COMMENTARY   By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org May 5, 2025   The Anglican Church in Canada is in deep trouble. Its very future is at stake. By any reckoning it is on life support.   A panel of Anglican experts recently outlined six paths to ‘big change’ in church. A commission wrote a 48-page document offering six pathways along which the church could organize work to update and strip down its governance to improve efficiency, clarity and inclusion.   The church’s acting primate urged Anglicans to join the work of transformation. The church is approaching a time of important decisions—one which Anglicans can and should embrace with hope, Archbishop Anne Germond, acting primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, told Council of General Synod (CoGS). Her comments came as a commission established by former primate Archbishop Linda Nicholls recommended major cuts to the size of the church’s organizational committees and governing bodies.   The commission’s recommendations are aimed at adapting the church to the needs of a smaller membership and a 21st-century social and political landscape, said the report. However, the lay representative of the ecclesiastical province of the Northern Lights, described it as a “chainsaw approach” to rapid cuts.   All this is code for ‘we don’t have enough money coming in to keep the bureaucracy going and the lights.’ Here are the data for average Sunday attendance.   In 2001 it was 162,000, by 2019 it was 87,000, by 2022 it was 65,000. Would anyone be surprised if today, in 2025, it was under 50,000! How could a church be sinking this rapidly last beyond 2040!   These are truly remarkable numbers. A church already in steep decline saw that decline speed up during COVID. Attendance in 2022 was 40 percent of attendance in 2001. And between 2019 and 2022, the ACoC lost a quarter of its Sunday attendance.   As The Living Church noted, this is not a church “in decline” or “close to collapse.”  This is what collapse looks like.  All the trends show that this decline will continue.   Decline always begins in the pulpit. An uncertain sound brings uncertain results. It always ends in unbelief and ultimately flight. If the church does not have a coherent message because it doesn’t believe its own beliefs, why in heaven’s name would anybody want to attend. If the Bible is of secondary importance to the culture wars, then the jig is up. Best to close the doors.   The average age of a Canadian Anglican is in the high 60s with boomers being the biggest givers. They will be gone in another decade or so.   The two options are, (1) waiting around to die, or (2) pulling the plug now, selling off the assets for whatever you can get, putting it into the pension plan while you can, and hope that the proceeds continue long enough before dementia sets in and you don’t know the difference.   There are exact parallels with its sister church, The Episcopal Church; the big difference is that TEC still has billions of dollars it can throw at what it euphemistically calls mission, in the hope it will stay in business a little longer. But mission isn’t in accord with Mt. 28, that is, going into all the world to preach the gospel. For the ACoC and TEC it is going into all the world and preaching inclusion of sexual minorities, justice (with any aggrieved group); throwing reparation money at ancient sins, and making sure that trans folk who want a little snip and tuck of vital organs, get it done with the church’s support.   With the sale of cathedrals and churches becoming more common, a new form of “justice” is providing housing for the marginalized and immigrant. That makes vestries feel a lot better about themselves if the money goes to a good cause. God forbid that the priest and laity should actually “gossip the gospel”, definitely not inclusive enough. Such a narrow-minded view of things would have the late pope pooping his papal underwear.   But people make the church, not money, and there are no new generations pouring into either Canadian or Episcopal churches to keep the red doors open. Dioceses are beginning to merge as smaller ones shrink and cannot afford either a headquarters or a full-time bishop. It costs a lot to keep a miter on a bishop’s head.   “This is not just tweaks, this is big change,” commission chair Archdeacon Monique Stone told CoGS. At least she had the honesty to admit it.   The Anglican Church of Canada will not be around for your grandchildren. Somebody will leave a plaque under a large Maple tree inscribed with the words; “The last Anglican Church is buried here.”  RIP.   END

A Primer on What They Are, Who Wrote Them, and Why They Matter   By Michael F. Bird May 5, 2025   Dr. Andrew Perrin explores key topics and texts from his new book Lost Words and Forgotten Worlds: Rediscovering the Dead Sea Scrolls.   Crash Course on the Dead Sea Scrolls Maybe you’ve heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Perhaps you’ve heard a “dad joke” about the Dead Sea Squirrels. Either way, these incredible manuscripts and archaeological discoveries warrant an introduction. After all, they are arguably the most impactful discovery of modern times and are unquestionably a discovery of literal biblical significance. This short article is a crash course of “must know” information on the Dead Sea Scrolls answering key questions about when they were found, who wrote them, and what they do (or don’t do) for our understanding of biblical texts and their ancient contexts.   What are the Dead Sea Scrolls and Who Wrote Them? The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of some 930 fragmentary manuscripts discovered in eleven caves off the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. More recent discoveries suggest there are (or were) likely other caves in the Judaean wilderness that held texts. The majority of scroll finds, however, occurred in in the late-1940s through mid-1950s in eleven caves dotting this arid and rugged wilderness near the saltiest body of water on earth, about a half hour drive from Jerusalem.   The Dead Sea Scrolls were copied and/or collected by an ancient Jewish scribal community that lived at the site of Qumran between about 100 BCE to 68 CE. The group was likely part of an Essene movement. Their group separated themselves from wider society and lived out a communal life structured around purity practices, the rhythm and ritual of liturgy, and a fervent expectation of imminent divine rule. All these ideas, practices, and community structures are steeped in, and shaped by, their deep engagement with the Hebrew Scriptures, read through the revelatory and authoritative lens of their “Teacher of Righteousness,” and informed by other emerging traditions, like those associated with Enoch. As such, the collection includes texts that outline the ideas and ideals of the community (sometimes called “sectarian” texts) on a range of topics including liturgy, apocalypticism, scriptural interpretation, and wisdom.   But not all texts are sectarian. The Dead Sea Scrolls include our earliest copies of most books that are later canonized in the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. Esther, for example, is famously absent either by accident or intent. The anthology of writings of the Qumran community also includes several writings that were clearly read by this Essene group but were not written by them. These writings often provide a lens into the thought, life, literature, identities, and history of the wider landscape of ancient Judaism in the mid- to late-Second Temple period (ca. 300 BCE – 68 CE). While the Qumran sectarian documents appear to be all written in Hebrew, the scrolls reflect the linguistic variety of this period with materials penned (or translated) in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.   The end of this period saw the tragic destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans who were quelling a Jewish revolt. This not only resulted in a seismic shift in Jewish culture but also spelled the end for the Qumran community. As the Romans gave chase to a group of Jewish rebels fleeing into the Judaean wilderness, the Qumranites were caught in the cross hairs and swept off the map in a violent battle attested to in the archaeological record by ash and arrow heads at the site of their sectarian home. While there was no doubt many texts and artefacts damaged in this destruction, those tucked away in the caves became an accidental time capsule that remained undiscovered for nearly 2,000 years.   When and How were the Dead Sea Scrolls Discovered? The first Dead Sea Scrolls were initially discovered in 1947. As excitement built around the early finds, more and more ventures were made by both Bedouin folk living in the region and archaeologists attempting to seek and secure more manuscripts in caves in the Judean Desert. The eleven caves that are part of the early discovery history of the scrolls were all identified by January 1956, with the largest one (Cave Four) not identified until August of 1952. Even if you’ve never seen a Dead Sea Scroll or visited the site of Qumran, you might recognize the now iconic image of Cave Four, which has become synonymous with the discoveries. Ironically, it is a stone’s throw away from the Qumran archaeological site—it was literally hiding in plain sight.   Speaking of stones, perhaps you’ve heard the common tale of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It generally goes something like this. A young Bedouin lad was herding goats. As boys are known to do, he was curious, and aimless, tossing stones. Yet when he tossed a stone into the craggy cliffs of the Judaean desert, he heard a “clink.” He either looked or clambered into the cave where the stone landed. His initial reconnaissance mission confirmed this was neither a normal nor empty cave: there were jars, scrolls, and who knows what other treasure (or evil spirits!) might be within. Taking flight with intrigue and adrenaline, he returned to his tribespeople and shared the news of the peculiar yet promising find. He and others would then return later to extract bundles of leather manuscripts. After discussing maybe making sandals of them, the Bedouin opted for turning a profit and began brokering them through an intermediary. This accidental discovery meant the scrolls could be saved and studied by western scholars.   This is a great story but is it fact? That is the question. Even my paraphrase above draws upon elements from a few different yet common versions of the discovery tale. Like all good stories, there are variations and competing versions. Like all great stories, these have now been retold and reshaped down through generations. There is a blend of mythmaking, memory, history, and historiography at play here.   There are basic elements of this narrative that certainly are true. As far as we know, the texts originated in caves though most were not found in situ (that is, in a controlled archaeological dig). Several members of the Ta’amireh Bedouin tribe were crucial in these early discoveries and they continued to play a role in both finding and brokering materials as early scrolls scholars and archaeologists tried to outpace them in their desert going scroll missions.   But when we read the discovery story of the Dead Sea Scrolls alongside other manuscript discoveries from about the same time, like the Nag Hammadi texts, it is clear that these stories are often told with a similar arc: an accidental find, scrolls in jars, caricatured natives looking to exploit the finds, and western scholars swooping as if Indiana Jones to rescue writings of historical, biblical, and theological significance.   Not unlike how the actual texts of the Dead Sea Scrolls require careful interpretation, we can (should and even need to) critically interpret this modern story in order to untangle fact from fable. This also helps provide a new framing for our approach to the Dead Sea Scrolls today. With an outline of what the Dead Sea Scrolls are, and a more nuanced understanding of how these ancient texts emerged in the modern world, we can now encounter them for how they challenged, changed, our confirmed our understanding of the making and meanings of scriptures in their ancient contexts.   What Do the Dead Sea Scrolls Reveal about the Words and Worlds of Scripture? If the first generation or two of scrolls scholars’ primary job was the arduous and detailed work of deciphering what the texts say (transcription and translation), the ongoing work of scrolls scholars is exploring what the texts mean (interpretation and understanding).   The scrolls are revolutionary for both the new texts they revealed as well as the fresh or even unknown contexts they provided for rethinking the historical, textual, cultural dynamics of the Bible. Take the traditional divide between Old Testament and New Testament studies, which, for better or worse, are often siloed from each other in course offerings, publications, departments, and conferences. The scrolls, however, relate deeply to both these domains. As noted above, they include our earliest known biblical manuscripts in their original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek) and crucial to understanding the scribal formation and transmission of Hebrew Scriptures at an early time. A quick sample of fragments from each of these languages hints at their importance.   Starting with Hebrew writings, 4QJeremiaha is among the earliest manuscripts in the entire scrolls collection (dating to about 225-175 BCE). It also happens to have the more corrections or scribal updates than any other writing among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Just take a look at this beautiful sample fragment that has scribal interventions and creativity literally written all over it. What do we make of this? This is a great reminder that scriptures were both copied and shaped by human scribes in this period—they were part of the story. Not only do manuscripts like this help us understand the textual history of Hebrew Scriptures they also reveal the scribal culture that encountered and invested in them.   The Aramaic writings attested in the Qumran collection represent between 10-13% of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These diverse materials reveal Jewish scribes were actively copying, developing, or even translating works in this common language of the ancient Near East. Take, Job, for example. Any student of biblical Hebrew knows, this is a challenging book to translate: the book’s syntax is often tricky and its vocabulary tougher. Perhaps this was also the reason why some ancient scribe(s) rendered Hebrew Job into more approachable Aramaic. Or maybe this translation served a social function such as reading in liturgy or synagogue. Either way, the existence of fragments of portions of Job in Aramaic, such as those found in Caves Four (4QTargumJob) and Eleven (11QTargumJob), are significant for how we understand both scribal innovations and social encounters with this classic book of Hebrew wisdom.   Alexander the Great’s push across the Near East starting in the fourth century BCE brought a new cultural and linguistic element to the equation: Greek. This also sparked the need or opportunity for translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, otherwise known as the Septuagint. While most books of the Septuagint have their own dynamics, story, and character, the scrolls once again provide some of our earliest fragmentary materials relevant to the study of ancient Hebrew Scriptures in Greek. Take, for example, the Minor Prophets scroll (dated to about the 1st century BCE) found in a cave at the nearby site of Nahal Hever. Not only is this our earliest witness to snippets of prophetic books like Jonah, Michah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Zechariah it is also an important and early example of the scribal collection of several such prophetic works onto a single scroll. In this way, we see scribes and their communities not only thinking about texts but combining traditions on the same material object.   The above example of Greek fragments among the Dead Sea Scrolls all relate to ancient Jewish writings and translations of scriptural materials. The Qumran collection does not include any New Testament texts. The scrolls do, however, come from a time in Jewish culture that was also the common soil for the early Jesus movement. As such, they provide remarkable (even game changing) views of the belief, practices, even tensions of Jewish groups in this period that are also and essential part of the story of Christian origins. But that is a whole other story for a subsequent article in this series.   Beyond Dead Sea Scrolls 101 This short primer on the Dead Sea Scrolls highlights their extraordinary value for understanding the textual traditions and historical contexts that formed Judaism and Christianity's foundational thought and scriptures.

In this conversation, Rev. Chandler Wiley and Rev. Dr. Shane Copeland engage with Dr. Gillis Harp to explore the significance of confessionalism in Anglicanism, discussing its historical roots, the importance of the 39 Articles, and the implications of various practices within the tradition. They delve into the understanding of sacraments, prayers for the dead, and apostolic succession, emphasizing the need for a clear and confessional Anglican identity in the contemporary church. Anglicans, Let’s Stay True to Our Confessional Heritage , TGC article by Dr. Gillis Harp Brahmin Prophet: Phillips Brooks and the Path of Liberal Protestantism , book by Dr. Gillis Harp The 39 Articles of Religion The Myth of the English Reformation , article by Diarmaid MacCulloch 1662Anglican.org Grace Anglican in Grove City, PA Takeaways Anglicanism historically has a confessional identity despite modern perceptions. The 39 Articles serve as a foundational document for Anglican beliefs. The practice of reserving and venerating communion elements diverges from historical Anglicanism. Prayers for the dead are not supported by the 39 Articles and can undermine assurance of salvation. Apostolic succession in Anglicanism focuses on doctrinal continuity rather than physical lineage. The Anglican view of sacraments emphasizes two key sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper. Physical or aesthetically pleasing practices should be examined for their theological implications in worship. There is a growing interest in recovering classical Anglicanism among younger leaders. https://open.spotify.com/show/0yFlKelgiZoosXDeQKmTHf?si=01dfcb8b711a4242

By K.C. Nwajei THE LIVING CHURCH April 30, 2025   An archdeacon presides at a mass grave for victims of a massacre. | Diocese of Jos   The Rt. Rev. Ephraim Gongden has served since 2024 as the Church of Nigeria’s Bishop of Jos, a diocese that encompasses most of Plateau State, the scene of numerous attacks by Muslim Fulani herdsmen on Christian farming villages in recent years. An April 14 attack on the inhabitants of Zike, a Plateau State village, was cited by the church’s primate, Archbishop Henry Ndukuba, in his Easter sermon, which focused on the need for peace.   This interview has been edited for length and clarity.   Can you give us a sense of what has been happening in Plateau and Benue States in the past few weeks?   What is happening in the two states (and sometimes in southern Kaduna) can be described on one hand as ethnic cleansing—genocide. On another hand, it is a jihad. The sad events can also be seen as land-grabbing because whenever the Fulanis attack a community and displace the people, they occupy the villages immediately. That is how we have lost over 70 communities, which are now being renamed and occupied by the Fulanis.   Whichever way you see it, the one thing that runs through them all is persecution. So the attack is a persecution of the Christians in the Plateau and Benue States.   The Fulani militia are determined to carry on with the conquest that their leader, Uthman Dan Fodio, began—though he was defeated in Plateau and Benue States. They are continuing, but more subtly, by not speaking loudly about Islam. It is only when they come killing that you hear shouts of “Allahu Akbar,” meaning “God is great.”   A careful look at the attacks will reveal that these are not random or accidental attacks but premeditated, well-planned, coordinated with an agenda in mind. Don’t forget, the government has on many occasions admitted that foreigners are involved in the attacks.   The narrative in the past has been that it is a farmer-herder clash, but that is a fraudulent narrative in itself. It is deceitful and wicked to describe the evil being perpetrated by the Fulanis as a clash. How can we clash with a people whose community we don’t know? The same government that sometimes tries hard to dispel the truth of the matter are the same people describing the assailants as unknown.   It pains the Christian community more when we hear such narratives that what is happening to us is a clash or as a result of cattle rustling. Like the governor of Plateau State said, such narratives are dangerous, misleading, and disrespect the memory of those brutally murdered in cold blood.   Some reports about the recent attacks do not specify the religious affiliation of the victims, but some advocacy groups are saying that the victims are Christians and this happened in predominantly Christian villages. Can you tell us more about this?   There is no doubt that the victims of the attacks in Plateau State are Christians. I can say this over and over again because, not only do the villages and homes attacked belong to Christians, but the people killed are Christians. We have mass graves where we buried them and those who doubt can go and see for themselves. The villages—Zike, Ruwi, Hurti—they are all Christian communities. The attackers, who are Muslims, cannot point to any communities of theirs that were attacked or that have such mass graves.   Can you confirm details of the attack by Fulani herdsmen in the village of Zike, near Jos, in the early hours of April 14?   The attack took place there in the middle of the night. The villagers were asleep when the merchants of death descended upon them in their sleep, slaughtering them with knives and machetes. That’s the tactics of the Fulani militia, the jihadists, now.   Even though they come with sophisticated guns, they prefer using knives because the sound of the guns (if used) can draw the attention of security agencies or neighboring communities. They use the guns only if they encounter opposition.   Among the 52 Christians killed, two of them were 7- and 10-year-old pupils of our church primary school at Kwall, very close to Zike, in the Bassa Local Government Area. Our pastor, the Rev. Josiah Ishaya, and his wife managed to run to Jos. One of our priests, the Ven Mark Mukan, who is the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Bassa Local Government Area, presided over the mass funeral of the victims. Remember, these are unprovoked attacks and killings.   We have also read reports of attacks in several villages in Benue State. Can you tell us more about these?   The killings in Benue have been like those in Plateau. In each case, Fulani militia are responsible. Sometimes the Fulani leaders will issue a press release to the effect that they’re responsible but will end up walking away without any questioning by government or security agencies. This further confirms what I said earlier, that the attacks are being guided by an agenda. The attackers seem to have some very strong backing, hence their arrogance and boldness to come to a press conference and to leave without being arrested by security agencies.   What is the church doing to stop these attacks and killings, and what is the way forward for Christians, particularly after the recent stakeholders’ meeting convened by the governor of Plateau State? A lot has been done, is being done, and still being expected of the church by the persecuted. The security agencies are seeming to fail, and in some cases, they seem compromised in favor of the militias who attack our people, so the Christian communities are looking up to the church.   We are taking several steps to address and prevent attacks on Christian communities through:   Community engagement such as interfaith dialogue to promote understanding, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence. In Plateau state, for example, there is an interreligious council that consists of both Christians and Muslims.   Community outreach and visits in order to build relationships with local leaders, organizations, and community members to foster trust and cooperation.   Advocacy and awareness by educating the public about the issues facing the Christian communities and the importance of religious freedom. In some cases, the church partners with non-governmental organizations to do this.   Advocacy for policy change through various submissions to the government and policymakers about the need to protect religious freedom and prevent persecution.   Offering emotional, spiritual, and practical support to affected communities and individuals. This includes relief supplies, medical assistance, and counseling on trauma.   Solidarity with persecuted Christians through public statements, prayers, and actions. The peace wall begun in Jos by Christians is a good example of this.   Ensuring that the gospel of peace is preached in churches, and that Christians are urged to embrace the peace that Christ offers, and to strive to live at peace with all men. Bible studies have, in most cases, concentrated on love, forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, and understanding.   Encouraging prayers at all times for persecuted Christians and for peace and understanding in our communities, with a view to not only live in peace but for spiritual renewal.   Offering training in conflict resolution and mediation to help resolve disputes peacefully, and working with non-governmental organizations and other groups to advocate for the rights of Christian communities.   Even though the church is involved in all these efforts to support and protect Christian communities facing persecution, we are still expecting the government to demonstrate real political will and support towards ending the persecution, because these attacks are nothing but persecution of the Christians. The government and the church must work hard to bring succor to the persecuted communities in the states affected. We need an environment where we can live, survive and worship the Lord freely. K.C. Nwajei is a freelance journalist based in Abuja, Nigeria.

COMMENTARY   By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org May 2, 2025   Lutherans and Anglicans are on opposite sides of the fence over conscience protection for gay marriage.   The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) announced this week that they would preserve and protect the consciences of Lutherans who cited scripture and history opposing gay marriage.   Concerns had arisen after the denomination voted in 2022 to revise its 2009 social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, which recognizes a diversity of theological views on sexuality and marriage.   Critics feared the revision process might threaten existing safeguards for those holding traditional beliefs.   However, Ryan P Cumming, program director for Theological Ethics at the ELCA, assured The Christian Post that the "reconsideration is editorial only" and the proposed changes "do not alter the substantive meaning of the 2009 social statement". He added: "Discussions of human sexuality and marriage naturally raise significant concerns among many throughout the church."   According to the Rev. Roger A Willer, director for ELCA Theological Ethics, phrases such as "husband and wife" have been updated to "both spouses" or "the couple", while references now speak of "sex, gender, and sexuality" rather than "sexual orientation and gender identity". Willer stressed that the original meaning of the sentences remains unchanged from 2009.   The 2009 statement recognized four "conscience-bound" positions on homosexuality, ranging from full opposition to same-sex relationships to full affirmation of same-sex marriage.   THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND CONSCIENCE   The Episcopal Church has little regard for conscience on gay marriage. The church has incrementally pushed homosexual marriage in the name of being inclusive and diverse. Being inclusive of all people became a core tenet of the Episcopal Church which began allowing same-sex marriage in 2015, days after the United States Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.   The small minority of Episcopal priests who wouldn’t officiate at same-sex weddings were told that they could refer the couple to another priest who would. This often angered a small minority of pansexual laity who complained to the bishop, with the priest being “invited” to move on. Bishops, who in conscience said they would not allow same-sex weddings were at first tolerated and then the wall came down with cries of exclusion and homophobia. When Resolution B012 on homosexual marriage became canon law, the jig was up.   With bishops Spong, Robinson, aided by Browning, Lee, and Griswold, the die was cast. The consciences of the orthodox be damned. Resolution B012 doomed the consciences of the faithful forever. Former Albany Bishop Bill Love learned the lesson the hard way and was summarily shown the door. His conscience be damned.   Bishop Love rejected B012 and forbade same-sex marriages, arguing that God’s law trumped the General Convention. He was convicted by a church court of breaking his vow of obedience for defying the resolution. He resigned as diocesan bishop before a penalty hearing, and now serves as a bishop in the Anglican Church in North America.   For former Episcopal Bishop of Central Florida, John W. Howe, the issue to leave TEC over the church’s promotion and acceptance of gay marriage was all about conscience. In the end he left.   “I always said I would continue in TEC until or unless it requires of me something that God forbids, or forbids something God requires. Even though I had retired from episcopal responsibilities, when they came after +Bill Love they made it impossible for any bishop to continue upholding/enforcing Biblical standards (God's standards) regarding sexuality and marriage.  I could stay no longer.” For Howe it was “100% a matter of theology, 100% a matter of conscience.”   But the issue refused to go away. When Charlie Holt, an orthodox priest, was nominated to be the next Bishop of Florida it was a combination of compromise and conscience, but his compromises did not get him over the finish line. The diocese claimed procedural issues and accused him of racism. These issues were smokescreen for the real issue, he would not personally accept homosexual marriage even if he allowed other bishops to perform same. He was dumped not once but twice. It doesn’t pay to cross the pansexualists. At the end of the day, they didn’t give a damn about his conscience. Winning is all that matters. And if it takes a sexual steam roller to do it, so be it.   Lesbian priestess Susan Russell a shrill advocate for the church’s pansexuality put it like this; “We fear that the Reverend Holt’s election is the intended result of a system designed in the exclusion of LGBTQ+ voices and votes. Furthermore, we are forced to wonder whether this culture would continue under Bishop Holt due to his previous offensive comments on gender and sexuality.” It was a lie, but the accommodationist Holt was history.   The Lutherans found a way forward, they preserved the consciences of those who disagreed with the church’s direction.   They understood Martin Luther’s religion is a “religion of conscience” in the most pronounced sense of the word, with all the urgency and the personal character belonging to it. Perhaps Luther’s ringing words, “Here I stand, I can do no other,” a ringing endorsement of personal conscience got their attention. It is hard to say. To sin is to act against conscience.   Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it, said Albert Einstein. We could modify that and say, we should never do anything against conscience even if the church demands it.   The Lutherans understood that, The Episcopal Church does not. Both churches will eventually die. You cannot go against God’s word and survive. What singles out TEC is the destruction and inviolability of conscience. And that in the end is unconscionable.   END

OPINION   By George Pitches PREMIER CHRISTIANITY 30 April 2025   The position of Archbishop of Canterbury has been vacant since January 2025. Who will be the person to guide the Church of England through what has been a volatile era of polarisation, safeguarding scandals, yet spiritual awakening amongst the youth and renewal in the UK. Here are seven prospective candidates   The position of Archbishop of Canterbury has remained vacant since Justin Welby formally resigned on January 7 2025, following the completion of his final official duties on January 6. Although still in its early stages, the process for finding his successor has already spanned several months — and is expected to take many more before a final decision is reached.   The Crown Nominations Commission, which consists of 17 members and must agree with a two-thirds majority, will short list and interview candidates before eventually making a recommendation to the prime minister. The PM then forwards the name to King Charles III, the supreme governor of the Church of England, who formally makes the appointment.   Predicting the next archbishop is notoriously difficult – Welby himself was a famously left-field choice. However, a number of names have been placed in the frame, including several female bishops. If appointed, they would make history by becoming the first ever woman to become Archbishop of Canterbury.   1. Rt Rev Martyn Snow, Bishop of Leicester   Born in Indonesia and having previously worked in West Africa, Snow has a background in the global Church. He has worked to combat homelessness and is overseeing the CofE’s target to raise up 30,000 new children’s and youth leaders by 2030. He is the lead bishop for Living in Love and Faith (LLF), the CofE’s attempt to “journey together” on debates over sexuality. Given Snow abstained from a vote on blessings for gay couples, some hope he will be able to hold the CofE together in unity.   2. Rt Rev Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, Bishop of Chelmsford   Francis-Dehqani was ordained in 2017, just three years after the first woman bishop was appointed. She was born in Iran and has spoken about her brother’s murder in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, which prompted her family to flee to Britain. When profiled recently in Premier Christianity, Bishop Guli lamented the polarised nature of our national debates and advocated an approach which looks at “the grey space within the binaries”. Guli was one of 44 bishops to sign an open letter in support of priests being allowed to enter into same-sex marriages in 2023.   3. Rt Rev Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich Currently lead bishop on the environment, Usher was widely believed to be a frontrunner for the next head of the Church of England. However, he recently ruled himself out of contention by committing to serve on the commission that will nominate the archbishop. Usher studied ecological science at the University of Edinburgh and theology at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He is a keen beekeeper, and patron or president of 25 charities. Usher is in favour of blessing same-sex couples in church.   4. Rt Rev Rachel Treweek, Bishop of Gloucester   Treweek grew up in Hertfordshire where, as a child, she asked to join the all-male choir at her local church — an early act that set a precedent for the path she would later walk. In 2015, she became the first female diocesan bishop in the Church of England and the first female bishop admitted to the House of Lords. Before ordination, Treweek worked as a speech and language therapist and previously spoke to Premier Christianity of her wrestle with God’s call to ministry at a time when women were still barred from becoming CofE priests. In 2023, Treweek stated that she supported the celebration and blessing of “faithful monogamous same-sex relationships”, but did not support changing the Church of England’s doctrine of marriage as the life-long union of one man and one woman.   5. Most Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York   Currently the most senior leader of the Church of England, Cottrell, 66, has served as Archbishop of York since 2020. While he would be a natural frontrunner, his age — close to the standard retirement age for clergy — may rule him out, as bishops are generally required to retire by 70 unless granted special permission to continue until 75. He has also come under criticism for his role in recent safeguarding scandals, with some clergy calling for his resignation.   6. Rt Rev Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London   Formerly the NHS’s Chief Nursing Officer, Mullally came to ordained ministry later in life, bringing high-level leadership experience from outside the Church. Now the third most senior bishop in the Church of England, she was once a candidate for Archbishop of York. Mullally has a strong public profile, presiding over national events such as Remembrance Sunday, and leads a thriving diocese. She described the prayers of blessing for same-sex couples as a “moment of hope for the Church”.   7. Rt Rev Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle   Bishop of Newcastle since April 2023, Hartley has previously served as Bishop of Waikato, a diocese of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. She is known for her vocal criticism of other senior clergy regarding safeguarding issues and was the only bishop to publicly call for Archbishop Welby’s resignation, describing his position as “untenable” in light of safeguarding failures. While her boldness may resonate with those demanding reform, it could also alienate senior figures whose support she would need to secure the top job. Hartley has previously said that she supports “full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the life of the Church”, including the introduction of same-sex marriage.   VOL: Missing is a trannie hairdresser from Three Cocks Lane, Gloucester. He/she said they got trained at the Bully Pulpit School of Indifferent Theology.

A Pope Francis II would turn the Church’s de facto division into de jure schism.   COMMENTARY   By David W. Virtue, DD www.virtueonline.org May 1, 2025   On May 7, some 135 cardinals will assemble behind closed doors, with no communication with the outside world, and there they will elect a new pope.  At some point white smoke will ascend unto heaven and we will know who it is. Hold the drum roll.   By all accounts the dice are loaded. More than two-thirds of the cardinals are Francis’s picked men. They are red birettas with a progressive outlook on the church and the world. They are, as Malcolm Muggeridge once said of Church of England vicars, “moderate men of all shades of opinion.”   These will be men, some of whom will be practicing homosexuals; another segment pro-homosexual, and a group of heterosexual cardinals too afraid to go against the prevailing zeitgeist. They will allow divorced and remarried persons to take communion, they will swallow the line that all paths lead to God, and they will carry Francis’s banner “to build bridges not walls.” The winner will rail against Trump and show himself to be compassionate “to the least of these”. He will rail against Israel, praise Palestinian resistance and show himself to be Islam friendly. The MSM will love him as he will display all the virtues of a 21st century post-modern Pope accessible to all. It doesn't necessarily have to be a Francis mark II, a Francis impersonator, but it probably will be.   He will go one step further than Francis and make sure the Latin Mass is never said anywhere again, and sideline any orthodox bishop, archbishop or Cardinal who dares to get in the way of his utopian worldview.   If that is not a recipe for schism, I don’t know what is.   The brilliant Vatican watcher, Rev. Dr. Jules Gomes said it well when he wrote that Francis’s funeral validated the reality of a monstrously divided church.   “A curious onlooker would need only a few hours of internet excavation to discover that the Catholic Church is fatally fractured — from the extremes of Latin Mass traditionalists trashing the New Rite of the Eucharist to the sedevacantist sirens blaring to alert fellow Catholics to their truth that there has been no valid pope since Pius XII died in 1958.   “I won’t even mention liberal Catholics, conservative Catholics, Catholics who believe Benedict XVI was really the pope after his resignation and communicated this Dan Brownesque secret through a Latin code while Francis was an impostor, and the overwhelming majority of Catholics who haven’t given a fig about Catholic teaching on sexuality since the invention of the birth control pill. But they are all certainly different factions of the whole.”   Pope Francis’ funeral told the tale of two Catholic churches. “I saw two Catholic Churches existing alongside like dust and diamonds. And both claim to be the one, true Church,” writes Gomes.   For the first time in decades (there have been other splits since the Reformation) the microchurch — well-funded, loud, and influential — has threatened a schism within Catholicism, while megachurch Catholics flung their garments on the road for Francis to drive on in his unassuming Fiat, says Gomes. He has it exactly right.   In the eulogy, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re delivered at the funeral (rather than the homily Francis had ordered) he revealed why the megachurch hailed the pope as Jorge Bergoglio Superstar. Re trotted out the pope’s achievements — loved as “pastoral” and “prophetic” by the Catholic megachurch and despised as treacherous and heretical by the microchurch.   A Pope Francis II would turn the Church’s de facto division into de jure schism. The megachurch would cheer, the microchurch would jeer — and the level of cognitive dissonance afflicting confused Catholics would soar, writes Gomes.   Popes may come and popes may go, but we would heed well the prophet Isaiah’s exhortation to seek refuge and anchorage in the unchanging Word of God: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (40:8).   END

By Adelle M. Banks RELIGION NEWS SERVICE (2003)   Bishop V. Gene Robinson, elected in June as the first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal Church, was named the Religion Newsmaker of the Year by members of  the Religion Newswriters Association. His approval and consecration, and the ensuing threats of schism in the U. S. church and the wider Anglican Communion, were collectively cited as the top religion news story of 2003 -- a ranking shared with criticism of the Anglican bishop of Vancouver, British Columbia, who approved same-sex unions.     About a third of the 240 members of the Religion Newswriters Association took part in the annual survey. More than 80 percent of these selected Robinson as the top newsmaker.     The top 10 religion news stories were ranked as follows 1. Turmoil mounts within the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion after Robinson approval and consecration, and Vancouver Bishop Michael Ingham’s action.     2. The pending war in Iraq split religious communities, with mostly mainline Protestant denominations opposing it and many evangelicals supporting it.     3. The definition of marriage becomes a key area of controversy after Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rules gay couples have a right to civil marriage and the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a ban against homosexual sodomy.     4. A Ten Commandments monument is removed from Alabama State Judicial building and the man who got it installed there, Roy Moore, is removedfrom his post as the state’s chief justice. 5. Roman Catholic Church efforts to implement plans combating priestly sex abuse draw praise and criticism. Archbishop Sean OMalley succeeds Cardinal Bernard Law as leader of the Boston Archdiocese.     6. Pope John Paul II marks the 25th anniversary of his election amid growing concerns about his health and debate over his eventual successor.     7. Slumping economy prompts budget cutbacks in many denominations.   8. Presbyterian Church (USA) keeps  fidelity and chastity clause, maintaining its ban on noncelibate gay clergy. The denomination elects its first woman pastor as moderator.     9. The U.S. Supreme Court decides to hear a California case challenging the inclusion of the words under God in the Pledge of Allegiance.     10. The suspension of Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod official David Benke of New York, for participating in a post-9/11 interfaith service, is overturned.     Officials of Valparaiso University issued an apology to the denomination members after holding an interfaith service marking the first anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.       END

I sense an impending train wreck the size of which this part of the Anglican Communion has not seen. The Rt. Rev. Peter Beckwith, Bishop of Springfield     THE YEAR IN REVIEW     (Part 1)       By David W. Virtue, DD   It was a cataclysmic year in the life of the Anglican Communion.     The new 104th Archbishop of the Anglican Communion was enthroned in Canterbury in March an emergency meeting of the Primates was held at Lambeth later in the year, the consecration of a non-celibate homosexual to The Episcopal Church took place, the almost consecration of a homosexual canon theologian to The Church of England was sabotaged at the last minute some 3,000 orthodox Episcopalians met in Dallas to plot a new direction for themselves, it all ending with the formation of a Network of Anglican Dioceses and Congregations that will challenge The Episcopal Church very control of its people. There has never been a year like it in the history of the Anglican Communion or The Episcopal Church. The entire Communion hovered on the very brink of schism, with cries of outrage from Global South Primates and bishops as they viewed their Western counterparts doing and saying things that violated the very core of Anglican doctrine and practice, in fact the very truth of what it means to be a Christian.     The newly elected Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams found himself floundering in a sea of controversy over sexuality issues that will require Solomonic wisdom to resolve if the Communion is to stay together. He would not offer a clear biblical word rejecting sex outside of marriage, preferring to set in motion an Eames Commission report he hopes by Oct. 2004 will bring all the parties together at a common table. He might well be whistling Dixie.     THE YEAR 2003 began ominously enough with word being declared that The Episcopal Church was going through a dark night of the soul with The Anglican Church in Canada also being torn apart by sin and bad theology,     In January a radical bid for alternative Episcopal oversight brought two British evangelical groups REFORM and CHURCH SOCIETY together saying they wanted pastoral care from someone other than Rowan Williams to reign over them because he had knowingly ordained a -homosexual and they called on Peter Jensen the Archbishop of Sydney to give them cover.     The Archbishop of Canterbury was not amused by the actions of these two groups.   But in the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA, the bishop Charles Bennison, was thwarted yet again after an orthodox priest he wanted out of one of his parishes went off to Africa to face trial and was promptly sent back to resume his ministry. Fr. Eddy Rix, 32, priest in charge at All Saints, Wynnewood pled guilty to functioning as a priest without a license in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, got a slap on the wrist, after being allowed to preach in the African diocese and then ordered home to pick up where he left off, much to the chagrin of Bennison.     As a sign of the times another orthodox priest, the Rev. Frederick C. Watson resigned and went off to the Russian Orthodox church fed up with the ECUSA new found religion.     The Archbishop of Canterbury took a major hit from Mark Steyn in the Sunday Telegraph saying that his criticism of the war on Iraq as utterly immoral showed he was himself morally flawed. Williams spent a good part of the year making statements making nice with what he generously called moderate Islamic groups who didnt really want to commit Jihad against the West.     THE AFRICAN ANGLICAN CHURCH, one of the last bastions of religious conservatism, reluctantly prepared for battle against Western-imposed liberalism. On a continent where homosexuality is not only morally unacceptable, but often also illegal, the possibility that Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, would want to ordain practicing homosexuals prompted undisguised horror. As abhorrent as female circumcision is to you in the West, that is how abhorrent homosexuality is to the African mind, said one Kenyan bishop. If they go ahead and do it [ordain homosexuals], the African Church will react, and will react negatively. Homosexuality is unbiblical and unnatural.       That was just for openers, the pressure and heat mounted ominously throughout the year.     And back in the DIOCESE OF PENNSYLVANIA, Bennison failed to dislodge Father David Moyer from the rectorship of Church of the Good Shepherd parish, or even to eliminate the parish as a vital force in the Philadelphia area, or worldwide.   Moyer became answerable to an archbishop in Africa with the feud drawing international attention after the ultra-liberal bishop officially defrocked the orthodox priest in September for defying his authority. Father Moyer and his supporters, however, worked out a plan to foil the action Within minutes of the defrocking, he was made a priest in the Province of Central Africa, then was transferred to the oversight of the bishop of Pittsburgh. Father Moyer continued to function as pastor of the Rosemont parish, an unprecedented situation that pleased fellow traditionalists in the Anglican Communion but confounded Episcopal strategists. By yearend he was still safely ensconced in his parish with his attorney John H. Lewis, Jr., declaring that the crisis had passed.     Lewis has said that Bennison had become a prisoner of his own wrongful actions. Since he claims to have deposed Father Moyer, he cannot bring any new church proceedings against Father Moyer since that would require him to admit that Father Moyer remains a priest in good standing, an admission that would also require Bishop Bennison to admit that his deposition was wrongful and invalid. QED   Later in January, America’s premier theologian Robert Jensen bluntly declared at a conference of Ecumenical scholars in Charleston, SC that included a goodly number of Episcopalians and Anglicans that men and women who indulge in homoerotic relationships should not be ordained. Frank Griswold was not amused.     A position paper signed by four theologians arguing that General Convention had no authority to approve of blessings for same-sex couples provoked a firestorm of opinion from across the Internet. Virtuosity wrote at the time, no single issue outside the ongoing struggle with homosexuality in ECUSA has caused so much discussion to erupt in recent memory. Should orthodox and evangelical Episcopalians stay or leave ECUSA? We would recognize such an exceptional action as being unconstitutional, declared Dr. Paul Zahl, Dean of the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham.     It was also a year in which the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church Frank Griswold took more hits than a Mafia foot soldier in a Sopranos sitcom.     His Soutane attire was splattered with the blood of betrayal, broken promises, outright lies, distortions and venality, taken to a level unheard of and unprecedented in the entire history of The Episcopal Church.     In the first of many missteps Griswold told Bishop Bennison that his going after Fr. Moyer was utterly unacceptable and to help his theologically pluriform mind he invoked the thoroughly deceased Sufi poet Rumi inviting all parties, including the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Pennsylvania to a field beyond wrongdoing and rightdoing for a pow wow. There was no meeting. Absolute, non-pluriform right and wrong continued to haunt the Presiding Bishop throughout the year.     Also haunting The Episcopal Church was the Anglican Mission in America (AMIA) whose numbers only increased throughout the year as they slowly gobbled up ripe Episcopal churches fed up with ECUSA theological and moral drift. Some 600 met in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina for what has now become one of the most significant gatherings of Anglicans on this continent. A few short years ago the Anglican Mission in America (AMIA) was but an idea in the minds of its founders, a group of men grown disenchanted by the growing apostasy in The Episcopal Church USA. Today, all that has changed. With some 12,000 followers in more than 100 parishes, the AMIA has become a significant witness in the worldwide Anglican Communion to which they have a formal relationship, and a challenge to liberal and orthodox bishops in the ECUSA.     January was also the month that saw two bishops, one a Canadian and the other an American lashing out at Anglican INTERNET communication with one bishop, Michael Ingham (New Westminster) recently calling it a medium of abuse. The other bishop, Charles E. Bennison (Pennsylvania) filed a motion to prevent an Anglo-Catholic priest and his attorney from revealing to VIRTUOSITY what is in the secret documents about the inhibition of Fr. David Moyer that Bennison had been ordered to produce. Bennison cited VIRTUOSITY as a primary source of his irritation over revealing what really happened in the Bennison attack on Fr. Moyer. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church also denounced Internet stories as full of distortion and untrue and berated this journalist for using the Internet to reveal information about ECUSA he would prefer to have been kept secret. Virtuosity became the focus of their wrath throughout the year, as news of the churchvenality filtered out unspun around the Communion.     In other news it was declared that the last line in the sand had been drawn and Frank Griswold and ECUSA would be declared out of Communion if same-sex unions got passed GC2003. It was also the month that Dr. Louie Crew, ECUSAFirst Sodomite announced that he would seek the presidency of the House of Deputies in an attempt to unseat George Werner in an open vote at GC2003. As events turned out his attempt failed. But it did have the effect of keeping Wernerfeet to the revisionist fire, if he should suddenly decide to weaken and make nice with ECUSAorthodox. Crew was not without his strategy.     In the DIOCESE OF NEWYORK, the former Bishop of New York, Richard Grein suffered a set back in his legal fight with the Rev. Janet Kraft for throwing her out of Grace Church in Manhattan and placing his very close female friend Anne Richards in her place. The judge told Grein and his lawyers to settle the case because he had little chance of winning. Grein also got divorced. He was one of the most hateful bishops in ECUSA towards orthodox priests in his diocese. The Kraft case still remains unresolved.     In another sign of theological insanity, the DIOCESE OF NEW YORK sent a number of Episcopalians to rebuild a mosque in Kabul rather than preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ or to build a church so people could worship Jesus. Making nice with the enemy was more important than telling them the Good News about Jesus.     FORWARD IN FAITH, NORTH AMERICA, the traditionalist Anglo-Catholic arm of The ECUSA said they wanted to remain a part of the Episcopal Church. Be it resolved that the purpose of Forward in Faith, North America, is to uphold the historic Faith, Practice and Order of the Church Biblical, Apostolic and Catholic, and to resist all efforts to deviate from it. To this end, Forward in Faith, North America, seeks to minister pastorally and sacramentally to all who are faithful to the Anglican Way, both within the Episcopal Church and outside it, while working internationally and cooperatively for the creation of an orthodox Province of the Anglican Communion.       And Griswold told us all how embarrassed he was being an American because the nation wanted to go to war with Iraq. Many Episcopalians retorted that they felt embarrassed having Griswold as their Presiding Bishop. Former U. S. President George Herbert Bush, an Episcopalian, hammered Griswold for his recent anti-American comments. Griswold said he was ashamed of being an American and was tired of apologizing for being from the U.S. and for wanting war with Iraq, while Bush was not doing enough about the worldstarving. Bush senior lit into Griswold saying that he found Griswoldrhetoric highly offensive and said Americans were among the most kind and generous, fairest nation in the world.   The Archbishop of Canterbury also took it on the chin from one of the Anglican Churchsenior Australian leaders. The archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen, on a preaching tour of England, called on Dr Williams, the leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, to espouse the teaching of scripture and end his personal sympathy for homosexual couples. The Australian archbishop was the first senior bishop to voice concerns about Dr. Williams, after both the Church Society and Reform called on Dr Williams to step down even before his appointment as archbishop was confirmed.     In Southern Africa, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, called on Southern Africa10 million baptized Anglicans to take a pro-homosexual line putting him at odds with the rest of the continentAfrican bishops. Archbishop Ndungane circulated an eight-page discussion document on human sexuality. The document warned that, besides threatening the unity of the Anglican Communion, the matter of homosexuality was causing deep pain on both sides of the debate. The first step was to find common foundations. The rest of the African bishops did not agree. They didnt like his foundations one little bit.   In yet another bit of singular madness, Bishop Bennison cited Hitler in criticizing African church growth. He told a reporter on National Public Radio that when it comes to the faith, millions of conservative African Christians are wrong. He likened their growth to Hitler and the Nazis. Bennison tried to backpedal but the damage was done. A Jewish lady who had worked for Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini in the Province of Rwanda, wrote saying she was so outraged she just couldnt find the words to say how she felt. The statement he [Bennison] made is unbelievable no matter how he tries to correct himself, and he said it on national radio no less. Does he know that I, a Jew, have been serving alongside Archbishop Kolini for more then 15 years! The comparison between Hitler and Kolini is so far fetched it is not even worth this email... Perhaps Bennison should read The Pink Swastika Homosexuality in the Nazi Party, 4th edition, she wrote. Bennison spent a good deal of the year putting his foot in his mouth. By yearsend he was tasting leather.     Dr. Pam Darling, a leading Episcopal Church historian, and a member of the Pennsylvania Standing Committee, said in a Memorandum that,Forward in Faith was manipulating past and present Archbishops of Canterbury over Fr. David Moyer, The Episcopal Churchleading Anglo-Catholic cleric in his battle with Bishop Bennison. It was another attempt by a revisionist historian to spin the truth and shut down orthodoxy. Bennison had, in September 2002, fraudulently deposed Fr. Moyer after concealing from his Standing Committee a letter from Frank Griswold top back off. Fr. Moyerattorney filed a complaint in the civil court and the part and present Archbishops of Canterbury (as well as numerous other bishops) refused to recognize the deposition. Moyer was received into an African Diocese and then received by Bishop Robert Duncan of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. In 2003, he and his curate became canonically resident in African Dioceses.     But not to be entirely outdone, the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. George Carey got into an embarrassing contest of wills with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in Switzerland. Following a speech by Powell on US foreign policy he took a question from the former Archbishop of Canterbury. Carey was diplomatically rude and insulting to the United States, bringing up the difference between soft (diplomatic/economic) and hard (military) power with an implied question as to whether the United States is capable of understanding the difference in todaymiddle-eastern world. In the most diplomatic terms and manner, the good General skewered the former ABC, reminding him that United States has a clear understanding of hard and soft power since it has been militarily successful across the 20th Century and NEVER asked for anything from the countries that it liberated or conquered except for enough ground to bury its dead.     And in the DIOCESE OF MASSACHUSETTS pluriformity reigned supreme. A diversity in faith, unity in peace rally was held at which Quakers, Buddhists, and Muslim muezzin, swayed to the jazz arrangement of a Christian spiritual. Members of Massachusettsreligious community gathered in the landmark Trinity Church where Episcopal Bishop Thomas Shaw ticked off a list of concerns he said the assembly fears more than Hussein, including the damage wrought by AIDS in Africa, environmental destruction, a deteriorating economy, and how hated we are by so many of our brothers and sisters around the globe.He echoed sentiments expressed by his close personal friend Frank Griswold.     Three dioceses held conventions in January, in which two, Newark and Washington upheld sodomite practices while Central Florida bucked the trend and called for more evangelism and mission outreach.     END OF PART ONE

By Toby Cohen http// www.religiousintelligence.org/ June 10th, 2010   Episcopal vacancies are opening up across the Church, and in the next few years the House of Bishops could have a very different complexion. With the Church teetering on the brink of some major changes, there is particular curiosity about the mentality of the new men under the mitres.     The Assistant Area Dean of Southampton, the Rev Canon Geoffrey Annas, was announced last week as the next Bishop of Stafford. As his new Diocesan Bishop, the Rt Rev John Gledhill, makes clear, Canon Annas has just the right sort of credentials He has won the respect of the whole community and many attribute a drop in serious crime to the neighbourliness and vision of St Christopher Thornhill, where he was made vicar in 94]He has overseen the establishment of the Southampton Street Pastors Scheme and a new Academy school, under the auspices of the Diocese and Oasis Trust. More recently he has been assistant Area Dean in the large Southampton Deanery, caring for clergy and lay leaders.     Canon Annas expertise in important frontline Church initiatives qualifies him well for service in any part of the organisation, as he acknowledges in an interview during his return to Lichfield last week, 25 years after his only previous visit there on a diocesan retreat.     My background has obviously been very much in ministry in the urban setting, but I spend a lot of time today with people in the rural setting and that been fascinating. The links between the two [are fascinating] as well. There’s not as much diversity between the two as people make out.     He will miss the people he has worked with in Southampton, but is confident in their ability to carry on the good work he is aware of great achievements being made in Lichfield, but is confident in the call of God and the help of his supportive team.     So far there is little to distinguish him from the other humble and enthused servants of the Church who have been selected for elevation. But Canon Annas himself detects a shift Therea general change in culture at the moment. Itnot just in the Church, I think the result of the General Election is an indication that people generally are looking now more towards consensual ways forward rather than being competitive all the time.     We sometimes make the mistake that everyone wants something new but therea lot that good about the traditional ways weve always done things and itjust about bringing the two together really, which is what I meant by the consensual thing.     That might not be the change others in the Church are talking about. And if they are talking about it at Synod this summer, they may have to look hard to find that spirit of consensus which the Archbishop of Canterbury was pleading for in February.     So how has that culture of consensus affected Canon Annasown stance on disputed issues?     I haven’t compromised at all, in that I am totally supportive of women bishops and I very much value the ministry of my female colleagues. And I look forward to the time when they exercise Episcopal ministry as well.     Although I’m 100 per cent behind the ordination of women to the episcopate, I’m also incredibly sensitive to those who find it difficult, and this is again where the consensual thing comes in. The last thing that I want is for anybody to feel alienated, I think the Church should be inclusive and so I think we have to work within that.     So perhaps traditionalists needn’t be too worried just yet. The new Bishop of Stafford joins the large gang of Church liberals who believe in incremental development rather than table-turning reform. He plays the same line on gays My feelings about openly gay clergy - I personally have no issues with that at all, but I think again like the ordination of women to the episcopate itsomething where there needs to be enormous sensitivity.     I’m not somebody who will overthrow rules and regulations for the sake of it, because I think if you do that you get chaos and anarchy, but I am somebody who will work to build a consensus to change rules and regulations and I would hope that in the future at some point people could be allowed to be true to themselves.     It is not a sin to be a homosexual, and that is very much the teaching of the Church of England. What the Church does teach is that actually whether youre heterosexual or gay, outside of a committed married relationship, there should be no physical sexual activity.     Well, as you realise, unless you’ re saying to me that gay people should marry, which I personally wouldnt agree with, youre going to deprive gay people of that possibility of having a physical relationship, which to my mind seems contrary to what being in a creative loving relationship is all about.       This is where traditionalists and liberals alike may wish to interject. No one is asking him to overthrow rules and regulations for the sake of it. Liberal society is asking him to do it, primarily, for the sake of those still suffering at the sharp end of our culturehomophobic heritage. The Church might not like being seen as the great curator of that heritage, but at least this shows that some of that society has not laughed and walked away.       Traditionalists are asking why, if he feels women are entitled to be bishops and people who are gay entitled to physical relationships without being excluded, he doesnt take a stand and openly challenge the Church, instead of sneakily undermining it.       Talk about a poisoned chalice. At least he is in good company as he steps out on to this tightrope, on which the Archbishop of Canterbury is another balanced with his crosier. Canon Annas is steeled to face these challenges while preserving strength to concentrate on the issues most dear to him, such as climate change and the damage of the recession.   On one line he is united with a great many in the Church All too often newspapers are focussing on these two particular issues, when there are so many issues... A lot of the Churchagenda is dictated by the media so I encourage you and urge you to start broadening it a bit.   Who can blame him?   *****

Dear friends,   As most of you know, over the past several months I have been struggling with the decisions reached by ECUSA at the 74th General Convention in August.  This period of prayer and reflection has recently led me to some very painful decisions, which I now need to share with all of you.  As you will see from the attached letter I have sent to Bishop Councell, I have decided to wind up my service as Senior Warden effective at our annual meeting in January.  This decision has nothing to do with issues at St. Andrews, but rather with the direction in which the national church is moving.  There is, I suppose, a certain tragic irony for us in this parish in having all worked so hard over the past year to bring St. Andrews to the much healthier place it is now in, only to have the national church implode around us.   As I know you’re all aware, I love this parish deeply and I only wish it were possible for me to shut out the issues now engulfing the larger church.  However, as we all know, St. Andrews is part of a wider church, and I cannot ignore what is happening in that arena.     As I explain in my letter to Bishop Councell, I do not believe that the great struggle now dividing ECUSA, and the worldwide Anglican Communion, is fundamentally a debate about homosexuality.   Unfortunately, I think it’s about a much more profound issue the nature and meaning of Scriptural authority for Christians in the 21st century.  I also think that the current struggle is about what it means to be part of a worldwide communion of over 70 million people on six continents.  Having said this from the outset, I still think its necessary for me to state as plainly and as completely as possible what my own views of homosexuality are, since many people are convinced that this really is the central issue.     First, I firmly believe that gay people are as fully human and created in the image of God as every other person is.  I also believe that they are no more or less sinful than the rest of us.   Furthermore, no one is beyond the redemptive love of Jesus Christ, including gay people.  I also believe that gay people belong in the Church.  The Church should embrace all people, including gay people.     It certainly has no business excluding anyone, especially people who have been marginalized in the way gay people historically have been. This fact is made clear to us by the earthly ministry of our Lord, who repeatedly explained that the Good News of the Gospel message is for ALL people.  As Christians we certainly have NO business judging others -- that is Gods business, not ours.     I also believe that homosexuality is NOT a lifestyle choice.  I believe that it is a fundamental sexual orientation that is either genetic or established very early in life by environmental factors (or a combination of both).  In this way I feel that homosexuality is like virtually all other human sexual orientations in that it is not self-selected.     Unfortunately, as Christians, I also believe that Scripture teaches us that not all human sexual orientations or desires are beautiful or acceptable in the sight of God.  I believe that other equally basic and primal sexual urges, orientations, and acts are also rejected by God.   Among these are lust, incest, consensual sado-masochism, beastiality, pedophila, heterosexual sodomy, bi-sexuality, any non-marital intercourse, and masturbation.  These forms of human sexual experience are, like many other basic non-sexual human desires, orientations, drives, and actions, not pleasing to God.  They are instead only signs of the brokenness of the world and of the human condition.     It is, therefore, not possible for the Church to bless what God does not accept.  In fact, I deeply believe that the ONLY model of human sexual union that God accepts is loving and consensual intercourse between one man and one woman within the estate of holy matrimony.  And that is the ONLY form of human sexual union that I believe the Church is permitted to bless.  Most certainly the Church may not bless before the altar of God that which Scripture specifically and repeatedly tells us is not acceptable in the sight of God.     I am convinced that those who support the blessing of same-sex unions are genuinely motivated by sincere commitment to a fundamental and central tenant of Christianity the inclusiveness and universality of the Church.  That is what makes this whole thing so deeply painful.   Unfortunately, however, their desire to be inclusive has led to a terrible distortion and disfiguring of the entire concept of Christian inclusiveness.  There is, and never will be, I would argue, a more radical document of human liberation, redemption, and salvation than the Christian New Testament.   And central to the Good News of the Gospel is a powerful, inescapable, and unrelenting message of self-denial and self-renunciation of MANY basic and fundamental human orientations and drives, including sexual ones.  The Christian message is a deeply mystical message.  It is a message of reunion with God through the struggle to overcome ourselves and live up to the extremely high standard which Jesus set for us.  We are not called to a new life by validating our own broken selves, driven as they are by all sorts of basic orientations, desires, and urges, but rather we are called to transcend our limited selves and live in the image of the God who created us all.     The most powerful agent of idolatry always has been and always will be human desire.  Like sexuality, most desires are basic and integral to our very being.  God calls us back to unity with him, but at a price.   That price has never been easy, but it has always been the same let go of all loves, desires, and drives except the love of God You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.     Like sexual desires, greed too is basic to the human condition.  Greedy  people belong in the Church too, but not so that we may bless their greed, but so that they can hear the Gospel message and hopefully be liberated from the greed that imprisons them.  Jesus accepts ALL of us, broken as we are, but he most certainly does not allow ANY of us to remain, broken as we are.  He calls us ALL to a new and better life in him.     To bless at the altar of God that which Scripture consistently and repeatedly tells us is unacceptable in the sight of God requires that one holds a view of Scripture and its authority that is fundamentally and profoundly different from that held by the vast majority of Christians, living or dead, at all times and in all places.  And this brings me full circle to my original assertion that this whole debate now enveloping the Church is not about homosexuality, per se, but about fundamentally different understandings of Scripture and its authority in our lives.     I am convinced that we are now on the verge of a great global realignment of Anglican Christianity.  My long-term view is very hopeful in this regard.  I am convinced that in a decade the Anglican Communion will look very different than it does today, but that it will also be very much stronger than it is today.  My short-term view of the future of the Episcopal Church, USA is not so sanguine.  I am greatly pained by what I see as a very long and disheartening struggle within ECUSA over the historical patrimony of this church.  Anglican realignment will leave none of us untouched in the end, and ultimately we must find our own place in that realignment.  Accordingly, I have begun exploring options, both within and beyond the framework of ECUSA.   I cannot in good conscience, therefore, continue to serve as the Senior Warden in a church I may no longer be part of a year from now.     During this process of discerning Gods guidance and will for me in the process of realignment, I fully expect to continue to worship with you at St. Andrews.  Although I believe that I must now bear witness to the historic faith and doctrine of the Church by abstaining from partaking of the elements during the Eucharist, please know that during the ministering of the elements I will be praying with you for our Church and for our Diocese.   I have assured our interim Vicar that it is my full intention to make the process of transition to a new Senior Warden in January as easy as possible.  I have absolutely no desire to hurt this parish or anyone in it.  After the transition I will continue to offer my advice and whatever information the Vestry needs, for as long as that help is needed. Please know also that it has been an enormous personal  privilege for me to work with all of you over the past several years to revitalize this parish.  If I ultimately do end up leaving St. Andrews, I will continue to hold in my heart a great deal of love for this place and all the people who make it what it is.     Faithfully yours in Christ,   Chris     Dr. Christopher Taylor is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Middle East Studies Program at Drew University in Madison, N.J. He is a specialist in Islamic Studies. He is a cradle Episcopalian. Dr. Taylor has served actively on the Vestry of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in New Providence. He has also served on the Cathedral Chapter in the Diocese of New Jersey.  He is currently working with other concerned Anglicans in north-central New Jersey to establish a local lay-led discussion and prayer group that will offer support and an opportunity for ECUSA layity who cannot accept recent theological innovations in the national Church to explore together the options orthodox Anglicans have in the aftermath of the 74th General Convention. He has not formally left ECUSA.   Support VirtueOnline. Our Beloved Anglican Communion is in turmoil. The Episcopal Church roils from crisis to crisis. Each year is one of tumult and turbulence, but even on the worst of days we could hear the still small voice saying press on...follow me. And we at VirtueOnline do every day. We do not stop for a week or a day. 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Virtue DD http// www.virtueonline.org virtuedavid20@gmaIL.COM December 2012   Dear VOL friend and loyal supporter, 2013 was another tumultuous year in the life of the Anglican Communion.     In March 2013, an evangelical, Justin Welby was enthroned as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, putting behind eight years of liberally minded Rowan Williams and what many viewed as a disastrous period in the life of the Anglican Communion with unresolved sexuality issues and a failed Covenant.   The year ended with some 1400 Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic Anglican leaders meeting in Nairobi under the banner of GAFCON II to forge a new way ahead for the Anglican Communion that is orthodox in faith and morals. They left no doubt as to where they stood as guardians of the faith. They greeted the Archbishops brief presence in Nairobi with polite applause he offered them nothing that assured them of Canterburys commitment to biblical faithfulness in the area of sexual fidelity to marriage between a man and a woman. They were unmoved by his less than sterling support of them and they proceeded to setup the Anglican Mission in England (AMiE).     The polarization within the Anglican Communion only heightened during the year with the Episcopal Church pushing the boundaries on sexuality issues in an attempt to redefine marriage in order to accommodate a handful of men and women who wanted to marry their same-sex partners. Gay Rites were put forth for experimentation by liberal bishops so clergy could legitimize same-sex unions even though gay marriage is still technically off the table. The Washington National Cathedral announced that they would be the first in line to use experimental Rites. Everyone, of course, knows where this is ultimately going. The Episcopal Church’s decision to endorse marriage equality follows the approval of a Rite for the Blessing of a same-sex relationship at the 2012 General Convention.       Lawsuits against four dioceses continued in 2013 and will continue on in 2014. The roughest and toughest calls will be made in South Carolina where the laws favor Bishop Mark Lawrence and TEC has experienced the most pushback. Tens of millions of dollars worth of real estate are at stake. An estimated $22 million has been spent to date on litigation by The Episcopal Church in an effort to retain or take back church properties in these dioceses. When TEC legally wins properties, the bishop of the Diocese of Connecticut, for example, is forced to sell them off to other denominations and to Muslims for conversion into mosques because they cannot financially support them.   The Global South, which is growing and vibrant, is committed to crossing boundaries and rescuing churches in the West under siege by liberal and revisionist bishops.   The Episcopal Church will continue to splinter in 2014 though at a slower pace. TEC will continue to wither and the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) will continue to grow. The theological divide will only widen in 2014. There will be triumphs and tragedies, winners and losers in the real estate battles. Aging and small TEC congregations will continue to shrink and there will be more diocesan mergers in 2014 (Ex. Quincy to Chicago). There will be ongoing realignment among the Continuers as well. 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By Jesse J. DeConto Seacoast Newspapers   EXETER, N.H. - About 100 displaced Episcopalians gathered for a Christmas Eve service at Phillips Exeter Academy this past week as an alternative to the mainline Episcopal churches that elected V. Gene Robinson as the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican ChurchThis was the largest gathering of a group called the Seacoast Mission Fellowship (SMF), which is holding Bible studies in private homes and providing community for Episcopalians who believe Scripture condemns Robinson’s active relationship with his male partner of 14 years.     I’m just somebody looking for a new church, said Exeter resident and SMF member Clayton Ellis, a cradle Episcopalian who left his church of seven years, Christ Episcopal in Exeter, over Robinson’s election.   It is consoling to know I’m not alone.     Ellis was one of about 10 Christ Church members who left over Robinson election, according to Father John Denson, the church rector.     Exeter resident Charlie Higginson, who is considering leaving Christ Church after 17 years, said the number is closer to.   Were very sad when anybody feels the need to leave, Denson said. I would hope that we could stay together and talk through these things.       Ellis said he and other former Christ Church members have found a temporary home at All Saints Church in West Newbury, Mass., where they can agree practicing homosexuals should not hold leadership positions in the church.     In October, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, leader of the Anglican churches worldwide, established a commission to examine the impact of creating a separate Anglican province in North America for dioceses and parishes who believe gay and lesbian sex acts violate Scripture. The commission will report on the potential for avoiding a split sometime in 04.     With the future of its relationship with the Episcopal Church yet uncertain, SMF has planned meetings only through January, when it will gather twice for Sunday worship and three times a week for Bible studies.   Leading the fellowship are two young seminarians from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, an evangelical graduate school in South Hamilton, Mass.     Christopher Klukas, 22, who delivered the Christmas Eve sermon Wednesday evening, and Esau McCauley, 24, who was visiting his sick mother in Alabama, a re organizing the temporarily homeless parishioners into home study classes which they also teach.     Klukas received a standing ovation when he announced he and McCauley a serving New Hampshire as missionaries of the Saint Aidan Mission Society. The men are handling the fellowship finances through All Saints in West Newbury until the group becomes more structured.     Our relationship with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion is still forming, McCauley told the Herald.       Helping Klukas to lead Wednesday service were his father, the Rev. Arnold Klukas, a professor at Nashotah House, an Episcopal seminary in Wisconsin, and Father Donald Wilson, the former priest-in-charge of Church of the Redeemer in Rochester, whom outgoing New Hampshire Bishop Douglas Theuner removed last month for insubordination when Wilson refused to acknowledge Robinson’s authority as bishop.     Several Redeemer parishioners attended Wednesday service, but afterward said they plan to remain in the Episcopal Church and hope Robinson will see fit to transfer their church into the care of the more conservative Diocese of Albany once he takes the bishop’s seat in March.   Our intention is to stay at our church and take it back, said church treasurer Kathy Lewis. We’re praying that Gene will be merciful and cut Redeemer loose to Albany. If he doesn’t, were going to be a thorn in his side until the day we die.     Another member, Susan Cloutman, said many at Redeemer are skipping the sacrament of communion and withholding money from the Diocese of N.H. because appointed interim priests do not share their view of biblical authority.     Father Tim Rich, whose St. John Church in Portsmouth has lost about 10 members because of Robinson’s election, said the SMF will not last if it coalesces around a negative.     Your identity cant be sustained by opposition, he said. That’s not something that, in the long term, I believe can energize folks, can hold folks together, can create a sense of mission.     Rich said he prays SMF can organize around a positive identity. During the Christmas Eve service, no one mentioned Robinson, but Christopher Klukas did allude to the crisis in the Episcopal Church.       If nothing else, Christmas Eve is about God coming into the world to save sinners, he said. Regardless of anything that happens in our church, we are still Christians, and we are called to proclaim that Gospel.     Though he is confident Archbishop Williams will establish an orthodox province in North America and that the Seacoast Anglicans will join, McCauley stressed SMF did not form in protest of Robinson.   We’re not angry at anyone, he said. We’re not a church that’s in op position to anything. ... Were here strictly to provide a safe place.     Stratham resident Dave Ward, who left Christ Church in Exeter after four years, said the Episcopal Church in the United States split the Anglican Communion by endorsing Robinson, and those who gathered Wednesday are seeking to restore that communion.     The majority of Anglicans in the world are out of communion with the Diocese of New Hampshire, he said. The Archbishop of Canterbury is not going to side with a few political activists in New Hampshire.     Robinson was not available for comment, but diocesan clergy do not believe his ascendance to bishop must necessarily divide the church.     There are members of my parish who are not happy with the election of Bishop Robinson, but they have chosen to stay in the parish, said Father Hank Junkin, rector of St. Andrew’s n Hopkinton and president of the Standing Committee which advises the bishop. The bishop only comes to the parish once a year. You don’t need to be here when he here. All politics are local, and I think a healthy spiritual life is local too. From a day-to-day stand point, the bishop’s impact is very minimal.     When asked whether a gay bishop could shepherd Christians who believe his lifestyle is sinful, Junkin responded Ita substantive and very good question to ask. I just wish we would be asking that question from inside the church rather than outside.   But SMF members no longer believe the Episcopal Church is providing the sound biblical teaching they expect. Higginson said Christ Church has two fine priests, but I think they’re misled. I think they’re deceived.     They have to do away with the scripture that holds the way that Robinson is living as sin, he said. In order to justify that, they’re going to have to change the way they teach scripture. What they’re doing is sanctifying the sin, and I can’t be part of that.     END