Matty Zaradich of the Community of St Laurence, Fr Kevin O’Brien acting chair of Changing Attitude Ireland, Bishop Bonnie Perry, Dean Dermot Dunne and Mark Bowyer former chair of CAI. By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org June 17, 2025     “If it was good enough for Jesus, then it is good enough for us” was the message delivered by Episcopal Bishop Bonnie Perry at a special service of Evensong to mark Pride in Dublin recently. Bishop Perry, who is XI Bishop of the Diocese of Michigan, was the preacher at the annual service organized by Changing Attitude Ireland in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.   Perry went on to claim that the early Christian movement was fueled by love and filled with pride, exhorting her hearers to be like Peter and John and not to relinquish their determination to tell the story of Jesus, urging LGBTQI panseualists to tell their stories and to let everyone “know that your life is changed, and that’s not something you keep inside.”     Bishop Perry told the congregation that for decades society and the institutional church has told LGBTQ+ people that they are not good enough and their lives are wrong and their love is less than.   “For centuries the church has said that who we are – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, non–binary, the categories keep evolving much like the universe – for decades the structures of power have said no to us and they have said: ‘Stop speaking. Be silent. Don’t tell us. Do not speak your truth’. And I say to you … as someone who is made in God’s image and likeness, as a bishop in a Christian church, as an out, proud, partnered lesbian, I say to you: speak your truth. We are made in God’s image and likeness and fully embraced by Christ just as we are. We of the queer community are good enough. We are called to tell the stories of who and how we are and how God lives and moves and has God’s being in our lives. For as we tell our stories others will see God in our lives and they will know that they too are beloved of God,” she said.   BISHOP OF DOWN & DROMORE But Perry’s appearance at the cathedral got pushback from Bishop David McClay, Bishop of Down and Dromore who called Bishop Bonnie Perry’s appearance a departure from the historic faith, the teaching and the discipline of the Church of Ireland. The Church of Ireland clearly teaches that marriage is as taught by Jesus “a union of one man and one woman’, Canon 31.” The bishop said the doctrine of marriage is a first order issue.  “For me what is at stake is the Gospel. This wonderful and beautiful Gospel is still the power of God for salvation for all who repent and believe.”   “We love this Gospel, and we as a Diocese are committed to its proclamation in word and deed to all regardless of their age, sex, gender, race or colour.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, we seek to proclaim this Gospel clearly. We know that God’s love reaches the depths of the hearts and lives of all who turn to Christ, who repent and who believe.  Truly He came “to seek and to save the lost.”  When we have experienced God’s mercy and been saved by Christ forever, it becomes our privilege, joy, duty and delight to make Him known.” What we believe concerning marriage is in line with what 85% of Anglicans in our world today also believe, he said.   We are part of a worldwide Anglican communion where many are coming to know Christ every day. The church is growing in those nations which hold to biblical orthodoxy in doctrine and lifestyle.  Here in the West where parts of the church are embracing the liberal culture of society the church is in decline and we hear much by way of talk about this decline.  This is not so in the nations of the world and places where the church remains faithful to its calling and is proclaiming Christ faithfully, making disciples and baptising new believers in the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.   When some in the West forsake this Gospel and move away from what the church teaches, we are saddened and we grieve, but we pray that in humility we will remain faithful, and that they will repent and return to the scriptures and to the Gospel we love.   We consider it pure joy however, to align ourselves with Anglicans across the world who hold to the teachings of the bible as we have received it.    IRISH EVANGELICALS PUSHBACK   A group of Irish evangelicals protested the invitation to the TEC bishop to preach at the Dublin cathedral “pride” service, saying it signified a deeply concerning departure from the historic faith and established discipline of the Church of Ireland.   The Holy Scriptures and the Church of Ireland are unequivocal that marriage is, “according to our Lord’s teachings…a union…of one man with one woman” (Canon 31). In issuing this invitation – presumably, with the agreement of the Archbishop of Dublin – the Dean and Chapter are, in effect, promoting the teaching or publishing of a doctrine that is contrary to the doctrine of the Church of Ireland, an offence under the Constitution (VIII.25), they said.   They said her appearance compounds the offence and raises deep concerns over the integrity and reputation of the Church of Ireland to many faithful members within our Church, along with brothers and sisters in other churches on this island and across the world.   They said it is well known that this issue, especially in contemporary western Anglicanism, has caused deep division, whilst across the world-wide Anglican Communion, irreparable damage has resulted following the introduction of same-gender marriage.   We are grateful to God that, by far, the majority of Anglicans in our worldwide Anglican Communion hold firmly to the faith once delivered to the saints. We treasure our fellowship with these our brothers and sisters throughout the world.   Their statement was Issued on behalf of First Things, which comprises the following evangelical groups, and represents a significant number of clergy and laity across the Church of Ireland: •⁠ ⁠Evangelical Fellowship of Irish Clergy (EFIC) •⁠ ⁠Church of Ireland Evangelical Fellowship (CIEF) •⁠ ⁠New Wine Ireland In addition, this statement is also supported by: •⁠ ⁠Gafcon Ireland   END

America needs patriotism and prayer   By Mary Ann Mueller VOL Special Correspondent www.virtueonline.org June 17, 2025   On June 14, 1775 the Continental Army was established. Two hundred and fifty years later there was a parade in Washington, DC celebrating that early colonial foundation.   But somewhere along the line, what should be a patriotic celebration of an historical American event, got all tied up in the fact that the President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces, of which the US Army is a part, happened to be born in 1946 on the Army’s 171st anniversary and the media's focus was switched from the Army to Donald J. Trump.   The President admires the military. He got a taste of quasi military life from 1959-1964 when he was sent to the New York Military Academy to finish his final junior high year and high school.   He apparently took to military school life like a duck to water. He achieved cadet rank quickly: private, 1960; corporal, 1961; sargeant, 1962, supply sergeant, 1963; and the coveted cadet captain, 1964.   He was active in athletics participating in softball, baseball, football, soccer, bowling, weights, and wrestling.   He also learned how to organize events. In 1963 he was the commanding officer for the Columbus Day Parade and during his junior and senior years he was in the Fall Hop and Ring Hop committees. He also became the commanding officer of the 1963 & 1964 Honor Guards. He learned his organizational lessons well. Little did he realize that they would come in handy in 2025.   Following military school Trump headed to college. In 1968 he earned a degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. However, he did not pursue a military career and he had a high enough selective service number which kept him out of the draft. But his interest in the military never waned and admiration of military brass increased.   Donald Trump didn't grow up to be a four-star general, he grew up to be the President, and as president he became the Commander-in-Chief – twice.   In 2025 the Army celebrated its 250th year of existence as Donald J. Trump was president for a second time. So Donald Trump did what Donald Trump does. It's just his style. He pulled out all the stops and put everything into a grand military parade complete with marching bands, soldiers in period uniforms, horses, bands and a variety of military armament.This year the Army's actual anniversary date happened to fall on a Saturday, which also happened to be Trump's birthday.   Trump wasn't the only person celebrating his birthday with a flashy parade on Saturday. King Charles III of England, too, pulled out all the stops for the Trooping of the Color – the annual formal summer celebration of his birthday. His actual birthday is Nov. 14, 1948.   I remember watching Trump's first term Salute to America on July 4, 2019. I was very proud to be an American that day. I was thrilled at seeing the flags, hearing the patriotic music and witnessing the fireworks.   Before that in June 2015 President Barack Obama lit the White House up in gay pride colors to celebrate the Supreme Court’s split decision on Obergefell v. Hodges which legalized same-sex marriage across the land. As a first generation American – my mother comes from Norway – I felt deep humiliation.   Then in 2023 President Joe Biden flew a gay pride flag from the White House portico and the LGBTQ community was feted to a summer South Lawn party where there were topless women proudly flaunting their sexuality. I was horrified that such an openly sexual display occurred at the People's House. This surely did not reflect me and my sentimentalities, as I'm an American, too.   This year I watched part of the Army's birthday parade – about an hour’s worth. I was fascinated by the military history being revealed – the period uniforms from the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War …   I give Trump more of the benefit of the doubt than I do Obama and Biden.   In a Washington Post op/ed Max Boot writes: “I think it was a good thing for Americans to be reminded of the glorious history of their Army — a force for freedom that has defeated some of the most monstrous evils of the past two centuries, including the Confederacy, Imperial and Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and the Soviet empire.”   And I agree with him. Like it or not, Donald Trump gave us that opportunity.   I come from a military-type family. My grandfather was in the Merchant Marines during the Great War (WWI). The civilian maritime transporters always work closely with the military during periods of armed conflict. For years I had Grandpa's sea chest. I remember playing with the sea chest as a child growing up. It contained so many treasures and now fond memories.   But last year I was forced to move and no longer have room for Grandpa's sea chest. I had to give it away to a dear friend. Such a great loss for me.   I had a paternal uncle, of happy memory, who was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska when it was still a US Army cavalry post – Fort Crook. In the early to mid 1970s vestiges of the cavalry remained at Offutt when we were stationed there. I had a greater appreciation for the base because of my uncle's early cavalry’s connection.   At one time my uncle was the most knowledgeable man alive when it came to military nutrition and I remember, even in his retirement years, the Pentagon calling and dispatching him all over the world to solve localized military base food problems.   My Daddy was in the Navy. He was in Pearl Harbor following the Japanese bombing. He used to regale his friends with stories about the shenanigans he got into during his off duty time. Following his service Daddy was active in the CAP – Civilian Air Patrol. He had his small plane pilot's license and I remember flying with him.   I'm a Viet Nam era Air Force wife – now widow. My son was born at an Air Force base in what was then West Germany.   Then when he grew up he joined the Army. So my family has about 100 years of intermittent involvement with various branches of the military.   I'm not advocating for President Trump and his style of governing, but I deeply appreciate his visible patriotism. I must admit I admire the President’s patriotic emphasis, but I am finding it increasingly problematic to see the heavy-handed approach he takes to governance.    And now the country is exploding in protests, demonstrations and outright rioting as a result of it. This is very troubling and not good for the country as a whole. This drives me to my knees in tearful prayer.   “Ye shall pray for the President of these United States, and for the Governor of this State, and for all that are in authority; that all, and every one of them, may serve truly in their several callings to the glory of God, and the edifying and well-governing of the people, remembering the account they shall be called upon to give at the last great day,” the 1928 BCP Bidding Prayer pleads.   But there was much more to experience other than the media's singular focus on Trump's June 14th birthday. That day is also the Feast Day of Saint Methodius I of Constantinople, celebrated by both the East and the West. The entire Church remembers Saint Methodius I of Constantinople who was the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 843-847 AD.   It was also on June 14, 2008 my foster mother died at 89-years-old. Following the death of my natural mother in 1951 she stepped in and raised me. I owe her much.   June 14 is also Flag Day commemorating the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress, two years to the day after the establishment of the Continental Army on June 14, 1775.   So the Army's 2025 Flag Day special birthday celebration was just the prelude to this country's 2026 Semiquincentennial, celebrating 250 years as a nation.   In 1976 the Bicentennial was a big event. Remember the Bicentennial Minute?   I remember when I was a kid all the stores in town would display flags, and the village put out flags along the sidewalks, and many houses were also flying flags. Small flags, too, were put out in the cemetery. And everything was repeated for Memorial Day, July 4th, and Veterans’ Day. Where have all the community flags gone? Where has honest patriotism gone? Where has pride in the Stars and Stripes gone?   We must start to turn our country around with prayer.   God, Himself, urges us on: "If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  (2 Chronicles 7:14)   The 1928 BCP Prayer For Our Country stresses the need peace and justice: “Almighty God, Who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favour and glad to do Thy Will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogancy, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in Thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN”   Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline.

COMMENTARY   By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org January 23, 2025   He has done it again. This time over the war in Gaza.   The first time the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell was accused of mouthing “empty words” of contrition was after a child abuse scandal rocked the Church of England.   The Bishop of Newcastle criticized the Christmas Day sermon delivered by the Archbishop of York in which he said the Church should “kneel in penitence” as it continues to face criticism over failures in its handling of various abuse scandals, describing his suggestion as “empty words.”   Now he has gone and done it again over a ceasefire call in Gaza.   Cottrell who has become the temporary leader of the Church of England in place of the outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, has also faced calls to resign.   Now the archbishop has released a statement on the ceasefire-hostage deal between Israel and Hamas saying; “My prayers are with all the families being reunited over the coming days, and for those who are still held in captivity. My prayers too are with the people of Gaza who have suffered such immense destruction, deprivation and displacement. Now must be the time – again, so long overdue – for unfettered aid to reach the people of Gaza, and for the indispensable role of UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] to be respected and protected by all parties. May this deal be a precursor to a wider, more durable and just settlement in the region: it must not be a false dawn.”   He called for prayers for Anglican Archbishop Hosam and our Anglican sisters and brothers in Palestine and Israel, and for all the Christians of the Holy Land as they bear the light of Christ in such dark times. “Pray too for the courageous staff of the Anglican Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, and those in their care. Across the West Bank, this war is being felt not just in the daily grievous news from Gaza, but through widespread intensification of the occupation. I pray this deal acts as a catalyst to bring freedom, justice and dignity to the Palestinian people as well as being a small step towards the long-term security of both Palestinians and Israelis.”   Let us unpack this.   First of all, aid has been getting into Gaza. There is a blame game over violence and starvation with Israel taking nearly all the heat. Humanitarian agencies, Israel's allies and other countries have accused Israel of not doing enough to ensure that food gets to those who need it. Some have accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war.   All aid for Gaza is subject to strict Israeli security checks aimed at preventing anything that could be used by Hamas from entering. But aid groups say these are complex and arbitrary, causing major delays.   Israel has denied impeding the entry of aid to Gaza and accuses aid organizations of failing to distribute it. An Israeli spokesman cried, "UN, do your job. The bottlenecks are not on the Israeli side."   Furthermore, Israel says it is building a new land crossing into northern Gaza, where starvation is most acute, after previously promising to open the Erez crossing. The new crossing would handle up to 50 aid trucks a day and the first trucks have already crossed it, Israeli officials say.   Israel has also said it will allow the Ashdod deep water port a short distance to the north to be used as well as allowing more aid from Jordan to enter via the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza.   Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant spoke of gradually increasing Gaza aid deliveries to pre-war levels of 500 trucks a day.   UNRWA has a checkered history with Israel ever since it was discovered that 12 staff members from UN Palestine relief agency UNRWA were involved in the October 7 Hamas-led attacks. Why should Israel play ball with UNRWA?   Present in Cottrell’s rip were veiled accusations that the blame for all this lay at Israel’s feet. There was no mention of the terrorist organization called Hamas, no mention of who started this war, no mention of “from the river to the sea” a not so veiled reference to the obliteration of Israel. No mention of Hamas as a proxy of Iran to continue the war once the ceasefire deal is signed off on. No mention that the “destruction, deprivation and displacement” was caused by Hamas who could have surrendered the hostages and themselves to prevent all the blood shed that followed.   All we get from the Church of England’s second most powerful leader is vague prayers for the families, and hopes it would not be a “false dawn.”   Well, if it is, you can blame Hamas and its allies. Will Hamas use the ceasefire to rearm, rebuild and recruit new younger Hamas terrorists to continue the war? Cottrell nowhere acknowledges that possibility even though there is photographic evidence of new young recruits dressed in Hamas gear waving guns and ready to continue the fight.   All we got were more “empty words”, a hollow man who never saw fit to expose a pedophile he once called a “Rolls Royce priest”, an archbishop who now sadly leads the Church of England.   END

By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org January 22, 2025   In what must be the most humiliating tirade he has had to listen to since taking office, Donald Trump got taken to the woodshed by the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, Marianne Budde, who told the day-old new president that illegal immigrants were not criminals and he shouldn't deport those with children.   Trump listened in apparent disbelief as the ultra-liberal bishop scorned him with “transgender children fearing for their lives” at a traditional inaugural prayer service at Washington National Cathedral.   She told Trump, who had just pardoned some 1,500 US Capitol rioters, many of whom were convicted of criminal behavior, to show “mercy” to illegal immigrants and transgender children.   Budde, a woke, left-wing Episcopal bishop, lashed out at Trump, lecturing him, claiming trans kids were “fearing for their lives” due to his being in the Oval Office.   Budde then implored the president to “have mercy … on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. Help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here.” One report said Trump sat stony-faced in the front row, next to First Lady Melania Trump, as the strumpet told him illegal immigrants were not criminals and he shouldn't deport those with children.   Bishop Budde, 65, looked directly at Trump in the highly politically-charged atmosphere and said; “I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country that are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives.”   Budde, who can’t find a liberal cause she cannot support, then asked Trump to have mercy on illegal immigrants.   “The people who pick our crops, and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants, and work the night shifts in hospitals, they might not be citizens or have the proper documentation.”   “The vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. I ask you to have mercy Mr. President on those in communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away.”   Another report said Trump maintained his calm and appeared to look on slightly wearily after a full day and night of Inauguration festivities.   But other members of the congregation seemed uncomfortable as they listened to the bishop's rip at Trump. Budde voiced outrage at Trump in June of 2020 when he appeared at one of her churches (St. John’s Episcopal Church) holding up a Bible in front of the parish "as if it were a prop or an extension of his military and authoritarian position." At the time, she said that Trump's actions were “antithetical to the teachings of Jesus and everything that we as a church stand for.”   She said, “Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger for we were all strangers once in a strange land.” Trump declined to publicly criticize the bishop over the attack.   Asked about the service by reporters at the White House, Trump said: “What did you think, did you like it? Did you find it exciting? Not too exciting was it. I think it was a great service.” Budde has been an outspoken critic of Trump.   However, Republicans and MAGA supporters eviscerated the bishop.   “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list,” wrote Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) on social media.   Budde’s sermon was a forceful rebuttal of Trump’s approach to immigration: He has pledged to enforce the largest deportation in history, with “millions and millions of illegals must be deported,” he has said.   U.S. First Lady Melania and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance with U.S. Second Lady attended the National Day of Prayer Service. END

By Kaya Burgess, Religious Affairs Correspondent THE TIMES February 1, 2025   The Most Rev Stephen Cottrell is facing pressure to step down as the Charity Commission steps in to demand answers from bishops   The Archbishop of York’s comments came as the Charity Commission made an unprecedented intervention in the church’s internal ­affairs   The Archbishop of York has rejected calls to resign over the Church of ­England’s abuse crisis, insisting he is ­“determined to play [his] part in making change happen” after a bishop quit over sexual assault allegations.   His comments came as the Charity Commission made an unprecedented intervention in the church’s internal ­affairs. The Times understands the watchdog is writing to all bishops demanding to know whether church rules are preventing them from fulfilling their legal duty to protect people from abuse.   The move was dubbed a “wake-up call” by the Most Rev Stephen ­Cottrell, who conceded that the church needs outside help. Cottrell has temporarily assumed most of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s duties after the Right Rev Justin Welby stepped down over his handling of the safeguarding issue.   Cottrell has himself faced calls to quit over how he dealt with abuse allegations. He has faced questions over his role leading up to the appointment in 2022 and resignation last week of the Right Rev John Perumbalath as Bishop of Liverpool.   Perumbalath announced his early retirement over allegations of sexual assault and harassment that were made in 2023. He has strongly denied the claims, noting that a church ­investigation found “no ongoing safeguarding concerns” and a police inquiry took no further action over the assault complaint.   The Times understands that some members of the Crown Nominations Commission felt Cottrell used his status as an archbishop to pressure fellow commission members into appointing Perumbulath in 2022.   Cottrell said he was “very aware of the power dynamics” of being an archbishop on the committee but said his role as its chairman was “to enable other voices to be heard”.   The Right Rev John Perumbalath resigned as Bishop of Liverpool over allegations of sexual assault and harassment that were made in 2023   He said: “I really do strongly refute the suggestion that anything inappropriate happened.” Cottrell said no allegations of wrongdoing had been made by that point in time and that Perumbalath passed a safeguarding assessment ­during the recruitment process.   The Charity Commission will ask all bishops if there are any “structural, ­procedural or constitutional arrangements under ecclesiastical law that … conflict with, or prevent you and your co-trustees from fulfilling, your safeguarding duties as charity trustees”.   It will ask them to respond after a General Synod meeting next week, which will debate policy reforms.   Cottrell said: “That’s a bit of a wake-up call, but … I welcome the scrutiny from the Charity Commission.”   The watchdog has also met Cottrell. “They were very robust,” he said. “And I was personally very clear in the ­meeting to say, ‘Would you please help us? You’ve got experience from other bodies’. Often, someone from ­outside sees things you don’t see ­yourself.”   Asked if he would resign, either now or after the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury, expected this autumn, he conceded that “I have made mistakes” but said: “I’ve had to live with the constraints and inadequacies of our systems.” He said he planned to continue as Archbishop of York until the retirement age of 70 in 2028. Cottrell said of potential reform: “I’m determined to play my part in making this change happen … We need it for the victims and survivors, but it’s in all our best interests.   “Because I’ve lived with the constraints, because I have been part of the good changes that have been made and frustrated by the failures to make the changes I wanted to make, and because God has put me into this position as well as the church, then I believe I have an opportunity this year.”   Cottrell and the church became aware of allegations about Perumbalath’s behaviour a month after he ­legally became Bishop of Liverpool in January 2023 but two months before his enthronement in April. Asked if the enthronement should have gone ahead, Cottrell said there were “serious concerns” but said a safeguarding ­investigation was completed before the ceremony and found “no ongoing safeguarding concerns”.   Cottrell said he was “really distressed” by leaked reports from within the Crown Nominations Commission, noting: “We are all bound by an oath of confidentiality. So I’m troubled somebody would break that oath.”   Asked if he played a role in asking one of Perumbalath’s accusers, the Bishop of Warrington, the Right Rev Bev Mason, to take a leave of ­absence, Cottrell said: “Nobody asked or required the Bishop of Warrington, [and] ­certainly not me … to take some extended sabbatical leave”, adding that she said “what she needed was space”.   He said he supported her effort to bring a complaint outside the usual one-year time limit and had “expected it to be allowed” but that an independent judge ruled it could not be heard.   END

By Chuck Collins www.virtueonline.org February 4, 2025   John Rogers was the first of nearly 300 Protestants killed by Mary Tudor in her five-year reign as Queen of England. Other monarchs killed because of treason; Bloody Mary killed to destroy Protestantism in England. Rogers was burned alive at Smithfield February 4, 1555.   His crime was that he brought the English Bible to the English people, and he refused to apologize for it at the end. Rogers was a Church of England minister, Vicar of St. Sepulchre’s in London, before he moved to Antwerp Belgium where he met William Tyndale. There he became a committed "evangelical" (Protestant). The two of them became fast friends and when Tyndale was captured and killed, John Rogers picked up and completed the project that Tyndale started.   He used Tyndale's New Testament English translation and what Tyndale finished of the Old Testament (and the rest of the Old Testament completed by Myles Coverdale), and published the first English translation of the whole Bible. He did this under the pseudonym Thomas Matthew, thus it was call the "Matthew Bible." Rogers sent a copy of the Matthew Bible to Lord Chancellor Thomas Cromwell who, in turn, showed it to King Henry VIII. Five years after Henry broke with Rome to start the Church of England and two years after the publication of the Matthew Bible, Henry surprised everyone by authorizing the Great Bible in 1539. The Great Bible was the Matthew Bible without the Protestant notes and commentary. To everyone's surprise, Henry, the dyed-in-the-wool Catholic monarch, mandated that a copy of an English translation of the Bible be placed in every church, and that it be read at every church service. Translating the Bible into English was a very important factor that moved the new Church of England towards Reformation and Protestantism. For the first time in 1,500 years the written word of God was available for common people to read! It wouldn't be long before they learned the Bible’s central teaching: justification by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. An immense crowd lined the roads in Smithfield, just within eyesight of St. Sepulchre’s Church. There were reports that Rogers went “steadily and unflinchingly into a fiery grave.” Even the French Ambassador who was present that day wrote in a letter that Rogers went to death “as if he was walking to his wedding.” Five English Reformers, J.C. Ryle

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/   ***** VOL is unique among Anglican news services for its comprehensive reporting on Anglican issues. We keep you informed about global Anglicanism as few services do. We wake up each day and ask the question what do our readers need to know to keep them informed so they can make good decisions. We are here because of readers like you. Would you consider a tax-deductible donation to keep the news coming. A PayPal donation link can be found here: http://www.virtueonline.org/support.html   If you are more inclined with checks, you can send your donation to:   VIRTUEONLINE                                                                      P.O. BOX 111                              Shohola, PA 18458   Thank you for your support,   Yours in Christ,   David   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

Dear Brothers and Sisters,     As this tumultuous year draws to a close in the life of the Anglican Communion we might well reflect for a moment on why it is necessary to uphold the Faith once delivered.     We are not playing word games here. Words have meaning and they change how we think and view the world. Think what Das Kapital and Mein Kampf did to a generation before us. Words matter. They change the way we think, influence our decisions and more. We act upon words every day of our life. We make decisions for good or ill on what we hear and learn, and words influence what directions we will take, what we support with our money and much more.   Virtuosity’s whole purpose is to defend the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is practiced within the context of the Anglican Way. There is nothing particularly new or startling about this, no mind-shattering revelations or illuminations, just the solid, defense of something that is true for us today as it was 2,000 years ago. It is a message that has not changed with time, the passage of history, passing cultural fashions, the findings of science, advances in education, the new morality, or more.     Human nature we now know has not changed appreciably over aeons of history. Regardless of how well-educated we might be, however advanced in our understanding of how the mind and body works; that intractable thing we call the ego rears its ugly head and we sin.     For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish, said the Great Apostle, and he is right. The pull of power, the urge of libidos, and the false security of money pulls us down to equalize us all. None of us is exempt, including this writer.     I love words. I love what they do, how they influence lives, and more. Perhaps one day when I come to die someone will carve on my tombstone; He used words well. I should be so lucky. For most of you who have endured VIRTUOSITY for another year, will note that many of my writers and contributors, essayists and columnists have used words far better than me, for they are better writers than I am, and know their subjects better than I do.   I am truly grateful for each one of them. I suffer from the sin of envy (among other sins), that God has enabled them to put together sentences more illuminating than my own, more powerful in their ability to persuade, and so I sit in awe of them. Still we must press on.   Virtuosity is a calling and a ministry and it will go on into the New Year vigorously proclaiming, defending, and building up, at the same time pulling down strongholds of satanic influence. We will leave no stone unturned in the search for truth and exposing the lies and half-truths, the pomposity and venality of revisionist hegemony found in The Episcopal Church. We will reveal, expose and bring to the light, those things which we have done and those which we ought not to have done.   That does not mean that this writer comes covered in a mantle of perfection, far from it. I will make my own mistakes and hopefully you the reader will tell me so I can correct them. I expect that. I would be shocked if I did not hear from you.     IN TODAY’S LEAD STORY we continue to look at the implications of what a New World Anglican Order could look like if the Episcopal Church becomes, in effect, two churches. A church within a church or para-church, a church that is, that comes alongside the main body, drawing the good from it and leaving a dead carcass behind.     Events are shaping up fast. Two conflicting views over the future of the ECUSA is beginning to emerge and you can read the substance of that in today’s lead story.     TED MOLLEGEN, the point man for The Episcopal Church hoped for growth with General Convention20/20 has written a propaganda piece at those who opposed Vicki Gene’s consecration. I have taken this apart for your edification. This man has managed to turn truth so violently on its head that cranial damage has ensued and now seems permanent. His blasphemous attack on orthodoxy and those who defend it is exposed for all to read. ONCE AGAIN, THE DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA LEADS THE WAY. The Rev. Douglas G. Scott, rector of St. Martin’s Church, Radnor has issued a stirring call to action on page 28 of Episcopal Life. It is an outrage, he writes, that Christianity seems to have little tolerance for the suffering fat. We should ask the obese to share with their faith community what it means to be at the margins of societal acceptance and learn from them.     I kid you not. The obvious solution, Virtuosity believes is to consecrate an openly fat man who is in a committed relationship with his refrigerator. Do you Douglas take Kelvinator to be your awfully wedded significant other, to have and to hold, till high cholesterol do you part... Dear friends, it is utterly impossible to out-satirize this stuff. With the removal of the twin sins of gluttony and sodomy it just gets easier and easier to become an Episcopalian. Will we abandon the Prayer Book in time? Perhaps we will all live long enough to see a fat bisexual with bestial proclivities who has a hankering for non-neutered Dalmatians publicly consecrated in a NYC bathhouse. Frank Griswold will preside. ECUSA has become a lunatic asylum and the lunatics are in charge.     And our Bible reading today is taken from First Bennison (Pennsylvania Episcopalian Page B) chapter 1 verse 1: Moses smashed the tablets brought down off Mount Sinai to free the Word of God to be heard not seen.  How long will the Standing Committee put up with this lunatic?     IN A RECENT NEWS ARTICLE THE PRESIDING BISHOP Frank Griswold gave some instructions to his Executive Council on the relationship between truth and community. This is what he said: Truth is discovered in communion. Schism is the shattering of communion. In order to discover God’s truth, everyone has to be at the table.     The Rev. Lawrence D. Bausch, rector of Holy Trinity Church, San Diego, begs to disagree. He argues the exact reverse. He offers four examples when leaving the table has occurred because truth had been discerned and not agreed to.     First, the calling out of Abraham and his descendents as followers of Yahweh, separating them from their neighbors. This is a recurrent theme throughout the Old Testament. Secondly, the separation of Christians from Jews over the identity of Jesus. Third, the conciliar definitions including the creeds and canon of Scripture which determined acceptable parameters for communion. And fourth, the English reform under Queen Elizabeth I, which resulted in separation from the Catholic Church.   It’s amazing how much rubbish Griswold manages to get away with unchallenged by his fellow bishops.   RECENT REPORTS in newspapers like the Church of England newspaper and on the Internet that Anglo-Catholics and groups like the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) are ready to run to Rome are exaggerated and premature. In discussions with various leaders in Episcopal Anglo-Catholic circles, word is that while talks and visits to Rome have been undertaken no one is going anywhere. The TAC under the leadership of Archbishop Falk and more recently the newly anointed Archbishop John Hepworth admit that while seeking unity to the fullest degree is desirable no one is going to abandon the Anglican tradition. Merger with Rome is not imminent. Furthermore, Rome never acts in a hurry, even to embrace hurting Anglicans under siege from revisionist forces. All in good time.     THE REFORMED EPISCOPAL CHURCH has had a defection. Bishop Gregory Hotchkiss has resigned over the REC’s stance against gay marriage. Even the most orthodox of jurisdictions are not immune, it would seem, from all this craziness over homo-erotic behavior.     SPRINGFIELD BISHOP PETER BECKWITH reports that no presentment charges have been made against him despite coming under heavy fire from a group of hardline revisionist gay and lesbian priests and laity in his diocese who want him gone. (Virtuosity exposed their tricks in a secret chat room where they used anonymous names to blast the bishop).   Beckwith wrote to VIRTUOSITY, I have heard there has been some interest/desire/attempt to present me for 1) Teaching against the doctrine of the Church; and 2) Abandoning the Sacrament of the Church.  I’m told it  is because I will not recognize Gene Robinson’s ministry, allow blessing of same sex relationships or likely to welcome clergy into the Diocese who would.  I’m told it  is because I did not visit a new mission initiative in our Monroe County before I pulled the plug on it.  After 15 months of preparation, we were aiming at having 200 at the first service.  20 showed up.  In the seven weeks of operation, it was reported between 13 and 20 people participated per service.  We had about 80K left to invest after which the congregation would have to raise the 100K annually to support the operation.  That seeming most unlikely led to my decision. Frankly I consider their efforts to present me laughable! Thank you Bishop.     AND IT WILL COME AS NO SURPRISE, that the Religious Newswriters Association picked the Gene Robinson consecration as the top news story of the year.     But it is very revealing that not one of the bishops who supported Robinson has expressed any concern that he accepted a Person of the Year award from a gay soft porn website, PlanetOut, and a gay magazine, The Advocate.     Second top story is Michael Ingham’s attempted slaughter of 11 godly parishes in the Diocese of New Westminster. They are still open for business and thriving.     And in the DIOCESE OF COLORADO the bishop there one Jerry Winterrowd now expresses regret for supporting the election of the nation first openly gay bishop. He says the church was not ready. Winterrowd, who retires on Dec. 31, said he went into August’s General Convention of the Episcopal Church USA intending to vote against the election of Gene Robinson as New Hampshire bishop. His rationale: Robinson’s election would fly in the face of the church’s desire to delay setting policy on blessing same-sex unions. But Winterrowd said he became convinced that each diocese had the right to elect its own bishop. Subsequently, I would say that I am on very thin ice there, Winterrowd said. Indeed, you are bishop. Very thin.   IN CANADA, the Bully of Vancouver, Michael Ingham closed down the fledgling mission parish of Holy Cross in Abbotsford, BC. The timing of the Anglican Bishop’s-Christmas closure of the church is ironic.   In attempting to include new ideas, the Anglican Church is making sure there is no room in the inn for traditionalist thinkers. The parishioners must defend their faith. If this was happening in another country, Holy Cross would be listed under the persecution of Christians. That it should be persecuted at the hands of its own infrastructure is alarming, wrote one priest.     The parish priest James Wagner remains committed to his congregation, saying, we will continue to worship, even though were apparently not recognized formally. We hear a lot about tolerance and diversity and how diverse views should be respected. It seems to me a strange way to resolve conflict, said a parish layman.     Holy Cross is a mission church, which is distinct from an incorporated parish. Holy Cross voted by overwhelming majority to accept the offer of Bishop Terry Buckle of Yukon to lead them. The bishop later withdrew.     Ten years ago when the small parish of St. George’s Anglican Church in Hamilton, Ontario, was disestablished, it was re-born immediately as St. George’s Reformed Episcopal Church and functions as a traditional Anglican parish. It is flourishing. There is hope.     And this from WASHINGTON BISHOP JOHN CHANE’S KORANIC CHRISTMAS MESSAGE:   And what was God thinking . . . when the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the Law to Moses? And what was God thinking . . . when the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the sacred Quran to the prophet Muhammad? And what was God thinking . . . when the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God?     Virtuosity thinks that God thinks that Bishop Chane should be tossed out of his bishopric for talking rubbish.     DEMOCRATIC FRONT RUNNER HOWARD DEAN was once an Episcopalian in Vermont. But owing to a squabble about the construction of a pathway on a nine-mile stretch of land along Lake Champlain opposed by a group of Episcopalians, he left the Episcopal Church. Apparently the much vaunted Doctrine of Inclusion hit a snag and the wannabe next president left the ECUSA.   I WROTE TO CANON PATRICK MAUNEY, the Episcopal Church’s Director of Anglican and Global Relations this week asking if the Episcopal Church was still planning to go ahead and send money for the poor Guluin Uganda, even though Frank Griswold has been disinvited to attend the consecration of their new archbishop. I got no answer. Unless Virtuosity hears otherwise you can safely assume the gift will not be going out to these poor starving Ugandans, which goes to prove that money and politics are inextricably twined in The Episcopal Church.     THE BISHOP OF OHIO CLARK GREW went on the offensive this week about a group of parishioners who left a parish in Hudson, Ohio. This is what he said on radio WKSU: I think the tension I feel is, and I don’t want to devalue the authenticity of scripture claim that people make that this is a matter of scriptural authority, but I think, deep within that posture is a deep-seeded homophobia and an inability for people to see gay and lesbian people as children of God. Other members on the panel took him to task and you can read the he said/she said into today’s digest. He has some very revealing thoughts about a parallel jurisdiction in the ECUSA.     RE: CHRIST AND CIVILIZATION article. I received a mountain of e-mails expressing anger and disgust at the turn the article took in the latter quarter of the four-part series in its attack on Orthodox and Catholic Christians. Virtuosity regrets such attacks and maintains that the thrust of the article, which is that without Christ we would not have Western Civilization, as we know it, still stands.   I am publishing a number of LETTERS reflecting various views on the article, and Virtuosity invites anyone with a knowledge of the origins of Western Civilization to write a contra piece for publication.     I HAVE POSTED A NUMBER OF STORIES today for your interest and edification.   This will be the last digest for the Year 2003. When next I write it will be in the first week in January with a YEAR IN REVIEW story.   With that will come a new website makeover for 2004. It will be easier to navigate with a full explanation coming from Virtuosity’s webmaster, Mr. Robert Turner.   I WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU who contributed so generously to Virtuosity this past year. By doing so you made it possible for me to travel and write the stories you needed to read to keep abreast with events as they unfolded in The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion. I am indebted to all of you who supported me with checks both large and small. Thank you.   The year 2004 will be even more turbulent Virtuosity predicts than this past year. It will certainly be break point for The Episcopal Church.   What will all the alphabet soup of groups do within and without ECUSA? How will they coalesce? Will they? Who will still be standing at the end of the day? Will it be full-blown schism or a parallel church within a church? We shall know more in due course. Stay tuned.

by Michael J. McManus   Pollster George Barna reported recently that three-fifths of Americans believe cohabitation is an acceptable behavior.  In fact, two-thirds of Catholics see no problem with unmarried couples living together, nor half of all Protestants and even 49 percent of born-again Americans. What’s more, Barna says the moral perspectives of Americans are likely to continue to deteriorate. Compared to surveys we conducted just two years ago, significantly more adults are depicting such behaviors as morally acceptable.   Certainly, the number of couples living together has soared from only 520,000 in 1970 to 5 million today, a ten-fold increase in a generation. That’s double the number who marry in a year. Cohabitation, not marriage, is the primary way male-female unions are formed.     However, Scripture is clear.  Flee fornication, St. Paul wrote (I. Cor 7:18).   I cited that quote in England, and a very dignified dowager interrupted me to exclaim, Jesus never said anything about it.     Yes he did.  Remember the woman at the well, who Jesus said had five husbands and the man you now have is not your husband (John 4:18).     The problem, as I see is two-fold: ignorance of cohabitations consequences by the general public, and a willful avoidance of the issue by America’s clergy.     Sociology backs up Scripture on the evil of cohabitation. Since men and women living together begin with minimal commitment, there’s greater unhappiness - more infidelity, more conflict and even violence, more illness and depression.     Sociologist Pamela Smock estimates that 45 percent of such couples undergo premarital divorce, which can be painful and complicated.  A woman at a Christian publishing company told me she lived with a man for six years, and desperately wanted to leave, but felt trapped: We bought a house together and he doesn’t want to sell it.   Many live together to test their potential for marriage. Big mistake. Marriages that are preceded by living together have 50 percent higher disruption rates than marriages without premarital cohabitation, according to the National Survey of Families and Households.   St. Paul sagely wrote, Test everything. Hold onto the good. Avoid every kind of evil. Cohabitation may be perceived as a test, but it is an embracing of evil. A stunning 43 percent of unmarried couples have children, vs 46 percent of married couples.     Yet have you ever heard a sermon on cohabitation?  I bet not. In scores of cities, I’ve asked pastors if they have preached on it. One hand in 50 goes up. This moral abdication is perhaps the major reason why Barna found Christians have a higher divorce rate than atheists.     There is an alternative.  A third of America’s churches now provide a more appropriate way for couples to test their relationships - with a test called a premarital inventory.  The man and woman are asked if they agree or disagree separately to 150+ one sentence statements:     At times I am concerned about the silent treatment I get from my future spouse. I am concerned that my future spouse sometimes spends money foolishly. I am hoping that after marriage my future souse will change of his/her behaviors.     A computerized report is prepared comparing what the man and woman said on each issue. Result: a tenth of couples decide not to marry.   Studies show that their scores are equal to those who marry and later divorce.  So they are avoiding a bad marriage before it has begun!     In 1992, my wife and I added another component, having couples in solid marriages administer the inventory. Clergy will normally provide only an hour of feedback. They do not have time to talk through scores of issues that a couple aged 50 can provide. With both genders present, mentor couples can actually do a better job than clergy or counselors.   From 1992-2000, 302 couples were mentored at our home church.  Of that number, 21 dropped out part way through, mostly to break up. Another 34 couples met with their mentors six evenings, but decided not to marry.   Thus, more than 50 couples avoided a likely divorce.  But of those who did marry, there have been only seven divorces or separations in a decade.  That is a 3 percent failure rate, or a 97 percent success rate.   That’s not just marriage preparation - but marriage insurance.   What’s more, we created an organization called Marriage Savers that has trained 3,000 mentor couples across the country, whose churches often have even lower divorce rates. To learn more, see marriagesavers.org .     Why doesn’t your church, synagogue or mosque set a goal in 2004 to radically reduce your congregational divorce rate?     END TXT Copyright   2003 Michael J. McManus

ENGLISH CLERICS SUPPORT TORTURE, MASS MURDER   Some years ago, the main-line Christian denominations were taken over by leftists; the process is even more far gone in Europe than in America.   Hence this utterly bizarre news story: Two Top Bishops Last Night Warned Tony Blair Must Answer to God for Toppling Saddam Hussein. Yes, that’s right. God was in Saddam’s corner all the way: The Bishop of Durham and the Archbishop of York blasted the war in newspaper interviews. In an astonishing grab for the moral high ground, they admitted Saddam was wicked but claimed the allies were not the right people to oust him.     Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, accused the PM and President George Bush - both devout Christians - of a strange distortion of Christianity to justify their action. He compared them to white vigilantes going into Brixton to stop drug dealing.     If anyone understands that reference, send us an email; I’m completely in the dark. And if England and America weren’t the right people to oust Saddam, who were? All those other nations who have been lining up to do the dirty work all these years, I guess.     Dr David Hope, Archbishop of York, reminded the Prime Minister of the higher authority he will have to face one day and urged churchgoers to pray for his soul. Referring to Saddam, he said: Undoubtedly a very wicked leader has been removed but there are other wicked leaders.     Meaning, I guess, that God will fault Tony Blair for not removing the Mullahs, Kim Il Jong, and a few others. Well, Reverend, give him time. Meanwhile, when it comes to removing very wicked leaders, the score is: Tony Blair and George Bush--(remember the Taliban), Church of England clerics--.   BISHOPS WARNING TO BLAIR     By TREVOR KAVANAGH Political Editor THE SUN     TWO top bishops last night warned Tony Blair must answer to God for toppling Saddam Hussein.   The Bishop of Durham and the Archbishop of York blasted the war in newspaper interviews.     In an astonishing grab for the moral high ground, they admitted Saddam was wicked but claimed the allies were not the right people to oust him.     Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham, accused the PM and President George Bush - both devout Christians - of a strange distortion of Christianity to justify action.     He compared them to white vigilantes going into Brixton to stop drug dealing. Dr David Hope, Archbishop of York, reminded the Prime Minister of the higher authority he will have to face one day and urged churchgoers to pray for his soul.     Referring to Saddam, he said: Undoubtedly a very wicked leader has been removed but there are other wicked leaders. His words echoed Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams warning that Mr. Blair would be called to account.     END

by Mouneer Anis   FIRST THINGS May 29, 2025   The archbishop of Canterbury’s position is profoundly significant, not only because he leads the Church of England (CoE), but also because he sits on the seat of St. Augustine of Canterbury, the “Apostle to the English.” That historical seat speaks to the heart of global Anglicans because the Church of England spread the gospel and planted churches on many continents during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. For this reason, the appointment of the archbishop of Canterbury must not be made without listening to voices from around the world. I share my reflections as a retired archbishop from the Global South who worked with three successive archbishops of Canterbury. 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. The archbishop of Canterbury has traditionally held dual roles: as the spiritual leader of the Church of England and as the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. However, these roles have grown increasingly complicated as the demographics and dynamics of the Communion have shifted. While the office originated in an era when the British Empire gave natural prominence to English ecclesiastical leadership, the realities of the twenty-first century tell a different story. Today, the majority of Anglicans are not in the U.K. but in the Global South—especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These provinces typically hold firmly to biblical orthodoxy and traditional Anglican values, making them essential voices in the present and future life of the Communion. 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. The next archbishop must be more than a national figurehead or a political mediator; he must be a shepherd who is unwavering in the faith once delivered to the saints. This includes upholding the authority of Scripture, the creeds, the Thirty-Nine Articles, and the Book of Common Prayer. Appointing an archbishop who compromises these principles in the name of institutional appeasement will only deepen the fractures already within the Communion. But a leader who is bold in truth, humble in spirit, and committed to reconciliation grounded in orthodox theology can provide the moral and spiritual clarity needed to guide the Church in these turbulent times. He can restore unity where at present there is deep division. It is also worth considering whether the archbishop of Canterbury should continue to serve as the de facto head of the entire Anglican Communion. While this structure was once fitting in the era of British global dominance, it no longer serves the diverse and decentralized nature of today’s Anglican reality. The time is ripe for a more collegial and representative leadership model that reflects the global character of the Communion. This could open space for greater participation from the vibrant churches of the Global South, whose faithfulness and growth offer hope to the wider body of Christ. The Roman Catholic Church is a great example of this, as popes are now elected from around the world and not necessarily from Rome. The appointment of the next archbishop of Canterbury is not merely a ceremonial matter or an internal administrative decision. It is a moment of profound consequence for the Anglican Communion worldwide. What is needed now is a faithful, courageous, and wise leader who can stand firm in traditional Anglican belief and serve as a bridge between two deeply divided communions. Anything less would be a disservice to the gospel, to the Anglican heritage, and to the tens of millions of Anglicans who continue to pray and labor for a church that is both holy and united.   Archbishop Mouneer Anis is the former Anglican Archbishop of Egypt

have an idea: hold a Canterbury Conclave It takes less time for the Catholic Church to elect a pope than the Church of England to name an Archbishop of Canterbury    By Mary Ann Mueller  VOL Special Correspondent  www.virtueonline.org   June 12, 2025      Justin Welby formally laid down his crozier on Epiphany (January 6) and now Pentecost has come and gone and the Canterbury Chair is still empty – Sede Vacante.     A lot has happened in those six months: Pope Francis died Easter Monday (April 21); his state funeral was April 26; after nine days of official mourning a conclave was convened on May 7 and a little over 24 hours later a successor was elected — a dark horse, a baseball loving American from Chicago taking the papal name of Leo XIV.   The new pope was elected on May 8. So technically the See of Peter had been Sede Vacante from April 21 until May 8; all of 17 days.    Turning to the Church of England’s archiepiscopal search … Justin Welby, the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, announced his early retirement on November 20, 2024 but didn't lay down his crozier until his 69th birthday (January 6, 2025). So the See of Canterbury has been Sede Vacante for more than 150 days and counting.   What the Church of England needs to do is hold a Canterbury Conclave and shelve its complicated bureaucratic approach to determining who the next Archbishop of Canterbury should be. The English Church is getting mired in relativism, wokeism and politics.     The cumbersome process is led by the Crown Nominations Commission (CNC), whose role it is to discern whom God may be calling to this vital ministry.    When Pope Leo was enthroned on May 18 there is no Archbishop of Canterbury to lead the Anglican delegation. That task fell to Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe of the Episcopal Church.   Stephen Knott, the Archbishop’ Secretary for Appointments; and Jonathan Hellewell, the Prime Minister’s Appointment Secretary jointly reported recently to the General Synod that “more than 11,000 people took part in the consultation process” to determine the mission of the Church of England and of the wider Anglican Communion.   If you ask 11,000 people their views on who the next Archbishop of Canterbury should be, you'd likely get 10,998 different answers depending on who was questioned.   What percentage of women were represented? What percentage of persons of color? What was the ratio between deacons, priests and bishops? Between the laity and the clerical state? Were the views of Religious – monks, nuns, and hermits included?    May’s Catholic conclave brought together 133 voting cardinals, all younger than 80, gathered from 70 nations speaking 23 different languages. Yet in a little more than 24 hours after the Sistine Chapel’s massive doors were locked one of those cardinals walked out of that conclave as the pope-elect – Robert Francis Prevost from Chicago, Illinois.   The Church of England’s cumbersome nomination process, led by the Crown Nominations Commission, is supposedly designed to discern whom God may be calling to fill St. Augustine’s Chair.     But what if the Archbishop of Canterbury was determined by a conclave? It would be an interesting collection of electors in the first and maybe only “Canterbury Conclave.” I would suggest all sitting Anglican primates – currently there are several Anglican provinces which are Sede Vacante. Add the 17 voting members of the Crown Nominations Commission to the mix and also have the King, the Prime Minister and the Canterbury Cathedral’s College of Canons send in representatives to act for them. In all that would be about 60 active participants.   The Canterbury Conclave could be held at Kent University, since it has hosted the Lambeth Conference in the past and has the accommodations to meet the various needs of the conclave – meetings rooms, lodging, dining and worship.   The Canterbury Conclave would be in lockdown: no spouses would be allowed – no husbands, no wives, no live-in partners regardless of sexual orientation. They would also be stripped of all their electronic devices – cell phones, smart phones, iPads, laptops, smart watches, ect. A total digital blackout. They would be cut off from the world to focus on discerning who the Holy Spirit is guiding their conclave to elect as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. The participants in the conclave would be alone with each other, alone with their thoughts, alone with their prayers, alone with God.   Since Kent University does not have a set-up which allows for the burning of ballots to signal to the world of a successful Canterbury Conclave election, and in keeping with royal tradition, when one of the participating Anglican primates is elected as the new Archbishop of Canterbury – and King Charles III gives his imprimatur – a town cryer would first dispatch to announce the news for all to hear, then the formal Statement of Election would be posted on the door of Canterbury Cathedral for all to see.   The Global South has long advocated that the Archbishop of Canterbury, in his role as an Instrument of Communion, needs to come from an Anglican province outside of England. Anglicanism is a global religious family of 85 million faithful in more than 165 countries. Anglicans are not just in England.   Before Robert Prevost was elected the new pope it was considered improbable that an American cardinal would be elected to fill St. Peter's chair. But it happened.   Will wonders never cease. It could then be possible for an African, or an Asian, or a South American to become the new Archbishop of Canterbury since the heart, soul and passion of Anglicanism has moved to the Global South including Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.   A GAFCON-associated Archbishop of Canterbury would be much more representative of solid traditional historic Biblical Anglicanism.   Also split the role of the Archbishop of Canterbury.   Pope Leo XIV is simultaneously the Bishop of Rome and the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. These are two separate functions. Leo was enthroned as the Pope on May 18, but installed as the Bishop of the Diocese of Rome on May 26.    The Archbishop of Canterbury is seen by the Anglican Communion as a focus of unity. In Anglicanism he is one of the four Instruments of Communion along with the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Consultative Council, and the Primates' Meeting.   The Archbishop of Canterbury is the Primate of All England as well as the diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. It's time to split the two roles.     Elect an “Archbishop of Canterbury” who is the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and a “Metropolitan of Canterbury” who is the spiritual leader of the Church of England. Since these are two separate roles, elect two different people with the Archbishop of Canterbury being elected by the entire Anglican Communion through a “Canterbury Conclave” and the Metropolitan of Canterbury being appointed by the reigning monarch, on the advice of the Crown Nominations Commission, as all other English bishops are.    The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Metropolitan of Canterbury would be independent of each other. Each would have their own unique ministry and responsibilities in both the ecclesial and civil realms.    Currently the Anglican Communion is fractured. Anglican primates refuse to break bread – either at a refectory table or around the altar – with other primates due to deep theological differences and societal norms.   The Archbishop of Canterbury should be a unifying force within the entire Anglican Communion while encouraging the wider Anglican church to follow Jesus more closely and stem the tide of secularism which is infecting the Communion.    The Church of England has drifted far from the Anglican expression of the Apostolic faith and practice which has anchored the English Church for centuries.   The Metropolitan of Canterbury could either lead the Church of England back to biblical orthodoxy and spiritual solvency or continue to push it towards greater irrelevancy and further away from Christ.    As retired Egyptian Archbishop Mouneer Anis explains in a recent First Things article: “The next Archbishop of Canterbury must be more than a national figurehead or a political mediator; he must be a shepherd who is unwavering in the Faith once delivered to the Saints. This includes upholding the Authority of Scripture, the Creeds, the Thirty-Nine Articles, and the Book of Common Prayer.”     Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline.