the Articles of Religion." The bishop then asked Fr. Ward how he could personally remain connected and in communion with himself during this time of estrangement—including his personal reflection on what it means to be loyal to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of Christ as this Church has received them — a question required of you at your ordinations to both the deaconate and priesthood." "Thirdly, how do you intend to live out the joint pastoral responsibility you share with me through accepting a "Letter of Institution" from me at your installation as rector of St. Bartholomew's?" Garrison told Ward he would reassign his Deacon Ed Kusmierczyk. "I no longer have confidence that you can provide him sufficient guidance in making Christ and his redemptive love known." Deacon Kusmierczyk has been a deacon since May and he came out of the parish. "It is mean spirited because my part time assisting priest Fr. Thomas Jones aged 47, went home to be with Lord on Dec. 26 so the parish lost a priest. It is an insensitive act by the bishop to reassign my deacon," he told Virtuosity. "Fr. Clark Hubbard Jr. is currently our associate rector. If he leaves the bishop said he would not allow anyone in. I don't appreciate the bishop holding the pastoral ministry of St. Bartholomew's hostage, and it certainly does not reflect the pastoral ministry of our Lord and the Good Shepherd image of a bishop." The bishop then said that an ordinand who is a candidate for the Diaconate, one John Reese, (Reitz, the bishop misspelled his name) would be also transferred to another parish. Garrison then twisted the knife further issuing a Pastoral Direction to Ward forbidding him to present confirmands from his parish to any other bishop of this Church. "You are forbidden to invite another bishop to preach, teach, or preside at the Sacraments, except as specifically authorized by me." Fr. Ward said he was shocked and surprised at the tone and tenor of Bishop Garrison's letter. "He had said on March 30th at a clergy day event that he had supported and voted for DEPO and that he would allow parishes to have alternative pastoral oversight in consultation with him." Fr. Ward said that he and the wardens and vestry have sent a letter asking the bishop to reconsider his demands and the bishop responded by writing another letter dated May 6th in which he said he was sorry that we perceived his original letter as threatening. They were not threats but simply consequences, he said. However, Garrison considers Fr. Ward to be in rebellion against the church and he says that I do not respect him. "I am very concerned with the bishop's approach for it seems to me that he is trying to set me and St. Bartholomew's up for further disciplinary action. We certainly appreciate the prayers and moral support of all our sisters and brothers who are standing with us and for the One Holy and Apostolic Faith of the Church." Bishop Garrison is not backing down, said a disappointed Ward. "He believes his requirements set forth in this letter are within the canons and constitutions and within his right as bishop." On April 29, Bishop Garrison wrote another letter, this time to all his diocesan clergy saying that he was forbidding two other orthodox rectors in his diocese because the warden of St. Stephen's, Niagara Falls told him he would not allow his grandson to be confirmed by him. Garrison responded by recalling the actions of the five retired bishops acting in the Diocese of Ohio saying that what they did was an "indecent violation of Church order" and then issued the following pastoral directive to Fr. Roger Grist of St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church in Buffalo and to Fr. Richard Molison of St. Stephen's in Niagara Falls, saying "you are forbidden to present confirmands to any other bishop of this church…you are forbidden to invite another bishop to preach, teach, or preside at the Sacraments, except as specifically authorized by me." Reached at his parish the Rev. Dr. Grist told Virtuosity, "I am surprised, the bishop seems to be trying to keep us from having a bishop who would be in line with the faith once delivered. Furthermore what he is really saying is that he would only allow a bishop of his choice." "He is not trying to bring about reconciliation, and he accuses us of causing division. He won't cut us any slack, nor does he seem to be interested in the recent DEPO resolution passed by the House of Bishops. He is determined to have it all his way." The Rev. Dr. Grist said that DEPO means nothing to him. "He has also reinterpreted the diocesan canons related to the Fair Share (pledge system). He made it mandatory (it was voluntary) at a March meeting of the Diocesan Council but it has never been brought to a Diocesan Convention. Any parish that does not pay its fair share, he makes into a dependent parish. The bishop can then act unilaterally, and that is what he has done to Fr. Ward." Fr. Richard Molison, St. Stephen's told Virtuosity, "I don't sense any ministry of reconciliation with my chief shepherd. This is the second of two letters he has written to me both of which have not been very pastoral. Our concern, those of us who are orthodox in this diocese, is to have this tested before Holy Scripture not the canons. I find this difficult to accept." Virtuosity has learned that there is a coalition of five parishes seeking to bring about orthodox teaching in the diocese. They are St. Stephens in Niagara Falls, St. Mary's in Salamanca, St. Peter's in Forestville, St. Bartholomew's in Tonawanda, and St. Michael's and All Angels in Buffalo. All are members of the American Anglican Council (AAC). Bishop Garrison has vigorously spoken out against the AAC and the Network. At their last diocesan convention Garrison accused the AAC of being a right-wing conspiracy saying it was "wreaking [the] havoc of schism" with "groups financed by American philanthropists." The bishop is facing a crisis in his diocese, Virtuosity was told. He has had to face staff cuts owing to a loss of income from about 50 percent of the diocese's parishes that are either unable or unwilling to pay their 'fair share' this year. "This involves some 30 parishes, (out of 63). The bishop is facing a huge deficit for the coming year. This is a huge red flag," said Fr. Molison. The short fall is about $220,000 in a $1.1 million dollar budget, he said. "The bishop is saying it is about economic factors, but a number of people have left The Episcopal Church, and five orthodox parishes have vocally condemned the Robinson consecration. It is not about economics, the orthodox parishes are thriving even as revisionist ones suffer with no gospel," said Molison. Note: If you are not receiving this from VIRTUOSITY, the Anglican Communion's largest and most widely read biblically-orthodox online news service, then you may subscribe FREE at www.virtuosityonline.org. Virtuosity has had more than 1.6 million hits at its website. Readers can be found in 45 countries on six continents.

By Julia Duin The Washington Times May 10, 2004 Six months after the Nov. 2 consecration of V. Gene Robinson as the world's first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop, the issue divides the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia more than ever. After Virginia Bishop Peter J. Lee became one of 62 bishops who voted last summer at a church convention to approve Bishop Robinson's consecration, 24 parishes staged an economic boycott of the diocese. That resulted in a $900,000 budget deficit. The diocese produced a "task force on giving" that will begin hearings this month, aimed at coaxing churches into giving far more to the Richmond-based headquarters. But in the 89,000-member diocese, the country's largest, many churches already have cut back budgets, frozen their building campaigns and lost members over the contentious issue. And just before diocesan clergy left for their annual retreat last week, word came out of a retired Episcopal bishop, 87-year-old Otis Charles, "marrying" his 62-year-old partner in an Episcopal church in San Francisco. "The Gene Robinson thing has really caused a lot of people to stop and reflect and figure out what their options are," said the Rev. Chuck Nalls, a canon lawyer who is a priest in one of many breakaway Episcopal denominations, the Diocese of Christ the King. "There are two choices," he said. "You declare there is a level of sexual deviance you have to accept to stay in an institution. Or you have to leave." Some church conservatives have left Episcopal parishes, taking their funds with them, while a few homosexual-friendly parishes have actually prospered from the increased polarization within the church. The historic Christ Church in Alexandria, which draws 800 to 1,200 people on Sunday mornings, lost a $900,000 donation to a building fund because of the Robinson consecration. In recent months, 10 families have left the church, 104 persons have not renewed their annual financial pledge and two parishioners say they have been told giving is down 20 percent. The Rev. Pierce Klemmt, rector of Christ Church, said people are giving less because they fear "the future" on sexuality. "Homosexuality is not a sin," he said. "It is a gift from God, and I see this issue on the same issue as civil rights. Our brothers and sisters with the homosexual orientation should be supported and celebrated as any person should be." Some of the dissatisfied have made their way to St. Andrew and St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church in the Del Ray section of Alexandria, which has gained 75 members over the Robinson affair. Collections are so good, said the Rev. Nick Athanaelos, that he has added a third service and is looking for an assistant. "We get calls every week," Mr. Athanaelos said. "A lot of folks are hurting and they feel their church has abandoned them. We knew there would be fallout, but we didn't know to what extent." Others have ended up at the largest church in the diocese: The Falls Episcopal Church in Falls Church, which opposed the Robinson consecration. So many people are joining that the parish has drawn up a $3.9 million budget for 2004, outstripping the $3.8 million budget for the diocesean headquarters. The church also decided to restart a $25 million capital-funds campaign, which was put on hold last year. The money will go to building an education center known as "Southgate," which will be across East Fairfax Street from The Falls Episcopal Church's 12-year-old, $7 million sanctuary. On May 2, church leaders announced a sermon series outlining the 2,200-member church's goals and desire to expand into a "church of our dreams." "We will have to ask the congregation to get behind [the campaign] in a renewed fashion," church administrator Bill Deiss said. The Falls Episcopal Church, which is part of the economic boycott, is remaining in the diocese for now. Canon law mandates that all its assets and property revert to the denomination if it leaves. Mr. Deiss said church leaders understand the risk of potentially losing everything. "The ministry team and the vestry feel that to wait while our church is continuously growing is to ignore what God has laid on our lap," he said. However, "other bishops have emptied churches and sold the proceedings, removed the rector and vestry," Mr. Nalls said. "Bishop Lee may be holding off for now, but [if new church laws are passed], he'll say, 'Pay up or we'll come get you.'" At St. George's Episcopal Church in Arlington, a homosexual-friendly parish that favored the Robinson consecration, giving rose by 4 percent and attendance went up by 30 persons. The Robinson consecration "was fiscally a nonissue for us," senior warden Missie Burman said. The church is an anomaly compared with churches such as St. Stephen's Episcopal in Richmond, which draws 1,000 people Sundays. Budget losses at the parish, which was split over the Robinson consecration, were just 2 percent, said the Rev. Thom Blair. Twenty families left over the issue, but the parish managed to gain 80 new ones. "All of us are struggling down here in Richmond," he said. "Everyone here is trying to hold their congregations together." All Saints Episcopal Church in Dale City, a conservative parish, says its budget stayed the same this year at $1.2 million, but attendance is up 10 percent. "I can't see over the horizon," said its rector, the Rev. John Guernsey, but the parish's $5 million capital-funds campaign is still on hold. NIGERIAN PRIMATE EVASIVE ABOUT CAPA ACTIONS By Lekan Otufodunrin VIRTUOSITY correspondent LAGOS (5/9/2004)—The Chairman of the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA) Primates, Archbishop Peter Akinola, says that the group he heads was not ready for any compromise on its stand against the Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA) over its ordination of an avowed homosexual Bishop to the episcopacy. Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, Akinola said the group was holding a series of meetings and consultations on its next line of action if ECUSA does not repent after its recent three month ultimatum issued after the meeting in Nairobi. Asked what particular actions were being considered, The Nigerian Primate of some 18 million Anglicans said "we will cross that bridge if we get there". "If ECUSA does what we want fine, if not we will do what we have to do" he said, expressing hope that the Lambeth Commission set up by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams will rule on the matter. "We told ECUSA not to do this devilish thing. That it will tear the fabric of the Commission but they turned a deaf ear. ECUSA did not budge. It is left for the Commission to give effect to CAPA's decision. At the expiration of our deadline we would do what we have to do but we have to wait until then" he said. On the loss of funding support from ECUSA which is one of the main funders of CAPA, Akinola said it is a blessing in disguise as it will enable the Africa region of the Church to become self reliant. Mr. Otufodunrin is Virtuosity's Nigerian correspondent. NOTE: if you are not receiving this from Virtuosity, the Anglican Communion's largest orthodox Anglican Online News Service then you may receive a digest of stories FREE by signing up at www.virtuosityonline.org. 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David Williamson The Western Mail May 8, 2004 Former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey yesterday warned that unless Britain reclaimed its spiritual heritage the challenge of terrorism would plunge the nation into despair and cynicism. Speaking yesterday at his home on Gower he said, "I think we have got to pay attention to the very dangerous world we live in where terrorism is now a reality of our times. "This is not the fault of ordinary Muslims but Islam is being used by very evil people to do a great deal of damage. "I think the real challenge is to be rooted in these universal values that make life worth living and work honourable. To reconnect with that great story of what Christ has done for us is the only antidote to despair and cynicism." Lord Carey is today in Llandrindod Wells where he will deliver an address on the theme Mastery and Mystery: The Power of the Bible in the Church and the Individual. His concern at the way in which Islam has been manipulated by extremists was echoed yesterday by Sheikh Said Ismail, imam of the South Wales Islamic Centre. He said, "We are against all these killings. We can understand why it is being done but that still doesn't make it lawful. Muslims should be people who are merciful and reasonable and compassionate. Then you have the people who interpret things differently and the people who are egging them on and are exploiting the name of Islam. "God is not pleased when you kill his children." Within the Welsh Muslim community, he said, there was great frustration that the violence of a few had damaged the reputation of the many. "Instead of people loving us they have got further away from us," he said. "These are the things which are hurting us very much inside." Lord Carey will call on the church in Britain to bring the study and the appreciation of the Bible back into the heart of its corporate life. He compared the lacklustre preaching in many churches with the fervency with which Muslims cherished the Koran. He said, "[They] have a great devotion to the Koran and study it avidly. That used to be the situation here." Sheikh Said described the central place the Koran still held in a Muslim's life. "We have to pray five times a day so it's a connection with God five times a day," he said. "We are never out of the vicinity of God." At the conference, organised by the Evangelical Fellowship in the Church in Wales, Lord Carey will examine the causes of "the decline in Bible knowledge" and suggest ways forward. He said, "I'll offer some reasons for this and go on to talk about the failure of the church to make the Bible central to our liturgy and preaching today. "I want to explore that and give some examples of the richness of the Bible and how we may be encouraged to return with a greater commitment and a deeper devotion." Lord Carey said the writings contained in the Bible had been "the backbone of British culture since the Reformation" and had inspired some of the greatest storytelling of the 20th century. "Lord of the Rings was written by a profoundly Christian man," he said. "You can't really understand Lord of the Rings without understanding the world of evil and good upon which it draws." The success of The Passion of The Christ, he suggested, showed the continuing power of religious stories in the present day. "I've been quite reluctant to see The Passion because it focuses too much on the physical sufferings of Christ ... but it's amazed me, the interest it's created around the world. "In Qatar, the Emir has allowed The Passion to be shown for one month. Of course, Muslims have a great admiration for Jesus Christ." Lord Carey hopes people will take the opportunity to discover the Bible for themselves. The number attending weekly services has dropped sharply in recent decades, but he suggested that people today had a chance to read its stories with a freshness other generations might not have enjoyed. "There's still a very deep interest in Jesus Christ as a person," he said. "Perhaps the chasm that's opened up between the knowledge of the Bible and popular culture has given many people a fresh opportunity to look at it in a fresh way outside the church stronghold."

By Rev. Leander S. Harding, Ph.D. The current debate in the church about homosexuality is often presented as an issue of justice. Clearly the church should be on the side of respect for individual civil rights and upholding the innate dignity of all human beings as made in the image of God. Often this discussion is focused solely on the rights of adults to free expression and to have equal access to the goods of society and to the goods of the church including the controversial issue of access to the sacramental rites of Holy Orders and Holy Matrimony. In these discussions, the issue of the origins of same sex attraction is often bracketed. It is argued that it matters little whether same sex attraction comes from nature or nurture if homosexual orientation is experienced as a fixed and defining element of an individual's identity. The justice issue that presents itself is how to treat this identity group with equity. But there is another justice issue which presents itself and will be easy to miss in a society that routinely overlooks the suffering of its children. For this issue the origins of same sex attraction cannot be bracketed but must be vigorously investigated. This is the issue of doing justice to the suffering of little children. A number of clinicians who work with homosexual clients believe that painful interactions in very early childhood between the child and the parents of both the same and opposite sex contribute to homosexual development. They also believe that for some children experiences of sexual abuse by older children and adults may also be a factor. If these observations are at all credible, and vigorous investigation can in principle corroborate these clinical observations, the church should be very wary of saying explicitly or implicitly by its actions that homosexual orientation comes from God or nature when in fact it may come in no small degree from the experience of suffering in childhood. Children may suffer as a result of intentional abuse or neglect. Children may also suffer as a result of the unintentional and inadvertent actions of their parents. Children are very resilient. They can recover from many of the challenges and difficulties they encounter in life. Keen observers of children know what many therapists know and what many who work for justice know; that the beginning of justice, reconciliation and healing is the willingness to witness to the truth. This can be something which both victims and victimizers resist and all the more so when witnessing to the truth requires us to confront the unintentional harm we do our children. The church should suspect the agenda of any ideology or theology which pronounces, with little evidence and in such a way as to discourage further investigation, that the cause of homosexual orientation is nature or God (or some other code word for Fate) as being in the interests of a society which routinely overlooks the suffering of its children and desires to spare the feelings of parents at all costs. Such ideas should be suspect as ideological blinders to the truth of the suffering of little children and should be subjected to the most rigorous testing. It is a matter of justice. Dr Leander is an Episcopal parish priest in the Diocese of Connecticut who holds a Ph.D. from the Institute For Religious Education And Pastoral Ministry at Boston College. His doctoral research was on the theology and psychology of childhood and he regularly writes about the relationship between theology and psychology.

To: The Clergy of the Diocese of Alabama A Statement and Pastoral Direction by the Bishop of Alabama May 5, Eastertide 2004 On April 20 I was advised that the vestry of one of our parishes voted on April 19 to join the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes. This decision was taken in spite of my clear and public counsel that I did not support the work of the Network and would not support their joining it. In my judgement the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes is a divisive organization outside the canonical structures of the Episcopal Church, the charter of which is undermining of the good order and mission of this church. There are several reasons for this judgment, as follows: The Network charter states that it will "operate within the Constitution of the Episcopal Church," a statement that conspicuously omits reference to the Canons. The Canons enable the Constitution and are essential for the good order of the church. Its charter also seeks to appeal directly to the authority of the Archbishop of Canterbury and of other Anglican provinces, rather than the Episcopal Church. This is not in keeping with historic Anglican polity. The Network charter further states that the congregations within it "shall come under the spiritual authority of a bishop approved by the Steering Committee [of the Network]." This is a violation of the Constitution and Canons of our church, as well as the repeated resolutions of the Lambeth Conference supporting the geographical boundaries of dioceses, each under one bishop, in the Anglican Communion. The theological statement of the Network, "Confession and Calling of the Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes," is of a confessional nature foreign to Anglican tradition and beyond the scope of the Book of Common Prayer and its adherence to the historic Creeds and doctrine of the Church. Its Charter states that "all assets, of every kind and nature, held by the Network are and shall be dedicated and inured to the benefit' of the Network. This has the effect of diverting finds from the Episcopal Church and could potentially be interpreted to alienate property, contrary to the Canons of this church. A letter written by the Rev. Geoff Chapman of Sewickley, PA about the emerging strategy of the Network reveals its plans to undermine and attempt to supplant the Episcopal Church with "a 'replacement' jurisdiction with confessional standards." This letter has not been officially disclaimed by the network leadership, even though there has been adequate opportunity for them to do so. Many of the essential points of Chapman's letter are reflected in the charter. I have no choice but to believe that it accurately describes the Network's intentions. The Network consistently exhibits a disturbing pattern of secrecy that is in conflict with the great tradition of our church, which is committed to face to face, prayerful discussion of the tough issues of Christian faith and life. As you can see, the above concerns have serious implications, which must be addressed. The resolution passed by the vestry does affirm that they continue to submit our parish to the canonical authority of the Bishop of the Diocese of Alabama and to engage our parish as an active member of our diocese. This is an encouraging word and I acknowledge the vestry's good intention and faithfulness in stating this. Certainly this commitment is my desire and expectation for every parish in this diocese. Nevertheless some of the implications of the charter of the Network are in troubling conflict with this stated intention. I wish to be clear that I do not welcome or support the work of this Network in the Diocese of Alabama. Neither this diocese nor I have presented any cause for such affiliation by our votes at the General Convention or by the policies and practices of this diocese on matters of human sexuality being debated in this church. We have striven to be faithful to the counsel of the 1998 Lambeth Conference and the established teaching of the church in these matters, and to respect the dignity of all. While I well understand the disagreement within our church over certain actions of the General Convention and support open discussion at all times, I do not believe that the Network is a canonical or helpful response. A special commission appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury is presently addressing these matters. This and the next Lambeth Conference will give us important guidance and significant work is being done in many quarters to address the important theological and moral questions that our church and society are facing. Our Lord promised that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things (John 14:26), and I trust in the time tested structures of the church to help us discern the mind of Christ. In the days to come I will be taking prayerful counsel to seek ways to work with this congregation and its rector and vestry to ensure its health and good order as a parish of this diocese. It is my hope that they will reconsider their decision to join the Network and be an ever more faithful and vital parish in full communion with this diocese. At Clergy Conference I was unexpectedly informed of another parish that has joined the Network without my knowledge. I will be addressing them in a similar way. I ask for your prayers in these efforts. Furthermore as provided in the Canons, I give Pastoral Direction to the rectors of the parishes of the Diocese of Alabama that they are neither to join the Network of Anglican Communion Dioceses and Parishes in their capacity as rector, nor as rector to sign a parish application to affiliate with the Network, and, if they have done so, to remove their signatures thereto. I also direct any priest who may have an inclination to join the Network to speak to me before making any decision or taking any action to do so. Finally, as the Bishop of Alabama I cannot support the decision of any vestry to affiliate with the Network. Please know that I am always available to talk with any and all of you about these important matters. Let us all pray, in the words of our Prayer Book, that our Risen Lord will fill his beloved church with all godly union and concord. Faithfully yours in Christ, Henry N. Parsley Jr.

News Analysis By David W. Virtue A leak from the Lambeth Commission this week suggests that the Anglican Communion must face the inevitability of a formal split because it cannot agree on the rightness or wrongness of homosexual behavior by segments of the Communion, and the fulfillment of the latter in the consecration of an avowed homosexual to the American episcopacy. The unidentified source told Ruth Gledhill of the TIMES that a proposal was on the table to turn the Anglican Communion into an Anglican confederation. What apparently is now on the table is a confederation, modeled along similar lines to the Geneva-based World Lutheran Federation. What this means is that relations between provinces would be freed up, with new loyalties based on differing theological and moral principles. The one unifying principle for both conservative and liberal Anglicans is that they remain in communion with the mother Church of England through the Archbishop of Canterbury. Furthermore, where a national church went too far in embracing modern secular mores, it could be reduced to an observer status or not invited at all to meetings such as the Lambeth Conference, held every ten years. Such a system, the source said, would placate the conservatives who have been demanding disciplinary measures against churches such as those in the United States, which ordained an openly homoerotic bishop, and Canada, where same-sex blessings have been authorized. It would permit provinces effectively to excommunicate each other by refusing to recognize their priests or bishops, but they would remain tied in a loose international Anglican confederation by remaining in communion with Canterbury. Canon lawyers are preparing documents they will present next month in Kanuga, NC to see if the Lutheran model is viable. In a letter sent over the weekend to all the primates and moderators of the Anglican Communion, Dr Robin Eames, the Primate of Ireland, who chairs the Lambeth Commission, pled strongly with conservatives not to split by forming new provinces or dioceses until the commission has completed its work at the end of this year. In a subsequent article by Jonathan Petre of the TELEGRAPH following another leak, or perhaps a continuation of the trial balloon being floated, an all-powerful "star chamber", headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury would be created under proposals to avert the collapse of worldwide Anglicanism over homosexuality. The blueprint drawn up by advisers, would grant Dr Rowan Williams significant new powers, though not enough to transform him into an Anglican "pope". The archbishop would preside over a final court of appeal, allowing him to exercise the "judgment of Solomon" over warring factions in the 77-million strong Church. Now the idea of a federation is not entirely new. A paper drawn up last year by Professor Norman Doe, a commission member and the director of the Centre for Law and Religion at Cardiff University had already suggested that provinces should be prevented from acting unilaterally against the greater good of the communion as a whole. Doe's commission paper argued that when disputes arose, a final appeal could be made to the Archbishop of Canterbury, assisted by a "bench" of senior churchmen and theologians. Any province acting in defiance of the archbishop's judgment could be expelled. So what does all this mean? Clearly, at one level, liberals and revisionists would be the obvious losers in any break up of the Communion. Pansexualist Anglicans have become the most aggrieved group since they aired their feelings at Lambeth '98, and any attempt to discipline them will be met with great resistance. In provinces like the ECUSA and Canada they will demand that they are autonomous with provincial and national canons and constitutions that are not subject to international discipline. On the other hand, Western orthodox Anglicans would see a plus because it would enable them to recognize only these provinces, individual dioceses and parishes that are faithful to the received doctrine and teaching of the church and reject those "pluriform" dioceses that have rolled over to the secularizing forces of post-modernity. Interestingly enough some 21 provinces have already declared themselves to be in impaired or broken communion with Frank Griswold and the American Episcopal Church over the Robinson consecration, and this would be codified, legitimizing what has de facto occurred. Another plus is that the formation of the Network (NACDP), in hindsight a brilliant move by Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan, would be recognized by the Archbishop of Canterbury as the authentic voice of Anglicanism in North America, in effect isolating the bulk of ECUSA's bishops who are liberal and revisionist. The Anglican world could then watch as they slowly withered and died with an inclusive "gospel" built on the foundation of diversity and pansexuality. Another plus for the orthodox in the United States and Canada would be the break up of geographical lines and the ease with which bishops and archbishops will be free to cross diocesan lines to minister to those persecuted parishes in revisionist dioceses like the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Some problems will still persist. If there is no uniform canons and constitutions that can be agreed upon by the whole communion, and clearly this is not in the Episcopal Church's best interests because it is run by revisionists who view the glue of the church in terms of monies and properties, then it will require a brave orthodox parish who is prepared to sue his diocese over the validity of the Dennis Canon. The issue of who owns the properties will need to be confronted, and the validity of the Dennis Canon will need to be challenged. One parish, The Church of the Good Shepherd in St. Louis is doing just that in the Diocese of Missouri, and it will be interesting to see how that all plays out both in St. Louis, their State Supreme Court and ultimately the Supreme Court – the Rev. Paul Walter is ready to go to the mat with Bishop Wayne Smith. There is also another problem and it is this. Will the African bishops remain in communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury if he still remains in communion with the likes of Frank Griswold? The jury is still out on that, but I wouldn't bet ECUSA's Trust Funds that a merger of pan-African bishops, Southern Cone bishops, South-East Asian bishops, doesn't just up and pull the plug on the Anglican Communion and reject Dr. Williams leadership altogether. Impossible you say? Perhaps, but a realignment is underway that not even Dr. Williams can stop, and the growing momentum by the orthodox in the ECUSA has made it clear that business as usual with ECUSA's revisionists is well and truly over. Both Canon David Anderson of the American Anglican Council and Canon David Roseberry, facilitator of the Plano gatherings, are way beyond arguing with Griswold, their only question is what a future Episcopal Church will look like. Whatever finally emerges from the leak, and the possibility of a new confederation, one thing is for sure, the Anglican Communion is moving closer to the edge of the abyss and unless the revisionists repent of their moral apostasies and theological heresies, then one way or another it is all over for the Anglican Communion.